REQUIRED TEXT: Seech, Zachary, Open Minds and Everyday Reasoning 2^nd Ed.
                                    Thomson/Wadsworth, 2005 ISBN 0-534-61348-9

RECOMMENDED TEXT: Satris, Stephen, Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Moral Issues, 10 ed., Dushkin/McGraw-Hill ISBN 0-07-312950

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Logic in Practice deals with how to understand and evaluate arguments and explanations by applying accepted standards of good reasoning. Students will learn techniques to recognize deductively valid arguments and avoid formal fallacies. They will also consider what is required for inductively strong arguments in order to avoid informal fallacies. There is particular emphasis on the appeals made in advertising and political rhetoric.

GRADING:   40% Quizzes:  Quizzes may or may not be announced. The lowest quiz

grade will be dropped. (Always bring a TCES 9783 to class for unannounced quizzes) NO MAKE UP QUIZZES!

One additional quiz will be given on the last day for students who may

want to replace one of their quiz grades.

                        30% Journal: See attached information about the journal

10% Class Homework Participation

                        20% Final: Everyone must take the cumulative final to pass.

                       Attached is the requirement for extra credit that may be earned by critically analyzing some of the arguments presented in the

Taking Sides book. There may also be some lectures that will be announced that you may attend and analyze then turn in for extra credit.

The maximum amount of extra credit is 25 points which can raise your grade 4%.

FINAL GRADES will be assigned

                                                90-100%         =A

                                                80-89%           =B

                                                70-79%           =C

                                                60-69%           =D

ATTENDANCE:

            “All students should be familiar with the Attendance Regulations printed in both the College Catalog and the Schedule of Classes.

                  Students are expected to be in class on time and to remain for the entire class period. Medical appointments, work, job interviews, childcare responsibilities, etc. should be arranged so as not to occur during class time. Please do not make requests for exceptions.

Any student who has unexcused absences equaling one week's worth of class time prior to census date(Feb.20^th) may be excluded. Students may drop the class in the Admissions and Records Office, on-line, or by phone on or before April 21st. Students should never rely on the instructor to exclude them. Do not call the college offices to report absences; you may call my office extension.

By the last day to add the class, February 16th, students are responsible to inform the instructor of any anticipated absences due to observance of major religious holidays so that alternative arrangements may be made. Failure to do so may result in an inability to make other arrangements or a lower grade.”

(Pierce College Policy)

COURSE STANDARDS:     It is the responsibility of each student to come to each class prepared. During this course students are expected to achieve certain specified objectives. All performance assessment depends upon the accomplishment of these outcomes. STUDENTS ARE GRADED ON ACHIEVEMENT, RATHER THAN EFFORT.

           It is expected that each student will maintain high standards of honesty, ethical behavior, and academic integrity. All assignments submitted in fulfillment of course requirements must be the student's own work. Any student who is found plagiarizing, cheating, or handing in other student's work will be failed.
            It is assumed that students will perform at college level when preparing for class. Any paper that is to be handed in shoul be typed and submitted on the due date. Late papers will be deducted 10% for every class date late, maximum penalty is 50%.

CELL PHONES AND PAGERS:   Out of considerations for others please turn your cell phone and pagers off. If there is a “life and death” situation that requires you to keep your phone on please let the professor know before class. They do distract the other students and the professor when they ring during class discussions or study group activities.

NO CELL PHONE OR OTHER ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT IS ALLOWED DURING QUIZZES AND EXAMS. IF THEY ARE VISIBLE YOU WILL RECEIVE A FAIL FOR THE TEST.

OBJECTIVES:

Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:

sum up the kep points in a piece of argumentation in order to show its basic structure.

3.

distinguish between necessary and sufficient conditions.

4.

use one or another technique (truth tables, Venn diagrams, etc.,) todecide when an argument is deductively valid

recognize the presence of either a formal or an informal fallacy in a pierce of argumentation

determine how one inductive argument may be said to be stronger or weaker than another because of the evidence presented.

7.

express a case for or against a given proposition using reliable evidence.

Philosophy 6: Logic in Practice, Extra Credit

To complete an extra credit assignment

1.           Chose a topic from the Taking Sides: Moral Issues book and answer the following questions on both articles.

2.           Evaluate which argument is stronger and why

3.         Staple all information together

Title and author of article: __________________________________________________

Briefly state the main ideas of this article:____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

List three important facts that the author uses to support the main idea: _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Show how this article supports its side of the issue: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Evaluate for cogency: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is a good counterargument to the thesis of this article?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What point could be added to its argument?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_

List any examples of propaganda, bias, fallacies, or faulty reasoning that you found in the article. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________