Lesson schedule: Critical Thinking

Lesson Schedule: Critical Reasoning

Terms: Philosophy 2010 Spring

Course: Critical Reasoning

Time: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 11:00 - 11:50 a.m.

Instructor: Dr. Safro Kwame

Day	Date	Discussion Topic/Learning Opportunities
Wed	01.06.2010	Preface.
Fri	01.08.2010	Introduction.
Mon	01.11.2010	Read handout on Logic, Propositions and Arguments before this class.
Wed	01.13.2010	Read handout on Deductive and Inductive before this class.
Fri	01.15.2010	Read handout on Validity and Truth before this class.
Mon	01.18.2010	NO CLASS: MLK Day.
Wed	01.20.2010	Read handout on Recognizing Arguments before this class.
Fri	01.22.2010	Discussion
Mon	01.25.2010	Classwork 1: Quiz on Text and Classes.
Wed	01.27.2010	Read handout on Fallacies I: Relevance (#1-3) before this class.
Fri	01.29.2010	Read handout on Fallacies II: Relevance (#4-7) before this class.
Mon	02.01.2010	Read handout on Fallacies III: Relevance (#8-10) before this class.
Wed	02.03.2010	Discussion
Fri	02.05.2010	Classwork 2: Quiz on Text and Classes.
Mon	02.08.2010	Read handout on Fallacies IV: Ambiguity (#11-13 before this class.
Wed	02.10.2010	Discussion
Fri	02.12.2010	Read 44 Foul Ways to Win an Argument - Handout before this class.
Mon	02.15.2010	Discussion
Wed	02.17.2010	Read Whyte: The right to your opinion pp. 1-10 before this class.
Fri	02.19.2010	Discussion
Mon	02.22.2010	Classwork 3: Quiz on Text and Classes
Wed	02.24.2010	Discussion
Fri	02.26.2010	Discussion
Mon	03.01.2010	Comprehensive Midterm Exam for Midterm (not Final) Grade
Wed	03.03.2010	Read Whyte: Motives pp. 11-18 before this class.
Fri	03.05.2010	NO CLASS: Midterm Break.
Mon	03.08.2010	Read Whyte: Authority pp. 19-30 before this class.
Wed	03.10.2010	Read Whyte: Prejudice in fancy dress pp. 31-50 before this class.
Fri	03.12.2010	Classwork 4: Quiz on Text and Classes
Mon	03.15.2010	Read Whyte: Shut up! pp. 5 1-62 before this class.
Wed	03.17.2010	Read Whyte: Empty words pp. 63-82 before this class.
Fri	03.19.2010	Discussion
Mon	03.22.2010	Read Whyte: Inconsistency pp. 83-96 before this class.
Wed	03.24.2010	Read Whyte: Equivocation pp. 97-106 before this class.
Fri	03.26.2010	Read Whyte: Begging the question pp. 107-116 before this class.
Mon	03.29.2010	Classwork 5: Quiz on Text and Classes
Wed	03.31.2010	Discussion
Fri	04.02.2010	Easter -- NO CLASS.
Mon	04.05.2010	Read Whyte: Coincidence pp. 117-132 before this class.
Wed	04.07.2010	Read Whyte: Shocking statistics pp. 133-146 before this class.
Fri	04.09.2010	Read Whyte: Morality fever pp. 147-157 before this class.
Mon	04.12.2010	Discussion
Wed	04.14.2010	Review.
Fri	04.16.2010	Epilogue.
T-F	4/20-4/23/10	Final Exam may be on Friday 4/23/10 at 6 pm. See Registrar’s Exam Schedule. You cannot take it earlier than scheduled or with another class.

1. Name of the Department: Philosophy and Religion Department.

2. Course Number and Title: PHL-217.01 Critical Thinking/Reasoning. 3 Credits.

3. Semester: Spring 2010.

4. Name of the Professor: Dr. Safro Kwame.

5. Office Location/Room Number: Dickey Hall Room 217.

6. Conference Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 12 noon – 3 p.m.

7. Office Extension: 7569. Tel: (484) 365-7569 Fax: (484) 365-8098.

8. E-Mail Address: kwame@lincoln.edu or kwame@mailshack.com (E-mail messages must have Philosophy in the subject line and, unless requested in other formats, attachments must be in plain text and not Microsoft Word.)

9. Course Description: This course emphasizes the development of thinking skills, especially with regard to skills dealing with problems in everyday life. It includes meaning and definition, identification and reconstruction of arguments, evaluations of arguments, identification of fallacies, and writing argumentative papers. A course in identifying informal fallacies. Course Objective: ((a) To familiarize the student with techniques in identifying faulty reasoning and (b) To foster deep and critical thinking about everyday issues.

10. Course Pre-requisites: None.

11. Required Textbooks: Whyte, J. 2004. Crimes Against Logic, NY, McGraw-Hill (Required). Copi, I & Cohen, C. 2005. Introduction to Logic 12th ed., Upper Saddle River, NJ, Prentice Hall. (Supplement: Not Required).

12. Required Materials: Textbook, notebook, pencil and pen.

13. Student/Learner Outcomes (Learning Outcome - What student should be able to do at the end of course.): Define critical thinking. Define argument. Distinguish between premises and conclusion. Identify fallacies. Apply critical thinking techniques. Students should be able to: 1. Recognize the parts of an argument. 2. Distinguish real arguments from mere explanations. 3. Understand the difference between deductive and inductive arguments. 4. Examine the relations between true propositions and the validity of deductive arguments. 5. Diagram complex arguments. 6. Use a matrix to help solve complex logical problems. 7. Use retrograde reasoning to reason backward to an earlier situation. 8. Determine what is wrong with an argument. 8. Distinguish between different kinds of fallacies. 8. Detect fallacies in arguments.

14. Learning Opportunities (and Course Assignments): (See above for specific discussion topics and assignments.) Class presentation of readings; Class discussion of readings; Excerpts from classical texts; Identification of the arguments in the readings; Application of the readings.

15. Assessment Tools/Grading Standards: Examine examples and exercises, particularly involving material from contemporary sources. Identify arguments in newspapers and other media. Evaluate arguments in newspapers and other media. Identify fallacies in public speeches and writings. Take a comprehensive final examination.

Course Evaluation: Mid-term grade will be determined by a mid-term exam and semester grade determined by final examination (100%) minus absences or lack of attendance and/or poor participation -- unless stated otherwise on supplementary details. If you like the classworks and have no complaint against them, you may petition to substitute any 2 classworks for the mid-term exam and any 4 classworks for the final exam provided you attend classes until the end of the semester. Unless you officially withdraw or formally request an incomplete (in writing) and submit appropriate documentation before the end of the semester, you will receive a passing or failing grade based on performance and attendance.

Grading Scale: A=100-90, B=89-80, C=79-70, D=69-60, F=59-0 or for difficult exams A=100-80%, B=70-60%, C=50-40%, D=30-20%, F=10-0%. (+/- determined by curve.)

16. Attendance Policy (as printed in University Bulletin): Lincoln University uses the method of teaching, which assumes that each student has something to contribute and something to gain by attending class. It further assumes that there is much more instruction absorbed in the classroom than can be tested on examinations. Therefore, students are expected to attend all regularly scheduled class meetings and should exhibit good faith in this regard. For the control of absences, the faculty adopted the following regulations: 1. Four absences may result in an automatic failure in the course. 2. Three tardy arrivals may be counted as one absence. 3. Absences will be counted starting with whatever day is specified by the instructor but not later than the deadline for adding or dropping courses. 4. In case of illness, death in the family, or other extenuating circumstances, the student must present documented evidence of inability to attend classes to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. However, in such cases the student is responsible for all work missed during those absences. 5. Departments offering courses with less than full-course credit will develop and submit to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management a class attendance policy in keeping with the above. 6. Students representing the University in athletic events or other University sanctioned activities will be excused from class with the responsibility of making up all work and examinations. The Registrar will issue the excused format to the faculty member in charge of the off- or on-campus activity for delivery by the student(s) to their instructors.

17. University Approved Integrity Statement: Students are responsible for proper conduct and integrity in all of their scholastic work. They must follow a professor's instructions when completing tests, homework, and laboratory reports, and must ask for clarification if the instructions are not clear. In general, students should not give or receive aid when taking exams, or exceed the time limitations specified by the professor. In seeking the truth, in learning to think critically, and in preparing for a life of constructive service, honesty is imperative. Honesty in the classroom and in the preparation of papers is therefore expected of all students. Each student has the responsibility to submit work that is uniquely his or her own. All of this work must be done in accordance with established principles of academic integrity. 1. Acts of Academic Dishonesty (Cheating): Specific violations of this responsibility include, but are not limited to, the following: * Copying, offering and/or receiving unauthorized assistance or information in examinations, tests, quizzes; in the writing of reports, assigned papers, or special assignments, as in computer programming; and in the preparation of creative works (i.e. music, studio work, art). * The fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports. * The use of unauthorized materials and/or persons during testing. * The unauthorized possession of tests or examinations. * The physical theft, duplication, unauthorized distribution, use or sale of tests, examinations, papers, or computer programs. * Any action which destroys or alters the work of another student. * Tampering with grades, grade books or otherwise attempting to alter grades assigned by the instructor. * The multiple submission of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without the prior written permission of each instructor. 2. Plagiarism: If a student represents "another person's ideas or scholarship as his/her own," that student is committing an act of plagiarism. The most common form of plagiarism among college students is the unintentional use of others' published ideas in their own work, and representing these ideas as their own by neglecting to acknowledge the sources of such materials. Plagiarism includes downloads, copies and purchase of papers and essays from the internet. Students are expected to cite all sources used in the preparation of written work, including examinations. It is each student's responsibility to find out exactly what each of his/her professors expects in terms of acknowledging sources of information on papers, exams, and assignments. It is the responsibility of each faculty person to state clearly in the syllabus for the course all expectations pertaining to academic integrity and plagiarism. 3. Sanctions: A: Warning - A written notice that repetitions of misconduct will result in more severe disciplinary action. The warning becomes part of the student's file in the Office of the Registrar and, if there is no other example of misconduct, is removed at the time of graduation. B: Failure for project (exam, paper, experiment). C: Failure of course. For serious and repeat offenses, the University reserves the right to suspend or expel. Imposition of Sanctions: First Offense - A and/or B. Second and Subsequent offenses - B or C. Students failing a course because of an instance of academic dishonesty may not drop the course. The student may appeal a charge of academic dishonesty within ten days of receiving notice of same. The appeal will be heard by an Academic Hearing Board (AHB) consisting of the chairs of each division of study (or their designees). Files on violations of this academic integrity code will be kept in the Office of the Registrar.

18. Schedule of Weekly Assignments: See above or attachment.

19. Miscellaneous Expectations: (a) Classwork consists of in-class quizzes for which there is no make-up. If your name is not printed in capital letters throughout or your cell phone rings or is used in class, half-a-point (5%) or more will be taken off your final grade or score. When graded, papers or quizzes will be distributed at the end (not the beginning) of class. You are required to save all your quizzes and papers. If your attendance and participation are excellent, you may petition to use your classworks in place of your final exam. If you leave in the middle of a quiz or exam, for whatever reason, you will have to answer a different set of questions when you return. (b) Papers: All papers should explain the main question and evaluate the arguments on all sides and be submitted in both electronic and hard copies (i.e. printed on paper and also sent as e-mail). Papers should be typed and accompanied by an abstract (summary of main points, facts and arguments) and bibliography. Use "Save As" to save you paper as plain text and attach it to your e-mail with Philosophy in the subject line. E-mail attachments (in Microsoft Word or Works or WordPerfect or compressed or zipped) which are not in plain text (i.e. txt format) are unacceptable. Late extra-credit papers won't be accepted. Late required papers will be dropped by 1 letter grade. (c) Attendance: Signing the attendance sheet for someone else or missing a class, for whatever reason, may cost you up to 5% on your final grade for each occurrence. According to University regulations, 4 absences may result in a failure and 3 tardy arrivals or departures may count as an absence. (d) Extra-Credit: Extra-credit papers, if permitted, should be a powerpoint presentation (see website for details), due in class on the day of the last quiz, and count as one quiz. At best, 3 philosophy club meetings (you must participate and sign attendance) or a class-presentation (which is an oral critique of a reading/topic, not used for paper, with a written abstract), if permitted, will push 1 classwork up by 1 letter grade.

20. Class/Course Website: http://www.lincoln.edu/philosophy/kwame.html or http://philosophydepartment.tripod.com/ or http://www.kwame.50webs.com/ or http://kwame.atspace.com/ WebCT: http://webct41.lincoln.edu:8900 To check your grade on the computer or internet, go to any one of the websites listed above and follow the instructions there. Note that some of the websites may be down and not updated.

21. How to Check and Monitor Your Grade in Dr. Kwame’s Class

Your semester grade will be determined by the final examination minus absences or lack of attendance and/or poor participation. If a term paper is required for this course (check syllabus), your semester grade will be determined by the final exam (80%) and a typed paper as specified by your syllabus (20%), minus absences or lack of attendance and/or poor participation.

Note that students are expected to attend classes regularly and participate in class discussions. Hence, no special points are given for attendance or class participation. Points, however, are taken off for absences or lack of attendance and/or poor participation.

To estimate or monitor your overall or semester grade, do the following:

1. Start with an “A” grade and a score of 100%. Later on, when you have 4 or more quizzes or you take the final examination or the semester ends, replace your starting grade and score with either your final exam grade and score or the average of 4 quiz grades and scores (i.e. add the scores or percentages from any 4 quizzes and divide by 4 and, then, use any one of the grading scales you like from the syllabus to convert your average score into a grade). If a term paper is required for this course, add your grade and score for your term paper to either your score on the final examination or average score from 4 quizzes and divide by 5 and, then, use any one of the grading scales you like from the syllabus to convert the resulting score into a grade.

2. If you have missed 4 or more classes, for reasons other than representing the University in athletic events or other University sanctioned activities, deduct 100 points from your overall score or average as calculated above or, if you prefer, deduct 5 points for every absence (regardless of the reason for your absence); then, use any one of the grading scales you like from the syllabus to convert the resulting score into a grade. If you have missed 3 or fewer classes, skip this step: do not deduct any points.

Your final or semester grade is roughly whatever grade results from following steps 1 and 2 above. Grades are determined by performance and not just given. Extra-credits, if available for this particular class or course (check syllabus), are applied to your quiz grade or score i.e. added to your quiz grade or score and not your final examination grade or score.