Looking back over the past 9 weeks, I can’t help but think
about how much my thinking has grown/changed.
I’m not just saying that because I think that it what needs to be said,
I really do think that this was one of those classes that has a lasting impact
on your life - a class that exceeds the scope of the course and enters into
your everyday life. I can only think of 1
other class that would approach how much I have learned here – my SAT prep
class I took in high school essentially taught me how to take multiple choice
tests. Instead of teaching a very
focused skill however, this class taught me an essential skill to have in life,
the ability to critically think about things.
Looking for positives in the course, first and foremost I
would have to say that the book that was selected for this course was spot on
the perfect book for learning about critical thinking. I really liked the practice questions to help
develop skills within the book, and the breakdown of the chapters split the
contents up very well. Another thing
that I liked was the introduction to the Hunt Library. I know this was supposed to be the first
class in the progression; however this is my second/third. My first class did not even mention the Hunt
Library, which is a shame considering the amount of information that is
accessible within it. Also, driving home
the SEE-I process at the beginning of the course really established a
foundation to build upon. Going further,
the SEE-I process is another skill that I have taken from this course and use
on an almost daily basis when interacting with people and it really does work.
As far as negatives are concerned, I really only have one
complaint, and even then I know it really isn’t one. At times it seemed like there was a ton of
work to be done in the class. From week
to week it felt like I worked hours on the material, but in reality, it really
wasn’t that bad and none of it was what I would consider busy work – all of it
had a purpose and resulted in a better understanding of the topic at hand. So, even though I thought it was a bunch of
work, it was my undergraduate side of me complaining as opposed to my more
mature masters student that understands it is necessary. I really can’t think of anything additional
that either the university or the instructor needs to do in order to better the
class. Every that was covered in the
class was relevant to the course, to future courses, and life in general. I would even go as far to say that this
course or something similar to it should be required in every degree program in
the university!
In summary, this class has definitely made my top 5 classes
of all time. I found it truly
entertaining and a pleasure to learn from.
I look forward to working with the instructor in the future and would
recommend this course to anyone interested in learning how to critically think.
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