Critical Thinking

University of South Alabama, Department of Philosophy, Fall 2012

Syllabus | Schedule | Professor

Course Schedule

We will be following our main text closely throughout the term. However, our pace will be determined in part by my evaluations of student progress (through homework, class discussions, and such). Thus, the schedule below should be thought of as tentative, subject to many many changes throughout the semester. Make sure you visit this page regularly in order to keep track of the reading and homework assignments. Below, in the right column, I list your assigned reading for the week, then supplementary material, then any homework, review sessions, exams, and the like.

 

Week 1 (8.20-8.24)

Course Introduction, Basic Concepts

Validity and Soundness (1.1); Forms and Validity (1.2); Counterexamples and Invalidity (1.3)
HW for Wednesday (pp. 11-13: true/false 1-10; Validity practice 6-15)
HW for Friday (p. 33 Part D, 11-15)

Week 2 (8.27-8.31)

Basic Concepts, Identifying Arguments

Strength and Cogency (1.4); Arguments and nonarguments (2.1) 
HW for Friday (p. 57 Part A (Matching, all); pp. 58-59 Part C (2, 3, 5, 6, 8); p. 68 Part A (2, 3, 5, 6, 8); p. 70 Part B (2 -- give both a valid deductive argument for 2 and a strong inductive argument)

Week 3 (9.5-9.7)

Identifying Arguments, Logic and Language

Well-crafted arguments (2.2); Argument diagrams (2.3)
HW due for 9.5 (Ex 2.2 -- For Parts A, B, and C, do first five unstarred problems)
HW due Friday 9.7 (Ex 2.2 -- Part B (9, 11, 12); Part C (9, 11, 12, 14, 15); Part D (2, 3, 5, 6, 8)

Week 4 (9.10-9.14)

Logic and Language, Informal Fallacies

Logic, Meaning, and Emotive Force (3.1); Definitions (3.2); Using Definitions to Evaluate Arguments (3.3); Fallacies of Irrelevance (4.1)
HW for Monday (ex 2.3 Part A (starting with 5 do all unstarred problems)
Week 5 (9.17-9.21)

Informal Fallacies

Fallacies involving Ambiguity (4.2); Fallacies involving Unwarranted Assumptions (4.3)
HW TBA, Exam 1 on Friday 9.21
Week 6 (9.24-9.28)

TBA

READINGS
HW TBA
Week 7 (10.1-10.5)

TBA

READINGS
HW TBA
Week 8 (10.10 & 10.12)

TBA

READINGS

HW TBA
Week 9 (10.15-10.19)

TBA

READINGS
HW TBA
Week 10 (10.22-10.26)

TBA

READINGS
HW TBA
Week 11 (10.29-11.2)

TBA

READINGS
HW TBA
Week 12 (11.5-11.9)

TBA

TBA
HW TBA, Exam 2 on Friday 11.9
Week 13 (11.12-11.16)

TBA

TBA
HW TBA
Week 14 (11.19)

TBA

TBA
HW TBA
Week 15 (11.26-11.30)

TBA

TBA
HW TBA
Week 16 (12.3-12.7)

TBA

TBA
HW TBA

Week 17 (12.10)

TBA

TBA
HW TBA

Final Exam (Dec 12, Wednesday 1-3pm)

FINALS WEEK

Final exam