In the process of getting ready to teach my CT course this week, I just discovered the website of the BBC science programme, Horizons. The programme examines a wide range of developments and issues in science and technology, and their website contains nice video clips with transcripts–good material for argument mapping exercises. A particular gem in this regard is the episode, “Professor Regan’s Beauty Parlor,” in which Lesley Regan, “one of the UK’s most well-respected (and glamorous) medical experts, turns her scientific eye on the world of cosmetics.” The web page on this episode contains a link to a page called “Spot the Catch” where you can hear cosmetics advertisements (and read the transcripted text) and think about what, if anything, is fallacious in the reasoning presented; and then, to find out how well you’ve done, click on another link giving Prof Regan’s critique of the ad. (In some cases, the transcript of Regan’s critique even includes the cosmetics manufacturer’s reply to Regan.)
Here’s the URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/broadband/tx/beautyparlour/spotthecatch/