Critical Thinking—PHIL& 115

Bellevue College

(Formerly Bellevue Community College)

Bellevue, Washington

Winter 2014; Item #1920; Section A; 5 credits

Mon-Fri 8:30a-9:20a, Room R303

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

categorical argument patterns

propositional argument patterns

informal fallacies

arguments from analogy

causal arguments

hypothetical/scientific reasoning

definitions and analyses

basic probability calculations

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:

* Mark Storey, Critical Thinking; available on Canvas: see bellevuecollege.edu/canvas

Course Requirements:

* 4 in-class tests: 1/6 of course grade each

* Weekly 1-page take-home assignments: 1/3 of course grade total

* Appropriate behavior in class (e.g., no walking out early, no phone calls, no disruptive chatting, no cheating during tests)

* Read bellevuecollege.edu/ArtsHum/policy.html

Grading Policy:

Late tests and tale-home assignments will be penalized as follows. Tests taken late or take-home assignments 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 take-home assignments turned in one day late will be penalized 0.5 GPA points. Tests taken or take-home assignments 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. Assignments will be due the first class day of each week, and may not be turned in late after the last class day of that week. The lowest weekly take-home assignment grade will be “thrown out” in determining the overall average grade for those assignments.

This sounds—and is—rather harsh, but…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. 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 withdraw 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 (LMC room D126; 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 bellevuecollege.edu/philosophy.

PHIL& 115A

Course Schedule

Winter 2014

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 Storey’s online Critical Thinking.

Date	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Jan 6-10	Intro	1	2		3
Jan 13-17		4	5	6
Jan 20-24	Holiday		Student Questions	TEST	7
Jan 27-31					8
Feb 3-7				No Class	Student Questions
Feb 10-14	TEST	9
Feb 17-21	No Class				10
Feb 24-28				Student Questions	TEST
Mar 3-7	11	No Class			12
Mar 10-14			13
Mar 17-21	14			Student Questions	TEST
Mar 24-28	X	X	Test returned 8:30	---	---

Test dates: Jan 23, Feb 10, Feb 28, and Mar 21

You may—if you wish—pick up your last test (taken March 21) in our classroom at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 26, 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 after March 21.