Syllabus

 

Critical Reasoning:

Philosophy 1210-006

 

University of Nebraska – Omaha

 

 

Instructor: Edward Abplanalp                                                    T/TH 2:30-3:45 p.m.

E-mail: philosophered@cox.net                                                  Room: AS 313

Office: ASH 205B                                                                      Term: Spring 2007

Office Hours: Thursday 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.                           

 

Text: We will be using the eighth edition of Brooke Noel Moore and Richard Parker’s Critical Thinking (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007).

 

Course Description: The purpose of this course is to provide some of the basic logical skills students need to become better thinkers. Students will be exposed to both informal and formal logic. We will focus on analyzing the basic features of validity in terms of categorical syllogisms and truth-functional arguments (truth-tables and formal patterns of deduction). Throughout the class, we will be examining the complexity of the use of language, with reference to defining terms, and identifying rhetorical devices (informal fallacies).

 

Course Objectives: Students will learn and demonstrate these specific skills:

 

            · Identify reasons, claims, and explanations in everyday language.

 

            · Learn to recognize, evaluate, and reconstruct arguments.

 

            · Learn how to recognize weak and assumed premises.

 

            · Identify valid and invalid argument forms.

 

            · Construct arguments in the form of truth tables and test their validity.

 

            · Apply elementary argument patterns of deduction.

 

Assignments:

 

·       There are five in-class exams.

 

·       The final exam is comprehensive.

 

            ●    There is no extra credit.

 

Grades:

 

             Exam 1:                      20%

             Exam 2:                      20%

             Exam 3:                      20%

 Exam 4:                      20%

 Exam 5: (Final)          20%

           

Final grades are assessed on the following point scale:

 

97-100  A+                  77-79  C+       

93-96  A                      73-76  C         

90-92 A                       70-72  C-

87-89  B+                    67-69  D+

83-86  B                      63-66  D

80-82 B-                      60-62 D-

 

 

Student Responsibilities:

 

·       Honor Code: Students must uphold the Student Code Of Conduct published in the University of Nebraska College Catalog. I will recognize and enforce the guidelines to its fullest extent. There are no exceptions to these guidelines. All work submitted for this class is expected to be your own original work. Any idea that is not your own must be documented (i.e. the source must be cited). Any cheating or plagiarizing will result in an F.

 

·       Missed Exams: You must show up for each exam. All absences for examinations must be accompanied by written documentation.

 

·       Attendance: Students are expected to attend all of their classes. Moreover, students should read the assigned readings before class, come prepared ask questions, and engage in productive class discussions. Students who are unable to attend class are expected to bear the burden of understanding the material on their own.

 

·       Homework: Students always have homework. Students are expected to cover assigned materials before class. This includes doing the assigned reading and the exercises included in each chapter.

 

·        Electronic devices: Please turn off electronic devices when I am lecturing.

 

·        Thank you!

 

Tentative Schedule

 

·       Tuesday, January 9th: Introduction to Critical Reasoning

·       Thursday, January 11th: Clear Thinking (Chapter 2)

o      Semantic vs. Syntactic Ambiguity

o      Introduction to Rhetoric

·       Tuesday, January 16th: Persuasion Through Rhetoric (Chapter 4)

·       Thursday, January 18th: Persuasion Through Rhetoric (Chapter 4)

·       Tuesday, January 23rd: Exam #1

·       Thursday, January 25th: Psychological and Related Fallacies (Chapter 5)

·       Tuesday, January 30th: Psychological and Related Fallacies (Chapter 5)

·       Thursday, February 1st: Psychological and Related Fallacies (Chapter 5)

·       Tuesday, February 6th: More Fallacies (Chapter 6)

·       Thursday, February 8th: More Fallacies (Chapter 6)

·       Tuesday, February 13th: More Fallacies (Chapter 6)

·       Thursday, February 15th: Exam #2

·       Tuesday, February 20th: Categorical Logic (Chapter 8)

·       Thursday, February 23rd: Categorical Logic (Chapter 8)

·       Tuesday, February 27th: Categorical Logic (Chapter 8)

·       Thursday, March 1st: Categorical Logic (Chapter 8)

·       Tuesday, March 6th: Categorical Logic (Chapter 8)

·       Thursday, March 8th: Categorical Logic (Chapter 8)

·       Spring Break!

·       Tuesday, March 20th: Review for Exam #3

·       Thursday, March 22nd: Exam #3

·       Tuesday, March 27th: Truth-Functional Logic (Chapter 9)

·       Thursday, March 29th: Truth-Functional Logic (Chapter 9)

·       Tuesday, April 3rd: Truth-Functional Logic (Chapter 9)

·       Thursday, April 5th: Truth-Functional Logic (Chapter 9)

·       Tuesday, April 10th: Truth-Functional Logic (Chapter 9)

·       Thursday, April 12th: Truth-Functional Logic (Chapter 9)

·       Tuesday, April 17th: Review for Exam #4

·       Thursday, April 19th: Exam #4

·       Tuesday, April 24th: Review for final exam

·       Thursday, April 26th: Review for final exam

·       Thursday, May 3rd: Final Exam