Course Description

Applied Critical Thinking nurtures independent thinking skills and the ability to express complex ideas in a clear and convincing manner. Students deal with real-world cases from the fields of law, medicine and politics, and understand the decision-making processes that are undertaken by people working in these challenging disciplines.

Students learn how laws are defended, how doctors weigh up ethical decisions, and how to answer seemingly-impossible university application questions, such as:

• What is your response to the view that the purpose of education is to prepare young people for the world of work? (Sample question from the LNAT, which assesses university applicants to law degrees at top UK universities.)
• I am walking along the street when it starts to rain. I open the door of an unlocked car and sit there for 15 minutes until the rain passes. Have I ‘taken’ the car? (Sample interview question from the Faculty of Law, University of Oxford.)

Complex ethical concepts are discussed, and students often work on topics without a clear right answer. Being able to defend your position in these situations is the key to succeeding in interviews for top universities, and in the world of work beyond.

This course develops the thinking skills needed for:

• HKDSE, and the Theory of Knowledge core subject in the IB Diploma.
• Oxbridge interviews; LNAT/LSAT exams for law school applications; BMAT/MCAT exams for medical school applications.
• Careers in challenging fields such as law and medicine.

Applied Critical Thinking is a year-long course for S3-5 students. It is a 4-skill course during which students:

• Read varied sources, e.g. news articles, personal narratives, and technical reports.
• Write in a variety of styles, e.g. witness statement, formal letter, and analytical essay.
• Present arguments on each side of complex topics.
• Engage in debates and respond to the arguments of others.