LANGUAGE, LOGIC AND MATH, aka, Intro to Logic PHI 112

Professor: Dr. Larry J. Waggle                                                  Section:

Office # 414C Stevenson                                                                      5:00 to 6:15 MW STV 350

Office Phone: 309-438-2466

Office Hours: 4 to 5 M,W

E-mail address: UncleLahr@aol.com

Main Philosophy Office: 412 Stevenson. (309) 438-7665

This course shall focus on the central ideas in contemporary logic: truth, validity and soundness. We shall use, in part, a natural deduction system in order to understand the notion of justification and inference. Our goal in understanding the nature of validity shall be to have a comprehensive system of inference and a comprehensive set of rules by which inference can be understood in its role of preserving truth. In part, we will rely on the techniques of symbolic logic without presupposing any previous experience. Part of the course will be spent on so-called natural language arguments and techniques for evaluating them. Grades will be based on quizzes, a midterm and final exam and ongoing home-work problem sets.

            This syllabus represents specific policies and concerns particular to these sections that supplement the official University policies and regulations.  The latter are assumed and will be enforced.  You can find a listing of the University's policies, including your rights and responsibilities, in the Student Handbook, roughly pages 7 - 12, also known as the Code of Conduct.

Any student in this class who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities should contact me ASAP so that appropriate arrangements can be made if possible.

It is your responsibility to stay current with the all assignments.  In the study of philosophy, written arguments are the primary tool which philosophers use to express positions.  This is also true in the study of logic, which is a sub-field of philosophy.  The purpose of the lecture is to provide guided commentary on the materials we are studying.  I will also provide you with models for working the assignments.  Sometimes the models I will use may be different from those found in the textbook.  This should not trouble you, and these slight changes ought to be assimilated as quickly as possible.  In order for this course to function properly, I must assume that you are current with your work during the lecture periods.

The following policies are established to set boundaries for a set of situations.  I expect everyone to be pro-active and not reactive in any of these situations.  All of the assignments are listed on the attached sheet.  You should record these on your own calendar.  All assignments and exams are listed in bold print.

Attendance policy: Mine is simple.  You are to be in class every time class meets.  Please be prompt and prepared to discuss the materials.  If you know that you are going to be over 10 minutes late, please do not disrupt the class in progress.  What this does not mean is that class starts 10 minutes after the designated starting point.  What this does mean is that you have a 10 minute grace period to get to class and be prepared before I shut the door.  Once the door is shut, your entry into class constitutes disrupting the class in progress.  In the event that any of the following occur, please act accordingly.

A.      In case of extreme weather, please consult the local weather channels and the university information line to determine if the university has cancelled classes.  If classes have not been canceled, use your best judgment.  If the roads are dangerous, please think of your own safety.

B.       In the event that you have an appointment that requires you to miss class, then you may be exempt provided you follow the procedure outlined below: You are to inform me in writing if you are unable to attend class.  In your written note, tell me: a) Why you re unable to attend class. b) what you will be doing instead of attending class. c) Give me some details about the event in question (is this related to your major? Is this a job interview?  Is this an out-of-town class project?)  This written note must be delivered to me or e-mailed to me before the event in question.  Attendance waivers are not guaranteed.  Without a written attendance waiver in my file at the end of the semester, the attendance was not excused.  There are no oral attendance waivers granted.

C.       Absences due to illness are excusable only if you provide me with a doctor’s note for my file.  Please do not come to class if you are contagious.

D.      Attendance for religious holidays may be waived provided you prepare the written attendance waiver.

E.       In case of family emergencies or accidents that require you to miss more than one class, I expect that you communicate with me early in the absence so that make up arrangements can be pre-arranged.  Excessive absences for any reason create an obstacle to completion of the course.  Without regular communication from and with you to negotiate changes in deadlines during the absences, progress in and thus completion of the course is impossible.  It is impossible to “re-teach” extensive parts of the course.

One final word on attendance.  I will be circulating random attendance sheets throughout the semester.  Please sign these each class period you attend.

Student Learning:  As a part of this syllabus, there is a list of all of the required readings and assignments for the entire semester.  It is imperative that you stay on top of these readings, and be prepared for each class by having read and worked through the problem sets. 

You will need to set aside at least two hours per week for every hour you spend in class.  Since this is a three credit hour course, I will assume that you have spent at least six hours outside of class with the readings, and working through the problem sets.  You should record all of the reading assignments, problem sets, and exam dates on your personal calendar.  The actual number of hours you will need to prepare for this course depends greatly on your study habits, and your comprehension of the readings.  I do anticipate that you will need to read each of the readings assignments at least twice in order to fully grasp the subject matter.

Professor’s Role:  I see my role in this course as two fold.  First, I will provide you with some background information to clarify the points made within the text book.   With that, I will provide you a model for working all of the assignments.  That does not mean that I will do all of the assignments or all of the problems in an exercise set.  Even if you are not understanding all of the details, attempting to work through these problem sets will better prepare you for the work we do in class.

Second, I see myself as a class resource for addressing the more difficult problems we will find in these exercise sets.  Given logic's rule governed nature, there may be different ways of working with the rules in order to arrive at a solution to any problem.  Not all of the problems will be such that there may be variant proofs, but, should that be the case, this should not trouble you.  As long as you are using the rules correctly, the proof will be correct.

Academic Discipline: At whatever level, all survey courses serve a double purpose: 1.  To introduce the student to a wide variety of topics in a given subject matter.  2.  To inform and guide the student to develop basic skills assumed in any career.  It is this second purpose that I would like to elaborate on.  I understand academic discipline to be a matter of time management and organizational skills.  These skills are important not only for success at the college level, but are also important in the wider work environment.  You should maintain a daily calendar and write your assignments, tasks, expectations, etc., on this calendar.  This is the first step to successful time management.  On your calendar, you should note all important deadlines: reading assignments, project deadlines, reviews, test dates, etc., so that you can always be aware of the time demands each week and day will place on you.  Plan accordingly, and review your weekly commitments so that you are managing your time, and not that time is managing you.

Grading Policies:  I will use a 10% gradation scale for evaluating all of the work you submit during the semester.  Your total grade at the end of the semester will consist of the total number of points you have earned compared to a 10% gradation scale from the total number of points possible.  Hence, 100 - 90, 89 - 80, etc., scale.  Should you have any questions concerning your grade, please discuss it with me in my office.

Class Participation: I would like to structure this course on a "work shop" model.  What that means is, after presenting the fundamental concepts in any given chapter, the remainder of the time will be devoted to working through problems.  These problems will be taken from the assigned problem sets, e.g., the home work problems.  What I anticipate is that there will be at least three different responses from the class on any given problems set: A) those who completely understand it, and need little additional help.  B). Those who understand most of the problems, but need some help with the more difficult ones. C).  Those who do not understand anything at all about what is taking place in the problem sets.  I will teach to the second group, and add some additional information for those in the first group so to keep their interest in the subject.  If you fall into the last group, it is imperative that you seek additional help from me.  Do attempt to work through the problems, and bring your work with you when you come to see me.  This will be a very valuable tool for evaluating what precisely it is that you do not understand.  Remember, logic is learned at the point where the pencil meets the paper.  That means that unless you are willing to work through the problems, you will not learn this subject.

Office Hours:  There seems to be some confusion about the purpose of holding office hours.  They are to afford you the opportunity to discuss matters related to this class and to seek additional assistance.  Office hours are not replacement class periods.  As I have already mentioned, it is not possible to “re-teach” extensive portions of this or any class.  The reason for holding office hours is to provide a venue for students and professors to meet outside of class for the purpose of discussing matters related to class.  Often, students cannot make officially designated office hour times.  If that is the case, you have two choices.  Either you may schedule an appointment to meet with me, or you may contact me by e-mail.  In order to have some sense of privacy, I do not offer my home phone number to students.  My home phone number is unlisted, and should you obtain it, I would appreciate it if you did not use it without explicit permission from me.  If you schedule an appointment with me, please be on time.  If you are delayed for any reason, contact me or the philosophy department.  We should be able to reschedule.  If you miss an appointment and do not contact me, I will be far less willing to reschedule.  For reasons of your safety, I do not hold weekend office hours, and I do not set appointments on the weekends.  The best way to reach me if you are unable to meet me during office hours is by e-mail.  I check my e-mail at least once a day, including weekends.  Please use proper e‑mail etiquette.

Incompletes:   I follow the official college policy, as found in the College Catalog, as illustrated by the following excerpt: "An incomplete grade may be given to a student who, by the withdrawal date, can reasonably be expected to pass the course.  An Incomplete may be granted only when justified by extreme circumstances (e.g., serious illness, accident, death or serious illness in the immediate family)."

Extra Credit:   Extra credit is available only after an office visit with me.  Extra credit is not guaranteed.  The purpose of the office visit is to determine whether extra credit is should be extended, the amount of extra credit possible on the assignment, and the due date for the extra credit assignment.  Before extending extra credit, all of these items must be negotiated between myself and the student.  We will write up a formal agreement, and keep copies of it so that there is no misunderstanding about extra credit.  Extra credit should be reserved for extreme circumstances that without which the student would not have a fair chance of success in the course. 

Make-up of tests and assignments:  Late work is a serious problem.  I would appreciate it if you were pro-active rather than reactive with any of the assignments.  What I mean by this is, if you are having some problem with any assignment that might delay you from meeting any particular deadline, please talk to me, via e-mail or in person, before the assignment is due in order to determine whether an extension should be granted.  Any assignment that is turned in late without a written extension will receive a zero (0).  Make-up tests are also an administrative problem.  Again, please be pro-active and inform me of any problem that will prevent you from meeting a particular test deadline.  I reserve the right to negotiate with students over make-up exams.  Repeated make ups of quizzes will not be tolerated.  Everyone is expected to take the quizzes when they are initially administered, barring the rare exception.  What I consider repeated make ups of quizzes to be is more than two in any given course.  Also, I am aware that there is a center on campus that students can use if they are dreadfully ill to take exams, etc.  If you are considering using this resource, please make me aware of this before you contact them.  I have been willing to work with these people in the past, but this is a sore area for me.  I usually do not receive any forewarning from the student, and this results in a huge time drain on me.  So, unless I know in advance that you are planning to use this service, I may not consent to any request from the health center people.  This is a clear sign that you are not being pro-active with me about your needs, and this is something that I intend to stress throughout this semester.  In order for any assignment where an extension has been granted to be considered for grade consideration, this assignment must be completed no later than one week after the initial deadline.  I do allow students "one bite at the apple" during the semester.  What this means is that one time during the semester, excluding the final exam, you may request to retake an exam for replacement grade reconsideration.  Use this wisely. 

Deadlines:  Barring the exceptions noted above, all of the assignment or exam deadlines are listed in this syllabus.  Work turned in after these deadlines will receive a zero unless a written extension has been granted.  Assignments must be turned in "hard copy".  I do not accept digital copies of assignments.  I do this to be uniform and fair to every student.  E-mailing me a digital copy of any assignment, then turning in a paper copy of it, does not constitute turning the assignment in on time. 

Let me remind you what the word "deadline" means.  The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines the word "deadline" as 1) a time limit as for payment of a debt or completion of an assignment. 2) a boundary line in a prison that prisoners can cross only at the risk of being shot.  I understand the word "deadline" to mean that any given "project" is "dead" (will receive zero grade consideration) after the date in question.  Some important deadlines to keep in mind during the course of the semester are: the semester ends when you take the final for this course.  All extensions terminate on the last day of class before the final.  There are no "post-semester" assignments, and there is no extra credit post-semester.

General description of the course assignments and grade break down: There will be two exams during the course of this semester, a final exam, and a number of quizzes that I will use in order to determine your course grade.  The percentage of these items is as follows: Each exam will constitute 20% of your total grade; the final will constitute 20% of your total grade; the total of the quizzes will constitute 40% of your total grade.  No single item on this list of projects will make or break your grade.  You are expected to complete and turn in all of these items during the duration of the semester.  Please be aware that the exams, and the final each constitute 2 letter grades in the overall assessment of your progress in the semester.  If you fail to complete any of these particular assignments, this will diminish your potential overall grade by two letter grades.

The University policies on cheating on exams, plagiarism of written work and disruptions of class will be enforced.  The penalties range from censure to expulsion.  Please familiarize yourself with these policies. They can be found on pages 7 and 8 of the Student Handbook.  Please note that should this become an issue, I will enforce the University’s policies.

Overall, I expect that you will conduct yourself with maturity.  Class time is a precious commodity.  Please respect it and your fellow students.  Should you have some disagreement with me about how to work a given problem, please take this up with me in my office.  In class disagreements must be deferred to post-class time in order to be fair to everyone involved.

Do not use or bring cellular phones or personal pagers to class.  If you feel you must have a cell phone with you, please turn the ringer off.  Since there are 50 people in this section, we must uphold this rule in order for class to proceed.  Lap top computers, or other such devices, are fine to bring to regularly scheduled class meetings for the purposes of taking notes.  Lap top computers are not to be brought to exams.

*Wagrag Productions 2003