Philosophy 101 Symbolic Logic CRN 51897 Spring 2021 2/1/21-5/29/21 Mesa Web/Mesa Remote Mon, Wed 11:10 am – 12:35 pm Instructor: Dr. Mary Gwin Office: SB 311J Office Phone: 619-388-2331 Email: mgwin@sdccd.edu Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 12:45 pm – 2:15 pm, Tuesday 2:15 pm – 3:15 pm, Thursday 10:00 am – 11:00 am, and by appointment. All office hours will be conducted via Zoom. This class is conducted online and via Zoom. All office hours and class meetings will be held via Zoom in my personal meeting room @ https://cccconfer.zoom.us/s/2965645861. Tentative Zoom meeting dates: 2/1, 2/8, 2/22, 3/1, 3/8, 3/15, 3/22, 4/5, 4/12, 4/19, 4/26, 5/3, 5/10, 5/17, 5/24. These are all Mondays from 11:10 am – 12:35 pm. (We can meet Wednesdays on request, but we are not scheduled to meet on Wednesdays.) Textbook: Hurley’s Concise Introduction to Logic, 13th ed. MindTap V2.0 Buy either: ISBN: 0357267176 (Access code card with paper copy of book) Or ISBN: 0357419391 (Access code card only) There will be supplementary readings posted to Canvas. Course Description: This course is a study of the elements of symbolic logic, sentential calculus and quantification theory. Topics include identity, definite descriptions, natural deduction and structure of language. This course is intended for philosophy majors and students pursuing studies in computer science. Advisories: ENGL 101 with a grade of "C" or better, or equivalent or Assessment Skill Level R6/W6 and MATH 096 with a grade of "C" or better, or equivalent or Assessment Skill Level M50 Course Learning Outcomes: Critical Thinking: Think critically in reading, writing, and/or speaking about the elements of symbolic logic, sequential calculus and quantification theory, thereby identifying problems, theses, arguments, evidence and conclusions. Communication: Write or speak about the elements of symbolic logic, sequential calculus and quantification theory, thereby addressing problems, formulating theses, making arguments, analyzing and weighing evidence, and deriving conclusions. Professional and Ethical Behavior: Demonstrate an ability to understand one's role in society, take responsibility for one's own actions, and make ethical decisions in complex situations. Student Learning Objectives: 1. Identify and describe the rules of inference. 2. Identify, describe and/or formulate the terminology commonly used to designate the symbolic formulation of inference and logically equivalent expressions. 3. Critically evaluate formal arguments. 4. Prove the validity and invalidity of deductive arguments in formal/symbolic notation. 1 Philosophy 101 Symbolic Logic CRN 51897 Spring 2021 2/1/21-5/29/21 Mesa Web/Mesa Remote Mon, Wed 11:10 am – 12:35 pm 5. Compare and contrast deductive techniques in predicate logic with formal proofs of modern symbolic and sentential logic. 6. Identify and/or describe the philosophical foundation presupposed in modern, symbolic logic. 7. Trace the implications of assumptions through the use of the techniques of symbolic logic. 8. Provide significant examples of issues drawn from everyday life which may require the use of techniques/methods studied in the course. Student Evaluations: Successful completion of this course requires regular and timely attendance, consistent completion of the reading effort and motivation to comprehend and the willingness to ask questions and consider new ideas and ways of thinking. Attendance will not be taken after the first two weeks, but exercise sets and exams are assigned regularly. While there is no direct penalty for missing class meetings, the more classes you miss, the more discussion you miss. Exercise Sets There are 40+ exercise sets in MindTap worth 10 pts. each. These are practice exercises and replace traditional in-class/homework assignments. You have unlimited attempts on each of these exercise sets. The lowest grade on 3 of your exercise sets will be dropped. Total for exercise sets in MindTap: 400 pts. Discussions There are 10 discussion forums in the course. These occur regularly, though not weekly. Check Canvas for due dates and prompts. Each forum is worth 10 points. Total for discussions: 100 pts. Students’ participation in discussion will be evaluated according to how well they address all aspects of each prompt, interact with their classmates, and address any questions or comments that I have on their posts. Students are expected to post to each discussion on three separate days of the week the discussion forum is posted and due. The cumulative word count for posts must total at least 200 words for each prompt. The word count requirement includes your responses to your classmates and your responses to me. Students are required to respond to any question that I have on their posts. Students are encouraged to respond earlier in the week, rather than later in order to get the discussion going, but are required to have their initial response in a new thread under the prompt completed by Wednesday at 11:59 pm of the week the discussion is posted. Students are required to respond to at least two of their classmates’ posts in a meaningful way. Let me give you some examples of how the requirements for discussions can be met. Example #1: Joe posts his initial response to the prompt in 100 words on Tuesday. Joe responds to a classmate on Friday with 50 words. Joe responds to another classmate on Sunday with 50 words. Example #2: Mary posts an initial response to the prompt in 500 words (wow!) on Wednesday. She responds to one of her classmates on Friday in 75 words. She responds to another classmate on Saturday in 25 words. Example #3: Madeline posts 75 words in response to one of her classmates’ initial posts on Tuesday. On Wednesday, she posts her initial response to the prompt in 20 words. On Thursday, Madeline posts 105 words in response to a second classmate’s post. 2 Philosophy 101 Symbolic Logic CRN 51897 Spring 2021 2/1/21-5/29/21 Mesa Web/Mesa Remote Mon, Wed 11:10 am – 12:35 pm These are just three examples, but there are many more ways to meet these requirements. Remember you must post a total of 200 words over the course of the week, post on at least three days of the week, and respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts during the learning week. You can, of course, post on more than three days and post more than 200 words. But, these are the minimum requirements for full credit. Also, while I do not grade discussions based on grammar, punctuation, etc., I expect to be able to understand what I’m reading, and I expect your classmates to be able to understand what you are posting, so try to write your responses as professionally as possible. Because regular attendance in the form of participation in discussions is mandatory, penalties will be assessed for a) not posting on the three days required for each discussion and b) not posting by the deadline. The following policies and penalties will apply. a) For each day that is missing on the three day requirement for discussion posts, a 10% penalty may apply per day for up to three days missing. This penalty will apply to the grade assessed for the quality of the discussion per the rubric provided. If the student does not post at all to a discussion, no credit will be received. If a student only responds to his classmates, but has no initial post, then there may be an additional 10% penalty for not having an initial post, assessed to the content of the responses. If a student only makes an initial post and adds to it over the week in order to meet the three day requirement (i.e. does not respond to any of his classmates’ posts or only responds to one classmate), there may be an additional 10% penalty. (The additional penalty is on top of any grade assessed per the rubric provided.) b) A 10% penalty per day for up to three days may be assessed to reflection papers submitted after their due date. No credit for a reflection paper will be given starting on the fourth day that the paper is late. c) A 10% penalty may apply if you do not respond to a question that I have about your response to the prompt. There may be exceptional times when some aspect of one of the course requirements cannot be met. In these cases, students must first notify me of their reason for not meeting the course requirement. Students must provide an excuse in writing from a legitimate source documenting the reason given for the missing work (e.g. doctor’s note). Accepting the reason for the missing requirement, the provided documentation, and allowance for makeup work or extra time is solely at my discretion. As a general rule, though, I am inflexible regarding discussion board requirements, so you should budget your time accordingly. Exams There are 4 exams located in Canvas, and each are weighted equally at 50 points. Since each exam is worth the same amount, each exam will be cumulative, but not comprehensive. The exams will consist of true/false, multiple choice, and short answer questions. You will have three attempts on the multiple choice/true false parts of the exam. The short answer portions will require you to upload written short answers in the form of proofs or truth trees. The last exam (truth trees) will be made up entirely of short answer questions. Total for exams: 200 pts. 3 Philosophy 101 Symbolic Logic CRN 51897 Spring 2021 2/1/21-5/29/21 Mesa Web/Mesa Remote Mon, Wed 11:10 am – 12:35 pm The total number of points possible for the course is 700, and grades will be assigned from the following scale: 700-630 A 629-560 B 559-490 C 489-420 D Below 420 F My grading policy is firm and grades are non-negotiable. Computer Requirements: Material in this class is designed to be compatible with any desktop or laptop computer equipped with a modern internet browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Safari will be sufficient to fulfill the requirements of the course. Some browsers work better on certain devices. We will be using Zoom for virtual office hours, so all class participants should be prepared to access Zoom if participants want to meet virtually. You will not need a Zoom account to access office hours because I will provide the link. Important Deadlines: These are available at https://studentweb.sdccd.edu/docs/spring_matrix.pdf Deadline to Receive, Process & Pay for Add Codes & to Drop Classes With No “W” Recorded is 2/16/21. Refund Deadline of Enrollment Fees &/or Non-Resident Tuition is 2/16/21 Withdrawal Deadline - No Drops Accepted After This Date is 4/16/21. Structure of the Course: Like a face to face version of this kind of course, this is a discussion driven course. Consequently, we will have our opportunity for discussions during our Zoom meetings. The dates for the Zoom meetings are listed at the beginning of this syllabus. Late and Make-up Work Policy: As a general rule, exams and exercise sets may not be made up, but in cases where there is a legitimate excuse provided for missing work an exception may be made. You must make arrangements with me. Accepting the reason for missing work is purely at my discretion, and I may require documentation for your absence. Student Responsibility to Drop/Withdraw: It is the student’s responsibility to officially add, drop, or withdraw from the course stated in the class schedule. If you fail to withdraw from the course, you may receive a failing grade. Before you withdraw, you should speak to me. I may be able to offer other possible options. Professionalism: I expect students to conduct themselves in a professional manner and to treat this course with as much seriousness as they would a job. Netiquette Guidelines: Respectful behavior is expected of you in our online learning environment. Please read the Netiquette Guidelines available at the following link: http://www.sdccdonline.net/students/resources/NetiquetteGuidelines.pdf 4 Philosophy 101 Symbolic Logic CRN 51897 Spring 2021 2/1/21-5/29/21 Mesa Web/Mesa Remote Mon, Wed 11:10 am – 12:35 pm Online Classroom Behavior and Academic Integrity: Students are expected to respect and obey standards of student conduct while in the online classroom. The student Code of Conduct, disciplinary procedure, and student due process (Policy 3100, 3100.1 and 3100.2) can be found in the current college catalog in the section Academic Information and Regulations pages 39-51, and at the office of the Dean of Student Affairs (I4-408). Charges of misconduct and disciplinary sanctions may be imposed upon students who violate these standards of conduct or provisions of college regulations. As your instructor, I have the following expectations or your behavior in this class: 1. Promote a courteous learning atmosphere by exhibiting mutual respect and consideration of the feelings, ideas, and contributions of others. 2. Demonstrate respect for your work, as well as the work of others, by recognizing and acknowledging strengths and improvements. 3. Recognize everyone's opportunity to contribute information in a relevant and meaningful manner by not monopolizing discussions, interrupting, interjecting irrelevant, illogical or inappropriate questions or comments. 4. This class will be conducted in accordance the college student code of conduct and basic standards of academic honesty. Cheating, plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty are not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Violations of academic integrity will result in no credit (e.g. 0 pts, “F”) for the assignment/activity. (See Policy 3100 for details.) As students in this course, you must adhere to the policies and procedures of the San Diego Community College District, as well as all Federal, State, and local laws. Students are subject to charges of misconduct concerning, but not limited to, the following acts as described in Policy 3100: The taking of and passing off as one’s own work or ideas of another; plagiarism and academic cheating. Please refer to Mesa’s student policies located at http://www.sdmesa.edu/student-services/student-affairs/policies.shtml Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities who need accommodations are strongly encouraged to notify me and DSPS during the first two weeks of class. DSPS can be found at http://www.sdmesa.edu/student-services/disabilityservices/Index.shtml. Their phone number 619-388-2780. Tentative Schedule Please see the Canvas calendar for your full schedule of due dates. Here is an abbreviated list of due dates for exercise sets and exams. Chs. 1,6-3/1/21 Ch. 7-4/12/21 Ch. 8-5/3/21 Truth Trees-Appendix B 5/29/21 5
