Which college major would help me with Critical Thinking most?

How can critical thinking help you succeed as a college student?

• Answer:

  It enables you to understand how arguments are constructed and helps you to decide whether what someone is arguing is feasible. It does this by looking at the mechanisms of constructing arguments, giving you examples of each technique. It uses all kinds of material (press extracts, speeches, articles etc.) and in each you analyse how arguments are presented. You don't have to engage particularly with the subject of the material - only how it's written. Students of mine have commented that it's refreshing not to have to 'learn up' a body of material and that it's interesting to cover such diverse reading matter. Although the course doesn't cover essay writing as such, once you master the principles of Critical Thinking, you will find it easier to construct your own arguments and write good discursive essays. Obviously, this is very important for anyone wanting to enter higher education. NB My comments are based on UK Critical Thinking GCSE courses.