PHIL110 Syllabus • Spring 2015
Alicia Montellanos
Syllabus for Philosophy 110, section 5
Critical Thinking and Composition, 22455, SSW-2500
Alicia Montellanos/Spring 2015/TTH 9:30-10:45 a.m.
Description from 2014-2015 General Catalog: PHIL110. Critical Thinking and
Composition (3). Prerequisites: Satisfaction of the English Placement Test and Writing
Competency requirements and Africana Studies 120 or American Indian Studies 120 or
Chicana or Chicano Studies 111B or English 100 or Linguistics 100 or Rhetoric and
Writing Studies 100 or 101. Introduction to critical thinking and writing. Evaluation and
development of correct reasoning and effective style and organization in argumentative
writing. Critical appraisal of evidence. Construction of rebuttals and counter-arguments.
This class fulfills three units for the Intermediate Composition and Critical Thinking
under the Communication and Critical Thinking GE requirement.
Course Objectives: In this philosophy course students will learn to analyze, evaluate,
and construct arguments. Specifically, students will identify the claims and evidence of
various philosophical arguments, as well as arguments in everyday discourse. They will
have the opportunity to evaluate the arguments presented in class through discussion in
class and writing. Other specific objectives include:
• Learn the structure of an argument, what is deductive and inductive reasoning,
and what is a valid, sound, and a strong argument.
• Present the structure of arguments in premise and conclusion format, and map
out how premises support conclusion(s).
• Analyze the structure of deductive arguments—premises, claims, and
evidence— via categorical and propositional logic.
• Identify different types of fallacies and recognize assumptions in arguments.
• Recognize and evaluate arguments involved in analogical and causal reasoning.
• Improve the clarity, precision and organization in writing and rational
persuasion.
• Understand multiple perspectives held by different groups about morally
controversial issues.
• Write a term paper that takes a stance on a moral issue that has personal and
global relevance.
• Defend one’s position against strong opposing evidence and counterarguments.
Required Texts:
David R. Morrow & Anthony Weston. A Workbook for Arguments. Indianapolis:
Hackett, 2011.
Additional readings will be posted on Blackboard.
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PHIL110 Syllabus • Spring 2015
Alicia Montellanos
Contact Information and Office Hours:
Valid for January 22nd – May 19th
Tuesdays 4–5pm, Thursdays 8–9am.
Appointments may be arranged at other times.
Room 446, Arts & Letters Building.
Email: montellanos.a@gmail.com
Course Work:
Short papers (4)
Exercise sets (10)
Midterm exam
Research paper draft
Research paper
Final exam
Participation
Total:
5% each, 20% total.
1% each, 10% total.
20%
10%
20%
10%
10%
100% - A+
10 pts. each, 40 pts. total.
2 pts. each, 20 pts. total.
40 pts.
20 pts.
40 pts.
20 pts.
20 pts.
200pts – A+
Writing and reading requirement:
This course fulfills a general writing requirement and will assign written work consisting
of rough drafts, short papers, exam essays, and a research paper. Writing will be assessed
for style, clarity, grammar, organization and strength of argumentation. The essays are
intended to help students develop their skills for philosophical analysis and to master
college level writing skills. Students will be required to read an average of ~15 pages on
most weeks (but not every week; consult academic calendar below for exact dates and
readings) in order to perform well in the written assignments. Students are expected to do
the readings before the day they will be discussed.
Assignments:
There will be 10 exercise sets, worth 10% of the student’s total grade (1% each set), the
purpose of which is for students to practice and develop the skills necessary for critical
analysis and argumentation. The exercises, along with the other assignments in the
course, should help the student prepare for the final research essay.
The short papers, each worth 5% of the students’ total grade (making a total of 20%),
are for students to critically evaluate arguments seen in class and express their own
opinion regarding the topic at hand. The purpose of these papers is for students to
critically think about certain philosophical issues, and to develop their own opinions as
arguments. These papers should be 2-3 pages in length, double-spaced. Guidelines and
prompts will be posted on Blackboard and discussed in class prior to their due date.
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PHIL110 Syllabus • Spring 2015
Alicia Montellanos
A longer research paper will be 6-8 pages in length, in which students will analyze
morally controversial case. Students will be required to include secondary sources to be
cited in the bibliography. Prompts and topics will be given to students later in the
semester, but students will also have the opportunity to choose the topic of their paper.
However, students will have to follow a specific format and guidelines, which will also
be provided by the instructor.
Midterm and Final Exam:
The midterm exam, which is worth 20% of the students’ total grade, will take place
March 26th, and it will be comprised of a multiple choice section and a short essay
section. The purpose of the midterm exam is to test students’ knowledge on three main
areas: terminology, valid deductive argument forms, and fallacies. A study guide will be
provided one to two prior to the day the midterm will take place.
The final exam, which is worth 10%, will take place on May 14th at 8 am, in the same
classroom (SSW–2500). The final exam will consist of responding to a prompt by writing
an argumentative essay in class. More details regarding the final exam will be provided
later in the semester.
Attendance: Attendance to lecture isn’t mandatory. However, attendance is strongly
encouraged so students perform well in the written assignments for this course. Failure to
attend class will severely and negatively affect the quality of the assignments, and thus
the student’s grade. Students are expected to participate in class discussion. Participation
is worth 10%.
Late assignments:
Students are expected to turn in all assignments on time. Should an unforeseen event,
inconvenience, school activity, or religious holiday prevent a student from doing so, a
notice should be made to the instructor two weeks in advance in person or via email.
Evidence should be provided by the student when applicable, (such as a doctor’s notice in
the case of a medical emergency, or a notice from school when partaking in an activity
sponsored by SDSU, etc.) in order to reschedule a date for an assignment or an essay.
Grading Scale and Criteria:
100%-94%
93.9%-90%
A
A-
89.9%-87% B+ 79.9%-77% C+
86.9%-84% B 76.9%-74% C
83.9%-80% B- 73.9%-70% C-
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69.9%-67% D+
66.9%-64% D
63.9%-60% D-
PHIL110 Syllabus • Spring 2015
Alicia Montellanos
Other: The use of electronic devices will be strictly restricted to take notes. However, the
use of electronic devices is strongly discouraged as it is distracting and unnecessary,
given that most assignments will be made at home, and class requires your full attention
and presence for discussion. Students using electronic devices will be asked to sit in
the back of the class to avoid distracting other students. Emergencies do happen and
it’s understandable that there may be an urge to communicate in such cases. Students are
free to step out of the classroom to use their cellphones, whether it is an emergency or
not. Students using their cellphones in class will be asked to leave or sit at the back of the
classroom to avoid distracting other students. In other words, please refrain from using
electronic devices during class.
SDSU has a very strict policy on plagiarism. Examples of plagiarism include (but are not
limited to) turning someone else’s work as if it were your own, whether he/she be a
student or some other kind of author. The penalties vary depending on the offense, from
failing the assignment to failing the course. It’s the student’s responsibility to become
familiar with the SDSU Academic Senate Policy on Plagiarism. To understand SDSU’s
rules and standards regarding plagiarism, please visit:
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PHIL110 Syllabus • Spring 2015
Alicia Montellanos
http://senate.sdsu.edu/policy/pfacademics.html
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this
class [e.g., additional time for an exam, sign language interpreter, oral texts rather than
printed ones], it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 5946473. 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. Students who have concerns that might prevent them from otherwise doing well
in this course should discuss this with the instructor so that arrangements may be made to
accommodate their conditions.
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PHIL110 Syllabus • Spring 2015
Alicia Montellanos
ACADEMIC CALENDAR
The present schedule is tentative and it may be subject to revision and modification by the instructor. All
readings indicated are from A Workbook for Arguments, unless marked with a “[BB]”, which indicates the
reading will be posted on Blackboard.
Date
Week 1
Jan. 22nd
Week 2
Jan. 27th & 29th
Topic
Syllabus and introduction
Readings
--
Exercises
--
Basics of arguments
Theological arguments
1.1 & 1.2:
odd
numbers.
1.4: 1, 4, 8.
Week 3
Feb. 3rd & 5th
Exercise set 1.1, 1.2, and 1.4
due on Feb. 5th
Theological and atheological
arguments.
Week 4
Feb. 10th & 12th
Exercise set 1.6 & 1.7 due
1st short paper due on Feb.
12th
Language and grammar
Ethical theories: Ethical
egoism, and utilitarianism
Week 5
Feb. 17th & 19th
Exercise set 11.1 on Feb. 19th
Generalizations
Ethical theories (cont.):
Critiques of utilitarianism and
moral relativity
Exercise set 2.1, 2.2, and 2.5,
and 2nd short paper due on
Feb. 26th
Deductive arguments
Abortion debate
Exercise set 6.1 & 6.2 due on
Mar. 5th
Deductive arguments (cont.)
Abortion debate (cont.)
Rule 1 (pp. 3-8)
Rule 2 (pp.8-9)
Rule 3 (p. 16)
Theological
arguments [BB]
Rule 4 (pp. 22-25)
Rule 5 (pp. 25-31)
Rule 6 (pp. 31-32)
Atheological
arguments [BB]
Appendix II:
Rule D1 (pp.250253)
Rule D3 (pp260261)
Right and Wrong
[BB]
Rule 7 (pp. 38-40)
Rule 8 (pp. 42-45)
Rule 11 (pp. 60-62)
Right and wrong #2
[BB]
Rules 22-27
(pp.124-129, 141143)
Abortion [BB]
Abortion [BB]
6.3 & 6.4,
odd
numbers.
Week 6
Feb. 24th & 26th
Week 7
Mar. 3rd & 5th
Week 8
Mar. 10th & 12th
Week 9
Mar. 17th & 19th
Week 10
3rd short paper and exercise
set 6.3 & 6.4 due Mar. 12th
Fallacies
Exercise set 10.1 & 10.2 due
Mar. 19th
Fallacies
Exercise set 10.3 & 10.4 and
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1.6: 1, 6, 9.
1.7: 6, 10.
11.1, all.
2.1: 4, 6, 9.
2.2: 5, 9
2.5: odd
numbers.
6.1 & 6.2,
odd
numbers
Appendix I (pp. 222- 10.1 & 10.2,
227)
odd
numbers.
Review Appendix I
10.3 & 10.4,
and complete study
odd
guide
numbers
Study guide
PHIL110 Syllabus • Spring 2015
Mar. 24th & 26th
Week 11
Mar. 31th &
Apr. 2nd
Week 12
Apr. 7th & 9th
Week 13
Apr. 14th & 16th
Alicia Montellanos
final essay topic due Mar. 24th
Review
Midterm Mar. 26th
No class//Spring Break
4th (and last) short paper and
Spring break assignment due
on Apr. 7th
Extended and argumentative
essays
Sources
Analogical Arguments
Final Essay guidelines
Exercise set 4.1 due on Apr.
16th
Causal Arguments
Week 14
Apr. 21st & 23rd
Last exercise set 3.1 & 3.2 due
on Apr. 22rd
Final essay draft due on Apr.
23rd
Week 15
Apr. 28th & 30th
Arguments in social media and
ordinary life
Philosophical arguments
Extra credit opportunities
Arguments in social media and
ordinary life
Philosophical arguments
Extra credit opportunities
Final essay due
Final exam May 14th at 8am,
(same classroom, SSW-2500)
Week 16
May 5th & 7th
Final
May 14th
Rule 29 (pp.156157)
Rule 31 (pp.165167)
Rule 32 (pp.172173)
Rule 37 (pp. 194195)
Rules 13-17 (pp.8791, 94-95)
Rule 12 (pp. 72-75)
7.1: 9
7.5: TBD
7.7: TBD
8.4: TBD
Rule 18 (pp.106107)
Rule 19 (pp.107108)
Rule 20 (pp.111113)
5.1: 1 & 8
5.2: (1 & 8)
TBD
TBD
End of Syllabus
7
4.1, odd
numbers.
3.1 and 3.2,
odd
numbers.