Critical Reasoning and Logic

Graduate Studies Support Program

This workshop is part of the Graduate Studies Support Program of Berlin University Alliance. For an overview of all Graduate Studies Support Program events, click here.

In science, thinking clearly and seeing the logical relationships between ideas is as important as experiments and data. Nevertheless, the logical basics of correct reasoning are not part of the curricula for most university degrees. In this course we introduce basic concepts of logic such as validity and soundness and the distinction between inductive and deductive reasoning. The idea of the course is to use these concepts as a toolbox for various aspects of scientific work. Participants learn techniques that help them identify strengths and weaknesses in arguments, structure texts optimally, and to state arguments clearly and precisely. During the course we apply the contents directly to the participants' research topics, for example in that we help them formulate precise research questions, explain the relevance of their research, and develop a clear argument structure for their texts or presentations.