Dr. Price
PHL 220-2C/MA 120-2C
Spring 2013
Office: 422 HB
Phone: 934-4891/4805
Email address: price@uab.edu
Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30-1:00 P.M. and 3:30-4:00 P.M., and by
appointment. Help with course work will be available only if the student has regularly attended
class, has been doing all assigned exercises when they are assigned, and has been taking full
lecture notes.
The instructor may be working with a logic student in a classroom during an office hour
because of the necessity of using a blackboard. As a result, she may not be in her office during
the office hour. Students will be given further instructions for locating the instructor during
office hours.
Books: Alan Hausman, Howard Kahane, and Paul Tidman, Logic and Philosophy, 12th edition.
The answers to all odd-numbered exercises in Logic and Philosophy are on reserve in
Sterne Library. They are listed under the instructor's name ('Marjorie Price').
Graded written work:
3 problem sets
2 quizzes:
3 2-part tests:
42 points
25 points
180 points
Late problem sets will not be accepted. A problem set will be counted as late if it is not
in the teacher’s hands by 12:15 P.M. on the day the problem set is due. Problem sets sent
through email will not be accepted.
Students are expected to do their own work on problem sets.
Five problem sets will be given at different times during the term. The instructor will use
only the three highest problem set grades.
All makeup tests will be given on 5/7/13 at 10:45 A.M. A student will not be permitted
to take a makeup test at any other time, regardless of his reason for having missed the relevant
test. A student may make up two test-parts without stating a reason for his having missed the
test-parts. If a student misses any additional part of a test, he may not make it up unless he has a
medical excuse backed with a note from his doctor. The doctor’s note must specify the date of
the test-part the student missed. A student may not make up more than three test-parts. With
regard to making up missed quizzes, quizzes will be treated as if they were test-parts.
Student athletes should ascertain that they will not miss more than two test-parts because
of their participation in the athletic program. Missing two test-parts for that reason will count as
the miss of two test-parts for which a student does not have to state a reason Student athletes
should also make sure that they can be at the designated makeup test time should they have to
make up test-parts. They will not be allowed to make them up at any other time.
The same goes for students who are taking other courses that require their being away at
some time during the term.
Students who are in the military or ROTC should meet with Dr. Price at the end of class
to discuss possible absences due to their military obligations.
No test or quiz may be taken early.
No test or quiz may be retaken. Graded problem sets may not be redone. No extra credit
assignments will be given.
Students are expected to be at tests at the starting time of the test period. Students who
arrive late will not be allowed to continue working on the test after the designated end of the test
period. If the other students have finished taking a test before a student arrives and the instructor
has left the classroom, the student will be counted as having missed the test.
If a student does not get at least a B on a test, his attendance is required at all the classes
following that test until the next test on which he earns at least a B. If he misses more than onefifth of those classes, his grade for the course will be lowered by one-half of a grade.
In each class, attendance for all the students will be taken. One reason for doing this is to
determine whether help outside of class should be given to a student. Another is to monitor the
attendance of students whose attendance is required because of their test grade.
If a student needs to check on an assignment or the date of a test or quiz, he should try to
get the information from another student. He should call the Philosophy Department for this
information only if he cannot get it from another student.
No grades will be given over the phone or through email. No grades will be posted.
Students are advised to take full class notes. They are encouraged to tape what is said in
class on a tape recorder.
If a student misses a class, he is expected to obtain missed information on his own—e.g.,
by copying another student’s notes for that class. The instructor will not re-lecture for students
who have missed classes. The student should not make efforts to obtain missed information
during class. He should do this before class or after class.
Prior to the withdrawal deadline, the instructor will assess each student’s work. The
instructor may conclude that the student is likely to get a D or an F as a final grade. In such a
case, she may send the student an “early alert” email.
Policy concerning student behavior in class: students should refrain from talking when
the instructor is talking or when another student is addressing the instructor or the class.
Students may not leave class early. If a student fails to comply with these rules or if his behavior
in some other way creates a problem for another person or persons in the class, the instructor
may take steps to stop it. They could include having the student permanently removed from the
class.
Students will be held to the UAB Academic Honor Code. This honor code is stated on
the UAB website.
If you are registered with Disability Support Services, you should make an appointment
with the instructor as soon as possible to discuss accommodations that may be necessary. If you
have a disability but have not contacted Disability Support Services, you should call 934-4205 or
visit DSS at 516 Hill University Center. In order to be given accommodations, students with
disabilities must be registered with DSS and provide the instructor with an accommodation
request letter.
To determine your grade for the course
1. Add the number of points you earned on the three problem sets with the highest grades. The
result of doing this is the total number of points you earned on problem sets.
2. Add the total number of points you earned on problem sets to the points you earned on each
of the three tests. The result of doing this is the total number of points you earned in the course.
3. Divide the total number of points you earned in the course by 247. The result of doing this is
a decimal fraction that is your percentage for the course.
4. Associate your percentage for the course with a letter grade according to the following rule:
.90-1.00: A
.80-.89: B
.70-.79: C
.60-.69: D
A percentage below .60: F
1/10 Introduction; arguments; soundness.
1/15 Validity; logical form.
1/17 Atomic and compound sentences; truthfunctional sentence connectives.
Assignment: read chapter 1, sections 1-5.*
1/22 Variables and constants; sentence forms; punctuation.
Assignment: do the xeroxed exercises on truthfunctional and nontruthfunctional sentence
connectives. Read chapter 2, sections 1 and 2.
1/24 Conventions governing the scopes of sentence connectives. Symbolizing.
Assignment: read chapter 2, sections 3-12. Do not read sections 13 and 14.
1/29 Symbolizing.
Assignment: do exercise 2-2; learn the conventions governing the scopes of sentence
connectives; do the xeroxed exercises on conventions governing the scopes of sentence
connectives.
1/31 Identifying logical forms of sentences.
Assignment: do the xeroxed exercises on symbolization. Do exercises 2-3, 2-4. 2-5, 2-6,
and 2-7.
*The assignment that is given to the right of the name of a date is due that day. All reading
assignments and numbered exercises are in Logic and Philosophy. Do not read sections of the
book that are not assigned. Do not do exercises that are not assigned.
2/5 Determining the truth value of a compound sentence by a truth table analysis.
Assignment: do the xeroxed exercises on identifying logical forms of sentences; read
chapter 3, section 2; do exercises 3-3, 3-4. Problem Set 1 is due.
2/7 Tautologies, contradictions, contingent sentences, logical equivalences, logical
implications.
Assignment: read chapter 3, section 1. Do exercise 3-1.
2/12 Identifying logical forms of arguments.
Assignment: read chapter 3, section 3; do exercises 3-6 and 3-7.
2/14 Establishing the validity and invalidity of arguments and argument forms with truth tables.
Assignment: do the xeroxed exercise on identifying logical forms of arguments.
2/19 The virtues and deficiencies of the truth table and proof methods of establishing validity;
the proof method.
Assignment: read chapter 3, section 5; do exercise 3-8; do the xeroxed exercises on
the truth table method of establishing validity and invalidity. Problem Set 2 is due.
2/21 Test 1, Part I.
2/26 Test 1, Part II
2/28 Proofs using the valid implicational argument forms.
Assignment: memorize the valid implicational argument forms.
3/5 Proofs using valid implicational argument forms.
Assignment: read chapter 4, sections 2-6; do exercise 4-2, problems 1-8.
3/7 Proofs using valid implicational argument forms. Proofs that require the use of valid
equivalence argument forms.
Assignment: do exercise 4-2 , problems 9-14 and exercise 4-5; do the xeroxed
exercises on proofs using the valid implicational argument forms; memorize the valid
equivalence argument forms.
3/12 Proofs using the valid equivalence argument forms.
Assignment: read chapter 4, sections 7-12; do exercise 4-6.
3/14 Proofs using the valid equivalence argument forms.
Assignment: do exercise 4-7. Problem Set 3 is due.
3/19 No class.
3/21 No class.
3/26 Conditional proof.
Assignment: do exercises 4-8 and 4-10.
3/28 Quiz 1. Conditional proof.
4/2 Indirect proof.
Assignment: read chapter 5, section 1; do exercises 5-1 and 5-2.
4/4 Quiz 2. Introduction to predicate logic.
Assignment: read chapter 5, sections 2 and 3; do exercises 5-3, exercise 5-4, problems
1-4, and exercise 5-5, problems 3, 4, 9, 10. Problem Set 4 is due.
4/9 Test 2, Part I.
4/11 Test 2, Part II.
4/16 Symbolizing in predicate logic.
4/18 Quantifier rules.
Assignment: read chapter 7, sections 1-4; do exercises 7-1, 7-2.
4/23 Proofs in predicate logic.
Assignment: read chapter 9, sections 1-5; do exercise 9-1, problems 1-5 and 7-8; do
the xeroxed exercises on proofs with UI and EG. Problem Set 5 is due.
4/25 Test 3, Part I.
4/30 Test 3, Part II.