We are often confronted by others who tell us what we ought to think or do. Advertisements tell us that we ought to drink Budweiser or drive a Chevy. Editorials in the newspaper tell us that we ought to believe that abortion is murder or that apartheid is morally indefensible. Fortunately, those who would have us accept certain views about the world or do certain things often offer us arguments in support of their position. That is where logic comes in, for logic is the study of arguments.
Good arguments have a special property called validity.
Students learn several ways of testing arguments for validity. This course also examines the applicability of symbolic logic to legal reasoning. There will be three in-class examinations, routine homework assignments, and a cumulative final examination. However, completion of each of the assignments is a necessary condition for receiving a passing grade. D 59 and below F Policies Attendance Regular attendance and class participation are expected.