SYLLABUS
PHILOSOPHY 04H,
SECTION 01 - CRITICAL THINKING
SPRING 09
INSTRUCTOR: Clifford Anderson
OFFICE: Mendocino 3018 PHONE: 278-7289
EMAIL: andersonce@csus.edu WEB PAGE: www.csus.edu/indiv/a/andersonc
OFFICE HOURS: MW 10-11AM, T 9-10AM and by appointment
PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OFFICE: Mendocino 3000 Phone: 278-6424
CATALOG DESCRIPTION: A study of the basic skills of good reasoning needed for the intelligent and responsible conduct of life. Topics include argument structure and identification, validity and strength of arguments, common fallacies of reasoning, use and abuse of language in reasoning, principles of fair play in argumentation. 3 units. This course fulfills area 3 of the GE program.
GENERAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
The knowledge and skills to be studied in this course include:
- Logical analysis and the identification and construction of arguments.
- Understanding logical relations, in particular, the relations between premises and conclusions.
- Recognizing the more common forms of formal and informal fallacies.
- Understanding the logical structure of deductive and inductive arguments.
- Awareness of the abuses of language including connotation, ambiguity and definition.
- Recognizing arguments in a variety of contexts that the student is likely to encounter.
- Improve information competence: the ability to find out what one needs to know in order to have a responsible position on an issue.
- Acquiring better defenses against propaganda.
- Developing the capacity and disposition to use good reasoning in a variety of contexts.
- Developing a sense of fairness and respect for opposing positions.
At the end of the course the student should have a significantly improved ability to:
- Locate an argument in a piece of discourse.
- Detect errors of reasoning and explain why they are errors.
- Engage in a cogent and respectful discussion of a controversial issue.
- Analyze an argument for consistency and credibility.
- Evaluate evidence for its relevance, strength and cogency and make appropriate inferences from that evidence.
- Construct a cogent argument in support of or opposition to a particular proposition.
TEXT: The Power of Critical Thinking, 2nd ed., Lewis Vaughn.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING:
Homework: 60%
Midterm: 15%
Final: 15%
Attendance and class participation: 5%
Oral class presentation: 5%
Note on homework: There will be seven or eight homework assignments total, depending upon how much material we get through. Due dates for homework will normally be one week from date of issue. (For a few assignments, the due date will be the succeeding class period.) Late homework will suffer a substantially reduced point score, proportional to the degree of lateness. Exceptions only allowed for illness and other emergencies.
Some of the homework assignments will include a short writing component calling for an analysis and critique of a given argument or for the creation of an argument of your own. Grade will be based both on content and writing quality. Departmental guidelines on written assignments can be found online at:
http://www.csus.edu/phil/req/writing.htm
Note on oral class participation: Working in pairs, you will orally present in class an analysis of the main argument in a short essay, critique the argument and answer questions from other students. Some of the essays will be from the text, others will be on class handouts or online.
You should plan on bringing the text with you to class as we will frequently need to discuss sample arguments from the text.
You are strongly encouraged to raise questions about any of the reading assignments or exercises, both for your own benefit and that of other students.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: If you have a documented disability and require accommodation or assistance with assignments, tests, note taking, etc., see the instructor early in the semester so that appropriate arrangements can be made to ensure your full participation in class. Also, you are encouraged to contact the Services for Students with Disabilities Office (Lassen Hall) for additional information regarding services that might be available to you.
UNIVERSITY POLICY ON CHEATING: The full story can be found at http://www.csus.edu/umanual/student/UMA00150.htm.
ORDER OF TOPICS AND
Week 1: Chapter 1.
Some key concepts in critical thinking.
How to identify an argument in a piece of discourse. Handout on
consistency/inconsistency.
Weeks 2-3: Chapter 3. Two kinds of arguments: deductive and inductive. Identifying the logical
form of an argument.
Week 4. Chapter 6. A closer look at deduction using truth-tables. Why valid deductive arguments with true
premises always guarantee the truth of their conclusions.
Week 5. Chapter 7. Another common
type of deduction: categorical logic. Using Venn diagrams to prove validity.
Week 6:
Chapter 8. One common type of
inductive argument: enumerative induction.
Week 7:
Chapter 8. A second common type
of inductive argument: analogical reasoning.
Week 8:
Review and midterm exam.
Week 9:
Chapter 5. Some
common logical fallacies.
Weeks 10-11:
Chapter 8. Reasoning
about the causes of things.
Week 12:
Chapter 9. Inference
to the best explanation.
Week 13:
Chapter 10. Scientific theories;
when should they be accepted?
Weeks 14-15: Chapter 11. Reasoning about moral issues. Review for the final exam.