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Critical Reasoning and Logic Course

Course Information

The Critical Reasoning and Logic course is scheduled to take place on:

• Thursday, March 26, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
• Friday, March 27, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Registration for the course opens on January 21, 2026, at 9:00 AM, and the deadline for registration is February 26, 2026, at 12:00 PM.

Course Fees

The course is free of charge and is exclusively available to doctoral candidates and postdocs of the University of Basel, with a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 16 participants.

Trainer

The course is led by Dr. Malte Engel.

Organized by

The course is organized by the Graduate Center, Transferable Skills.

Aims

The primary objectives of the course are for participants to:

• State arguments clearly and precisely
• Quickly identify strengths and weaknesses of arguments
• Structure texts and presentations optimally
• Train analytical thinking

Content

The course introduces basic concepts of logic, such as validity and soundness, and the distinction between inductive and deductive reasoning. Participants will learn techniques to identify strengths and weaknesses in arguments, structure texts optimally, and state arguments clearly and precisely. The course content includes:

• Basic concepts of logic (validity and soundness of arguments, etc.)
• Inductive and deductive arguments
• Fallacies
• The logical structure of scientific texts
• How to write a good introduction
• Tips and exercises for oral argumentation

Methods

The course methods are interactive throughout, providing extensive exercises that aim at the application of the acquired skills to the participants' individual fields of work.

Target Group

The course is designed for all doctoral candidates and postdocs.

About the Trainer

Dr. Malte Engel studied philosophy, psychology, and English. He completed his PhD at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain in 2010 and has been teaching courses on critical reasoning and logic since 2012.

Workload

The course consists of 12 hours, divided into two 6-hour sessions. Participants also have the opportunity to schedule an individual meeting with the trainer to discuss a text and/or exercises from the course.

Feature

Once registration is open, applications will be collected for 24 hours, and course places will be allocated by lot. All registrations received after the initial 24-hour period will be put on a waiting list and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Course places/places on the waiting list will be confirmed by email. Full course attendance is mandatory, and participants who fail to attend without prior notification or withdraw after the registration deadline may be subject to a fee.