Learning outcomes of the curricular unit

1. To recognise the necessity of autonomous thinking, without being submitted to the comfort of the general opinion.
2. To use reason aiming to become a human being more aware of himself or herself and of the surrounding world: to formulate and comprehend several efforts in order to respond to the biggest questions that always have been placed to the humanity.
3. To develop thinking and argumentation skills, through knowledge and training of the logics rules: to differentiate valid reasoning of fallacious reasoning.
4. To analise (deconstructing) persuasive texts/images/films.
5. To distinguish beteewn argumentation (field of the verisimilitude) and demonstration (field of the contingency).
6. To recognise the necessary connection between the speaker, the speach and the audience.
7. To know the organisational structure of the argumentative speach.
8. To discuss multidisciplinary subjects, as member of a plural society, in order to develop critical reasoning, argumentative skills and verbality.
9. To recognise stage fright - the fear of public speaking: identification of obstacles and symptoms, and strategies for overtaking them.

Syllabus

I. Introduction:
a) deconstructing prejudice;
b) delimitation of the ambit and aplication of argumentation and rethorics;
c) obstacles to critical Thinking. 

II. Brief historical course: from Ancient Greece till Contemporary times. 

III.
a) The reasoning required by the argumentative speach;
b) Demonstration and argumentation;
c) Truth and validity;
d) The organisation of the argumentative speach;
e) The art of well speaking - resources and techniques;
f) The most importante non formal falaciousnesses;
h) Analysis and production of argumentative essays (based on the classics and on their methodology, building a suitable argumentation, both to the sudent and to the law issue);
i) Persuation and manipulation. 

IV. The verbal speach: methods and techniques to the eloquent speaker. Stage fright ans some strategies to overcome it. 

V. Practical component: aplication of the learned resources, briefly presenting concepts and debating argumentatively (the themes will be contemporary and/or concerning students experiences, both as alumni and persons), in the classroom