GCU PHI-105: 21st Century Skills: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
PHI-105 teaches critical-thinking fundamentals (arguments, fallacies, credibility, and problem-solving) with a persuasive essay scaffolded across nearly the entire course as its centerpiece. Topic selection, outline, first draft, peer review, and final revision each land as separate graded milestones.
Fennie is independent and not affiliated with Grand Canyon University. This is an unofficial study guide.
What makes it hard
Because the essay builds in stages, a weak topic chosen early creates drag for weeks, and each milestone has its own rubric. The fallacy-identification content also gets tested with subtle examples: students who memorize fallacy names without practicing on real passages misidentify them.
What you'll cover
- • Elements of an argument
- • Logical fallacies
- • Evaluating source credibility
- • Persuasive writing
- • Problem-solving methods
- • Revision and peer review
The PHI-105 study guide
How to study for GCU PHI-105, step by step.
- 1
Choose a genuinely arguable topic in week one
The persuasive essay builds in stages for nearly the whole course, so a weak topic creates drag for weeks. Pick something debatable with available evidence; it's the single most consequential decision in PHI-105.
- 2
Practice fallacies on real passages
The assessments dress fallacies in plausible language, so memorizing the name list isn't enough. Hunt for fallacies in editorials and ads until you can spot them in the wild.
- 3
Hit every essay milestone
Topic, outline, draft, peer review, final: each stage has its own rubric and its own points. The process is the grade as much as the finished essay is.
- 4
Use peer review as free grading
Give your reviewers a real draft, not a placeholder, and take their confusion seriously: where a classmate stumbles, your grader will too. Then return the favor; reviewing others sharpens your own argument.
Today
Today's PHI-105 plan
What a Fennie Daily Plan looks like for PHI-105. Yours is built from your own syllabus and adapts every day to your deadlines and progress.
First plan free, no card required. Fennie is independent and unaffiliated with your school.
FAQ
Is PHI-105 hard?
Not conceptually, but it's deadline-dense: the persuasive essay's staged milestones plus weekly discussions keep constant pressure. Choosing a strong, arguable topic in the first weeks is the single most consequential decision in the course.
What is the PHI-105 persuasive essay?
The course's anchor assignment, built in graded stages: topic, outline, draft, peer review, and final. Each stage has its own rubric, so points come from the process as much as the finished essay.
How do I study logical fallacies for PHI-105?
Practice identification on real passages, not just definitions. The assessments use realistic examples where fallacies are dressed in plausible language, so spaced practice with varied examples beats memorizing the list.