Philosophy 114 -- Introduction to Logic

Winter 2005

Instructor: Dr. Jeffrey Koperski

Office: Brown 351

Homepage: http://www.svsu.edu/~koperski

Office Hours:www.svsu.edu/~koperski/schedule.html

E-mail: koperski@svsu.edu

 

Description: This course examines the argument forms used in both written and oral communication.  These include deduction, analogical arguments, inductive generalizations, statistical inferences, and causal inferences.  Moreover, we consider many forms of fallacious reasoning and rhetorical techniques often used in lieu of rational argumentation.  The goal is for students to incorporate cogent forms of reasoning in their work and not to be taken in by fallacious (albeit good-sounding) arguments.

 

Text: Moore and Parker, Critical Thinking, 7th ed. (Mayfield, 2004).

 

Grades:

40% Regular Quizzes

20% Final Exam (comprehensive)

 

10% Paper – Version 1

10% Pop Quizzes

 

20% Paper – Version 2

 

 

Regular quizzes will usually be announced one week in advance. Pop quizzes are unannounced and may be given at any time. There are no make-ups for either regular or pop quizzes; however, the lowest regular quiz grade will be dropped.

 

As a Category 10 General Education Course, you are required to submit at least 20 pages of informal and 20 pages of formal, written work.  See http://www.svsu.edu/~koperski/PaperGrades.htm for grading criteria and format.  Late papers will be penalized one letter grade per calendar day.  The term paper must be uploaded to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism.  Your paper will be checked by computer against a database of past papers and Internet websites.  If the software detects similar wording and phrases in another paper that is not properly cited, you will receive a zero on that assignment.  Do your own work!*  Papers not submitting to this service will receive a zero.

 

 

Scale:

92-100   A

78-79     C+

 

90-91     A-

70-77     C

 

88-89     B+

61-69     D

 

82-87     B

60        F

 

80-81     B-

 

 


Course Schedule

 


Chapter 1: Critical Thinking

Ø       Claims

§         Fact/Belief

§         Objective/Subjective Claims

Chapter 4: Persuasion Through Rhetoric

Ø       Rhetorical Devices

Ø       Advertising

Chapter 2: Critical Thinking and Clear Writing

Ø       Definitions

Ø       Ambiguities

Ø       Vagueness

Chapter 3: Credibility

Ø       Sources of Conflict

§         Personal Experience

§         Background Knowledge

Ø       Assessing Sources

§         Experts

§         Eyewitnesses

§         Media

§         Reference Materials

§         Internet

Chapter 5: More Rhetorical Devices

Ø       Red Herring

Ø       Appeal to Popularity

§         Appeal to Common Practice

§         Peer Pressure

Ø       Appeal to Pity

Ø       Apple Polishing

Ø       Wishful Thinking

Ø       Scare Tactics

Ø       Ridicule/Sarcasm

Chapter 6: Pseudoreasoning and Rhetorical Ploys

Ø       Ad Hominem

Ø       Inappropriate Burden of Proof

Ø       Straw Man

Ø       False Dilemma

Ø       Slippery Slope

Ø       Begging the Question

Chapter 7: Understanding and Evaluating Arguments

Ø       Deductive Arguments

§         Validity

§         Soundness

Ø       Inductive Arguments

§         Strong and Weak

Chapter 9: Truth Functional Logic

Ø       Formulas

Ø       Truth Tables

§         Tautologies

§         Contradictions

§         Contingencies

§         Test for Validity

Ø       Deductions

§         Rules of Inference

Chapter 10: Inductive Arguments

Ø       Inductive Generalizations

Ø       Analogical Arguments

Ø       Statistical Fallacies

Ø       Untrustworthy Polls

Chapter 11: Causal Arguments

Ø       Causation in Populations

§         Experimental Cause-to-Effect Studies

§         Nonexperimental Cause-to-Effect Studies

§         Nonexperimental Effect-to-Cause Studies

Chapter 12: Moral Reasoning [459-465]

Ø       Prescriptive vs. Descriptive Claims

Ø       Overview of Normative Ethics

Ø       The Abortion Debate


 

 



* All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers.  Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the terms of use agreement posted on the Turnitin.com site.