Defining Our Terms

1. Tool: Here's one Urban Dictionary definition of "tool," the one I had in mind when referring to Dane Cook:

someone who tries too hard. a poser. one of those chic's who holds the sign saying "Carson Daly is Hot." the asstard who goes to a rock show because they heard one of the songs on the radio or mtv. or someone who insists on wearing velour sweat suits. Avril Lavigne.

To find out more, I suggest watching Tool Academy to see our heroes in action:

2. Fugly: uh, rather ugly. Moe Szyslak has been called a few variations of this term.

3. Emo Kid: "Emo" has a ton of meanings. The wikipedia article on "emo" has a nice history of the term.

4. Lame: South Park usually nails this term.

5. Carson Daly: This is especially for Steve, who kept asking for pictures of everyone's favorite TRL host.
Did I forget any terms? Let me know!

Yes, We Have Class

Camden County College is opening late today, Wednesday, January 28th, because of the snow. All morning classes are cancelled, and the college is opening at noon. Unfortunately, that means our class is NOT cancelled today.

Sorry!

Email Subscriptions

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. I used a blog for this course last semester, and it 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://ccclogic09.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.

Course Details

Logic & Reasoning
Camden County College, Blackwood Campus
Philosophy 121, Section 02
Spring 2009
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://ccclogic09.blogspot.com

Required Text
Logic and Contemporary Rhetoric, 10th edition (Howard Kahane & Nancy Cavender)

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 psychological impediments that can throw us off. These are the ways most people naturally are led to reason incorrectly.

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.

Grades
90-100% = A
80-89% = B
70-79% = C
60-69% = D
below 60% = F

Midterm: 15%
Final: 25%
Quizzes (2): 7.5% each (15% total)
Oral Report: 15%
Short Paper: 5%
Group Projects (3): 3% each (9% total)
Other Homework (3): 4% each (12% total)
Attendance/Participation: 4%

Exams: The midterm tests everything covered during the first half of the course, and will last the full period (50 minutes). The final exam is cumulative: it tests everything covered throughout the whole course. The final will last 50 minutes and will be held during finals week.

Quizzes: Quizzes aren’t cumulative. Quiz #1 tests everything covered during the first 4 weeks of class, and quiz #2 tests everything covered after exam #1 (weeks 7 through 9). Quizzes will last 20 to 25 minutes, and be held at the beginning of class on the scheduled day.

Oral Report: 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.

Short Paper: There will be a short papers (250-500 words each) on understanding and evaluating an argument.

In-Class Group Projects: In addition to the group project 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. Each one is due at the beginning of class the day they are due.

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: There will be some optional extra credit assigned throughout the semester.

Classroom Policies
Academic Integrity: Cheating and plagiarism (using someone else’s words or ideas 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.

Excused Absenses: Make-up exams, quizzes, in-class projects, and oral reports 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 or test.

Important Dates
January 20th: Last day to drop a course & receive a 100% refund.
February 3rd: Last day to drop a course & receive a 50% refund.
February 10th: Last day to sign up to audit a course.
April 23rd: Last day to withdrawal from Fall Classes.

Course Schedule

January 21—23
Wednesday: Introduction to class (no reading)
Friday: Logic Intro (no reading)

January 26—30
Monday: Understanding Arguments (1.1-1.6) (group work)
Wednesday: Evaluating Arguments (2.1-2.2)
Friday: Arguments: Deductive (2.3) (group work)

February 2—6
Monday: Evaluating Deductive Args (no reading)
Wednesday: Fancier Args & Statements (2.4.-2.5)
Friday: Arguments: Inductive (2.6-2.8); Homework #1 due

February 9—13
Monday: Arguments: Abductive (no reading) (group work)
Wednesday: Fallacies (3.1-3.2)
Friday: Fallacies (3.3); Quiz #1 (and group work)

February 16—20
Monday: Fallacies (3.4-3.6)
Wednesday: Fallacies (finish chapter 3); Group Project #1 (in class)
Friday: Fallacies (4.1-4.3)

February 23—27
Monday: Fallacies (4.4; 4.6)
Wednesday: Fallacies (4.7) (group work)
Friday: Fallacies (finish chapter 4)

March 2—6
Monday: Fallacies (5.1-5.3); Homework #2 due
Wednesday: Fallacies (5.4-5.7)
Friday: Fallacies (5.7-5.9) (group work)

March 9—13
Monday: Fallacies (finish chapter 5); Group Project #2 (in class)
Wednesday: Review for Midterm (no reading); Paper #1 due
Friday: MIDTERM

March 16—20
SPRING BREAK! (no class) (woo?)


March 23—27
Monday: Psychological Impediments (6.1-6.3)
Wednesday: Psychological Impediments (6.4-6.6)
Friday: Psychological Impediments (6.6-6.9)

March 30—April 3
Monday: Psychological Impediments (group work)
Wednesday: Cognitive Biases (handout)
Friday: Cognitive Biases (handout); Group Project #3 (in class)

April 6—10
Monday: Intellectual Honesty (3.3, 3.7, 4.5)
Wednesday: Intellectual Honesty: Charity (handout)
Friday: Intellectual Honesty: Ignorance (group work)

April 13—17
Monday: Intro to Writing Essays (9.1-9.2); Quiz #2
Wednesday: Writing Essays (9.3-9.4)
Friday: Writing Essays (finish chapter 9); Homework #3 due

April 20—24
Monday: Evaluating the Source: Ads (10.1-10.3)
Wednesday: Ads (10.4-10.5)
Friday: Evaluating the Source: News (11.1-11.4)

April 27—May 1
Monday: News (11.5-11.8)
Wednesday: Reliability of Experts (handout)
Friday: Prepare for group presentations (no reading) (group work)

May 4—8
Monday: group presentations (no reading)
Wednesday: group presentations (no reading)
Friday: group presentations (no reading)

May 11—13
Monday: review for Final Exam (no reading)
Wednesday: FINAL EXAM (12:00--12:50)