The aim:
1. To acquaint students with the general principles of correct reasoning and basic types of arguments.
2. To acquire skills in critical thinking, constructing and assesing arguments.
3. To develop students’ analytical and communicational competences.
4. To make students familiar with fundamental features of language and linguistic communication.
5. To provide students with basic skills in building and understanding speech acts.

Acquired knowledge:
1. Student possesses a basic knowledge on a theory of language and argumentation.
2. Student understands basic features of linguistic communication and speech acts.
3. Student recognizes basic types of arguments and criteria of their plausibility.

Acquired skills:
1. Student correctly constructs arguments and other speech acts.
2. Student recognizes arguments and asseses them regarding criteria of their plausibility.
3. Student clearly puts definite claims and offers a plausible argumentation supporting these.
4. Students critically verifies hypoteheses and claims put by other participants of argumentative discourse.

Acquired social skills:
1. Student is able to inspire and organize her own work and the work of others as well as to cooperate and be a part of the team.
2. Student thinks and acts in a self-reliant and critical manner.

Course contents: 
1. Logic and a theory of argumentation. Concepts of reasoning, argumentation and argument.
2. Language and linguistic communication. Various types of communication and speech acts.
3. Names and propositions as components of speech acts.
4. A structure of argument. Reconstructing and assesing of arguments.
5. Types of arguments and inferences. Deductive arguments and its logical structure.
6. Basic types of non-deductive arguments. Arguments’ schemes and criteria for argument’s plausibility.
7. General principles of rational argumentation. How to recognize and defend against abusive argumentation.
8. Argumentation and questions of criminal justice.

Recommended reading: 
1. Good Reasoning Matters! A Constructive Approach to Critical Thinking, Groarke L. A., Tindale C. W., Oxford University Press. Oxford varia
2. The Elements of Reasoning, 6th ed., Munson R., Black A. , Wadsworth. Boston, MA 2012.

Additional reading: 
1. Informal Logic: A Pragmatic Approach, 2nd ed., Walton D., Cambridge University Press. Cambridge 2008.
2. How to Win Every Argument. The Use and Abuse of Logic, Pirie M., Continuum. London, New York 2006.