PHIL 4 sec. 14  - LOGIC AND CRITICAL THINKING

Spring 2011

 

Instructor

Professor Gale Justin, Department of Philosophy

Office: Mendocino Hall #3024

Office Hours: Tues. Thurs. 1:45 – 2:45 and by appointment

916-278-6547

Email: justin@csus.edu

DSL: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/j/justing

  LECTURES

 

Class Meetings: Tues. Thurs. 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM in Mendocino 3009

Catalogue Description: This course provides an introduction to and training in the art of Critical Thinking, including the study of 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 argument.

Course Overview:  The aim of the course is to develop in students the ability to analyze and criticize thought as it is expressed through writing and speech.

Textbook:  Essentials of Logic, I. Copi, C. Cohen, D. Flage, 2nd. ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Peason Education.

Learning Objectives:

·         To identify the main issues of a piece of text

·         To identify arguments and their components (i.e. premises and conclusion)

·         To distinguish between matters of pure fact and matters of opinion or value

·         To abstract arguments from their narrative context

·         To identify common fallacies

·         To evaluate arguments

·         To identify and evaluate inductive arguments, casual reasoning, and inferences to the best explanation

Course Requirements:

                Skill Tests (best 4 out of 5)                           20%

                Content Tests (average of two tests)      65%

                Attendance and Class Participation          15%     Total = %100

Grading:

  • The skill tests are multiple choice tests based on an assigned piece of reasoning.  They must be done on an 815-E scantron (15 question scantron).  No exceptions.  A letter grade will be assigned.
  • The content tests consist of short answers and skill exercises.  The skill exercises are similar to those that you do as homework.  Practice Tests will be assigned as homework.  Letter grades will assigned to the tests.
  • Points will be deducted from your content tests, if your written answers do not display a careful use of Standard English.  This means, among other things, that you must use complete sentences when you answer designated questions. 

Important Due Dates

 

2.1 Skill Test 1

2.15 Skill Test 2

3.8 Content Test 1

     3.17 Skill Test 3

      3.30 Skill Test 4  

      4.19 Skill Test 5

      5.10 Content Test 2 

 

 

                                                                               

Late Work:

There is no provision for either late or make-up work.  For any course requirement that is not fulfilled, the student receives a 0. 

Attendance:

Students are allowed 3 unexcused absences.  Coming in late or leaving early counts as an absence for that class.  After 3 absences, the class participation grade is dropped 5% for each additional absence.

Class Participation:

With respect to class participation students must have read the material and completed their homework before class, and be prepared to answer questions on the homework. Students who are repeatedly unable to answer questions concerning the homework will lose %10 of their class participation grade.

The marking scale upon which letter grades are assigned is as follows:

A         93-100 (14)                 C         70-74 (8)        

A-        89-92 (13)                   C-        65-69 (7)

B+       85-88 (12)                   D+       60-64 (6)

B         80-84 (11)                   D         55-59 (5)

B-        78-79 (10)                   D-        50-54 (4)

C+       75-77 (9)                     F          below 50% (3)

Courtesy:

           Students need to follow standard rules of classroom courtesy. This includes being focused on classroom activities and materials, not on private conversations, cat naps, messaging or burying your head exclusively behind your lap top. This also means not entering and leaving the classroom while the class is in session.  You need to take care of personal matters before and after class.  Students whose cell phones or beepers go off during class must bring cookies or an appropriate treat for the whole class during the next period (or you will be counted absent). 

Students with Disabilities or Other Special Needs

           If you have a disability and require accommodations, you need to provide disability documentation to SSWD, Lassen Hall 1008, (916) 278-6955. Please discuss your accommodation needs with me early in the semester.

Academic Honesty

           Do not copy another person’s work.  Do not use unacknowledged sources.  Even if you form study groups to share ideas, the work that you turn in must be your own work, expressed in your own words. All incidents of cheating in any form will earn you a 0 on the assignment and/or an F in the course.  See the policy on academic honesty: http://www.csus.edu/umanual/studentUMA150.htm

Course Calendar (Note:  Some revisions to the course calendar may be necessary due to the pace of the class or other unforeseeable circumstances.)

Please also note:  For the homework assignments in the Copi text, you may either do them directly in the text or you may copy the page(s) of the assignment and do the homework on the copy of the page.

Jan.25              Introduction

                        Homework:  Read pp. 1-3 up to par. 4 in Copi.

Jan. 27             Uses of Language:  Arguments

Argument Assignment for Skill Test

Feb. 1               Skill Test 1

                        Distinguishing Premises and Conclusion

Homework: Read pp. 12 -13 in Copi; Premise Conclusion Worksheet..

Feb. 3              Diagramming Arguments

Homework: Read pp. 32 – 33 in Copi; Diagram the arguments on the Premise/Conclusion Worksheet. 

Feb. 8              Diagramming Arguments

Homework for next class:  Read pp. 4-5 in Copi.  Write out argument p. 6 1-10 in Standard Form.

Feb. 10            Extracting Arguments from Context

                        Groupwork on Extracting Arguments from Context.

                        Homework for next class: Read assigned article for skill test.

Feb. 15            Skill Test 2

                        Extracting Arguments from Context

Homework for next class:  Read pp. 24 – 31 in Copi.

Feb. 17            Distinguish Inductive from Deductive Arguments.

Homework for next class: Worksheet on Distinguishing Inductive from Deductive Arguments

Feb. 22            Distinguish Arguments from Explanations: Worksheets on Distinguishing Arguments from Explanations.

                        Homework for next class:  Read pp. 7-9 in Copi.  Do exercises in Copi, p. 9-10 #s 1-10.  These exercises will be collected.

Feb. 24            Out of Town:  No Class

March 1           Distinguish Arguments from Explanations

                        Homework for next class: Worksheet on Distinguishing Arguments from Explanations

March 3          Review: Practice Test for Content Test 1

March 8           Content Test 1

March 10         Evaluating Arguments

                        Worksheet on Evaluating Arguments

Homework for next class: Do worksheet on Evaluating Arguments

March 15        Evaluating Arguments. Article will be assigned for Skill Test

March 17         Skill Test and Fallacies

Homework for next class: Do Assigned Fallacy Worksheet; also read and answer questions on Assigned Article for Skill Test.

March 19 – 27 SPRING BREAK

March 29         Fallacies

                       Collect Skill Test.

Categorical Logic

Homework for next class:  Read Copi, pp. 115 -20 and do exercises pp. 121-22,  II 11-14.

 

March 31        Cesar Chavez Day: Campus Closed

 April 5           Symbolic Logic

Homework for next class: Exercises in Copi, pp. 203-205, I. 6-14 and 21; II. 26-32; III. 51-57.

April 7             Symbolic Logic

Homework for next class: Worksheet on determining truth value of compound symbolic statements .

April 12           Symbolic Logic

                        Homework for next class:  Exercises in Copi, p. 232, III. 35 -37 and p. 233 #39.

April 14           Symbolic Logic

                        Homework for next class:  Read assigned article for Skill Test.

April 19           Skill Test 5

April 21           Inductive Generalizations

Homework for next class:  Read Copi, pp. 330-334, Worksheet on Inductive Generalizations.

April 26          Inductive Generalizations: Homework for next class: Worksheet on Inductive Generalization

                        Homework for next class:  Worksheet on Inductive Generalizations

April 28           Causal Arguments

                        Homework for next class: Worksheet on Causal Arguments.

May 3             Arguments by Analogy

                        Homework for next class:  Read Copi, pp. 334-47, Do exercises on p. 344 #1 and 3 and worksheet on Analogical Arguments..

May 5              Catch Up

                        Homework for next class:  Practice Test 1 

May 10            Content Test 2