Students

PHIX1037 – Critical Thinking

2025 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor; Lecturer; Tutor
Alexander Gillett
alexander.gillett@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
17WW236
By arrangement
Convenor; Lecturer; Tutor
Jennifer Duke-Yonge
jennifer.duke-yonge@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
17WW230
By arrangement
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit aims to teach the fundamentals of critical thinking and reasoning. Students will learn how to construct, analyse and critically evaluate arguments; how to detect common fallacies in reasoning; and how to think logically and creatively. We teach these skills by developing practical techniques for the evaluation of reasoning, and applying them to arguments from business, law, science, politics, philosophy and the media. Critical thinking skills are invaluable across all disciplines, and will benefit students in academic contexts and in life beyond university. All enrolment queries should be directed to Open Universities Australia (OUA): see www.open.edu.au

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Recognise the structure of arguments, and represent that structure in a clear standardised form.
  • ULO2: Differentiate between types of reasoning and the methods of evaluation appropriate to each.
  • ULO3: Appraise the arguments of others and represent them in a clear and standardised form.
  • ULO4: Construct well-reasoned arguments of your own.
  • ULO5: Apply the skills of critical analysis to arguments from a variety of contexts and disciplines.

General Assessment Information

Detailed assessment information and rubrics

Detailed information about each of the assessments, including rubrics and submission instructions will be available in the Assessment block in  iLearn. Please make sure you read the assessment information carefully, watch the Guide to Assessment video, and post a message in the relevant Assessment forum if you have any questions. 

Special Consideration

Requests for extensions should be submitted via a Special Consideration request, which is available in the http://ask.mq.edu.au portal. Your request should be submitted no later than five days after the due date and should be accompanied by appropriate documentation. Please see https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/special-consideration for further details and instructions. Read this information closely as your request may be turned down if you have not followed procedure, or if you have not submitted a request in a timely manner. The Macquarie University Special Consideration Policy can be found at the end of this document.

Late Assessment Submission Penalty  

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.    

This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic. 

 

Academic Integrity

In Philosophy, academic honesty is taken very seriously, and a range of methods, including but not restricted to the use of Turnitin, are used to detect plagiarism. Misrepresenting someone else's work as your own may be grounds for referral to the Faculty Disciplinary Committee. If you have questions about how to properly cite work or how to credit sources, please ask the convenor for help and see also the  Academic Integrity Policy https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/academic-integrity

Note: All assignments in this unit are individual assignments. Collusion (unauthorised collaboration on individual assignments) is a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy. This includes sharing or making use of shared assignments, in person or online, including through file-sharing websites.  If in doubt, contact a member of teaching staff. 

A helpful resource if you would like to know more about referencing and avoiding plagiarism is  Macquarie's Academic Integrity Module, available here: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/skills-development. You will need to complete this Module before accessing the unit content, if you have not already done so. More information is available in iLearn. 

 

GenAI/ChatGPT policy in Philosophy:

In this Unit, and unless notified otherwise in writing by the Unit Convenor, substantive assessment content that has been generated by AI will be regarded as not the student’s own work and potentially in breach of Academic Integrity standards. This applies to all assessments, including online forums. In submitting assessments all students will be required to confirm their agreement with the following:

In submitting this assessment, I certify that this submission is my own work and demonstrates my own understanding, analysis, research, reflection, critical thinking, and writing. I am not submitting anything that I cannot myself fully explain and defend, if called upon to do so. I understand that if my teachers have concerns about whether this submission is my own work or an AI-generated output, I may be required to attend an interview with the Unit Convenor/Integrity Officer/academic staff to verify my research methods, my understanding of the content, and my close familiarity with all sources I have cited. If I am found to have submitted work that is not my own, my work will be further investigated, and I may be found to be in breach of the MQ Academic Integrity Policy.

 

Academic Writing and Study Support

Macquarie University offers a number of services to help with academic writing, referencing and study skills. For details, see: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/skills/assignments

For information about policies related to Assessment, see Policies and Procedures section below.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Standardisation task 25% No 07/04/2025
Portfolio 25% No 19/05/2025
Formal examination 50% No TBA (formal exam period)

Standardisation task

Assessment Type 1: Problem set
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 07/04/2025
Weighting: 25%

 

Argument standardisation exercise

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Recognise the structure of arguments, and represent that structure in a clear standardised form.
  • Appraise the arguments of others and represent them in a clear and standardised form.
  • Construct well-reasoned arguments of your own.

Portfolio

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 19/05/2025
Weighting: 25%

 

A portfolio consisting of student responses to a series of scaffolded tasks completed over the session

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Recognise the structure of arguments, and represent that structure in a clear standardised form.
  • Differentiate between types of reasoning and the methods of evaluation appropriate to each.
  • Appraise the arguments of others and represent them in a clear and standardised form.
  • Construct well-reasoned arguments of your own.
  • Apply the skills of critical analysis to arguments from a variety of contexts and disciplines.

Formal examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 38 hours
Due: TBA (formal exam period)
Weighting: 50%

 

Invigilated examination during formal exam period

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Recognise the structure of arguments, and represent that structure in a clear standardised form.
  • Differentiate between types of reasoning and the methods of evaluation appropriate to each.
  • Appraise the arguments of others and represent them in a clear and standardised form.
  • Construct well-reasoned arguments of your own.
  • Apply the skills of critical analysis to arguments from a variety of contexts and disciplines.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Learning Activities

  • Lectures 

Lectures will be delivered live on campus from 3-5 on Tuesday of each week in the Lotus Theatre (27WW), and lectures will also be streamed and recorded for online students, and those unable to attend. You will need to attend or watch the lectures before engaging in tutorial discussion, workshops and activities each week. Further instructions about accessing the lectures will be available in iLearn.

  •  online forums (weeks 1-7)

PHIX1037 is an online flexible unit. 

  • 'Online flexible' students will discuss the content through asychronous forums in iLearn, rather than in scheduled tutorials. Online flexible students will be allocated to a forum group with a member of staff as group leader at the beginning of semester. 

Because the way you engage in the unit will depend on which offering you're enrolled in, please make sure you've enrolled in whichever one you would prefer at the beginning of semester. If you have enrolled in the 'in person' offering but decide you would rather participate via forums, for example, you will need to withdraw and reenrol in the 'online flexible' version as soon as possible and no later than week 1. 

  • Workshops (weeks 8-12)

In the second half of the unit, we will be running Workshops instead of tutorials/forums. In the workshops you will complete a series of tasks that will contribute to your Portfolio assessment, and allow you to develop a workbook resource that you can take with you into the open-book exam at the end of semester. There will be an online equivalent activity for Online Flexible students. You do not need to register for a Workshop, and more information about scheduling will be available before the mid-semester break. 

Course Texts

The Course Notes available through the PHIL/PHIX 1037 ilearn site constitute a text for the course. No other text is required. 

Teaching staff consultation times

See iLearn for information about staff consultation times

Unit Webpages and E-Resources

This unit is delivered online through iLearn (http://ilearn.mq.edu.au). PC and Internet access are required. Basic computer skills (e.g., internet browsing) and skills in word processing are also a requirement. Please consult teaching staff for any further, more specific requirements. 

 

Unit Schedule

 

Week 1

(week beginning 24/2)

Introduction to Critical Thinking

 

Week 2

(w/b 3/3)

Building and Representing Arguments

 

Week 3

(w/b 10/3)

Deconstructing Arguments

 

Week 4

(w/b 17/3)

Critical Thinking and the Human Mind

 

Week 5

(w/b 24/3)

Types of arguments (I): Deduction

 

Week 6

(w/b 31/3)

Types of arguments (II): Induction and Abduction

 

Week 7

(w/b 7/4)

The Impact of Cognitive Biases

Standardisation Task  due Monday 7/4
 

Mid semester break (14/4-27/4)

 

 Week 8

(w/b 28/4)

The Language We Use: the power to persuade

  

Week 9

(w/b 5/5)

The Rules of Engagement

 

Week 10

(w/b 12/5)

What happens when the rules are broken (fallacies and pseudo-reasoning)

 

Week 11

(w/b 19/5)

Putting it all together: An extended example

 Portfolio due Monday 19/5

Week 12

(w/b 26/5)

Critical Thinking and Beyond

 

Week 13

(w/b 2/6)

No lectures: exam prep week 

  

 

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2025.04 of the Handbook