Students will be expected to do significant reading in preparation for class and actively participate in class discussions. Testing will include papers and exams. It stresses the development of critical tools for the analysis and evaluation of arguments. Practical applications will make up a large part of the course work. The student will be introduced to the basic features of symbolic logic and to some aspects of informal logic.
Attention is given to the practical importance of improving one's reasoning abilities.
We will master several techniques for determining the validity of arguments-including truth tables, natural deduction, syllogistic and Venn diagrams. These techniques will enable us to examine arguments in ordinary language with a better eye for the detection of weaknesses. Frequent short quizzes and a comprehensive final examination. This class is designed to enable the student to systematically develop and refine techniques for effectively recognizing, analyzing and evaluating arguments in ordinary language. Requirements include homework, essay analysis, exams.