This class teaches critical thinking and ethical thinking skills. It also encourages and teaches mature and respectful conversation with people who may disagree or hold differing opinions. Classes are limited to 4 students, so each one has plenty of opportunity to contribute their ideas and explanations.

Each week we will discuss a new topic (see list below). As class instructor I will use short story scenarios as prompts to pose various questions, and ask the students to share their thoughts. I do not offer any answers or my own opinions - it is up to the students to consider the topic and formulate their own critical appraisal. My role is to guide them to thinking about things from different viewpoints, and to discuss it with one another in a respectful manner. 

This is an ongoing class: Every week the material is new and different. Students can stay enrolled for as long as they like. Students do not require any previous knowledge for this class.

Students are required to have their video on at the start of each class for identification as per Outschool rules. Students are encouraged to participate in the full class with video on, but may turn it off if they wish.

Upcoming topics, with sample stories and questions (we cover many more during the class):

Week of Tue 12-Mon 18 November: Rights, Privileges, Responsibilities
	• Story of Emily's new phone.
	• What are the differences between a rights, privileges, and responsibilities?
	• Why are some things, like free speech, considered a right and not a privilege?
	• Why are there some privileges that adults have that children don't?
	• Is it fair to lose some privileges when you don't fulfil your responsibilities?
	• How should we decide if something is a privilege, a right, or a responsibility?

Week of Tue 19-Mon 25 November: Robots
	• Story of Toby’s new teacher.
	• Is it okay for robots to replace people in certain jobs?
	• If robots start doing lots of work, what will humans do?
	• What could be some dangers of giving robots control over some things?
	• Who should be responsible if a robot makes a bad decision?
	• Should we program robots to have feelings, or would it be better to keep them as emotionless machines?

Week of Tue 26 November-Mon 2 December: Points of View
	• Story of the political debate.
	• Why do people sometimes see the same situation very differently?
	• When people have different opinions, is one right and the other wrong? Or can both be right?
	• How does a person’s background or experiences affect their point of view?
	• If someone disagrees with you, does that make them your opponent, or could they be helping you see things more clearly?
	• Can facts be seen differently depending on a person’s point of view, or are facts always the same no matter what?

Week of Tue 3-Mon 9 December: Alien Invasion
	• Story of The Day the Earth Stood Still.
	• What reasons might aliens have to come to Earth?
	• What could make an alien species decide to be friendly or hostile toward humans?
	• How would an alien invasion change the way countries on Earth work together or compete?
	• What would happen to human culture if aliens introduced new technologies or ideas?
	• If aliens were peaceful, could some people not trust them and cause problems?

Week of Tue 10-Mon 16 December: Codes of Honour
	• What is a code of honour?
	• Why did people in the past create codes of honour?
	• Could historical codes of honour would work in today’s world?
	• Do people today care about honour as much as they did in the past?
	• Is there a difference between having a code of honour and just following the law?
	• Should people stick to their code of honour even when it leads to bad consequences?

Week of Tue 17-Mon 23 December: What Would Happen if?
	• What if likes were used as money?
	• What if people had wings?
	• What if there was no advertising?
	• What if dogs and cats could talk?
	• What if nobody agreed what colour anything was?

Weeks of Tue 24 December-Mon 6 January: NO CLASSES
	• I am taking two weeks vacation. Classes will resume from Tue 7 January.

Future weeks will be a new topic every week (updated here regularly).