PHIL& 115 - Critical
Thinking
Bellevue College - Bellevue,
Washington
Fall 2012; Item #1919;
Section A; 5 credits
Mon-Fri 8:30a-9:20a,
Room R204
Instructor: Mark
Storey
(425) 564-2118, B200-C, mark.storey@bellevuecollege.edu
Office Hours: Mon-Fri
9:30a-10:15a
Course
Description:
In
this course you will be responsible for learning (1) the nature and structure
of arguments, (2) how to distinguish deductive from inductive arguments, and
(3) how to assess deductive and inductive arguments. More specifically,
successful students will learn how to understand, use, and assess the following
types of communication and reasoning:
immediate inferences and categorical
syllogisms
squares of opposition
Venn diagrams
arguments from analogy
causal arguments
hypothetical/scientific reasoning
informal fallacies
classical Indian logic
definitions
enumerative induction
Reasons
to Take This Course:
*
It provides the skills needed to analyze the strength of arguments, and is thus
vital to any work in philosophy and other academic fields.
*
It fulfills a Quantitative or Symbolic Reasoning course requirement at BC.
Course
Text:
*
Paul Herrick, Introduction to Logic (Oxford
University Press, 2013)
*
Any additional materials will be posted at MyBCC.net
(aka MyBC)
Course
Requirements:
*
4 in-class tests: 1/6 of course grade each
*
2 2-3-page take-home essays: 1/6 of course grade each
*
Appropriate behavior in class (e.g., no walking out early, no cell phones, no disruptive
chatting, no cheating during tests)
*
Read www.bellevuecollege.edu/ArtsHum/policy.html
Grading
Policy:
Late
tests and essays will be penalized as follows. Tests taken late or essays
handed in late, but on the day they are given/due, will have their grades
reduced by 0.2 GPA points. Tests taken one day late or essays turned in one day
late will be penalized 0.5 GPA points. Tests taken or essays turned in more
than one day late will be penalized an additional 0.3 GPA points for each
additional day late—weekends and holidays included. (For example, if a test is
taken two days late, it will be penalized 0.8 GPA points.) No late tests will
be given after graded tests are returned to the class, which is often in two to
three days. The last test may not be taken late. Do not expect that your excuse
will enable you to avoid this policy. If you are sick, come to class anyway and
take the test; if your car breaks down, take a taxi to school. There is no
extra credit, so take the tests seriously.
The
instructor does not give “Incompletes” or “Hardship Withdrawals” unless clear
documentation of serious concerns (as determined by the instructor) can be
provided at the time of the serious concerns (i.e., not weeks afterwards) and
the student is at the time of the request passing the course with a C- or
better; nor does he give Is or HWs merely to salvage students’ GPAs or to help
them fraudulently maintain financial aid.
Again,
DO NOT EXPECT A HARDSHIP WITHDRAWL SIMPLY TO MAINTAIN YOUR GPA OR FINANCIAL AID
STATUS. Philosophy 115 is designed so that all students may do well, but if for
some reason (and there are many good reasons in our busy lives) you stop coming
to class, then you should quickly go to the Registration Office and officially
withdraw from the class before BC’s deadline, otherwise you will receive a
course grade based on the course work you did and did not complete. This often
results in a failing grade (i.e., an F). It is your responsibility to find out
the last day in which you may initiate a withdrawal from the class. All that
said, the vast majority of the students who take this course, attend class
regularly, take good lecture notes, and study daily end up doing fine. It’s
really not a killer course, and nearly every philosophy instructor believes
strongly that it’s the most valuable class any Philosophy Department can offer.
Students with
disabilities
who have accommodation needs are required to meet with the Director of the
Disability Resource Center (room B132-G; 425-564-2498 or TTY 425-564-4110) to
establish their eligibility for accommodation. The DRC office will provide each
eligible student with an accommodation letter. Students who require
accommodation in class should review the DRC accommodation letter with the
instructor.
Student conduct: Cheating, stealing,
and plagiarizing (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without
crediting the source) and inappropriate/disruptive classroom behavior are
violations of the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue College. Examples of
unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to: talking out of turn,
arriving late or leaving early without a valid reason, allowing cell
phones/pagers to ring, and inappropriate behavior toward the instructor or
classmates. The instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of
Conduct to the Dean of Student Services for possible probation or suspension
from Bellevue College. Specific student rights, responsibilities, and appeal
procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct, available in the office
of the Dean of Student Services.
For information on other
Philosophy courses, visit the
Philosophy Department’s website at www.bellevuecollege.edu/philosophy.
PHIL&
115A
Course
Schedule
Fall
2012
This
is a tentative course schedule. It is not necessary to read the material before
coming to class; it may be best to hear the instructor’s presentation first,
and then go home and read the material and do the associated practice problems as
part of your regular study routine. If there are any changes to the schedule,
you will be told about them in class. You are responsible for being in class on
time to hear of any changes. Numbers below refer to chapters in Herrick’s Introduction to Logic.
Date |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Sep 17-21 |
|
Intro |
1-2 |
|
3 |
Sep 24-28 |
|
4 |
|
5 |
|
Oct 1-5 |
6 |
|
|
|
TEST |
Oct 8-12 |
7 |
No class |
|
|
|
Oct 15-19 |
8 |
|
|
|
|
Oct 22-26 |
9 |
|
|
|
No class |
Oct 29 – Nov 2 |
TEST |
31 |
|
|
32 |
Nov 5-9 |
|
|
33 |
|
|
Nov 12-16 |
Holiday |
|
|
|
|
Nov 19-23 |
|
|
TEST |
Holiday |
Holiday |
Nov 26-30 |
Appendix A |
|
|
|
|
Dec 3-7 |
|
TEST |
Test returned 8:30a |
x |
x |
Test
dates: October 5, October 29, November 21, and December 4
You
may—if you wish—pick up your last test (taken December 4) in our classroom at p:30
a.m. on Wednesday, December 5, or you may leave the instructor a SASE to have
your test mailed to you, or you may pick your test up at his office (B200-C)
the following quarter. There is no PHIL& 115 instruction or test on
December 5-7.