NOTES FOR INFORMAL FALLACIES:
-- Appeal to Force --
Appeal to Authority
-- Slippery Slope --
Ad Hominem --
-- Ad Populum --
False Cause -- Straw Man -- Argument
from Ignorance --
-- False Dichotomy
--
And the last two: -- Weak
Analogy -- Hasty Generalization
--
Course: Logic (Phil 500)
Room: CL 324
Time: M W 3 - 4
Intructor: Rick Grush
Office: CL 1028J
Office Hours: M 4-5, W 2-3
Teaching assistant: Hans Halvorson, Office Hours: M 4-5, Th 12-1. CL_____
This syllabus is subject to change. Alterations will be announced in class. An up-to-date version of the syllabus will be maintained at my website (http://www.pitt.edu/~grush).
Texts:
Understanding symbolic logic 3e. Viginia Klenk.
We spend the first 20 Sessions of the semester working through the Klenk text. At a minimum we will finish through chapter 9, but most likely we will progress beyond 9, and end somewhere before chapter 16. Sessions 22 - 26 we will spend some time on informal fallacies (this material is not in either of the texts, but will be given in lecture). The final two sessions will be devoted to examinations.
Schedule:
The schedule is somewhat flexible, but to a first approximation:
Session 01 (08/31): Intro, Klenk 1
Session 02 (09/02): Klenk 2
Session 03 (09/09): Klenk 3
Session 04 (09/14): Klenk 4
Session 05 (09/16): Klenk 5
Session 06 (09/21): Klenk 6
Session 07 (09/23): Klenk 7
Session 08 (09/28): Klenk 7
Session 09 (09/30): Klenk 8
Session 10 (10/05): Klenk 9
Session 11 (10/07): Klenk 9
Session 12 (10/12): First Midterm
Session 13 (10/14): Klenk 10
Session 14 (10/19): Klenk 11
Session 15 (10/21): Klenk 12
Session 16 (10/26): Klenk 12
Session 17 (10/28): Klenk 13
Session 18 (11/02): Klenk 14
Session 19 (11/04): Klenk 15
Session 20 (11/09): Klenk 15
Session 21 (11/11): Second Midterm
Session 22 (11/16): Informal fallacies
Session 23 (11/18): Informal fallacies
Session 24 (11/23): Informal fallacies
Session 25 (11/30): Informal fallacies
Session 26 (12/02): Informal fallacies
Session 27 (12/07): Third Midterm
Session 28 (12/09): Final Examination
Homework:
Homework will be assigned, collected, and graded, by the TA. So go to your recitation section for details on homework.
Exams:
There will be 4 exams -- 3 midterms and one final exam. The midterms are not cumulative, and will cover material only since the previous midterm. The final exam is cumulative. All exams are in-class and open-book (though if you need to use the book, you will probably not do very well). I will make practice exams available at least 1 week before each exam.
Grades:
Grades are based on 2 components.
i) Exams. Each exam is worth 100 points, for a total of 400 points. Grades will initially be determined off this point total, based roughly on a 10% scale (i.e. 90%-100% = A, 80%-89.99% = B, etc.)
ii) The grade as determined in (i) above may be adjusted upward or downward by a maximum of 1 letter grade by the TA, based on recitation attendence, participation, and homework. Consult the TA for policies about how this component will work.
Make-up exams:
Make-up exams will not be offered. If you must miss a midterm for a valid medical reason (and have a doctor's note, or something similar), then you will simply not take that exam. The ponts for that exam will be made up by multiplying your score on the corresponding portion of the final exam by 4. (For example, if you miss the second midterm, then the second part of the final exam, which will cover the material from the second midterm, and will be worth about 33 points, will instead be worth 133 points.)
Attendance:
Attendance at lectures is highly recommended, but not mandatory. For policies about attendence at recitation sections, see the TA.
Recommendations:
Attend the lectures, and read the corresponding chapters of the text before the lecture. Attend the recitation sections, and do all homework assigned by the TA. Use the homework, and other non-assigned exercises in the text to determine for yourself how well you have mastered the material. If you need additional help, ask the TA or myself. We have office hours. The earilier you get clear on some issue that is giving you trouble, the better it will be for everybody. Take the practice exam, giving yourself only about 50 minutes (similar to the real exam conditions), to assess your mastery of the material, and to determine if there are any areas you should work on more before the real exam.
This will be one of the easiest classes you will take IF you simply keep up with the material, regularly practice by doing exercises, and ask for help as soon as you need it.