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Critical Thinking
& AnalysisOnline College Course
Arguments, evidence, and fallacies — how to think clearly and defend a position without hand-waving.
What You'll Learn
A full semester of critical thinking & analysis — completed at your own pace, with no deadlines or fixed class times.
What You'll Be Able to Do
- Build well-structured arguments grounded in clear logic, valid reasoning, and verifiable evidence
- Assess how bias shapes an argument's credibility, and tell the difference between factual claims and opinion
- Use critical thinking to examine personal circumstances, cultural practices, and world events
- Work fluently with key terminology and concepts, applying reasoning skills across varied subjects and situations to identify and resolve problems
- Examine how people and groups are alike and different, and explain how those differences can be shaped by factors such as race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, class, religion, or disability
Major Course Topics
Course chapters and lessons
Critical Thinking & Analysis has 9 chapters across 57 instructional hours, as listed in the course syllabus. Expand any chapter to see the lessons inside it.
- Chapters
- 9
- Lessons
- 50
- Instructional hours
- 57 hrs
- Semester hours
- 3
Chapter 1
Introduction to Critical Thinking
- 1.1 What Is Critical Thinking?
- 1.2 Why Critical Thinking Matters in the Real World
- 1.3 Characteristics and Habits of a Critical Thinker
- 1.4 Cognitive Development and Stages of Thinking
- 1.5 Thinking in Shades of Gray: Beyond Black-and-White Reasoning
- 1.6 Standards of Good Thinking: Clarity, Accuracy, and Relevance
Chapter 2
Reason & Emotion
- 2.1 The Role of Reason in Critical Thinking
- 2.2 The Role of Emotion in Decision-Making
- 2.3 The Interplay of Reason and Emotion
- 2.4 Emotional Influences and Cognitive Bias
- 2.5 Balancing Logic and Feeling in Judgment
Chapter 3
Language & Communication
- 3.1 Language and Meaning
- 3.2 Denotation, Connotation, and Emotive Language
- 3.3 Language and the Self
- 3.4 Language and Culture
- 3.5 Clarity, Ambiguity, and Vagueness
- 3.6 Definitions and Precise Communication
Chapter 4
Knowledge, Evidence & Errors in Thinking
- 4.1 Knowledge, Belief, and Justification
- 4.2 Sources and Quality of Evidence
- 4.3 Fact versus Opinion
- 4.4 Bias and Credibility
- 4.5 Common Errors in Critical Thinking
- 4.6 Barriers to Sound Reasoning
Chapter 5
Informal Fallacies
- 5.1 What Is a Fallacy?
- 5.2 Fallacies of Relevance
- 5.3 Fallacies of Presumption
- 5.4 Fallacies of Ambiguity
- 5.5 Identifying Fallacies in Everyday Discourse
Chapter 6
Recognizing, Analyzing & Constructing Arguments
- 6.1 What Is an Argument?
- 6.2 Premises and Conclusions
- 6.3 Identifying Arguments and Non-Arguments
- 6.4 Standard Form and Argument Structure
- 6.5 Analyzing Arguments
- 6.6 Constructing Effective Arguments
Chapter 7
Inductive & Deductive Arguments
- 7.1 Inductive Reasoning: Strength and Cogency
- 7.2 Types of Inductive Arguments: Generalization, Analogy, and Causation
- 7.3 Deductive Reasoning: Validity and Soundness
- 7.4 Common Deductive Argument Forms
- 7.5 Comparing Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
- 7.6 Evaluating Argument Quality
Chapter 8
Marketing & Advertising
- 8.1 Persuasion and the Psychology of Advertising
- 8.2 Rhetorical and Persuasive Techniques in Marketing
- 8.3 Analyzing Advertisements
- 8.4 Regulating Advertisements
- 8.5 Critical Thinking as a Consumer
Chapter 9
Mass Media
- 9.1 The Role of Mass Media in Society
- 9.2 Media Bias and Framing
- 9.3 Analyzing Media Messages
- 9.4 Misinformation, Disinformation, and Media Literacy
- 9.5 Thinking Critically in the Digital Age
These chapters come straight from the official course syllabus, which also sets out the graded assignment and the proctored final exam.
Course Details
| Course | Critical Thinking & Analysis (HUM 201) |
|---|---|
| Format | 100% online |
| Learning Style | Self-paced — no deadlines or class times |
| Credits | 3 College Credits |
| Lab | Not required |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Assessment | 25% Attendance · 25% Quizzes · 25% Assignments · 25% Final Exam |
| Estimated Completion | Self-paced · no deadlines |
| Credit Recommendation | NCCRS Credit Recommended |
| Transfer Information | Transferable via the credit recommendation above — your registrar can confirm your school's policy |
Pick What Fits You
Lifetime Access
- Full Critical Thinking & Analysis course — all chapters & lessons included
- Lifetime access — no subscription, no expiration
- Official transcript on completion
- Best if you only need this one prerequisite
UPI Study Membership
- Access this course as part of your membership
- Ideal if you're planning to complete several prerequisites
- Same NCCRS-recommended credit and official transcript
How It Works
Three steps from enrollment to transferable college credit — no campus visits, no application required.
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Start one or more courses covering lower or upper division requirements — instantly, today.
Earn College Credit
Watch short video lessons, take quizzes and the final exam — all from home, on your schedule.
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Students Also Enrolled In
Stack multiple courses to build 6, 9, or 12+ transferable college credits — at a fraction of the cost of most campus options.
UPI Study Courses Include
Master critical thinking & analysis and build a foundation for your degree — and your future.
Arguments, evidence, and fallacies — how to think clearly and defend a position without hand-waving.
🎯 Why It Matters
- Satisfies humanities or critical-thinking general-education requirements at many universities
- Argument analysis is directly tested on the LSAT, GRE, and GMAT
- Employers consistently rank critical thinking among the top skills they cannot find
- Applies to every other course you will take — this is a force multiplier
💼 In-Demand Careers
- Legal Assistant / Pre-Law pathway
- Policy Analyst
- Management Consultant
- Business Analyst
- Journalist / Fact-checker
- Compliance Officer
- UX Researcher
- Any role requiring structured decision-making
🚀 How This Sets You Up
- Complete 9 chapters from argument fundamentals through applied analysis
- Chapter quizzes, one assignment, and a cumulative final exam
- 57 contact hours, fully self-paced
- Strong preparation for LSAT/GRE logical reasoning sections
- Complements English Composition I & II directly
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Anyone can enroll — including high school students, incoming college students, adult learners, and students trying to test out of traditional courses.
Why choose this over traditional classes?
Save time and reduce tuition costs. Many students complete prerequisites faster and shorten their time to graduation — at a fraction of the cost.
How many credits can I earn?
This course is NCCRS-recommended for 3 semester credit hours. Transfer as many credits as your university allows — students have transferred anywhere from 3 to 90+ credits depending on their school's policy.
Everything You Need to Succeed
Video-Based Lessons
HD video lectures broken into short, focused modules. Watch at your own pace — pause, rewind, replay any time.
Quizzes & Final Exam
Evaluate your understanding after every section with quizzes and a comprehensive final exam that mirrors real college assessment.
Structured College-Level Course
Structured lessons covering every topic — designed as a standard Critical Thinking & Analysis college-level course.
Official Transcript
Complete the course, request your transcript, and transfer 3 credit hours to cooperating universities. No separate exam required.
Earn 3 College Credits
for $250.
Self-paced. No deadlines. NCCRS-recommended, recognized by various NCCRS cooperating universities. Join 135,000+ learners on the UPI Study platform.