CRITICAL THINKING 1101-04/05
Summer 2008
SYLLABUS SUPPLEMENT[1]
See general syllabus at
http://a-s.clayton.edu/humanities/resources/crit1101.html
Individuals with disabilities who need to request accommodations should contact the Disability Services Coordinator, Student Center 255, 678-466-5445, disabilityservices@mail.clayton.edu
Each CSU student is required to have ready access throughout the semester to a notebook computer that meets faculty-approved hardware and software requirements for the student's academic program. Students will sign a statement attesting to such access. For further information on CSU's Official Notebook Computer Policy, please go to http://itpchoice.clayton.edu/policy.htm
Student notebook computers will not be used in the classroom in this course. Computers will be required to access course materials and to communicate with your instructor. Course Policies:
General Policy
Students must abide by policies in the Clayton State University Student Handbook, and the Basic Undergraduate Student Responsibilities.University Attendance Policy
Students are expected to attend and participate in every class meeting. Instructors establish specific policies relating to absences in their courses and communicate these policies to the students through the course syllabi. Individual instructors, based upon the nature of the course, determine what effect excused and unexcused absences have in determining grades and upon students’ ability to remain enrolled in their courses. The university reserves the right to determine that excessive absences, whether justified or not, are sufficient cause for institutional withdrawals or failing grades.
Attendance is expected for all class periods. Attendance is required for quiz and examination periods. Any absence must be accompanied by a written excuse from a doctor or other competent authority.
Academic Dishonesty
Any type of activity that is considered dishonest by reasonable standards may constitute academic misconduct. The most common forms of academic misconduct are cheating and plagiarism. All instances of academic dishonesty will result in a grade of zero for the work involved. All instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Office of Student Life/Judicial Affairs. Judicial procedures are described at http://adminservices.clayton.edu/judicial
Disruptive Behavior
Behavior which disrupts the teaching–learning process during class activities will not be tolerated. While a variety of behaviors can be disruptive in a classroom setting, more serious examples include belligerent, abusive, profane, and/or threatening behavior. A student who fails to respond to reasonable faculty direction regarding classroom behavior and/or behavior while participating in classroom activities may be dismissed from class. A student who is dismissed is entitled to due process and will be afforded such rights as soon as possible following dismissal. If found in violation, a student may be administratively withdrawn and may receive a grade of WF.
A more detailed description of examples of disruptive behavior and appeal procedures is provided at:http://a-s.clayton.edu/DisruptiveClassroomBehavior.htm
Please refer to the following for important information about the Regent’s Tests:
http://ctl.clayton.edu/Testing%20Center/Assmt_misc/Regents.htm
Term: Summer 08
TR 10.30-12.50; 1:30-3.50
Room: A&S G-227
CRN 53148 and 53149
NOTE: Last Day to withdraw without academic accountability is June 28th.
Instructor: Dr. Todd Janke
Office: A&S-105-D
Phone: 678.466.4718
Email: toddjanke@clayton.edu
webpage: http://www.a-s.clayton.edu/tjanke
CLASS LISTSERV:(This is where you submit your homework assignments on Sunday nights).
Crit1101-04summer08@lists.clayton.edu (10.30-12.50)
Crit1101-05summer08@lists.clayton.edu (1.30-3.50)
Textbook: A Concise Introduction to Logic, 10th ed., by Patrick Hurley. A Logic Resource CD is packaged with the text. While the CD is primarily for use outside the classroom, it is EXTREMELY likely that your level of success in much of the course will be proportional to your use of the CD.
Summary of Course Requirements:
20% each for 2 Semester Exams 6/12 and 7/8
25% Final Exam 7/24
25% Homework Assignments Journal
10% Pop Quizzes
The mid-term grade in this course which will be issued on June 27th, reflects approximately 30% of the entire course grade. Based on this grade, students may choose to withdraw from the course and receive a grade of "W." Students pursuing this option must fill out an official withdrawal form, available in the Office of the Registrar, by mid-term, which occurs on June 27th. The last day to withdraw without academic accountability is June 27th.
Class Participation: Regular attendance and active, informed, prepared participation are expected. Being prepared includes bringing a hard copy of your completed homework assignments to the relevant class meeting, and being prepared in the even of a pop quiz. Attendance and participation are also influential in decisions about final grades in borderline situations.
The Homework Assignments component involves (1) the submission of homework assignments to the class Listserv, as specified in the syllabus, and (2) additional substantive contributions to the Listserv, made at your own initiative, aimed at improving your own and your fellow students’ understanding of the material. Also, at each class meeting I will assign exercises from the book to be completed for the next class meeting. These will not be collected, but will be an integral part of each class meeting: you will be called on to demonstrate that you have worked the exercises.
All Homework Assignments listed below as H2, etc., must be submitted to the class Listserv by midnight Sunday for the following week excepting only the first week of class. Thus, for Week 2, H2 is due by midnight Sunday, June 1st, and so on. You must bring to the First Exam and Final Exams a hard-copy “journal” of your work in which you have pruned the non-substantive and organized your contributions to the class discussion list. Include a table of contents, a paragraph or two assessing your journal work, and a properly edited compilation of your primary (Homework) and secondary (Additional Contributions) submissions. Factors to consider in your self-assessment include: number and timeliness of submissions; completeness and thoroughness of work; substantive quality of submissions; and extent of additional substantive contributions. Score yourself on a ten- point scale, with ten being the highest. (Do not put the journal in a binder of any sort; just staple the pages together.)
SCHEDULE OF STUDY AND WORK
Read (and reread!) the chapter indicated and work (and rework!) the exercises until you are proficient with the concepts and their applications. Answers to “starred” exercises are recorded in the back of the book. Make maximal use of the course software, Learning Logic and Logic Coach; it provides a source of convenient and immediate feedback on your work. Learning Logic is interactive and Logic Coach contains exercises and answers from the textbook.
In submitting your homework assignments, identify the assignment, in the subject block of your email, as H2, H3, etc., together with your last name. For example, were I submitting the first assignment, I would type “H2 Janke” in the subject block. As stated above, the assignments are due by midnight Sunday for the following week; there will be no credit given for late submissions, barring extraordinary circumstances. Homework evaluation criteria include completeness, thoroughness, clarity of presentation and reasonable accuracy. Collectively, this work determines twenty-five percent (25%) of your course grade (First Exam Homework Journal = 10% and Final Exam Homework Journal = 15%). Since, in general, exam grades tend to be lower than homework grades, and since homework grades are almost completely within your control, it is clearly in your best interest to do your very best on the homework assignments.
Finally, at the end of each class session I will assign selected exercises from the textbook to be worked in conjunction with your study for the next class period. These exercises may be handwritten, but should be saved so that they may be turned in with your homework journal.
Note: There may be departures from this schedule and there may be periodic special assignments in addition to those detailed in the schedule. It is the student’s responsibility to stay apprised of any changes or additions
Tip: You may benefit from reading and working with the following:
FUNDAMENTALS OF ARGUMENT
http://a-s.clayton.edu/jackson/funarg.html and
DEDUCTIVE REASONING
http://a-s.clayton.edu/jackson/deduct.html
These items may be found on Dr. Jackson’s homepage http://a-s.clayton.edu/jackson/ The Fundamentals document is especially relevant to the topics addressed in chapter 1 and the Deduction document to topics in chapters 4 and 5. I recommend that you read them both through early on, to get a sense for what is there, and return to them as you will.
READING SCHEDULE
Additional homework assignments will be given in class for each section
Week 1
•Chapter One: Basic Concepts 1.1 and 1.2
Week 2
•Chapter One: Basic concepts 1.3-1.5
H2: Open Argument Paper (OAP): Watch an episode of Law and Order (the original one, there are plenty of re-runs on TNT), or find an article from the newspaper, and clean up, reformulate, and clearly state AN ARGUMENT that is put forth in the episode or in the paper. Send your cleaned-up, restated version of the argument to the class list-serv. (SEE: “Constructing Your Own Argument” in the Fundamentals of Argument document listed above). For Law and Order, the arguments are usually best illustrated in the court-room portion of the program. In the newspaper, arguments are usually best illustrated on the OP/ED pages.
• Chapter Two: Language: Meaning and Definition 2.1 and 2.2
Week 3
•Chapter Two: Language: Meaning and Definition 2.3 and 2.4
H3: Evaluative Argument Paper (EAP): Evaluate one or more of your fellow students’ H1 or H2 submissions, following the Argument Evaluation guidelines in the Fundamentals of Argument document listed above. Identify precisely the conclusion and premise claims of the argument, and then evaluate both using the terminology and concepts we’ve learned so far: Ask yourself ‘Is the argument sound/strong, are the premises true/reliable/justified?’.
•1st exam 6/12
Week 4
H4: OAP
•Chapter 4: Categorical Propositions 4.1-4.4
•Chapter Four: Categorical Propositions 4.4 and 4.6
Week 5
H5: EAP
•Chapter Five: Categorical Syllogisms 5.1-5.2
•Chapter Five: Categorical Syllogisms 5.3 and 5.5
Week 6
H6: OAP
•Review of Four and Five
Week 7
H7: EAP
•2nd Exam 7/8
•Chapter 9
Week 8
H8: OAP
•Chapter 3
Week 9
•Chapter 3
Review and Final Exam 7/24
