SYLLABUS

INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC 120

Instructor: D. Piche

Office: Behavioral Science

W Bldg (Secretary) & BES-2 (Office)

Phone Ext. 2336

Course Orientation:

The course is an introduction to logic and the art of making sense. It's purpose is the development of critical thinking skills through the cultivation of deductive and inductive logical acuity. The emphasis is on recognizing assumptions, clear thinking, rational persuasion and avoiding logical fallacies in language. These will be accomplished through an analysis of logical fallacies, the logical syntax of statements, hypotheses, deductive and inductive arguments and reasoning.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course you should be able to:

- Identify premises, conclusions and the structures of

deductive and inductive arguments.

- Assess and formulate arguments using deductive and

inductive analyses.

- Recognize assumptions made in arguments.

- Identify, explain and use valid forms of deductive and

inductive arguments in writing.

- Recognize and indentify common logical fallacies.

Required Text:

-Hurley, P. A Concise Introduction To Logic. 8th. ed.,

Wadsworth, 2003.

-Schick, T.Jr. & Vaughn, L..How To Think About Weird Things:

Critical Thinking for a New Age. 3rd. ed., Mayfield, 2002.

-Auxiliary Materials: Instructor Handouts and Exercises.

Method of Instruction:

The course will be composed of lecture-discussion, readings and written exercises. You will be responsible for the material from all three sources. It is assumed that you will budget your time in order to complete the readings and exercises in order to keep pace with the material presented in class. There will be four tests each of which emphasize the work (exercises) done in class. The exercises are designed to nurture a skill and the tests are designed to measure that skill. It is important therefore that you come to class and do the assignments and exercises in order to do well in this course.

Attendance is expected at all class meetings. If you miss a class it is assumed that you will acquire the material you missed on your own. Students should notify the instructor in writing in the event of an extended absence. Students who "disappear" from the course will not be dropped automatically and will receive an "F" as a grade for the course.

EXAM POLICY: You will be expected to keep pace with the course. Consequently, exams will usually not be announced in advanced. If you miss an examination a makeup will only be allowed in cases of sufficient warrant. I will consider prearrangements and arguments of severe exceptions. Any makeup granted will be considerably more difficult than the original.

Grading: Your grade will be based upon a 100 point scale. A curve factor may be calculated at the end of the course but the maximum points required for each grade is as follows:

A-90 pts, B-80 pts; C-70 pts; D-60 pts.

TOPICS

Introduction, Arguments and Validity

Schick and Vaughn -Entire Text

Chapter 1, pp.1-40.

Recognizing deductive and inductive arguments

premises , conclusions and deductive syllogisms

Inductive reasoning and cogency

Informal Logical Fallacies

Chapter 3, pp.111-169

Test I

Mapping Logical Structures in Written Language

Chapter 6.1,6.2,6.3, pp.287-297.

Negation, Conjunction, Disjunction

Handouts 1,2.

Conditionals

Handouts 3,4.

Test II

Elementary Argument Forms

Argument Forms and Validity

Chapter 6.6, pp.330-347.

Chapter 7.1, 7.2, pp.348-368.

Handouts 8,9..

Extended Argument Essays With Natural Deduction

Test III

Transformation Rules

Chapter 7.3,7.4, pp.369-389..

Handouts 10,11.

Extended Argument Essays With Transformation Rules.

Test IV