Students

PHIL1037 – Critical Thinking

2026 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Co-convenor; Lecturer (Weeks 1-5)
Jennifer Duke-Yonge
jennifer.duke-yonge@mq.edu.au
See iLearn for staff consultation times
Co-convenor; Lecturer (Weeks 6-13)
Alexander Gillett
alexander.gillett@mq.edu.au
See iLearn for staff consultation times
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 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.

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

Pass/ Fail Unit

PHIL1037/PHIX1037 is a a Pass / Fail unit. This means that all students will receive either "S" for satisfactory or "F" for fail as their final result. However, marks will be awarded for each assignment. If students score 50% or higher overall they will be awarded an "S" for the unit. 

 

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. 

Exam information

The exam will be an invigilated Open Book exam, held during the formal exam period. PHIL1037 students, whether enrolled as internal or online flexible, will complete the on-campus by default, but PHIL1037 online students who live outside Sydney will have the opportunity to apply to take the exam online. Further information about this process will be given during the semester. 

Special Consideration

Requests for extensions should be submitted via a Special Consideration request, which is available in the https://connect.mq.edu.au/s/ 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. 

 

Generative AI (ChatGPT etc)

In this unit, unless notified otherwise in writing by the Unit Convenor, it is expected that the work you submit demonstrates your own understanding, analysis, research, reflection, critical thinking, and writing, and you will be marked on the basis of your demonstrated understanding of and engagement with the unit content and activities. This applies to all assessments, including online forums. If your teachers have concerns about whether a submission is your own work in a meaningful sense, you may be required to attend an interview with the Unit Convenor or other academic staff to discuss your work and demonstrate your attainment of unit and task learning outcomes.  Further information and advice about policies and expectations around the use of Generative AI will be given in iLearn. 

 

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 Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI assisted?
Standardisation task 25% No 07/04/2026 Individual No Open AI
Portfolio 25% No 24/05/2026 Individual No Open AI
Formal examination 50% No TBA. During Formal Exam period. Individual No Observed

Standardisation task

Assessment Type 1: Problem-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 07/04/2026
Weighting: 25%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Open AI

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: 24/05/2026
Weighting: 25%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Open AI

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. During Formal Exam period.
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Observed

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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Learning Activities

  • Lectures 

Lectures will be delivered live on campus from 4-6pm 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, and internal students are strongly encouraged to attend in person. Further instructions about accessing the lectures will be available in iLearn.

  • Tutorials and online forums 

Students will enrol in PHIL1037 in either the in-person scheduled offering, or the online flexible offering. 

  • 'In-person scheduled' students will register for a tutorial when enrolling. Tutorials will be held on campus starting in Week 1
  • '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. 

Tutorials and forums are an important part of your learning in the unit. In the tutorials you will get practice with the skills introduced each week. Tutorials will also be used to help you with assessments, and will assist you to write your Portfolio and 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.  

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 23/2)

Introduction to Critical Thinking

What is critical thinking and why is it important? What is an argument and how do you identify them? We introduce a central theme about the importance of epistemic virtues.

 

Week 2

(w/b 2/3)

Building and Representing Arguments

We look at the process of building an argument and the skill of standardisation. 

 

Week 3

(w/b 9/3)

Deconstructing Arguments

Using the method of standardisation to represent other people’s arguments. How can we accurately and fairly portray the views of others?

 

Week 4

(w/b 16/3)

Critical Thinking and the Human Mind

The way we think can influence how we understand the arguments of others, and how we make arguments of our own. How can we be responsible believers and reasoners?

 

Week 5

(w/b 23/3)

Types of arguments (I): Deduction

There are different types of arguments. We'll consider why it's important to recognise these different types of reasoning, and what methods of evaluation are appropriate to each.

 

Week 6

(w/b 30/3)

Types of arguments (II): Induction and Abduction

We continue our study of different types of arguments, and the methods of evaluation appropriate to each.

  

 

Mid-semester break (3/4-19/4)

Standardisation Task due Tuesday 7/4

Week 7

(w/b 20/4)

The Impact of Cognitive Biases

Our tendency towards schematic thinking leads us to make assumptions about the causal relations between things in analogies. So, what makes a good causal or analogical claim?

  

 Week 8

(w/b 27/4)

Evaluating Evidence

What counts as reliable evidence? Who or what should we trust? When is it appropriate to ‘do your own research’? What responsibilities do we have when it comes to accepting evidence? We return to the importance of epistemic responsibility.

 Standardisation Task marks and feedback returned 

Week 9

(w/b 4/5)

The Language We Use: the power to persuade

What is the relationship between language, rhetoric and argument? How can word choice and rhetoric manipulate or persuade?

 

Week 10

(w/b 11/5)

The Rules of Engagement

Sometimes arguments become diverted away from the rational core. What can we do about this? Can we treat arguments as a form of game with rules?

 

Week 11

(w/b 18/5)

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

Fallacies are specious forms of reasoning. There are lots of differing kinds of fallacies. Can we avoid fallacies in our own reasoning?

 Portfolio due Sunday 24/5

Week 12

(w/b 25/5)

Critical Thinking and Beyond

How you can take what you have learned on the course into your future university studies into your wider lives? How can the ideas taught on this course help with our current times? We conclude by reflecting upon our epistemic responsibilities.

 

No Tutorial

Week 13

(w/b 1/6)

Exam preparation Week 

General advice on exam techniques and specific feedback on how to improve for the exam by going through the mock exam and portfolio feedback.

 Portfolio marks and feedback returned

 

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/

Academic Success

Academic Success 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 2026.04 of the Handbook