PHIL 2203: Logic
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)
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Where / When: MWF 8:30 – 9:20, in Main 319; MWF 10:30 – 11:20, in
Main 325
Instructor: Roman Briggs
Email: rnbriggs@uark.edu
Course Website:
http://comp.uark.edu/~rnbriggs/
Office: (479) 575-7553
Philosophy Department:
(479) 575-3551
Office Location
/ Office Hours: MWF 9:30 – 10:30 in
Old Main 310 (or, by appointment) Note: If I am not in 310, try Old Main
318 – the Philosophy Department.
Special Needs: If you have special needs, please contact me within
the first week of class with paperwork from the Student Access Office in hand;
this will aid me in making the accommodations necessary to insure your comfort
and success.
Inclement Weather Policy: Unless the university officially
cancels class, we will meet as scheduled.
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About the
Course: The acquisition of the ins
and outs of informal and formal logic, the subsequent application of these
tools, and, more generally, cultivation of the ability to reason critically,
enhances one’s approach to virtually every field of study. So, logic (in
practice) aids the philosopher, the psychologist, the sociologist, the
political scientist (...), and the creative writer alike. That said, mastery of
elementary logic leads to a thoroughgoing edification as regards any student's
“adventures in academia”; and, it might be argued, edification of the
individual more generally. Aristotle conveys this idea best in suggesting that
logic, while certainly a science in and of itself, is a prerequisite for work
in any science.
In this course,
the student will be introduced to concepts such as deduction and induction
(with an emphasis on Mill’s Methods); lexical definitions; formal and informal
fallacies; Venn Diagrams; truth functions; truth tables (for propositions and
for arguments), and indirect truth tables. So too, the student will be
introduced to various methods of checking an argument for validity and
soundness; and, to natural deduction in propositional logic (sentential
derivations), and elementary predicate logic.
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Materials: Each student should purchase (or, if at all
possible, borrow) a copy of Patrick J. Hurley's A Concise
Introduction to Logic (8th
Edition).
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Grades shall
be given in consideration of the following:
Attendance
and Participation:
Attendance will be taken promptly at the beginning
of each meeting, and while it will not play a direct role in overall grades, it
will be taken into consideration as regards any borderline grade (For
instance, if a student were to finish up the course with an 88.8%, and she
happened to have impeccable attendance, a 90% would certainly not be out of the
question as regards hers final grade; vice versa for the student who has rarely
darkened the classroom door). Each day we will, as a class, spend class time
completing oral exercises found in the textbook. Participation in these
exercises, along with general discussion of the topics at hand, will also have
an effect on borderline grades.
Pop Quizzes: Seven unannounced quizzes, a few of which
may come in the form of take-home assignments, will be administered throughout
the semester (each valued at 10 points); I will average the highest five of each
student's scores into her/his overall grade, thereby dropping the lowest two.
As the pop quiz score substantiates what might have been a grade for mandatory
attendance, quizzes may not be made up. 5 quizzes x 10 points = 50 points possible
Exams: Three exams will be administered
throughout the semester – two midterms, and one final which will be cumulative
in nature. The format/content of the exams will be discussed as the
course evolves. (I shouldn't have to say this, but here goes: no
cheating, please. To read over the U of A's Academic Honesty Policy,
click here.)
3 exams x 100 points = 300 points possible
Exam
Make-Up Policy: Exams may be made up within one week of
the original test date, given I am contacted (via email, telephone, or
voicemail) before the regularly scheduled exam time. Exams may be made
up within two weeks of the original test date with a penalty of 25% (again, if
I was contacted). Exams not made up within three weeks of the original test
date will result in a zero.
Course Total = 50 points +
300 points = 350 points possible for
the course
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