Orange Coast College
Social & Behavioral Sciences
Philosophy 150
Fall 2017
Section 21905
2nd8 week course: 10/23/17 – 12/16/17
T/Th: 2:20pm-5:40pm
Room Social Science 107
Course Syllabus
Instructor David KelseyEmail:
Course description:
An introduction to the critical analysis and rational evaluation of argument and other forms of expression. Covers the uses of language, distinctions between deductive and inductive reasoning, and practice in detecting formal and informal fallacies. Develop tools for distinguishing between and evaluating beliefs, opinions, claims, explanations, and arguments. A strong emphasis is instruction in writing which models the critical thinking knowledge and skills examined in the course.
In this class we will learn how to write, read and think critically. We will examine the structures and techniques of good and bad reasoning and the role of rhetoric and logic in argument. We will also learn how to read and write Papers using various standards that guide good reasoning. This will enable the student to better evaluate her own reasoning and thought processes, which will give her the practical tools to effectively reason through the everyday problems and dilemmas she encounters.
May be taken for grades or on a pass-no pass basis.
Transfer Credit: CSU; UC.
This course has the following prerequisites:
OCC English proficiency 90 or OCC Undergraduate level English A100 minimum grade of C
or CCC English proficiency 50 or Coastline undergraduate level English C100 minimum grade of C
or GWC English proficiency 90 or GWC undergraduate level English G100 minimum grade of C.
Student Learning Outcomes
1. Critically evaluate, assess and present types and properties of arguments and use logical techniques to determine and justify their structural features and claims.
2. Write an argumentative paper with good formatting, persuasive reasoning, good logic and argumentation and a sensitivity to objections to their arguments.
Reading:
Brooke Noel Moore and Richard Parker, Critical Thinking (11th ed. 2013, ISBN: 9780078119149)
Anthony Weston, A Rulebook for Arguments (4th edition, 2009, ISBN: 9780872209541)
Selected articles and other materials to be determined
Class website:
You can find course materials on the course website. Here is the url:
Requirements:
Two 3-4 page papers (25%)
A mid-term examination (20%)
A Non-Comprehensive Final examination (25%)
Two Homework assignments (10%)
Attendance (10%)
Class participation (10%)
Oral Presentation (up to 4% extra credit)
Note:
If you fail to take the mid-term or the final, you will receive zero (0) points for that exam, whereas if you take but fail the exam, you will receive at least some points. Please keep that in mind if you are considering not fulfilling any of the course requirements.
Grading:
The midterm and the final:
The details of the mid-term and final examination have yet to be decided, but these will most likely consist of a variety of multiple choice, fill in the blank, short answer and essay questions.
Papers:
The papers must be typed on a Microsoft word document. The font should be size 12 and either Garamond or Times New Roman. The paper must be between 3 and 4 pages long. Note that you should not turn in more than 4 pages as I will stop reading at the end of the 4th page.
The details of the paper topics have yet to be decided. Paper topics will be handed out no later than 2 weeks before the paper due date.
Homework:
Your homework will come from the exercises in the back of the Moore and Parker book.
Each homework assignment will be worth 5% of your final grade in the class.
Class Attendance:
Class attendance will count for 10% of your grade in the class. This is to ensure that you show up. Class attendance will be taken 5-10 minutes after the start time for the course.
Your class attendance grade will be calculated as follows:
Miss 0-1 classes: 10/10
Miss 2 classes: 9/10
Miss 3 classes: 7/10
Miss 4 classes: 4/10
Miss 5 classes: 0/10
(Note that if you miss 5 classes in the course before the drop deadline you will be dropped from the course!!! The drop deadline for the course is: 11/30/2017)
Tardy Policy:
I will take roll at 5-10 minutes after class is set to begin.
If you arrive after this time I will mark you late.
If you leave at any time before I dismiss class for the day, I will mark you as leaving early.
3 marks for arriving late or leaving early counts as an absence.
Class Participation:
Class Participation will count for 10% of your grade in the class. I will grade you according to your overall contribution to class discussion. Just paying attention and not disturbing the class will help you as will any helpful comments you make. If you do anything to disturb class during lecture this will hurt your participation grade.
Extra Credit:
You can do an oral presentation for up to 4 points of extra credit. The details of the presentation have yet to be determined. Some of the things I have in mind though include:
The topic of the presentation will most likely be fallacies and rhetoric
The presentation will be a short one: probably no more than 5 minutes
Late Work:
Late work will be assigned the following late penalty.
Up to 2 days late: 10% late penalty (i.e. if an assignment is due Wednesday and it is turned in on Friday, the assignment will receive a 10% late penalty.)
3 or more days late: 25% late penalty
Absence/Drop Policy
Students are responsible for dropping any classes they will not be attending. It is the student’s responsibility to drop classes by State mandated deadlines including the refund deadlines to cancel fees, avoid W’s or grades. Students MUST print a Student Class Program/Web Schedule Bill (available via MyOcc) to veryify all withdrawals. Students are responsible for any fees incurred and grades received in classes that they are enrolled in pas the State Mandated Deadlines.
Dates to remember:
Last day to add the class: October 30, 2017
Last day to drop the class with a refund: October 26, 2017
Last day to drop the class without a ‘W’: October 30, 2017
Last day to drop the class with a ‘W’: November 30, 2017
Confidentiality:
Your work and performance is considered to be confidential. For this reason the instructor will not discuss your grade and/or standing in the course with anyone but the student. Information will not be made available to any outside members including: parents, friends, relatives, etc. If you are under 18 years of age and this issue poses a problem, then please do not take this course.
Accommodations for Disabilities:
If you have a disability and would like to request an academic accommodation please see the Disabled Students’ Center (DSC). The Disabled Students’ Center (DSC) provides support services to students with disabilities in an effort to ensure equal opportunity and participation at the college.
To receive services from the DSC, each student is responsible for the following:
• Verification of Disability: Submit verification of disability by a physician or other qualified professional.
• Personal Care: Each student is responsible for taking care of personal bodily needs, such as feeding and restroom care and, if necessary, providing a personal attendant while on campus, including the classroom.
The Disabled Students’ Center is located in the Special Services Building. Check the OCC website for hours of operation. Phone (714) 432-5807 or email us at .
Student Conduct
Students enrolled at Orange Coast College assume an obligation to conduct themselves in accordance with the laws of the State of California, the California Education Code, and the policies and procedures of the Coast Community College District. The Student Code of Conduct has been established by the Coast Community College District Board of Trustees to provide notice to students of the type of conduct that is expected of each student. Being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol or the existence of other mental impairment does not diminish or excuse a violation of the Code of Conduct.
- Academic misconduct, Alcohol, Assault/battery, Bias, Continued misconduct or repeat violation, Dating violence, Destruction of property, Discrimination, Dishonesty, Disorderly or lewd conduct, Disruption of educational process, Disruptive behavior, Disturbing the peace, Drugs, Endangering welfare of others, Failure to appear, Failure to comply or identify, Failure to obtain permits, Failure to repay debts or return district property, False report of emergency, Fighting, Forgery, Fraud, Gambling, Harassment/bullying, Hateful behavior, Hazing, Infliction of mental harm, Library materials (defacing, theft, etc.), Misrepresentation, Misuse of identification, Physical abuse, Possession of stolen property, Possession of weapons, Public intoxication, Serious injury or death, Sexual harassment, Sexual misconduct, Smoking, Stalking, Theft or abuse of district’s computers or electronic resources, Theft or conversion of property, Threat of sexual assault or sexual assault, Trespass and unauthorized possession, Unauthorized tape recording, Unauthorized use of course or copyrightedmaterials, Unauthorized use of district keys, Unauthorized use of electronic devices, Unauthorized use of property or services, Unreasonable demands, Violation of computer usage policy, Violation of driving regulations, Violation of health and safety regulations, Violation of law, Violation of posted district rules
Copies of the Coast Community College District Student Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures which includes complete definitions of the above violations are available in the Office of the Dean of Student Services and on the Coast Community College District website (under BP5500 & Administrative Procedures 5500).
Class Rules of Conduct:
Please observe the following rules when attending class:
- Arrive on time and leave after class is dismissed (Please notify the instructor if you must arrive late or leave early.)
- No eating in class. Drinking water or coffee during class is ok, but please clean up after yourself!
- Turn off all cell phones (no calls or text messages during class Please!)
- Avoid side conversations and in general any disruptive behavior. Continued rudeness or disruptiveness may result in being ejected from the class and, eventually, being dropped from the course.
Academic Honesty:
Orange Coast College has the responsibility to ensure that grades assigned are indicative of the knowledge and skill level of each student. Acts of academic dishonesty make it impossible to fulfill this responsibility. Faculty have a responsibility to ensure that academic honesty is maintained in their classroom. Students share that responsibility and are expected to refrain from all acts of academic dishonesty. Procedures for dealing with any violation of academic honesty will be followed. Additionally, the Student Code of Conduct and Board Policy Board Policy 5500 and Administrative Procedure 5500 shall be applied to incidents of academic dishonesty.
Disclaimer:
I reserve the right to make changes to this syllabus. Topics and assignments may be modified as the semester progresses to accommodate the needs of the class. The class will be informed of such changes if and when they occur.
Schedule of Lecture Topics, Readings and Assignments: The schedule set forth below is subject to adjustment—we may go faster or slower, in which case I may add another topic or drop one. I will announce any such adjustments as much in advance as is possible. Unless and until an adjustment is announced, however, you should assume we will cover the topics and readings indicated on the dates and in the order given below. You will get much more out of the lectures and the accompanying class discussion if you have done the assigned reading beforehand, so all reading assignments should be completed prior to the class for which they are assigned. I may spend more time on some aspects of the assigned reading than others (indeed I may touch on some parts of each assignment only briefly), but you should still read all of the material specified for each assignment. You will be expected to be familiar with all of the material assigned (even what we don’t specifically discuss) for the mid-term and the final exam.
October 24:
Course Introduction
October 26:
Lecture 1: Critical Thinking basics
Read chapter 1 of Moore and Parker
Lecture 2: The anatomy and Varieties of Arguments
Read Chapter 2 of M&P
In class exercises from M&P chapter 2.
October 31:
Lecture 3: Formalizing an argument
Read M&P pages 51-54 & Power point lecture 3
November 2:
Lecture 3a: Evaluating an argument
Read M&P pages 51-54 & Power point lecture 3
November 7:
In class Exercise: Evaluating an argument
Lecture 4: Rhetoric
Read chapter 5 of M&P
November 9:
Lecture 5: Fallacies
Read chapters 6 & 7 of M&P
In class exercises from M&P, chapters 5, 6 & 7
Lecture 6: Judging Credibility
Read Chapter 4 of M&P
November 14:
Pass out Paper Assignment #1
Discussion of Paper Assignment #1
Lecture 7: clear thinking, critical thinking and clear writing
Read M&P Chapter 3, pages 69-87 only
November 16:
***In class presentations***
Midterm exam review
***Homework #1 due***
November 21:[1]
Midterm exam
This exam will cover lectures 1-7 & chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7 of M&P.
Lecture 8: Introduction to Categorical Logic
Read pages 254-262 of M&P
November 28:
Lecture 9: Translating into standard form
Read pages 254-262 of M&P
Lecture 10: The Square of Opposition & 3 Categorical Operations
Read Pages 263-268 of M&P
3-4 page paper #1 peer review
November 30:
Lecture 11: The Categorical Syllogism
Read Pages 273-281 & 283-285 of M&P
Lecture 12: The Rules Method
Read Pages 273-281 & 283-285 of M&P
3-4 page paper #1 due
Pass out Paper Assignment #2
Discussion of Paper Assignment #2
December 5:
Lecture 13: Inductive arguments
Read Chapter 10 of M&P
Lecture 14: Causal Arguments
Read Chapter 11 of M&P
December 7:
Lecture 15: Moral arguments
Read pages 436-448 of M&P only.
3-4 Page Paper #2 Peer review
December 12:
Lecture 15 continued
Remaining class business
Final exam review
3-4 Page Paper #2 due
***Homework#2 due***
December 14:
Final exam
The final exam will cover lectures 9-13 & Chapters 9, 10, 11 & 12 of Moore & Parker
1
[1] Note that there is no class Thursday November 23 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.