Critical thinking is core to my teaching. I encourage students to be independent thinkers, who examine assumptions and look at the implications of ideas, both their own and those of others (Brookfield 1987, 7-8). However, I see critical thinking as more than a series of thinking skills. As Richard Paul has pointed out, skills may be used for selfserving ends and in ways that may do ill to the public good (1987, 2). Instead, Paul advocates a strong sense critical thinking (1990, 369-78), which demands that one carefully think about the nature and biases of his or her own thinking and also cultivate certain essential character traits. If we are interested in cultivating the kind of intellectual independence implied in the concept of strong sense critical thinking, we must recognize the need to foster the intellectual moral virtues essential to that mode of thinking and being. These are intellectual [epistemological] humility, courage, integrity, perseverance, empathy, and fairmindedness (Paul 1987, 3). Thus, if we are interested in enhancing our students' critical thinking capabilities, while we must encourage logical analysis, more is required. We must also nurture students' examination of their own thinking as well as the development of the character traits that allow them to engage in such an enterprise. Part of the art, and the magic, of teaching is creating, choosing, and implementing strategies to move students forward as critical thinkers. While there are no quick fixes or simple formulas we can adopt as teachers, the opportunities to enhance critical thinking are numerous. Below I describe two parts of my American political system course which I consciously structured to develop students' ability and willingness to think critically about politics. The first section focuses on tolerance for expression, in particular the issue of flag burning. The second deals with the evaluation of American politics and public policy presented by third-party ideologies.