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Composition & Writing

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the process of analyzing information and deciding whether it makes sense. This process includes the ability to reflect on ideas and form independent thoughts and connecting concepts. A person with good critical thinking skills is able to do the following:

  • understand the logical connections between ideas
  • identify, construct and evaluate arguments
  • detect inconsistencies and common mistakes in reasoning
  • solve problems systematically
  • identify the relevance and importance of ideas
  • reflect on the justification of one's own beliefs and values

Source: http://philosophy.hku.hk/think/critical/ct.php
 

Your writing should demonstrate:

  • A clear understanding of your topic.
  • An understanding of the main ideas and their relationship to one another.
  • A clear presentation of your agreement or disagreement with the topic and your reasons for this opinion.This includes dispelling counterpoints to your argument.
  • An awareness of your readers, in most cases, the instructors, unless you make clear that you are writing for another audience.