Activity

Watch The Truman Show (1998)

Find and read two contrasting reviews (one positive, one critical).

Write down the assumptions each reviewer makes (about Truman, the audience, or society).

Critical thinking begins with identifying assumptions, the things people take for granted but never explicitly state. Every review, political claim, or even everyday conversation rests on invisible assumptions.

In The Truman Show, the entire world is built on a lie. Truman accepts his environment as “normal” until he learns to question it. Critics have also made very different assumptions when reviewing the film; some see it as satire, while others view it as a hopeful human story.

Two to get you started (you might want to find your own).

Review one

Review two

📚 A Note on University Learning

At school, you often focus on knowledge, remembering facts, names, and dates. At university, we go further:

Knowledge → learning and recalling information
Analysis → breaking things down, spotting patterns, comparing arguments
Synthesis → putting ideas together in new ways, creating your own perspective, and applying it to real-world decisions

These modules are where you begin moving into synthesis.
You’re not just learning about film history or analysing evidence, you’re starting to bring different ideas together to decide what you think is ethical, and why.

🌟 Why Critical Thinking Matters

Critical thinking is more than an academic skill, it’s a life skill.

It helps you see beyond first impressions and ask deeper questions.
It lets you challenge weak arguments instead of just accepting them.
It gives you confidence to make complex decisions, especially where there isn’t one simple right answer.
It makes you a stronger student, a better problem-solver, and a more thoughtful participant in the world.

In other words: critical thinking is what takes you from simply knowing things to being able to use knowledge well.

Cottrell Link

Chapter 12 on Critical Thinking

Cottrell emphasises asking: “What are they assuming?” and “Do I agree with these assumptions?”
Her Critical Thinking Checklist can be used as a prompt while you analyse the reviews.
👉 Add a line in your module page:

For extra support, look at the ‘Critical Thinking Checklist’ in Cottrell (p.256). Use it to spot the assumptions in the reviews you read.

🎬 Module 1

Thinking About Thinking (Assumptions)