Instructor: Dan Mittag
Office: Golisano 492
Voicemail: 389-2967 (to leave a
message)
Office Phone: 389-2987 (During office hours only. I won’t be there at other times.)
Email: dlmt@mail.rochester.edu
(This is the best way to reach me.)
Course Webpage: http://mail.rochester.edu/~dlmt/courses/101_spring2006.html
Meeting Place and Time: Golisano
433 ; Tuesdays 6:00 – 8:40 p.m.
Office Hours: 4-5:00 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays
| Course Description | Texts | Policies
| Resources | Requirements | Schedule |
This course is an introduction to logic and its place in
inquiry. We will begin by looking
at some examples of the use of logic and definition in one of Plato's
dialogues—the Euthyphro. Then we will go on to explore logic as both an art and a
science. We will examine the
theory of definition, aspects of the theory of the proposition, the
Aristotelian theory of the syllogism, and the concepts of validity and
soundness. We also will gain
experience with the role of logic in philosophical inquiry as we explore
Plato’s Apology and Crito. The
ultimate goal will be to better understand logic in a way that also helps us to
understand and appreciate the philosophical method illustrated in Plato’s early
dialogues. In short, you will be
introduced to both the science and the art of logic in the context of
philosophical inquiry.
Classes will include lectures, discussions and exercises. You will be expected to actively participate in class, and a prerequisite for doing this well is, of course, to come to class with all assignments and homework completed. Class sessions will proceed with the assumption that you have done so. Note that absence from a previous class is not an adequate excuse for the failure to complete homework assignments.
Attendance: It
is imperative that you come to class regularly and that you come to class
prepared. This is the only way to be
actively engaged with the material.
As a result, I do require that you come to class, and I will be keeping
track of who is missing each day.
Missed classes will be detrimental to your performance in this
class. First, missed quizzes
cannot be made up. (See details
below.) In addition, if you miss
four class sessions, your final grade will be lowered by one full letter
grade.
Skipping out on the second half of class will count towards this. Put simply, it is in your interest not to
miss class. The only exceptions to
this policy are for official Nazareth College excused absences. These require appropriate
documentation, and it is your responsibility to make sure I receive that
documentation in a timely manner.
Quiz Policy: Starting 01/31, when you come to
class assume that you will either be taking an exam, taking a quiz, or turning
in homework. There will be a total
of nine quizzes and at least two homework assignments. Your three lowest grades on these will
be dropped and will not count towards your final grade. Your remaining quiz and homework grades
will count towards 25% of your final grade.
There will be no make-up quizzes offered. If you miss a quiz or homework assignment, it will simply be
one of the three grades dropped from the quiz total. There will be absolutely no exceptions.
Participation:
Participation is encouraged and expected.
Good participation involves much more than just saying something in
class. It involves giving reasoned
answers to questions, raising thoughtful (and relevant) issues, asking
questions about things you don’t understand, explaining difficult points,
arguments, or theories, and exploring the issues of the class in more depth
than a superficial reading of the material will allow. (Remember: this class is to
be active!) In order to do all of this, you must have read the assigned
material and spent some time sorting through and trying to better understand it
before coming to class. The
reading is difficult, and many times you will need to read the material more
than once in order to understand it adequately.
Academic Honesty:
Though I should not have to say it, no form of academic dishonesty will be
tolerated in this class. If you
are seen cheating on an assignment in this class you automatically will fail that
assignment. Repeated instances, or
excessive forms, of cheating will result in automatic failure of the course and
official, university disciplinary action.
I should emphasize that
additional help is available by talking to me. Feel free to send me an email or call with questions or
concerns.
Suggestions for
Reading Philosophy: As
mentioned above, much of the reading for this class is very difficult. Your comprehension of it will be
increased by, e.g., highlighting definitions provided in the text, looking up
definitions of other words you don’t understand, underlining those parts of the
text you take to be most important, re-reading these parts after you have
finished the chapter, noting questions you have in the margins, and generally
reading carefully and critically.
(We will talk more about this.)
The link provided recommends one general method for reading philosophy. You will likely find it helpful. Once you have read it, answer the
following question: “So, how do you read a philosophy paper?” [Suggestion: ask similar
questions of yourself when you are reading the material for this course.]
How to Read Philosophy: Yes, I have provided two links on this
topic. This is that
important. I do recommend that you
read both of them.
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Quizzes & Homework
(lowest three grades will be dropped) |
25% |
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Midterm Exam (Feb. 28th) |
35% |
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Final Exam
(TBA) |
40% |
Please note: Readings listed on the syllabus are to be read
for that day's class session.
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This
schedule is tentative and subject to change, as the course progresses. |
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01-17-06 |
Introduction
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01-24-06 |
Logic in Inquiry:
Plato’s Euthyphro Reading: Logic & Inquiry, Chapters 1 - 3; |
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01-31-06 |
Plato’s Euthyphro (cont.) Reading: Review chapter 3 and the first half of Euthyphro; |
Quiz #1 |
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02-07-06 |
Working Towards a Theory
of Definition: Reading: Logic
& Inquiry, Chapters 5 – 6 |
Quiz #2 |
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02-14-06 |
Reading: Logic & Inquiry, Chapters 7 - 9 |
Quiz #3 |
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02-21-06 |
Kinds of Definitions Reading: Logic
& Inquiry, Chapter 10 |
Quiz #4 |
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02-28-06 |
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03-07-06 |
Class Discussion on
Plato’s Apology Reading: Apology, all |
Quiz #5 |
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03-14-06 |
SPRING BREAK
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03-21-06 |
PropositionsReading: Logic & Inquiry, Chapters 11 - 13 |
Quiz #6 |
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03-28-06 |
Distribution and the
Square of Opposition Reading: Logic
& Inquiry, Chapters 14 - 16 |
Quiz #7 |
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04-03-06 |
Deductive and Inductive
Arguments; Reading: Logic
& Inquiry, Chapters
17 - 18
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Quiz #8 |
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04-10-06 |
Validity;
Counterexamples; and the
Principles and Rules of the Categorical Syllogism Reading: Logic & Inquiry, Chapters 19
& 21 |
Quiz #9 |
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04-17-06 |
Arguments by Analogy;
Compound Syllogisms Reading: Review Chapter
21 (esp. section iv) |
HW #1 |
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04-24-06 |
Plato’s Crito; Catch-up Reading: Crito, all |
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TBA |
Final Exam |
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