Phil 110-Section 11: Critical Thinking & Composition
Spring Semester 2015
Schedule Number: 31319
INSTRUCTOR and CLASS INFORMATION
Instructor: H. Reyes
Email: hreyes@mail.sdsu.edu
Office Hours Location: AL 427
Office Hours: MWF 11-11:50am; F 10-12:00n; and by appointment
Class Location: PSFA 300
Class Meeting Times: MWF 1:00-1:50 pm
COURSE OVERVIEW
Course Catalog Description
Phil 110: Critical Thinking and Composition is an introduction to critical thinking and writing
with emphasis on: evaluation and development of correct reasoning and effective style and
organization in argumentative writing; correct deductive and inductive reasoning; fallacies;
critical appraisal of evidence; construction of rebuttal and counter-arguments
Course Objectives
Since this course is aimed at helping students to develop two areas of competence (critical
thinking and composition), the following essential capacities are to be addressed:
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Students must come to understand how arguments [whether in the specific works of
various philosophers, journal articles, or newspaper/magazine articles] are constructed
and evaluated (SD General Catalog).
Students must become familiar with the various ways scholars whether [philosophers,
thinkers, or authors] theorize; and be able to apply different theoretical models [or
frameworks] to real-world conditions (SD General Catalog).
Students must recognize the value of engaging diverse and opposing principles,
perspectives, and people to achieve political, intellectual, artistic, and social ends (SD
General Catalog).
As students become familiar with various concepts involved in critical thinking, they
must able to apply [the said concepts] to multiple phenomena and [be able to] identify
the relevance of such concepts across traditional boundaries (SD General Catalog).
To further enhance the critical thinking skills of the students, they must understand the
general function of writing, speaking and thinking within the context of the university
at large rather than within specific disciplines (SD General Catalog).
LEARNING OUTCOMES: At the end of the semester, students will able
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To recognize the logical structure of statements and arguments [i.e., construct, analyze
and communicate arguments] SD General Catalog).
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To differentiate between valid and invalid deductive arguments; sound and unsound
deductive arguments; and craft well-reasoned arguments for specific audience (SD
General Catalog).
To understand and apply criteria for distinguishing strong inductive argument from
weak inductive argument; cogent from uncogent inductive argument
To recognize common logical and rhetorical fallacies when they occur, and avoid them
in the construction of arguments
To construct arguments in which principles of sound reasoning are properly applied
To read and analyze a variety of texts commonly encountered in academic setting (SD
General Catalog, 2010).
To assess the relative strength of arguments and supporting evidence (SD General
Catalog) as contained in the various assigned readings
To write papers about these readings that not only evaluate arguments and fallacies but
also show college level writing skills
GENERAL EDUCATION (GE) OUTCOMES
Philosophy 110 is a General Education course aimed at “providing the breadth of knowledge
necessary for meaningful work, life-long learning, socially responsible citizenship, and
intellectual development. Among the “seven essential capacities” emphasized by San Diego
State’s General Education program, Philosophy 110 develops in students the ability to
1. Construct, analyze, and communicate arguments;
2. Apply theoretical models to the real world;
3. Contextualize phenomena;
4. Negotiate differences;
5. Integrate global and local perspectives;
6. Illustrate relevance of concepts across boundaries;
7. Evaluate consequences of actions.
SPECIFIC GE LEARNING GOALS
Philosophy 110 fulfills the goals for GE Courses in the Humanities and Fine Arts. Students
will acquire “capacities for reflection, critique, communication, [and] cultural understanding.”
Goal 1: Analyze written, visual, or performed texts in the humanities and fine arts with
sensitivity to their diverse cultural contexts and historical moments.
Goal 2: Develops a familiarity with various aesthetic and other value systems and the ways they
are communicated across time and cultures.
Goal 3: Argue from multiple perspectives about issues in the humanities that have personal and
global relevance.
Goal 4: Demonstrate the ability to approach complex problems and ask complex questions
drawing upon knowledge of the humanities.
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COURSE MATERIALS
REQUIRED TEXT: A Workbook for Arguments (2011) by David Morrow & Anthony
Weston, published by Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. with ISBN: 9781603845496
COURSE STRUCTURE and CONDUCT
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE:
Use of laptop/tablet in class is ALLOWED ONLY for the purpose of accessing the
electronic version of the text and for note taking. Students will lose this privilege if they use
their laptop/tablet for other than those specified activities.
Students should also refrain from any activity/behavior that may be disturbing to other
students who are making the effort to be attentive. Let us show RESPECT FOR EACH
OTHER by coming to class on time, not sleeping during class, not letting our cell phone to
ring as class is going on, and by being actively engaged in whatever is going on in class.
Finally, the classroom is not the proper place for sleeping.
COURSE ASSESSMENT AND GRADING
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. ATTENDANCE - Attend each class on time. Unnecessary absences and tardiness have
drastic negative effect in your understanding of the materials covered in class and in your
performance in the exams. Participate actively in class activity. To be able to do the
class activity, you will need your textbook, so bring it to class every class meeting.
2. QUIZZES – These are scheduled exams based on each chapter completed in the course.
These exams are application exams (i.e., these are intended to show your ability to apply
the key concepts and principles discussed in that particular chapter).
3. COMPLETION OF ALL EXERCISES – These exercises are to be done each week,
and are identified in the course outline section of this syllabus.
4. 2 PAPERS - Since this course fulfills a general writing requirement, students will be
required to write 2 papers based on a critical reading and analysis of 2 assigned
philosophical texts. In general the paper will be assessed for the quality of writing (i.e.,
style, clarity, grammar, spelling, organization and strength of argumentation); however, a
more specific guideline for each of these papers will be provided in the form of handouts.
5. FINAL EXAM – The final exam is a writing exit essay exam that will be the same for all
students of Phil 110. This exit essay exam is determined by the philosophy department to
assess the level of competence in writing and critical thinking of the students of Phil 110.
GRADING POLICY: Your final grade will be based on the following distribution of points:
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50% - Average grade of ALL QUIZZES
15% - Completion of all exercises assigned in the course of the semester
25% - Average grade of the 2 PAPERS
10% - Final Exit Exam
100 – Final Grade
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Letter grade will be determined based on the following scale:
96-100 ---------- A
76-79 ---------- C+
90-95 ------------ A-
73-75 ---------- C
86-89 ------------ B+ 70-72 ---------- C83-85 ------------ B
66-69 ---------- D+
80-82 ------------ B-
60-65 ---------- D
NOTE: Anything below 60% is an “F”
STUDENT DISABILITY SERVICES & RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES
Student Disability Services:
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it
is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any
delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as
soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that accommodations
based upon disability cannot be provided until you have presented your instructor with an
accommodation letter from Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
The CSU Office of the Chancellor defines a learning disability as “... a generic term that refers to
the heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and
use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning or mathematical abilities. These disorders
occur in persons of average to very superior intelligence and are presumed to be due to central
nervous system dysfunction. Even though a learning disability may exist concomitantly with
other handicapping conditions (e.g., sensory impairments) or environmental influences (e.g.,
cultural/language difficulties), it is not the direct result of these conditions or influences.” If you
think something might prevent you from doing well in this course, you should discuss this with
me so that proper arrangements may be made to accommodate your needs.
Religious Observances:
By the end of the first week of classes, students should notify the instructor of planned absences
for religious observances. They must inform faculty members within the first week in order to
be excused from scheduled tasks on scheduled days.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
The University adheres to a strict policy regarding cheating and plagiarism. These activities will
not be tolerated in this class. Become familiar with the policy
(http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/conduct1.html). Any cheating or plagiarism will result in failing this
class and a disciplinary review by Student Affairs.
Examples of Plagiarism include but are not limited to:
 Using sources verbatim or paraphrasing without giving proper attribution (this can
include phrases, sentences, paragraphs and/or pages of work)
 Copying and pasting work from an online or offline source directly and calling it your
own
 Using information you find from an online or offline source without giving the author
credit
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Replacing words or phrases from another source and inserting your own words or phrases
Submitting a piece of work you did for one class to another class
If you have questions on what is plagiarism, please consult the policy
(http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/conduct1.html) and this helpful guide from the Library:(
http://infodome.sdsu.edu/infolit/exploratorium/Standard_5/plagiarism.pdf)
COURSE OUTLINE/SCHEDULE
NOTE #1: Numerals following the week’s topic refer to the page numbers in the Morrow &
Weston text book. Students are expected to read those pages by the 1st day of classes for
that week (except for the 1st day of class).
NOTE#2: I will identify which actual numbers in the exercise that you will be submitting
for each week
Week 1: 01/21/15 (W); 01/23/15 (F):
- Syllabus; introduction (pp. xvii-xx); chapter 1 – Short Arguments [Rules 1-2] (pp. 316)
- Exercises 1.1and 1.2 due Friday of this week
Week 2: 01/26/15 (M); 01/28/15 (W); 01/30/15
- Chapter 1- Short Arguments [Rules 3- 6] (pp. 16-37)
- Exercises 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7 due Friday of this week
Week #3: 02/02/15 (M); 02/04/15 (W); 02/06/15 (F)
- QUIZ #1 (Chapter 1) – Monday, 02/02/15
- Discussion of the reading for Paper #1
Week #4: 02/09/15 (M); 02/11/15; 02/13/15 (F)
- Chapter 2 – Generalizations [Rules 7-9] (pp. 38-53)
- Exercises 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 due Friday of this week
- PAPER #1 DUE – Friday, 02/13/15 – Hard copy to be submitted in class
Week #5: 02/16/15 (M); 02/18/15 (W); 02/20/15 F)
- Chapter 2 – Generalizations [Rules 10 – 11] (pp. 54- 71)
- Exercises 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6 due Friday of this week
- QUIZ #2 (Chapter 2): Friday, 02/20/15
Week #6: 02/23/15 (M); 02/25/15 (W); 02/27/15:
- Chapter 3 – Arguments by Analogy [Rule 12] (pp. 72- 86)
- Exercises 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4 due Friday of this week
Week #7: 03/02/15 (M); 03/04/15 (W); 03/06/15 (F):
- Chapter 4 – Cite Sources [Rules 13, 14, 15, 16, 17] (pp. 87-105)
- Exercises 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 due Friday of this week
- QUIZ #3 (Chapter 3-4): Friday, 03/16/15
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Week #8: 03/09/15 (M); 03/11/15 (W); 03/13/15 (F)
- Chapter 5 – Argument about causes [Rules 18, 19, 20, 21] (pp. 106-115)
- Exercises 5.1, 5.3 and 5.4 due Friday of this week
Week #9: 03/16/15 (M); 03/18/15 (W); 03/20/15 (F):
- Discussion of the reading for Paper #2
Week #10: 03/23/2015 (M); 03/25/2015 (W); 03/27/15 (F)
- Chapter 6 – Deductive Arguments [Rules 22, 23, 24, 25, 26] (pp. 124 – 128)
- Exercises 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3 due Friday of this week
- Paper #2 DUE: Friday, 03/27/15 – Hard copy to be submitted in class
SPRING RECESS -03/30/2015 (M) – 04/03/2015 (F) – NO CLASS
Week #11: 04/06/15 (M); 04/08/15 (W); 04/10/15 (F)
- Chapter 6 – Deductive Arguments [Rules 27 and 28] (pp. 141- 155)
- Exercises 6.4 and 6.5 due Friday of this week
- QUIZ #4 (Chapter 6): Friday, 04/10/15
Week #12: 04/13/15 (M); 04/15/15 (W); 04/17/15 (F)
- Chapter 7 – Extended Arguments [Rules 29, 30, 3132 and 33 ] (pp. 156 – 177)
- Exercises 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7. 5, 7.6, 77, 7.8 and 7.9 due Friday of this week
Week # 13: 04/20/15 (M); 04/22/15 (W); 04/24/15 (F)
- Chapter 8 – Argumentative Essays [Rules 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 and 39] ( pp. 182 – 203)
- Exercises 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 due Friday of his week
- QUIZ #5 (Chapters 7- 8): Friday, 04/24/15
Week #14: 04/27/15 (M); 04/29/15; 05/01/15 (F)
- Appendix I – Some Common Fallacies (pp. 222- 249)
- Exercises 10.1, 10.3, 10.5 due Friday of this week
Week #15: 05/04/15 (M); 05/06/ 15 (W)
- Prepare for the final exit exam
FINAL EXAM DAY: Friday, 05/08/2015 – 1:00-3:00 pm
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