| 授業名 | CRITICAL THINKING |
|---|---|
| Course Title | CRITICAL THINKING |
| 担当教員 Instructor Name | Alexander NAVARRO |
| 授業形態 Class Type | 講義 Regular course |
| 授業形式 Class Format | On Campus |
| 単位 Credits | 2 |
| 言語 Language | EN |
| 学位 Degree | BSc |
| 開講情報 Terms / Location | 2026 UG Nisshin Term2 |
| コード Couse Code | NUC014_N26A |
授業の概要 Course Overview
Mission Statementとの関係性 / Connection to our Mission Statement
This course in critical thinking supports NUCB’s mission by cultivating leaders who can analyze complex social challenges with intellectual rigor and global awareness. Through case-based discussion, students will develop the frontier spirit to question assumptions, evaluate evidence, and make principled decisions under uncertainty. By examining diverse social issues across cultural contexts, students will strengthen their ability to bridge perspectives in the classroom and beyond.
授業の目的（意義） / Importance of this course
This course develops essential critical thinking skills through the structured analysis of contemporary social issues. Students will learn to evaluate claims, assess evidence, recognize cognitive biases, analyze stakeholder interests, and weigh ethical tradeoffs. By engaging with real-world cases, students will strengthen their ability to reason clearly under uncertainty, communicate persuasively, and make responsible decisions in complex social and organizational contexts.
学修到達目標 / Achievement Goal
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Analyze complex social problems using structured critical thinking tools
- Evaluate claims and evidence
- Identify cognitive errors in reasoning
- Assess and synthesize differing perspectives on an issue
- Examine ethical tradeoffs
- Propose evidenced-based solutions while considering short-term and long-term consequences
- Analyze complex social problems using structured critical thinking tools
- Evaluate claims and evidence
- Identify cognitive errors in reasoning
- Assess and synthesize differing perspectives on an issue
- Examine ethical tradeoffs
- Propose evidenced-based solutions while considering short-term and long-term consequences
本授業の該当ラーニングゴール Learning Goals
*本学の教育ミッションを具現化する形で設定されています。
LG1 Critical Thinking
LG2 Diversity Awareness
LG3 Ethical Decision Making
LG4 Effective Communication
LG5 Business Perspectives (BSc)
LG2 Diversity Awareness
LG3 Ethical Decision Making
LG4 Effective Communication
LG5 Business Perspectives (BSc)
受講後得られる具体的スキルや知識 Learning Outcomes
Through this course, students will acquire:
- Knowledge of key critical thinking frameworks
- Awareness of contemporary social issues
- Ability to identify cognitive biases and reasoning errors
- Capacity to assess solution feasibility and consequences
- Communication skills for structured case discussion and argumentation
- Increased ability to think and discuss critically in English
- Knowledge of key critical thinking frameworks
- Awareness of contemporary social issues
- Ability to identify cognitive biases and reasoning errors
- Capacity to assess solution feasibility and consequences
- Communication skills for structured case discussion and argumentation
- Increased ability to think and discuss critically in English
SDGsとの関連性 Relevance to Sustainable Development Goals
Goal 10 人や国の不平等をなくそう（Reduced Inequality）
教育手法 Teaching Method
| 教育手法 Teaching Method | % of Course Time | |
|---|---|---|
| インプット型 Traditional | 50 % | |
| 参加者中心型 Participant-Centered Learning | ケースメソッド Case Method | 50 % |
| フィールドメソッド Field Method | 0 % | 合計 Total | 100 % |
事前学修と事後学修の内容、レポート、課題に対するフィードバック方法 Pre- and Post-Course Learning, Report, Feedback methods
Each week, students will need to commit an estimated ~3 hours of time preparing for class.
This includes:
1) reading the weekly case & taking notes in preparation for class discussion,
2) engaging with one supplementary material that illuminates the week's social issue focus, and
3) completing assignment questions that assess engagement with the case/supplementary material.
Feedback on final reports will be provided to students via Google Classroom.
This includes:
1) reading the weekly case & taking notes in preparation for class discussion,
2) engaging with one supplementary material that illuminates the week's social issue focus, and
3) completing assignment questions that assess engagement with the case/supplementary material.
Feedback on final reports will be provided to students via Google Classroom.
授業スケジュール Course Schedule
第1日（Day1）
LECTURE: Claims, Evidence, and Assumptions:This session introduces foundational tools of critical thinking. Students will learn how to distinguish claims from evidence, identify hidden assumptions, and analyze how arguments are constructed. The session emphasizes structured reasoning before forming conclusions.
●使用するケース
CASE: Under Pressure (Original)An HR manager at a consulting firm must decide whether to approve a stress-related leave request from a high-performing consultant during a critical client milestone, weighing employee well-being against operational and financial risk.
Social issue focus: mental health
第2日（Day2）
LECTURE: Reasoning Errors, Framing, and Cognitive BiasThis session examines common reasoning errors and cognitive biases that distort judgment. The session also highlights how media narratives and emotional salience shape interpretation of social issues.
●使用するケース
CASE: Headline Decisions (Original)A newspaper editor-in-chief must determine how to frame and position coverage of a narrowly passed same-sex partnership ordinance, balancing journalistic neutrality, digital engagement pressures, and community trust.
Social issue focus: LGBTQ+ rights
第3日（Day3）
LECTURE: Correlation, Causation, and Interpreting EvidenceThis session focuses on distinguishing correlation from causation and identifying statistical misinterpretation. The session emphasizes evaluating data claims carefully, especially when statistics are used to justify strong social conclusions.
●使用するケース
CASE: Numbers in Context (Original)A prefectural policy director must decide whether to proceed with expanding foreign worker programs while addressing public concern over a recent rise in petty theft, conflicting data, media influence, and political pressure.
Social issue focus: immigration
第4日（Day4）
LECTURE: Evaluating Sources and CredibilityThis session develops tools for assessing the credibility of information sources. The session also focuses on how credibility is socially constructed and how expertise is evaluated.
●使用するケース
CASE: Questioning Competence (Original)A newly appointed female CEO faces public and internal doubts about her technical competence following a strategic restructuring announcement, and must determine how to respond to credibility challenges amplified by media narratives.
Social issue focus: gender inequality
第5日（Day5）
LECTURE: Stakeholder Analysis and Competing InterestsThis session introduces stakeholder mapping as a structured decision-making tool. The session emphasizes perspective-taking and systematic evaluation of tradeoffs.
●使用するケース
CASE: The Downtown Corridor Project (Original)A real estate executive in Los Angeles must decide whether to proceed with a major transit-oriented housing project on land currently occupied by a homeless encampment, balancing financial obligations, public scrutiny, and social responsibility.
Social issue focus: income inequality
第6日（Day6）
LECTURE: Ethical Reasoning and Social NormsThis session explores ethical reasoning frameworks and the role of social norms in decision-making. The session also touches on how silence and misperception sustain institutional practices.
●使用するケース
CASE: Access or Accommodation? (Original)A university provost must determine whether to maintain legally compliant case-by-case disability accommodations or pursue costly structural retrofits to historic buildings in the name of equity and long-term inclusion.
Social issue focus: disability rights
第7日（Day7）
LECTURE: Evaluating Solutions Under UncertaintyThis session focuses on assessing solution feasibility under risk and uncertainty. The emphasis is on balancing short-term stability with long-term sustainability.
●使用するケース
CASE: Aging Ahead (Original)A deputy governor must recommend a strategic response to escalating eldercare workforce shortages and fiscal strain, choosing between incremental reform, workforce expansion, technological innovation, immigration coordination, or a hybrid approach.
Social issue focus: Japan's aging population
成績評価方法 Evaluation Criteria
*成績は下記該当項目を基に決定されます。
*クラス貢献度合計はコールドコールと授業内での挙手発言の合算値です。
*クラス貢献度合計はコールドコールと授業内での挙手発言の合算値です。
| 講師用内規準拠 Method of Assessment | Weights |
|---|---|
| コールドコール Cold Call | 0 % |
| 授業内での挙手発言 Class Contribution | 70 % |
| クラス貢献度合計 Class Contribution Total | 70 % |
| 予習レポート Preparation Report | 0 % |
| 小テスト Quizzes / Tests | 0 % |
| シミュレーション成績 Simulation | 0 % |
| ケース試験 Case Exam | 0 % |
| 最終レポート Final Report | 0 % |
| 期末試験 Final Exam | 30 % |
| 参加者による相互評価 Peer Assessment | 0 % |
| 合計 Total | 100 % |
定期試験 Final Exam
あり評価の留意事項 Notes on Evaluation Criteria
"Class Contribution" comprises active participation in class and group discussions (50%) and completion of assignments (20%).配布教材と教室における電子機器の利用マナーについて Guidelines for Classroom Technology and Proper Use of Course Materials
- ケースメソッド教育の中核は、積極的な参加と知識の共有です。この教育を支えるため参加者は授業中の電子機器（例：スマートフォン、ノートパソコン）の使用を制限するよう求められます。許可を得た場合でも、教室内では電子機器は、ケース討議に資する目的でのみ使用してください。授業中は、たとえケース討議に関連していても、検索エンジンや生成AIの使用は避けて下さい。
- 配布教材（ケースを含む）は指定された授業への参加以外の目的で利用しないで下さい。著者の権利、著作権、特定情報の機密性を保護するため、許可なく教材を個人や組織（生成AI を含む）に提供することはできません。このルールは、印刷物・電子教材のいずれにも適用されます。
- 詳細は「教室における電子機器の利用マナー・教材の適切な利用に関するガイドライン」を確認のうえ、教員の指示に従い、責任をもって遵守してください。
- Active participation and shared learning is at the core of the case method learning.Participants are asked to limit their use of electronic devices (e.g., laptops, smartphones) during classroom sessions in support of this model. Even with permission granted, devices should only be used in the classroom in service to the case discussion. Online searches and generative AI tools, even if related to the case discussion, are discouraged while class is in session.
- Students are prohibited from using the course materials (including cases) distributed by the university for any purpose other than participation in the designated class.Students must not input, process or test course materials with any artificial intelligence (AI) tools, bots, software, or platforms without the author’s permission. These actions violate the terms of use for the course materials and may also constitute copyright infringement.
- Please refer to the "Classroom Technology Guidelines / Guidelines for Properly Using Course Materials” for details, and follow the instructor’s directions. You are expected to comply with these guidelines responsibly.
教科書 Textbook
- 「Readings will be provided by the course instructor.」 （.）
参考文献・資料 Additional Readings and Resource
As this course emphasizes incorporating broad perspectives to engage with real world problems, each week will consider a different social issue. Students will engage with one supplementary material (journal article, news report, documentary, podcast, etc.) that illuminates each respective issue. By doing so, students will equip themselves with real-world context that enriches their in-class contributions, as well as their world view in general.
Students are also encouraged to make use of the library and information resources in their preparations for class.
Students are also encouraged to make use of the library and information resources in their preparations for class.
授業調査に対するコメント Comment on Course Evaluation
This is a newly established course. Student feedback will be thoughtfully reviewed and incorporated to enhance the content, delivery, and organization of this and other courses.