Philosophy 110: Introduction to Critical Thinking
Section 4 #28885, MWF 11:00am – 11:50am
EBA 441
San Diego State University
Spring 2014
Prof. Nikolai Gutierrez
Office: AL 430
Office Hours: MW 12:30pm – 1:30pm
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Welcome to Philosophy 110: Introduction to Critical Thinking. This course
satisfies a portion of the Communication and Critical Thinking requirement (I.3) as one
of the four core sections of undergraduate General Education at San Diego State
University. Students with any further questions about general university graduation
requirements should consult the SDSU General Catalog or see the Office of Advising and
Evaluations in the Student Services West building. Students with any questions about the
undergraduate program in Philosophy may ask me, or stop by the Philosophy Department
Office in Arts and Letters 446 and get more information from Secretary Kimberly
Kennelly or Prof. Robert Francescotti (undergraduate advisor in Philosophy) in Arts and
Letters 438.
Learning Outcomes:
The aims of this course are as follows. By the end of the semester, students should
be able to demonstrate/recognize:
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Sound understanding of what an argument is, including the identification of the
various parts of an argument (premise, conclusion, etc).
An understanding of the difference between deductive and inductive reasoning,
and be able to examine arguments in day to day interaction and identify them as
such.
An understanding of the basic concepts of Logic, including the ability to read
basic symbolic notion and manipulate them through several fundamental Rules of
Inference, and identify several common logical fallacies.
The ability to apply the above understanding of argument and Logic and create
well-reasoned written arguments, including the ability to assess the strengths and
weaknesses of written arguments and analyze any evidence provided in support
thereof.
The ability to use the above understanding of argument and Logic and analyze a
variety of texts commonly encountered in academic, social, and historical
contexts.
Your success (which is to say, your grade) in this course is contingent upon how well you
can demonstrate to me your mastery of the above objectives. I do not expect (nor require)
you to be the next Aristotle. However, if I observe a clear lack of effort in the class, or a
lack of understanding of the course material, your grade will suffer.
Required Texts
Morrow, David R. and Anthony Weston. A Workbook for Arguments: A Complete
Course in Critical Thinking. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2011.
The above textbook is the only required text for the course. That said, during the course
of the semester, I may assign reading or independent research into other sources (such as
web articles or other texts that I may bring copies of the class), but I will let you know in
advance when something like that is going to happen.
Grades
Your grade in the course will be measured by performance in four different areas: short
writing assignments (short papers), long writing assignments (long papers), exams
(midterm and final), and classroom participation.
Short Papers: For the first half of the semester, you will be assigned eight short writing
assignments, due each Friday up until Spring Break (except the very first Friday, January
24). This includes Friday, March 21, despite the fact that we do not have class. Each short
paper is 10 points out of a possible 200 in the class for the semester, and should be about
1-2 pages (single-spaced) in length about a topic that I will assign for the week.
Long Papers: In the second half of the semester, you will be given two longer, essaystyle research papers to write. Each long paper will be worth 20 points out of a possible
200. I will give you more information on these papers after Spring Break.
Exams: There will be two exams this semester, one right before Spring Break and one
during finals week. These exams will be comprehensive, meaning they will test you on
all of the course material up to that point (which is to say, stuff that appears on the
midterm may appear on the final). The midterm exam will be worth 30 points while the
final exam will be worth 40 points. The format of the exams may include multiple choice
questions, short answer questions, and questions that merit an essay-style response.
Participation: Unlike some other classes where students can get away with just sitting
there and taking notes (merely recording supposed facts), Philosophy is a discipline that
requires very active participation (engaging these supposed facts). This will take the form
of discussing course material with me or other students in class, asking any questions that
you may have about the content of the assignments or the textbook, stopping by my
office with any further concerns you may have. Participation throughout the semester is
worth 10 points (5% of your overall grade).
Classroom Rules and Procedures
Attendance is mandatory for this course. Each student is allowed one excused absence for
the semester. Any absence after that either needs to be cleared with me beforehand or
must have a really compelling reason for not telling me in advance. I have little tolerance
for cell phones. If there is a call that you absolutely must take, or a text message that you
absolutely must respond to, please step out of the classroom to do so. Laptop computers
are not allowed for any reason except to solely take notes.
By university policy, students who must miss a class meeting due to a scheduled religious
holiday and/or participation in an SDSU sponsored event (such as a sporting event), must
inform the instructor within the first 2 weeks of classes so that any necessary
accommodations can be made. Failure to notify the instructor before February 4th
alleviates the instructor’s obligation to provide any accommodation.
Notice for Students with Disabilities
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 I cannot provide accommodations based upon disability until I have
received an accommodation letter from Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is
appreciated.
Assignment Schedule
January 22: First Day of Classes
January 24: Read first two pages of Introduction (xvii – xviii). Read Chapter 1 (3-32).
January 27: Read Chapter 1 (3-32).
January 29: Read Chapter 1 (3-32).
January 31: First short paper due.
February 3: Read Chapter 2 (38-63).
February 5: Read Chapter 2 (38-63).
February 7: Second short paper due.
February 10: Read Chapter 3 (72-77).
February 12: Read Chapter 3 (72-77).
February 14: Third short paper due.
February 17: Read Chapter 4 (87-97).
February 19: Read Chapter 4 (87-97).
February 21: Fourth short paper due.
February 24: Read Chapter 5 (106-115).
February 26: Read Chapter 5 (106-115).
February 28: Fifth short paper due.
March 3: Read Chapter 6 (124-148).
March 5: Read Chapter 6 (124-148).
March 7: Sixth short paper due.
March 10: Read Chapter 7 (156-176).
March 12: Read Chapter 7 (156-176).
March 14: Seventh short paper due.
March 17: Logic review.
March 19: Logic review.
March 21: No class. Eighth short paper due.
March 24: Review.
March 26: Review.
March 28: MIDTERM EXAM
March 31: Spring Break. No class.
April 2: Spring Break. No class.
April 4: Spring Break. No class.
April 7: Lecture: Analyzing complex arguments and expressing them in prose.
April 9: Lecture: Analyzing complex arguments and expressing them in prose.
April 11: Lecture: Analyzing complex arguments and expressing them in prose.
April 14: Lecture: Analyzing complex arguments and expressing them in prose.
April 16: Lecture: Analyzing complex arguments and expressing them in prose.
April 18: First long paper due.
April 21: Lecture: Analyzing complex arguments and expressing them in prose.
April 23: Lecture: Analyzing complex arguments and expressing them in prose.
April 25: Lecture: Analyzing complex arguments and expressing them in prose.
April 28: Lecture: Analyzing complex arguments and expressing them in prose.
April 30: Lecture: Analyzing complex arguments and expressing them in prose.
May 2: Lecture: Analyzing complex arguments and expressing them in prose.
May 5: Comprehensive Review
May 7: Last day of classes. Second long paper due.
May 9-15: FINAL EXAMS
Depending on how I determine the semester to be going, I reserve the right to make
changes to the above schedule for the semester (and will give you proper notice in such a
case).