Philosophy 10: Critical Thinking
Spring 2002
Instructor: Will Heusser
Office: Chalon Rm #318
Office: Doheny Bldg 4 Rm #5
Primary
Contact: wheu@netzero.net
X4082 or leave a note at the Learning Center
Prerequisites: None; however, good reading and writing skills are essential.
Course Description: Students taking this course will learn the main principles of deductive and inductive argumentation and evaluation. We will develop a method for identifying, interpreting, and evaluating arguments. In doing so students will learn reasoning techniques so they develop their skills at identifying forms of good reasoning, spotting fallacious reasoning, examining uses of language, examining assumptions, weighing evidence, problem solving, decision-making, applying critical thinking skills to everyday reasoning, and translating between English and logic. Students interested in philosophy, mathematics, law, or simply in thinking clearly will benefit from this course.
Objectives: This course aims
- To teach the skills needed to reason critically,
effectively, and responsibly. Utilizing the reading, writing, and
analytical exercises of the text as well as discussion of current issues,
the student will acquire the techniques and tools necessary for thinking
critically about those issues.
- To get an overview of Logic & Critical Thinking, with a focus on argumentation and using critical reasoning on the internet (e.g., to analyze position papers and argumentative essays and to interpret popular culture).
- To acquire techniques and tools for reading comprehension and for writing clearly and coherently.
Reading Materials: Required: W. Teays, Second
Thoughts
(Mayfield, 96) + Internet access.
Course Requirements: Points
1. Attendance and Participation* 25
A. Group (and Single) Presentations (30)
B. Analytic Essay (70)
5. 3 in-class Exams (covering readings, lectures, and discussion) 100 x 3 = 300
6. An in-class Final Exam 100
*Special Note: We will also rely upon class discussion and participation rather than strictly formal lecture. Discussion is crucial for your academic success in this course and in others. It is a chance for you to work through the material in more detail than in lecture, and practice what you have learned. You should weigh the considerable burden of participation when considering whether to take this course. Ask questions when things are unclear and contribute in class discussions.
It is your responsibility to:
- Properly enroll in the course.
- Be clear on any announcements I make in class regarding such things as changes in the course outline, scheduling changes, etc.
- Obtain and bring to class the Study Guides (SG) & assignments from the website listed on page 3. There are 5 Sets (one for each exam + an assignment folder)
- Officially withdraw from the class if you wish to drop the course; students who simply stop attending will receive an F as a final grade in the course.
Grading Scale: 93-100 A: >558 points, 90 - 92 A-: >540, 86-89 B+: >516, 83-85 B: >498, 80 - 82 B-: >480, 75-79 C+: >450, 69-74 C: >414, 65 -68 C-: >390, 51-64 D: >306, 50 & under F. Per departmental regulations, late work will be penalized a letter grade per class late. Excused absences with a written medical excuse of appropriate weight count for half. No make-up exams or incompletes given without a written medical excuse of appropriate weight.
Attendance: Also, accurate attendance is your responsibility; make sure to sign the roll sheet. Attendance is, of course, necessary for success. Perfect attendance is worth +6 extra credit points, each missed session will count -5 points for the first 3 missed classes and after that it counts as –10 points. (For MWF classes, no penalty for first class, –5 for the next 4, -10 after that). If you miss more than 6 classes (9 for MWF classes), however, you will receive a fail in the class, as it will be impossible for you to benefit from a class you are not truly present for. The withdrawal policy is the official MSMC withdrawal policy. A grade of “W” (honorable withdrawal) will not be given as a substitute for a poor grade earned in the course.
Class Etiquette: This hopefully is obvious, but be considerate of others and make any criticisms (e.g. of groups) constructive. Come to class on time. Being late once or twice is understandable. However, chronic lateness or leaving early will affect your participation score. Being late 3 times equals 1 absence. Do not have pagers or phones on in class and please go to the restroom before class (especially during an exam) so as not to disturb anyone. Do not leave during an exam without first clearing it.
Critical Thinking Journal: You are required to do all homework assignments including any handouts. Though these assignments will not be individually checked every day, they will be corrected in class and will constitute the work necessary to help you to develop the skills required for solving the problems on your tests and final examination. You will be expected to participate in class discussion and the evaluation of homework assignments. A notebook with your homework should be kept in an orderly manner. It will be checked twice during the semester during the second and final exam (25 points). The first check will consist of homework assignments including internet study guides set 1 and 2. The second check will consist of HW assignments + sets 3 and 4. You do not need a title page but you should have everything in order.
Group Work: Groups will have tasks delineated so meeting outside of class time is kept to a minimum. Group work should be seen as another creative way of learning about the subject. Please review the criteria that you will be graded on carefully before beginning the project.
Exams: Exams are a combination of multiple choice, true/false, analysis, short answer and short essay (in the form of an analysis, e.g., of an excerpt). I will give you a study guide or go over what the tests will cover, so you will have a good idea.
Essays:
One “Analytical
Essay” focusing on internet sources, 3-4 pages long + one “Fallacy Story” with
analysis, 2-3 pages (handout on web site). Details will follow shortly, but
will focus on analysis. Type double-spaced, 10-12 pt type, use
1" margins (top/bottom/sides) and properly document sources.
Use a complete bibliography and parenthetical references (name of author, page
of reference). You are not required to use any references on the Fallacy Story,
so just focus on analyzing the piece yourself, unless further research is
necessary. Come see me if you need any help or want to talk about a draft of
your essay.
Documentation & Academic
Honesty: Honesty is expected and dishonesty taken
seriously. All paper sources must be cited. Give
credit-any time you quote, paraphrase, or use anyone else's ideas put in a
citation to that effect. See the Student Handbook if you do not know what
academic integrity involves. If you are still unclear, please see me.
Plagiarism, copying, modifying yours or others previous work, buying papers or
exams, working with another student in writing a paper will not be tolerated. Cheating
is unethical and will be penalized in accordance with the Code of Academic
Conduct. For the Analytic Essay: When you use an Internet source, you must
include the web address PLUS a hard copy of the article you used. More details
will be provided later.
Internet Use: Handouts (also called “study guides”) can be found and downloaded on my website at http://homepage.smc.edu/heusser_will When you reach this site click on “MSMC Courses” in the table at the bottom. The study guides are divided into 4 Sets corresponding to the 4 exams in this course. Each handout should be downloaded at the beginning of the semester and brought to class, as we will be going over them in class. Some will be distributed later if unavailable on the website.
Email: Strongly
encouraged. Some “supplemental” class worksheets may be distributed through
e-mail. You will need to email me in order to get on the
mailing list. (A note card will not suffice). Just write your name and
which course you are taking and email me at the address on the first page of
this syllabus. I will email “Ok” to indicate you are on the class email list.
If you do not check e-mail frequently, stay in touch with a friend who does! If
you do not have an account with MSMC or a commercial account through
www.hotmail.com, www.juno.com, or www.netzero.net, then go to OIT (The Office
of Instructional Technology) where they can set you up with one. Please see me
if you need special accommodations.
Need
Help in general? See me! I am happy to
tutor and help with material. This can usually take place right after class
either in class or in my office. Otherwise, email me to schedule a time to meet
at my office. The Learning Resource Center is also very willing to help. My
hours there are ____________________________. Schedule an appointment!
You may also want to explore some online assistance: www.poweroflogic.com
and www.sjsu.edu/depts/itl/index.html have exercises that overlap some content
in this course.
Extra Credit: There will
likely be an extra credit opportunity or two in the second half of the
semester. There will be an announcement concerning this.
Learning Disabilities: Persons
with disabilities verified through the Learning Center will be accommodated -
talk to me about your needs as soon as possible. Be sure to confirm this with
the Learning Center and ask them to send a letter so the appropriate accommodations
can be made.
Topics and Readings: The following are the topics of the course in the order we will take them up. It is not possible nor, I think, desirable to assign exact dates. I break the schedule up into units that last approximately one week each. As we go along I will keep you informed when it seems appropriate to go on to a new topic. Our discussions or time limits may suggest either deletions or substitutions, but generally, I recommend staying one unit ahead of the readings.
Tentative schedule: All readings should be completed before class meetings. If our discussion of topics takes more time than I have planned for, some later ones may be skipped. If a topic is skipped, there will not be exam questions on it. It is always wise to take careful notes and come to class prepared. Reading more than assigned work (such as introductory material) is very helpful; consider the assigned reading a minimum.
Wk 1: (Note: Week 1 is first full
week beginning 1/22) (For Exam 1: Read
Ch. 1, 3, & 4)
Ch. 3 and 4: General Introduction to Logic and Argument Analysis p.10 #2
Indicators: Exercises pp. 59-61 #1-24. (Identifying Premises and Conclusions)
Description vs. Inference, Facts, Opinions, and Ideas: Exercises pp. 75-76 #1 a-l.
Fundamentals of Argumentation: Statements and Propositions
Wk 2: Argument
Analysis: Validity
& Soundness Ex. pp. 89-90 Pt.1 #1-6 Pt.2 #1-6
Analysis: Ch. 4 Good Reasoning, Bad Reasoning
Fundamentals of
Deductive/Inductive Reasoning: Exercises pp. 92-93 #1-10 Pt.2 1-8
Forms
of Deductive/Inductive Arguments: Ex. pp. 94-98 #11, Pt.2 #2, 7-12 Pt. 3 #1-2*
Argument Forms, Substitution
Instances, and Counterexample Method
Wk 3: ***Exam #1: Tues. 2/5
II. Patterns of Deductive Reasoning:
Propositional Logic (Get SG II)
Wk 4: (For Exam 2: Read Ch. 15 emphasizing pp. 349-357 & Ch. 16; skip p. 347-348)
Ch. 15: Propositions and Translations Exercises pp. 351 #1-20
Wk 5: Translating Ordinary Language
Note: Pay close attention to lecture and handouts. For now, we will only be covering the Rules for Ordinary Language #3, 4, 5, and 7 and Formal Rule #1 (pp. 352-357) for now.
Exercises pp. 357: part I #2, 3,
7-10, 12, 15, 16, 18-20
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Wk 6: ***Group Web Presentations*** 2/26 Tues
Ch. 15 and 16: Symbolization
Exercises pp. p. 360: part V #2-7, part VI #9, 10
Rules of Inference: Doing Short Proofs Exercises pp. 376-7 #1-6 Pt.2
1-10
Exercises pp. 379-380 #1-12 Pt.2 #1-15, + pp. 384-389 Pt.2 #1-22 Pt.3 #1-31
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Wk 7: Rules of Inference and Replacement: Review
***Exam #2 Thurs. 3/7
Wk 8: Spring Break
III. Forms of Bad Reasoning: Informal/Formal
Fallacies (Get SG III)
Wk 9: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Fallacies (Exam 3: Read Ch. 8, 9, & 10)
Ch. 8: Poor Reasoning:
Fallacies of Relevance, Presumption, and Ambiguity
Forms of Bad Reasoning:
Exercises pp. 189-191 #1-27, Pt. 2 #1-10
Ch. 10: Good Inductive Reasoning + more Fallacies: Ex. pp. 198-200, #1-20
+ Passage Analysis Practice:
Reading Comprehension Handouts
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Wk 10: Good Induction + more fallacies: Exercises pp. 204-206 #1-18, 1-39
Causal Inferences and Mill’s Methods Ex. pp. 231 #1-6, and 235-236 #2-8
Final
Drafts of Analytic Essays Due: Tues. 3/26
Wk 11: More Fallacies and Statistical Reasoning (For Practice: pp. 389 #1-30)
Exercises
pp. 212-214 #2, 5, 7, 11, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 23; pp. 241-242 #1, 2 a-f, 6,
7
Formal and Informal Fallacies: Exercises pp. 216-217 #1-14, 219-220 1-12 Pt.2 #1-26,
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Wk 12: ***Exam #3: Tues. 4/9
IV. Syllogistic Logic:
Argument Structure & Proving Validity (Get SG IV)
Wk 13: Patterns of Deductive Reasoning (Exam
4: Read Ch. 15 *select* & Ch. 17)
Ch. 15: Categorical Propositions & Translations: Quantifiers, Subject & Predicate Terms
Tautologies, Contradictions, and Contingencies (+ The Square of Opposition)
Quantity and Quality: Exercises pp.
348-349 #1-15 Pt.2 #1-15
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Wk 14: Categorical Translations: Exercises pp.
357 #1, 4-6, 11, 13, 14, 17 Pt.2 #1-8
Categorical
Syllogisms: Major, Minor, &
Middle Terms: Exercises pp. 395-396 #1-10
***Fallacy Stories Due:
Thurs. 4/25***
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Wk 15: Standard Form Syllogisms + Mood and Figure: Exercises pp. 398 #1-12, 401 #1-15
Syllogisms
again: Testing for Validity
(Distribution) Ex. pp. 408-411 #1, 4, 7, and 8
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Wk 16: ***Exam #4 (Final Exam) Speculation: 1-3pm 5/7 or 5/9