Course Details

  • Online | Asynchronous 
  • December 27, 2024 – January 10, 2025
  • 3 credits | $1,875
  • Last day to register: December 20, 2024
  • Cornerstone requirement satisfied by the course: Philosophy

Course Overview

James “The Amazing” Randi—magician, skeptic, and investigator—reminds us that “No matter how smart or how well educated you are, you can be deceived.” In an age fraught with deception and misinformation, students need tactics and strategies in order to separate truth from falsity. This course encourages its participants to act as skeptics—not cynics, necessarily—by requiring evidence and proof before believing or accepting claims. Students are urged to identify the most-likely-to-occur opportunities for deception in their major fields and draw from the tenets of classical rhetoric, logic, and the scientific method to develop safeguards. Frequent collaboration with classmates will allow for dynamic solutions to small and large-scale contemporary problems ranging from the personal (e.g. used car prices and avoiding fraud) to the universal (e.g. “fake news” and God).

Additional Information

Faculty will contact all students after the Friday, December 20, registration deadline.

About the Instructor

George A. Scala

Adjunct Professor of Writing
George Scala is excited to be working with you this semester. He has been here at Stonehill since fall 2015, and also teaches at Suffolk University and Massasoit Community College. His reading interests include current topics in science, horology, magic, skepticism, American Literature and art history. In the summer, he enjoys growing potatoes in his backyard. He loves shoes, too, and hopes to become a cobbler someday.

Questions? Contact Us

Duffy Academic Center – 112

The Registrar's Office works to safeguard the accuracy, integrity, confidentiality and security of the student information system and of students' academic records; and to provide the accurate and timely dissemination of course and scheduling information.