PHIL 107:
Logic & Reasoning
Syllabus
Prof. Ashley McDowell
Winter 2008
MWF 2:40 – 3:55, UL 307
Office: 202
Humphrey House
Office phone: 337-7077
email: mcdowell@kzoo.edu or ashley.mcdowell@gmail.com
Office Hours: MWF 1:15-2:15, Tues 2:00-3:00
and
by appointment
Text: Lewis Vaughn, The Power
of Critical Thinking (2nd ed.)
Note on Moodle: this course website will include useful information
– go to https://moodle.kzoo.edu/ and
find our course, and get yourself logged on.
Note on email: I will be sending mail to the class alias,
which only knows your K email address.
Make sure your K email is forwarded to whatever email account you use
regularly, if it’s something else.
Description:
This
course is a study of ways to think critically, argue effectively, judge
carefully, and approach arguments logically.
These are different aspects of the general subject of reasoning well. Since learning about reasoning well can’t
really be done as a spectator sport, you will be getting lots of practice. We’ll be approaching these topics in the
abstract, to get a feel for the basic ideas, and we’ll be applying them in many
different ways.
It is probably not an overstatement to say that those who conscientiously absorb the lessons of this course will forever write better papers, construct better arguments, and, in general, become better thinkers.
The main question you should have in mind as we move
through this course is the one that ties it all together:
How does one reason well?
Course
Goals:
I want you to learn about critical thinking,
reasoning, and logic. This will involve
learning a lot of terms and concepts, becoming familiar with particular
reasoning strategies and applications, and mastering specific techniques such
as logical operations.
More importantly, though, I want you to make
progress on your own abilities to reason well. You’ll learn about pitfalls and fallacies in
reasoning, but not just because it’s fun (although I think it is) – the point
is to become more apt to recognize them in others and avoid them in
yourself. You’ll learn how critical
reasoning and logic apply to subjects and communications all around us, and how
it can help you clarify what’s being said and decide for yourself with a firm
foundation. To achieve these ends, I
will fight hard to keep you from letting yourself approach this class as a
voyeur – you will be expected to change as a result of studying this material.
Class Format:
We’ll spend the majority of our time in class going
over problems and exercises. We’ll go over homework and practice exercises that
you were assigned, as well as new ones.
We may do this as a whole class, in pairs, or in groups. I don’t expect to have to re-present the
textbook material very often, since I chose the text because I think it is
quite clear. For this reason, it is crucial
that you read the textbook material ahead of time.
Assignment
responsibilities:
Moodle: Many exercises will be done directly
onto the Moodle site. These are to be
done by midnight the night before class, so that I have a chance to look
them over and analyze your answers before class. You probably will want to print your work, or
write your answers in your text or notebook, so that you have a record of your
answers when we go over them in class.
Non-Moodle:
Assignments that are to be turned in outside of the Moodle site must be
turned in as hard (paper) copies – no emailed assignments will be accepted
except by special permission. It is your
responsibility to retain copies of all assignments you turn in, in a reliable format.
Late assignments: An
assignment (either on Moodle or not) that is between one hour and 24 hours late
will receive a ½ grade reduction. An
assignment that is between one day and two weeks late will receive a full grade
reduction. Assignments will not be
accepted more than two weeks late.
A note on changing grades: if you feel you have been
assigned a grade unfairly or inaccurately, you should by all means talk to me
about it. My only requirement is that
you prepare an argument (a set of reasons and facts) before you do so.
Course Requirements and Grading Scheme
Online
tests: 30% (Tests 1 & 2, 5% each; Tests 3 & 4, 10% each)
In approximately weeks 3, 5, 7, and during exam
week, you’ll be taking out-of-class, timed exams on the Moodle site. Test 1 will be on Chapters 1-3, 2 on Chapters
4-5, 3 on Chapters 6-8, and 4 on Chapters 9-11.
I’ll have more information on the nature of these tests as we get closer
to them.
Homework:
40%
You’ll be doing homework for most class meetings, as
you would for a math class, for instance.
The homework exercises will nearly all come from the textbook, and many
will be done on the Moodle site.
Homework exercises due online will be due by midnight the night
before, as indicated above. Again,
you may want to record your answers somehow.
The homework grade will be the average of all your
homework grades. Some assignments may count double, if they involve more or
more difficult work than most – I will let you know ahead of time.
Writing
modules: 20% (5% each)
There are 5 writing modules in your textbook, in
chapters 1-5. The first four amount to
paper assignments, and you will complete those paper assignments. These papers will be a few pages long
each. I’ll give you more details as we
go along.
Participation
and demonstrated preparedness: 10%
Participation is expected. We’ll be going over problems, discussing
issues and concepts, engaging in group activities, and doing other things that
work best the more people contribute.
I will keep general track of your contributions in
class. Keep in mind that contributions
can take various forms, including asking for clarification, participation in
group work, giving helpful examples, and contributing answers to homework problems. Be aware also that more does not necessarily
mean better: those who excessively dominate discussions, speak disrespectfully,
or otherwise use their voices in a negative way may be penalized for doing
so. If you are in doubt, or if you are
interested in advice about how to participate more effectively or more easily,
ask me.
Demonstrated preparedness includes evidence of your
having read the assignments carefully, thought about and tried to answer any
study questions or tasks I’ve given, prepared questions or comments in advance
of class, and kept up with homework.
Again, if you want to know how you’re doing on this,
or want to talk about how to do this well, get in touch with me.
Academic
integrity and the Honor System
“It
is always important to think of the intellectual world as a community of mutual
dependence, mutual helpfulness, mutual protectiveness, and common delight. We take ideas from others and we give them to
others. We are indebted to others, and others
are indebted to us. In sharing and
acknowledging the community, we define ourselves more certainly as
individuals. The ability to describe our
sources is also an ability to define our own originality and our own
selves. All communities depend on generosity,
trust, definition, and the proper use of sources is part of the mortar that
holds the community of the mind together.”
-
Richard Marius, Expository Writing Program,
In this class, as in all classes at
Any assignment you turn in that I find to violate
academic integrity, either through dishonesty, plagiarism, lack of appropriate
citations, or unauthorized collaboration, will receive a grade of 0. Any further instance of a violation of
academic integrity will be punished by a failing grade in the class as a minimum
sanction.[1]
Special needs
If you have any special needs that I can
accommodate, please let me know as soon as possible.
Office
hours
My office hours are posted above. They will be conducted on a first-come,
first-served basis, and by appointment, with appointments taking
precedence. You should feel absolutely
free to come to them and discuss the course, the material, the assignments, or
philosophy.
I request that each of you take a few minutes to
visit me sometime in the first week or two of classes. It will be an opportunity for us to chat
one-on-one for the first time, and to get to know each other a bit more.
Schedule of Readings
This schedule is tentative. Any changes will be announced in class and by
email. The reading assignments listed
for each day must be completed before that class.
WEEK ONE
W read
and do “So You Think You’re Logical?” (handout); read Ch. 1
F Ch. 1 continued
WEEK TWO
M Ch. 2
F Ch. 3
WEEK THREE
M Ch. 3
F no class – Online Test 1
WEEK FOUR
M Ch. 4
F Ch. 4
WEEK FIVE
M Ch. 5
F Ch. 5
by class on Monday: Online
Test 2
WEEK SIX
M Ch. 6
F Ch. 7
WEEK SEVEN
M Ch. 7
F Ch. 8
by class on Monday: Online
Test 3
WEEK EIGHT
M Ch. 9
W floating DOGL slot
F Ch. 9
WEEK NINE
M No class – Memorial Day
F TBA
WEEK TEN
M Ch. 10
F Ch. 11