Course Syllabus: Logic/Critical Thinking, Sept. 2015
Transcript of Course Syllabus: Logic/Critical Thinking, Sept. 2015
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Philosophy 113: Logic (Critical Thinking)
3.0 units—Fall 2015—MWF: 10:10-11:00 AM—CECFC Room 113
Professor Austin Leininger Phone 408-‐410-‐0850 (8a-‐4p or text) Office: CECFC Room 113 Email [email protected] Office Hours:
(outside of class hours, by appointment only) TA: None
Remind: Philosophy 113@profleini Pin: (By invitation, no pin required.)
Introduction Have you ever wondered why some commercials are more compelling than others? Do they appeal to sound argument, or simply to the wants (and fears) that motivate our basic desires? More often than not, the marketing of products appeals to emotional perception of needs and trends in popular mass-‐consumption (the “bandwagon”) rather than to sound argument. Opinion, logical fallacy, weak analogy, false dilemma, apple polishing, and misrepresentation offer just a few of the tactics used in both marketing and politics to convince consumers and voters that they can’t live without x—or Ms./Mr. X as the case may be. Since the known introduction of rhetoric as an academic discipline in ancient Greece, teachers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle have also used critical thinking, “logic,” to make and identify sound, rational, arguments. “Thinking about thinking,” as Moore and Parker describe in their introduction to our textbook for this semester, offers critical insight into not only the validity of one’s own arguments, but into evaluating the arguments others make as well. Therefore, at the outset of this course, it is only fair to warn you that after taking this course you may find yourself quite unable to watch another commercial without critiquing the validity of its arguments. More seriously, beyond its simple application to propaganda, Critical Thinking is a discipline that will serve you well in every area of your life where thinking is required to excel and succeed.
Overview Logic is the study of the methods and principles used to distinguish correct from incorrect reasoning. When we reason about any particular matter, we produce arguments to support our conclusions. Our arguments include reasons that we think justify our beliefs. However, not all reasons are good reasons. This course is designed to improve one of the fundamental intellectual abilities, the capacity to think critically in order to determine good reasons from unsatisfactory reasons.
A well trained critical thinker has a number of skills that we will develop and practice. As such, each class will build on the previous classes. Regular attendance is essential to student success, as is your attention during class.
-‐ If you have to miss class, you are still responsible for that day’s material. Please request notes from one of your peers as they will not be available from your professor.
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Prerequisites
This is an introductory level course. It requires no prior study of Philosophy, Logic, or Critical Thinking.
If you are a non-‐native speaker, or require any special considerations for written or verbal communication, particularly if it will impair your ability and performance on tests or other evaluated work, please let the professor know immediately so that arrangements can be made to accommodate these special needs.
Learning Outcomes By the end of this course, students should be able to demonstrate competency in:
• 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. • Evaluating the relevance, validity, and strength of arguments. • 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, including other disciplines and public affairs. • Improve ‘information competence’: the ability to find out what one needs to know in order to
have a responsible position on an issue.
Applying these critical concepts, students will grow in: • Acquiring an immunity to propaganda. • Developing the capacity and the disposition to use good reasoning in a variety of contexts. • Developing a sense of fairness and respect for opposing positions. • Developing basic thinking skills that are applicable to a variety of academic subjects and students'
lives as citizens, consumers, leaders, and moral agents. • Improving our ability to argue fairly, and to handle bias, emotion, and propaganda.
Evaluation The following is the assigned work for this course:
• Required reading assignments before each lecture (readings listed for each class are those that will be covered in that class, and are to be read before arriving, not as homework for that night).
• Homework Assignments (in addition to reading, homework assignments are to be completed before coming to class).
• Weekly Quizzes and Four Unit-‐Tests (in-‐class tests to help evaluate individual student progress and on which students will be graded as described below).
• Term paper. All reading assignments will be from the course text, Brooke Noel Moore and Richard Parker, Critical Thinking, 11th edition (New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2015).
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Grading Tests and course grades will be given according to the following breakdown based on percentages of total points earned:
A+ A A-‐ 100%+ 93-‐99% 90-‐92%
B+ B B-‐ 87-‐89% 83-‐86% 80-‐82%
C+ C C-‐ 77-‐79% 73-‐76% 70-‐72%
D+ D D-‐ 67-‐69% 63-‐66% 60-‐62%
F: ≤59%
The final course grade will be determined as follows: Unit # 1: 17%, Unit # 2: 17%, Unit # 3: 17%, Unit # 4: 22%, Term Paper 12%. The breakdown is as follows:
Tests/Quizzes Tests and quizzes will be multiple answer and short essay form and will require the student to demonstrate knowledge of the subject matter. Quizzes will be each Friday at the end of class, and will cover in-‐class and textbook material from Monday and Wednesday of that week, as well as textbook material from Friday. In the event that we are off on a Friday, the quiz will be given on Wednesday and will cover Monday’s class in addition to Monday and Wednesday’s reading assignments. Tests will be at the end of each unit. One week before the test, the professor will hand out a study-‐guide. Students will be tested on both in-‐class lecture and textbook material.
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Weekly Reading/Writing Assignments Weekly writing assignments will be assigned on Wednesdays and will be due on Mondays. Weekly assignments will correspond with the reading and lecture material and will serve to help the student to engage in critical and analytical thought. Late Assignments will not be accepted. As stated above, you are expected to read the assigned reading before class and show up to class ready to participate. Such is also the case with homework, which will be due at the beginning of class. In the event that we are off on a Monday, writing assignments will be due Wednesday. There are no weeks in which we are only in class on Wednesday, so this will not cause a writing assignment and quiz day to occur simultaneously. Students may choose to email me homework before class. Please do not email late homework assignments to me (i.e. after class has begun)—they will not be accepted.
Term Paper/Project Proposal due: 11/4. Draft due: 11/30. Final version due: 12/14. See description after class schedule.
Make-up Policy Make-‐up quizzes and tests will only be given in cases of genuine hardship. See the professor in person to discuss your genuine hardship. There will be no early make-‐up for the Unit 4 test on Friday the 12th of December to accommodate personal travel, and the term paper will be due Monday the 14th of December at the beginning of our last class together. Attendance at the final class is mandatory. Please note that it is not the professor’s responsibility to provide you with make-‐up notes for missed classes. If you miss class for whatever reason, it is your responsibility to request notes from your peers.
Classroom behavior Policy/Academic Honesty/Cell Phone Use/etc. Please refer to your Student Handbook for [school name removed] student behavior and conduct policies, use of portable electronic devices (including cell phones), dress codes, and policies relating to cheating and plagiarism. All [school name removed] policies apply to the classroom and will be enforced. It is the students’ responsibility to know these policies and abide by them. A summary of policies may be found on pages 3-‐16 of your Student Handbook. A listing of ALL policies can be found at www.cecfc914.org.
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Class Schedule:
***Professor reserves the right to change the syllabus schedule as needed***
Week Topic Required Reading/Assignments
Unit 1 Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking: Chapters 1-4 Assignments/preparation should be completed by the date listed.
W: Aug 12 Introduction, Syllabus, Course Expectations
F: Aug 14 Distribute Books. What is Logic? Why is Logic Important? Initial definition of Logic and Critical Thinking and why it is important. Games and Evaluative Quiz.
1st Quiz (does not factor into your grade—evaluative only.)
M: Aug 17 Chapter 1: What is Critical Thinking, Anyway? Critical Thinking 1-‐14; First Writing Assignment Due (assigned in class last Wednesday).
W: Aug 19 Chapter 1: What is Critical Thinking, Anyway? Critical Thinking 14-‐31
F: Aug 21 Chapter 2: Two Kinds of Reasoning Critical Thinking 32-‐41; 2nd Quiz.
M: Aug 24 Chapter 2: Two Kinds of Reasoning Critical Thinking 41-‐63; 2nd Writing Assignment Due (assigned in class last Wednesday).
W: Aug 26 Review: Chapters 1-‐2
F: Aug 28 Chapter 3: Clear Thinking, Critical Thinking, and Clear Writing Critical Thinking 64-‐76; 3rd Quiz.
M: Aug 31 Chapter 3: Clear Thinking, Critical Thinking, and Clear Writing
Critical Thinking 76-‐95; 3rd Writing Assignment Due (assigned in class last Wednesday).
W: Sep 2 Chapter 4: Credibility Critical Thinking 96-‐112 [No writing Assignment for next week].
F: Sep 4 Chapter 4: Credibility Critical Thinking 112-‐134; 4th Quiz [Study Guide for Unit 1 Test will be distributed today]
M: Sep 7 No Class. Labor Day! ☺
W: Sep 9 Review: Chapters 3-‐4
F: Sep 11 Unit 1 Test Students are responsible for all material covered in Ch 1-‐4. No new readings for today.
Unit 2 Fallacies: Chapters 5-8
M: Sep 14 Chapter 5: Rhetoric, the Art of Persuasion Critical Thinking 135-‐150; ; 4th Writing Assignment Due (assigned in class last Wednesday).
W: Sep 16 Chapter 5: Rhetoric, the Art of Persuasion Critical Thinking 150-‐175
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F: Sep 18 Chapter 6: Relevance (Red Herring) Fallacies Critical Thinking 176-‐182; 5th Quiz.
M: Sep 21 Chapter 6: Relevance (Red Herring) Fallacies Critical Thinking 182-‐196; 5th Writing Assignment Due (assigned in class last Wednesday).
W: Sep 23 Review: Chapters 5-‐6
F: Sep 25 Chapter 7: Induction Fallacies Critical Thinking 197-‐205; 6th Quiz.
M: Sep 28 Chapter 7: Induction Fallacies Critical Thinking 206-‐221; 6th Writing Assignment Due (assigned in class last Wednesday).
W: Sep 30 Chapter 8: Formal Fallacies and Fallacies of Language Critical Thinking 222-‐228 [No writing Assignment for next week. Study Guide for Unit 2 Test will be distributed today.]
F: Oct 2 Chapter 8: Formal Fallacies and Fallacies of Language Critical Thinking 228-‐242; 7th Quiz.
M: Oct 5 Review: Chapters 7-‐8
W: Oct 7 Unit 2 Test
Students are responsible for all material covered in Ch 5-‐8. No new readings for today. [Make sure you pick up the writing assignment for next week before you leave class today.]
Unit 3 Deductive Logic: Chapters 9-10
F: Oct 9 Chapter 9: Deductive Arguments I Critical Thinking 243-‐251
M: Oct 12 Chapter 9: Deductive Arguments I Critical Thinking 251-‐262; 7th Writing Assignment Due (assigned in class last Wednesday).
W: Oct 14 Chapter 9: Deductive Arguments I Critical Thinking 263-‐272; 8th Quiz.
F: Oct 16 No Class.
M: Oct 19 Chapter 9: Deductive Arguments I Critical Thinking 272-‐283; 8th Writing Assignment Due (assigned in class last Wednesday)
W: Oct 21 Review Chapter 9. 9th Quiz.
F: Oct 23 No Class.
M: Oct 26 Chapter 10: Deductive Arguments II Critical Thinking 284-‐295; 9th Writing Assignment Due (assigned in class last Wednesday).
W: Oct 28 Chapter 10: Deductive Arguments II Critical Thinking 295-‐308
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F: Oct 30 Chapter 10: Deductive Arguments II Critical Thinking 308-‐314; 10th Quiz [Study Guide for Unit 3 Test will be distributed today.]
M: Nov 2 Chapter 10: Deductive Arguments II Critical Thinking 314-‐330; 10th Writing Assignment Due: Term Paper/Project Proposal (assigned on August 12th).
W: Nov 4 Review: Chapter 10
F: Nov 6 Unit 3 Test Students are responsible for all material covered in Ch 9-‐10. No new readings for today.
Unit 4 Inductive Reasoning and Judgment Chapters 11-12
M: Nov 9 Chapter 11: Inductive Reasoning Critical Thinking 331-‐341; 11th Writing Assignment Due (assigned in class last Wednesday).
W: Nov 11 Chapter 11: Inductive Reasoning Critical Thinking 342-‐350
F: Nov 13 Chapter 11: Inductive Reasoning Critical Thinking 350-‐363; 11th Quiz.
M: Nov 16 Chapter 11: Inductive Reasoning Critical Thinking 363-‐380; 12th Writing Assignment Due (assigned in class last Wednesday).
W: Nov 18 Review: Chapter 11
F: Nov 20 Chapter 12: Moral, Legal, and Aesthetic Reasoning Critical Thinking 381-‐388; 12th Quiz.
M-‐F Nov 23-‐27: Thanksgiving Break
M: Nov 30 Chapter 12: Moral, Legal, and Aesthetic Reasoning Critical Thinking 388-‐396; 13th Writing Assignment Due: Preliminary draft of Term Paper/Project (assigned August 12th).
W: Dec 2 Chapter 12: Moral, Legal, and Aesthetic Reasoning Critical Thinking 396-‐405. [Study guide for Unit 4 Test will be distributed today.]
F: Dec 4 Chapter 12: Moral, Legal, and Aesthetic Reasoning Critical Thinking 405-‐417; 13th Quiz
M: Dec 7 Review: Chapter 12
W: Dec 9 Unit 4 Test Students are responsible for all material covered in Ch 11-‐12. No new readings this week.
F: Dec 11 Course Review
M: Dec 14 LAST DAY OF CLASS: Conclusions and Good byes Term Paper/Project Due
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Term Paper/Project The end of term paper/project will be the written or alternative presentation of a sound rhetorical argument based on a topic of importance to the student. Using the tools gained in this course, students will present an issue of their choice without bias, evaluate arguments that have been made about the issue (contrary to the student’s position), then present their own position on the issue by constructing their best rational argument to support their view. Evaluation
Papers/projects will be evaluated based on the clarity, credibility, and effectiveness of the argument (unit 1), absence of all fallacies examined in unit 2 within the student’s own reasoning, the logical strength and comprehensiveness of the student’s evaluative critique of opposing arguments (NB: effectively evaluating fallacies in others’ arguments is an effective way to discredit their arguments against your position), and the strength and comprehensiveness of the student’s reasoning in presenting his/her own arguments (units 3-‐4). Creativity, imagination, and an enjoyable presentation will additionally factor into an excellent paper/project. Feel free to use a dash of rhetoric, but not at the expense of logic. A grading rubric will be provided at the time your proposal is returned to you. Format
The format of the project can be either a traditional paper or an alternative media presentation. Paper length will be 4-‐6 pages, balancing the following elements:
1. Introduction/history of the issue (1-‐2 pages/20-‐30%): the description of the issue itself, and the history of why it is important. This part should be non-‐biased.
2. Presentation and evaluation of oppositional arguments (1.5-‐2.5 pages/35-‐40%): this part should do justice to presenting the opposition’s arguments (such that they would say, “yes, that is my position”) and then offer a fair critical evaluation of strengths and weaknesses (“fair” means justified, it doesn’t mean you have to be nice).
3. Presentation of the student’s position and argument in favor of their view (1.5-‐3 pages/35-‐45%): this is your chance to get up on your soap box and make a strong argument to support your view. This part won’t necessarily be your longest contribution to the paper/project, but it also should not be shorter than part 2.
As with all college-‐level papers, your paper should have the following elements:
I. A clear introduction: One paragraph that briefly describes the issue you’ll be addressing, why it is the subject of argument, and what claim you will be supporting (your claim is essentially your thesis statement—everything else in the paper is designed to highlight why it is important, what has been said against it, and why your claim is the strongest position on the issue).
II. Body paragraphs: At least one paragraph covering each of the elements described above.
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III. A clear conclusion: One paragraph that reviews how your position has been highlighted and proven to be the strongest (you might even briefly evaluate your own argument to see how it stands up to the opposition).
IV. A bibliography of sources cited (this is in addition to footnotes throughout the text). General Format: typed in a 12-‐point standard font (Times New Roman, etc.), double-‐spaced, with one inch margins. Please use Chicago style footnotes and bibliography. The final paper/project is worth a total of 16% of your grade.
CHICAGO STYLE FORMAT:
Use the Chicago style manual to organize your paper as well as for formatting (use footnotes not endnotes). Please consult Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 8th Edition (2013). You can also access information at the following websites:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/01/ http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html.
The general rule is that all information that is not your own must be cited with a footnote, NOT just direct quotes or statistics. If you do not include footnotes AND a separate bibliography page, I cannot accept your paper/project, and you will have to re-‐submit it, or get an F for the paper. [See note below for citations in an alternative format project.]
Alternative Formats
• Alternative media presentations should contain the same amount of material that would be covered in the paper, but may take an alternative form.
• Group projects will be considered, but must contain the minimum of four pages worth of material for each student seeking a grade for the project (students participating in another student’s project who aren’t seeking a grade for it—i.e. in addition to their own graded project—will be eligible for bonus points).
o Each student seeking a grade for the group project must submit his/her own, separate and original, introduction and conclusion. Outlines with footnotes and bibliographies may contain duplicate material (see description below), but should be submitted separately along with original introduction and conclusion for each student.
• Some examples include a video documentary, political debate, advertisement/infomercial, or court hearing; a power point presentation (printed or thumb-‐drive) such as might be used in delivering a public address on the issue (bonus points if you submit video of you actually presenting it to a non-‐Phi113 group); an editorial (bonus points if you submit it to a local paper and get it published!); or an original web page/blog, built/written specifically for presenting this project (please submit printed “confirmation” records of when the web page/blog site was created and updated along with the URL—entries/updates not accounted for cannot be considered for grading purposes).
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Academic quality of all material, including proper citation of all non-‐original material, is required regardless of format. For non-‐printed alternative formats, please submit an outline detailing where required elements take place in your presentation, and including the citations of any non-‐original material used, quoted, or cited both within the outline, and in a separate bibliography at the end. Outlines, introductions, conclusions, citations, and bibliographies should maintain the same formatting guidelines as for the traditionally formatted papers listed above. Academic integrity is expected equally between written and alternative formats. Proposal
A proposal for the term paper/project is due on November 2nd, and accounts for 10% of your term paper/project grade. The proposal must include the issue you intend to address, why it interests you, your position either for or against the issue, a list of at least two possible sources that have opposed your position (at least one of which you’ll address in your paper/project), and a description of the format you propose to use to present your paper/project. The proposal is the writing assignment due 2 Nov. As such, it also counts as part of your homework grade for Unit 3. Preliminary Draft
A preliminary draft of the paper/project is due on November 30, and accounts for 15% of your term paper/project grade. The draft should include the full outline of the proposed project (including your sources for describing the issue and its history, and your chosen opposition and sources of their arguments), a description of your chosen format, your working introduction, and at least a partial bibliography. The purpose of the draft is to demonstrate progress toward timely completion of the project. The Preliminary Draft is the writing assignment due 30 Nov. As such, it also counts as part of your homework grade for Unit 4. Questions
Please ask questions if you have any concerns, if anything is unclear, or if you need guidance at any stage of preparation for writing/creating your project! The Proposal and Preliminary Draft are my best tools to help evaluate your individual needs and offer constructive comments and guidance. However, if you need additional help, I won’t know unless you ask.