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) |
Week 2 (8.27-8.31)Basic Concepts, Identifying Arguments |
Strength and Cogency (1.4); Arguments and nonarguments (2.1) |
Week 3 (9.5-9.7)Identifying Arguments, Logic and Language |
Well-crafted arguments (2.2); Argument diagrams (2.3) |
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) |
Week 5 (9.17-9.21) Informal Fallacies |
Fallacies involving Ambiguity (4.2); Fallacies involving Unwarranted Assumptions (4.3) |
Week 6 (9.24-9.28) TBA |
READINGS |
Week 7 (10.1-10.5)TBA |
READINGS |
Week 8 (10.10 & 10.12) TBA |
READINGS |
Week 9 (10.15-10.19) TBA |
READINGS |
Week 10 (10.22-10.26) TBA |
READINGS |
Week 11 (10.29-11.2) TBA |
READINGS |
Week 12 (11.5-11.9)TBA |
TBA |
Week 13 (11.12-11.16) TBA |
TBA |
Week 14 (11.19) TBA |
TBA |
Week 15 (11.26-11.30) TBA |
TBA |
Week 16 (12.3-12.7)TBA |
TBA |
Week 17 (12.10)TBA |
TBA |
Final Exam (Dec 12, Wednesday 1-3pm)FINALS WEEK |
Final exam |