Why critical thinking matters more than ever for future specialists?

In today’s information-overloaded world, the ability to critically analyze information, verify facts, and defend one’s position with sound arguments is a vital professional skill. It significantly reduces vulnerability to destructive information influences and manipulation.

As part of the “Critical Thinking” course within the International Communications educational program, students explored methods of manipulative influence, analyzed cognitive biases, enhanced their argumentation and debate skills, and learned to identify disinformation and fakes.

An important practical component of the course was the simulation of information operations. To better understand how bots, trolls, and manipulative messages work, students used artificial intelligence tools to create virtual “experts.” They carefully developed their biographies and crafted posts on relevant socio-political topics. The results of the experimental launch of these accounts were striking — they quickly gained thousands of likes and comments.

The course concluded with a module on creative thinking. Using modern idea-generation techniques, students improved existing solutions and developed non-standard approaches to addressing pressing social and political challenges.