Back to Think Again I: How to Understand Arguments
Duke University

Think Again I: How to Understand Arguments

In this course, you will learn what an argument is. The definition of argument will enable you to identify when speakers are giving arguments and when they are not. Next, you will learn how to break an argument into its essential parts, how to put them in order to reveal their connections, and how to fill in gaps in an argument by adding suppressed premises. By the end of this course, you will be better able to understand and appreciate arguments that you and other people present. Suggested Readings: Students who want more detailed explanations or additional exercises or who want to explore these topics in more depth should consult Understanding Arguments: An Introduction to Informal Logic, Ninth Edition, Concise, Chapters 1-5, by Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Robert Fogelin. Course Format: Each week will be divided into multiple video segments that can be viewed separately or in groups. There will be short ungraded quizzes after each segment (to check comprehension) and a longer graded quiz at the end of the course.

Status: Writing
Status: Persuasive Communication
BeginnerCourse26 hours

Featured reviews

CW

5.0Reviewed Apr 14, 2019

I've taken several online courses on logic and argumentation. This one stands out by virtue of the professor's enthusiasm and clarity of explanations. Worth every minute I've spent on it.

MM

5.0Reviewed Oct 11, 2016

This course goes super in depth on how arguments work. I learned things in this course that'd I'd never heard of before and it gave me a more critical view on how people say things.

RH

5.0Reviewed Feb 15, 2017

This is a very very engaging and applicable course, and is truly presented with 10/10 efficacy! I couldn't be more sincere and adamant in my recommendation, no matter who you are or what you do.

AK

4.0Reviewed Jul 27, 2019

Many thanks, i have had fun in the course. Material was easy to comprehend and flow easy to follow . I am just giving it 4 stars, as i think more practical examples should be provided

PP

5.0Reviewed Jul 7, 2019

An extraordinary course that would help to make the right decisions, convey your thoughts to others and thinking in a structured and organized way. Highly recommended for everyone!

MT

4.0Reviewed Sep 23, 2022

Great course, I learned a lot from it especially deep analysis, checking arguments and rebuilding, Thank you very much, great presentation from the professor Walter Sinnott-Armstrong

EP

5.0Reviewed Feb 18, 2018

I took it a while back before it was divided and did not pass, so now Im happy that it is divided, 1) to see if I understand better this time 2) to show that i did learn something.

SB

5.0Reviewed Nov 2, 2019

Excellent course, extremely worthwhile and very challenging for me. I used this course to help with my logic training for LSAT. I will be continuing on to complete all parts of the full course.

SM

5.0Reviewed Jun 10, 2020

I found this course very challenging as I find critical thinking very difficult. However this course was extremely rewarding and I will be taking the other three modules in the Think Again series.

RB

5.0Reviewed May 3, 2020

Great class. Super insightful and the professor was knowledgable and entertaining. I would definitely recommend this class to anyone interested in being able to better formulate arguments.

VS

5.0Reviewed Jun 29, 2020

This course has helped me breakdown the structure of arguments and I think it is very useful if you struggle with essay writing as this course helps you understand the fundamentals of arguments.

TH

4.0Reviewed Jun 16, 2021

Not a bad course at all! Even though I didn't pay for the course, I still very much came away from it learning something. The proff is very easy to understand and makes it interesting.Thank you!

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Mauri S Gayton
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Reviewed Mar 31, 2019
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Celso Endrigo Lucchesi
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