Syllabus

Preceptorial #34
Introduction to Logic

University of San Diego

Lawrence M. Hinman

Fall Session, 2001

Course Objectives

This course is designed to help students to increase their ability to analyze and critically evaluate arguments in ordinary language from a logical point of view. This involves both learning the logical principles which underlie good reasoning and becoming skilled in applying those principles to arguments which are expressed in everyday English.

Course Text

Hurley, Patrick J. A Concise Introduction to Logic. Seventh Edition. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1996. [Abbreviated: CIL]

Course Assignments

Except for the homework, all course assignments are stated on the Schedule. It is expected that assignments will be completed on the date indicated.

Grading

Final grades will depend on the following combination of quiz scores and scores from the mid-term and final exams.

The total quiz grade will be based on the average of all the quizzes after the lowest quiz has been dropped. There are no make-up quizzes, so if students are absent for a quiz, a grade of zero will be recorded for that quiz and it will become the lowest grade which is dropped. Obviously, missing quizzes is not to the student's advantage in terms of grades. Final grades will be determined on the basis of standard percentages: grades in the "A" range will be 90-100%, in the "B" range 80-89%, etc.

Cheating

Don't. It'll be a lot worse than just getting an "F" on whatever quiz or exam you're taking in this course.

Make-Up Exams

There are no make-ups for quizzes. Make-ups for the mid-term or final are allowed only with a note from a physician stating that you were unable for medical reasons to take the exam on the day assigned.

Office Hours

My office is in Founder's Hall, Room 164.  My office hours are:

If you are experiencing any difficulty in the course, please come to see me as soon as possible.

My office direct dial number is 260-4787. Please leave a message if I am not in, and I'll return your call as soon as I receive your message.

My e-mail address is hinman@sandiego.edu. I check my e-mail several times a day, even when I'm working at home, so that's a good place to leave a message. 

World Wide Web Site

This course makes extensive use of the World Wide Web, and all students are expected to master the basics of using the Web.  This syllabus, updates on home work assignments, an answer key for the exercises, etc. will be available on the World Wide Web at the following address:

http://ethics.sandiego.edu/logic/

Please check this site for updates and additional class information, especially if you miss a class. One of our class meetings will include instruction about how to use the web, e-mail, etc.