Course Syllabus
Philosophy 115: Critical Thinking
Syllabus
Item #1920; Fall 2017
Instructor: Dr. Greg A. Damico
Email: greg.damico@bellevuecollege.edu
Text: Storey, Mark (2013). Critical Thinking. Available via a GNU Free Documentation License at http://s.bellevuecollege.edu/wp/sites/41/2015/01/Critical-Thinking-TEXT.pdf
We shall read Chapters 1-7 and 9 of Storey’s book.
I shall be supplementing Storey’s book with work drawn from
Moore, Brooke Noel and Richard Parker (2012). Critical Thinking. 10th Ed.,
which is recommended reading. (N.B. The book is now in its 12th edition.)
Course Description: The study of many disciplines proceeds in large part simply by imparting information to the students. Many of the humanities—and especially philosophy—are different in that their students are expected not so much to absorb as much information as they can but rather more to engage with the information with which they are presented. The philosopher is constantly reading, yes, but the good philosopher is constantly stopping while she reads to ask: “Is this right?” or “Do I agree with this?” or “What is the author’s evidence or argument for the claim he is making here?” Our capacity for critical reasoning is therefore at the very center of the method of philosophy. The primary focus of this class is on the nature of critical reasoning itself: what it is, what it is not and how formalization leads into the study of logic. At the end of the course we shall take a brief look at how critical reasoning can be applied to ethical situations.
In short: This class is an informal, (mostly) non-symbolic introduction to logic and critical thinking, emphasizing real-life examples, natural language applications, and (mostly) informal logical fallacies.
Course Outcomes: After completing this class, students should be able to:
- Formulate, clarify, and evaluate arguments;
- Explain and use basic philosophical concepts relevant to critical thinking;
- Recognize and name informal fallacies;
- Analyze and evaluate arguments in scientific, causal, and analogical reasoning;
- Analyze and evaluate developed arguments in context.
Course outcomes will be met as detailed below.
Requirements and Grading:
Three unit exams 15% ea.
One short essay 20%
One final exam 15%
Five quizzes 2% ea.
Participation (on the discussion boards[1]) 10%
N.B. The quizzes are very short and are designed only to make sure that you are keeping up with the course material.
I will use a standard transformation from percents to letter-grades:
A 93+
- 90-92
B+ 87-89
etc. I round to the nearest whole unit percent.
The final exam will be heavily weighted toward the material of the last module.
Course Policies:
- Late work will not be accepted without prior permission from me. I am sometimes amenable to granting extensions, so if you need one, talk to me beforehand.
- Students are expected to know what plagiarism is—and then to avoid it! Unofficially, any time someone A uses the ideas of someone else B (whether quoting B verbatim or not), A is expected to cite B as a source. Such citations typically go either in a parenthesis inside the text or in a footnote. Having full citations in the body of a paper can be cumbersome; thus it is also highly recommended that students include, at the end of the paper, a list of works cited in the paper. Here full citations can be given in a less intrusive way. Suspected cases of plagiarism will not be tolerated, and will be referred to the appropriate authorities.
Accessibility:
The online elements of this course are designed to be welcoming to, accessible to, and usable by everyone, including students who are English-language learners, have a variety of learning styles, have disabilities, or are new to online learning. Be sure to let me know immediately if you encounter a required element or resource in the course that is not accessible to you. Also, let me know of changes I can make to the course so that it is more welcoming to, accessible to, or usable by students who take this course in the future.
Affirmation of Inclusion:
“Bellevue College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination.
“We value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect.” For more, visit this page.
Religious Holidays:
Students who expect to miss classes, examinations, or any other assignments because of their religious observance should be provided with a reasonable alternative opportunity to complete such academic responsibilities. It is the obligation of students to provide faculty with reasonable notice of the dates of religious holidays on which they will be absent, preferably at the beginning of the term. Students who are absent on days of examinations or class assignments should be offered an opportunity to make up the work without penalty (if they have previously arranged to be absent), unless it can be demonstrated that a makeup opportunity would constitute an unreasonable burden on a member of the faculty. Should disagreement arise over what constitutes an unreasonable burden or any element of this policy, parties involved should consult the department chair, or Dean.
Policy 2950 Accommodations for Reasons of Faith or Conscience
College Anti-Discrimination Statement:
Bellevue College does not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity; creed; color; national origin; sex; marital status; sexual orientation; age; religion; genetic information; the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability; or veteran status in educational programs and activities which it operates. Bellevue College is prohibited from discriminating in such a manner by college policy and by state and federal law. All college personnel and persons, vendors, and organizations with whom the college does business are required to comply with applicable federal and state statutes and regulations designed to promote affirmative action and equal opportunity.
Confidentiality and Mandatory Reporting:
As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. It is my goal that you feel able to share information related to your life experiences in classroom discussions, in your written work, and in our one-on-one meetings. I will seek to keep information you share private to the greatest extent possible. However, I am required to share with the Title IX Coordinator any and all information regarding sexual assault and other forms of sexual misconduct (e.g. dating violence, domestic violence, stalking) that may have occurred on campus or that impacts someone on campus. Students may speak to someone confidentially by contacting the BC Counseling Center at (425) 564-2212. The Title IX Office can be contacted at 425-564-2641 and more information can be found here.
Important Links:
Canvas Help
This class uses Canvas as an interface. For help please go here.
Bellevue College E-mail and access to MyBC
All students registered for classes at Bellevue College are entitled to a network and e-mail account. Your student network account can be used to access your student e-mail, log in to computers in labs and classrooms, connect to the BC wireless network and log in to MyBC. To create your account, visit this page.
BC offers a wide variety of computer and learning labs to enhance learning and student success. Find current campus locations for all student labs by visiting this page.
Disability Resource Center (DRC)
The Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array of learning challenges and disabilities. If you are a student who has a disability or learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen someone for treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to be successful in college, please contact us as soon as possible.
If you are a person who requires assistance in case of an emergency situation, such as a fire, earthquake, etc., please meet with your individual instructors to develop a safety plan within the first week of the quarter.
If you are a student with a documented autism spectrum disorder, there is an additional access program available to you. Contact asn@bellevuecollege.edu or 425.564.2764. ASN is located in the Library Media Center in D125. You may also be interested in this page.
The DRC office is located in B132 or you can call our reception desk at 425.564.2498. Deaf students can reach us by video phone at 425-440-2025 or by TTY at 425-564-4110. Please visit our website for application information into our program and other helpful links here.
Public Safety
Public Safety and Emergencies
Public Safety is located in the K building and can be reached at 425-564-2400 (easy to remember because it’s the only office on campus open 24 hours a day—2400). Among other things, Public Safety serves as our Parking Permits, Lost and Found, and Emergency Notification center. Please ensure you are signed up to receive alerts through our campus alerting system by registering here.
If you work late and are uneasy about going to your car, Public Safety will escort you to your vehicle. To coordinate this, please phone ahead and let Public Safety know when and where you will need an escort.
Please familiarize yourself with the emergency postings by the door of every classroom and know where to go in the event of an evacuation. Your instructor will be asked if anyone might still be in the building, so check in before you do anything else. Emergency responders will search for anyone unaccounted for.
If a major emergency occurs, please follow these two rules:
1) Take directions from those in charge of the response - We all need to be working together.
2) Do not get in your car and leave campus (unless directed to) - Doing so will clog streets and prevent emergency vehicles from entering the scene. Instead, follow directions from those in charge.
Please do not hesitate to call Public Safety if you feel safety questions or concerns at any time.
Course Schedule:
As this Is an online course, it will be largely up to YOU to go through the material in a timely way. Below is a suggested pace through the course. Note that the class has five substantive modules.
Week 1 (Sep 18-22): The Nature of Critical Reasoning
TAKE QUIZ 1 BY SEP 21, 11:59 PM.
ESSAY PROMPT POSTED: DUE OCTOBER 2
Read Storey, Chapter 1.
Watch Lectures 1, 2-1, and 2-2.
Week 2 (Sep 25-29): The Nature of Critical Reasoning
POST TO DISCUSSION 1 BY SEP 25, 11:59 PM.
Look at PowerPoints “Chapter1-1” and “Chapter1-2”.
Watch Lecture 3.
Watch 12 Angry Men (1957).
Week 3 (Oct 2-6): Deduction Vs. Induction
SHORT ESSAY DUE OCT 2, 11:59 PM.
TAKE QUIZ 2 BY OCT 5, 11:59 PM.
Read Storey, Chapters 2-3.
Look at “Valid or Invalid” and “Metaphysical Possibility”.
Week 4 (Oct 9-13): Deduction Vs. Induction
TAKE EXAM 1 BY OCT 9, 11:59 PM.
POST TO DISCUSSION 2 BY OCT 10, 11:59 PM.
Read Storey, Chapters 4-5.
Watch Lecture 5.
Week 5 (Oct 16-20): Mistakes and Fallacies
OCTOBER 16: HOLIDAY.
Read Storey, Chapter 6.
Look at PowerPoint “Chapter6”.
Week 6 (Oct 23-27): Mistakes and Fallacies
POST TO DISCUSSION 3 BY OCT 23, 11:59 PM.
TAKE QUIZ 3 BY OCT 26, 11:59 PM.
Read Storey, Chapter 7.
Look at PowerPoint “Chapter7”.
Week 7 (Oct 30-Nov 3): Formal Stuff
TAKE EXAM 2 BY OCT 30, 11:59 PM.
Read Storey, Chapter 9.
Watch Lectures 6-1 and 6-2.
Week 8 (Nov 6-10): Formal Stuff
POST TO DISCUSSION 4 BY NOV 6, 11:59 PM.
TAKE QUIZ 4 BY NOV 9, 11:59 PM.
NOVEMBER 10: HOLIDAY.
Look at “Notes on M&PChap8”.
Watch Lectures 7-1 and 7-2.
Week 9 (Nov 13-17): Moral Reasoning
TAKE EXAM 3 BY NOV 13, 11:59 PM.
Look at “Notes on M&PChap12”.
Week 10 (Nov 20-24): Moral Reasoning
POST TO DISCUSSION 5 BY NOV 20, 11:59 PM.
TAKE QUIZ 5 BY NOV 22, 11:59 PM.
Watch Lecture 8.
NOVEMBER 23: HOLIDAY.
NOVEMBER 24: HOLIDAY.
Week 11 (Nov 27-Dec 1): Moral Reasoning
TAKE FINAL EXAM BY DEC 1, 11:59 PM.
[1] At least twice per module. See Canvas site for details.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|