Monday, January 25, 2010

Howard Sure Is a Duck

Put this on your to-do list: watch the movie about an alien duck who saves the world.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Email Subscription

So why does this course have a blog? Well, why is anything anything?

A blog (short for “web log”) is a website that works like a journal – users write posts that are sorted by date based on when they were written. You can find important course information (like assignments, due dates, reading schedules, etc.) on the blog. I’ll also be updating the blog throughout the semester, posting interesting items related to the stuff we’re currently discussing in class. You don't have to visit the blog if you don't want to. It's just a helpful resource. I've used a blog for this course a lot, and it's seemed helpful. Hopefully it can benefit our course, too.

Since I’ll be updating the blog a lot throughout the semester, you should check it frequently. There are, however, some convenient ways to do this without simply going to the blog each day. The best way to do this is by getting an email subscription, so any new blog post I write automatically gets emailed to you. (You can also subscribe to the rss feed, if you know what that means.) To get an email subscription:

1. Go to http://ccclogic2010.blogspot.com.

2. At the main page, enter your email address at the top of the right column (under “EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION: Enter your Email”) and click the "Subscribe me!" button.

3. This will take you to a new page. Follow the directions under #2, where it says “To help stop spam, please type the text here that you see in the image below. Visually impaired or blind users should contact support by email.” Once you type the text, click the "Subscribe me!" button again.

4. You'll then get an email regarding the blog subscription. (Check your spam folder if you haven’t received an email after a day.) You have to confirm your registration. Do so by clicking on the "Click here to activate your account" link in the email you receive.

5. This will bring you to a page that says "Your subscription is confirmed!" Now you're subscribed.

If you are unsure whether you've subscribed, ask me (609-980-8367; slandis@camdencc.edu). I can check who's subscribed and who hasn't.

Laptop Kitty

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Course Details

Logic & Reasoning
Camden County College, Blackwood Campus
Philosophy 121, Section 02
Spring 2010
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
Noon – 12:50 p.m. in Madison Hall, Room 311

Instructor: Sean Landis
Email: slandis@camdencc.edu
Phone: 609-980-8367
Course Website: http://ccclogic2010.blogspot.com

Required Text
THiNK: Critical Thinking and Logic Skills for Everyday Life, by Judith Boss

About the Course
We are presented with arguments for all sorts of conclusions all the time, on topics as serious as abortion or the death penalty and as trivial as who the Phillies best player is or whether Letterman is funnier than Leno. How can we tell good arguments from bad ones?

This course focuses on understanding and evaluating arguments. We’ll first learn how to identify the components and structures of arguments. We’ll then learn how to pick apart the bad reasoning found in some arguments by going over logical fallacies, which are the different ways an argument can go wrong. We’ll also discuss the limitations of our own reasoning abilities and the natural biases that throw us off.

Armed with these evaluative tools, we’ll then explore our arguments for what we believe, and revise or strengthen them based on proper reasoning. The course’s main goal is to develop a respect for arguments and reasoning as an important, if not the most important, tool toward figuring out the truth and gaining a deep understanding of complex issues.

Straw Person is Less Sexist

Grades
900-1000 points = A
800-899 points = B
700-799 points = C
600-699 points = D
below 600 points = F.

Midterm 150 points
Final 250 points
Quizzes (2) 75 points each
Group Presentation 150 points
Group Projects (3) 30 points each
Other Homework (3) 40 points each
Short Paper 50 points
Attendance/Participation 40 points

Exams: The midterm tests everything covered during the first half of the course, and will last the full period (50 minutes) on the scheduled day. The final exam is cumulative—that is, it tests everything covered throughout the whole course. The final will also last 50 minutes, and be held on the last day of class.

Quizzes: Unlike the exams, quizzes will not be cumulative. Quiz #1 will test you on everything covered during the first 4 weeks of class, and quiz #2 will test you on everything we cover after the midterm. Quizzes will last 20 to 25 minutes, and be held at the beginning of the period on the scheduled day.

Short Paper: There will be a short paper (300-600 words) on understanding and evaluating an argument from a newspaper or magazine article.

Group Presentation: This will be a group project presented in front of the class at the end of the semester. Each group of 3-5 students will research a topic and present a 10- to 15-minute oral presentation on it to the rest of the class.

In-Class Group Projects: In addition to the group presentation and a lot of informal group work, there are three in-class group projects due at various times throughout the semester.

Other Homework: There will be three total homework assignments.

Attendance/Participation: Most of this will be based on your attendance. If you’re there every class, you’ll get full credit for your attendance grade. In addition, informal group work can impact your grade.

Extra Credit: I like giving extra credit! I’ll be giving some official extra credit assignments throughout the semester. I’ll also be offering some extra credit points more informally during class time. Remind me about this if I slack off on dishing out extra credit points.

Classroom Policies
Academic Integrity: Cheating and plagiarism (using someone else’s words or ideas in a paper or assignment without giving credit to the source) will not be tolerated in the class. Students found guilty of either will definitely fail the exam or assignment—and possibly the entire class. FYI: I’m pretty good at catching plagiarists. I recommend not trying it!

Excused Absenses: Make-up exams, quizzes, in-class projects, and presentations will only be rescheduled for any excused absences. Excused absences include religious observance, official college business, and illness or injury – with a doctor’s note. An unexcused absence on the day of any assignment or test will result in a zero on that assignment.

Ask Me About My Bunny

Disability Accommodations: If you have special requirements let me know as soon as possible so we can make all necessary arrangements.

Important Dates
January 19th: Last day to drop & receive a 100% refund.
February 2nd: Last day to drop & receive a 50% refund.
February 9th: Last day to sign up to audit a course.
April 27th: Last day to withdraw from Fall Classes.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Course Schedule

*This schedule is tentative and will probably change a lot*

January 20—22
Wednesday: Introduction to class | (no assignment)
Friday: Critical Thinking Intro | read pages 166-176

January 25—29
Monday: Understanding Arguments | read pages 177-182
Wednesday: Understanding Args wrap-up | informal group work
Friday: Evaluating Arguments | read pages 184-187

February 5—9
Monday Evaluating Arguments wrap-up | informal group work
Wednesday Constructing Your Own Arguments | read pages 188-194
Friday Deductive Args: Valid & Sound | read pages 238-247; Homework #1 due

February 8—12
Monday: Deductive Args: Evaluating Validity | read pages 249-261
Wednesday: Inductive Arguments | read pages 202-214
Friday: QUIZ #1; Inductive Args wrap-up | read pages 216-219; Quiz #1

February 15—19
Monday: Inductive Args: Analogies & Causal | read pages 221-229
Wednesday: Evaluating Inductive Arguments | Group Project #1 (in class)
Friday: Scientific Reasoning (Abductive Args) | read pages 371-387

February 22—26
Monday: Scientific Arguments: Evaluation | read pages 387-399
Wednesday: Scientific Reasoning wrap-up | informal group work
Friday: Fallacies: Equivocation & Amphiboly | read pages 133-137; Homework #2 due

March 1—5
Monday: Fallacies: Accent & Division | read pages 137-138; Group Presentation #1
Wednesday: Fallacies: Ad Hominem & Force | read pages 139-141; Group Presentation #2
Friday: Fallacies: Pity & Popular Appeal | read pages 142-144; Group Presentation #3

March 8—12
Monday: Fallacies: Ignorance & Hasty | read pages 144-147; Group Presentation #4
Wednesday: Review for Midterm Exam | (no assignment)
Friday: MIDTERM

March 15—19 SPRING BREAK! (no class) (woo?)
carpe diem, lazy bones

March 22—26
Monday: Fallacies: Straw Man & Red Herring | read pages 147-150; Group Presentation #5
Wednesday: Fallacies: Question Beg & Loaded | read pages 151-153; Group Presentation #6
Friday: Fallacies: Authority & Dilemma | read pages 153-156; Group Presentation #7

March 29—April 2
Monday: Fallacies: Slippery & Naturalistic | read pages 156-161; Group Presentation #8
Wednesday: Cognitive Biases: Our Mental Limits | read pages 97-107
Friday: Cognitive Biases: Perceptual Errors | (no assignment)

April 5—9
Monday: Cognitive Biases: Statistical Reasoning | read pages 109-119
Wednesday: Cognitive Biases: I’M-SPECIAL-ism | (no assignment)
Friday: Cognitive Biases Social Biases | read pgs. 120-125; Group Project #2 (in class)

April 12—16
Monday: QUIZ #2; Cognitive Bias wrap-up | Quiz #2
Wednesday: Intellectual Honesty intro | read pages 1-12
Friday: Intellectual Honesty: Charity | read pages 13-20

April 19—23
Monday: Intellectual Honesty: Ignorance | read pages 20-29
Wednesday: Intellectual Honesty wrap-up | informal group work
Friday: PAPER due; Advertising | read pages 311-321; Paper due

April 26—30
Monday: Marketing & Advertising: Evaluation | read pages 321-333
Wednesday: Marketing & Advertising wrap-up | Group Project #3 (in class)
Friday: Mass Media: News | read pages 342-350

May 3—7
Monday: Mass Media: Science & Internet | read pages 351-358; Homework #3 due
Wednesday: Mass Media: Critical Consumers | read pages 359-362
Friday: Mass Media wrap-up | informal group work

May 10—12
Monday: review for Final Exam | (no reading)
Wednesday: FINAL EXAM: noon—12:50 Friday, May 12th, 2010

nuttin, supchoo?