Introduction to Logic

Instructor: Dr. Elizabeth Shadish Email: eshadish@elcamino.edu
Office: 213B Office Phone: 310-660-3763
Office Hours: On-Campus - TTh, 8:00 - 9:30 am
  Online ("instant email") - W, 4 - 6:00 pm

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Logic is the study of arguments or, more precisely, a systematic approach to understanding what makes arguments acceptable or unacceptable to an informed and logically trained thinker. Ideally, this class will enable students to understand, identify and utilize those elements of reasoning through which clear and strongly supported views and opinions are developed - for the sake of both developing their own arguments and assessing those of others.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Our general goal is to approach this mastery through developing a number of distinct but related logical skills. By studying (at least most of) the following objectives, students will be able to explain as well as apply various logical skills, including:

1. describe the basic structure of arguments
2. explain and demonstrate the difference between a deductive and an inductive argument
3. "translate" ordinary arguments into categorical or propositional form
4. assess the validity of categorical syllogisms through form, rules and Venn diagrams
5. assess the validity of propositional reasoning through form and rules/deductions
6. identify the characteristics of scientific reasoning, and how this is distinguished from superstitious thinking

TEXT AND WEBSITE:

P.J. Hurley, A Concise Introduction to Logic, 10th Edition (2008, Thomson/Wadsworth)

Thomson Now: Students Get Started - http://www.thomsonedu.com/thomsonnow/student/
Thomson Registration page - http://1pass.thomson.com/1pass/ or http://www.thomsonedu.com/login

Course Code - E-2KYCK5637H3HS

Group Session concerning registration to Thomson Now: Thurs, Feb 21 from 2 - 3:25 pm, in ArtB 306.

COURSE GRADING: As one of the few fields in philosophy in which there are, on the whole, "right" answers, our assignments will reflect this. Quizzes, homeworks, exams and your project will be graded for the accuracy or correctness of answers, according to the standards or rules established in Hurley's text. Equal emphasis will be given to students' understanding of, and ability to apply, the concepts and skills introduced in the text. Other than your project, assignments are non-cummulative. The lowest homework and the lowest quiz grade will be dropped from your final point total.

Grade Scale*
A: 535 - 481 (90%) C: 427 - 347 (65%)
B: 480 - 428 (80%) D: 346 - 267 (50%)

* Grade Scale includes drop of lowest HW (30) and lowest Quiz (40) grades.