PHIL-P150 Syllabus

PHIL-P 150 – Elementary Logic
Spring 2013

Instructor Name: Gianluca Di Muzio
Email: gdimuzio@iun.edu     
Phone: (219) 980-6669

See the **Course Guide/Schedule**for
session themes, readings, resources, and all assignment due dates.

Course Description

PHIL-P 150 will transform you from an average thinker into someone who makes full use of his or her thinking ability. You will learn how to harness the power of logic in order to reason more effectively about any subject matter that interests you. You will also master the tools for spotting bad reasoning and fending off the attacks of anyone attempting to manipulate you or your beliefs.

Course Goals and Objectives

• Understanding the scope and significance of logic as a philosophical discipline
• Learning to recognize arguments and analyze their structure
• Learning a symbolic language designed to exhibit the structure of arguments
• Evaluating arguments using a variety of techniques (informal analysis, truth tables, diagrams, proofs, etc.)
• Becoming familiar with the most typical errors in reasoning

Course Materials 

Required Text
Patrick J. Hurley, A Concise Introduction to Logic, 11^th Ed., Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.

Grading Information 

Grades will be determined as shown in the following assignment chart.  Detailed descriptions of assignments are available below and from the assignment links in the chart. Due dates are detailed in the Course Schedule.

Class Policies Regarding Graded Work 

**The following policies are in effect for all individual deliverables throughout the semester, unless noted otherwise. **

***Late Policy***

Homework will be posted in the “Announcements” section of our Oncourse website. To ensure the fair and equal treatment of all students, late homework is not accepted. To ensure that students are not penalized for those few instances where circumstances beyond their control prevent them from turning in their homework altogether, your two lowest homework scores will be dropped from your total score for the class.

***Extra Credit Policy***

Extra credit exercises will be built into homework and exams. No extra credit assignments will be available after the end of the course.

***Original Work***

Academic honesty is one of the cornerstones of the IU Northwest community. You will learn and make progress in the course only if your work is 100% your own. It is OK to make mistakes, ask for guidance, and improve. It is not OK to cut corners, cheat, or pass off someone else’s work as your own. All cases of academic dishonesty will be referred to the office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.

***Incompletes***

The grade of Incomplete is a last resort. It is only assigned when (1) a student has completed all the work for the course, (2) the work is of passing quality, and (3) a documentable emergency prevents the students from completing an important assignment at the end (for example, the final exam). If these three conditions do not all occur, a grade of Incomplete cannot be issued. Please remember that, if you have an Incomplete, the time frame for completing the missing requirement is one year. After that time, the Incomplete is converted to an F.

NOTE: The instructor will keep students apprised of assignment grades via the online class Grade book. Students are responsible for contacting the instructor if they do not receive any grade by 10 days after the assignment submission date.

Course Requirements

Weekly homework, three exams, class participation (individual and group).

**All due dates are noted in the Course Guide/Schedule.**

Individual and Group Class Participation (15% of course grade)

Exams (60% of course grade)

Homework (25% of course grade)

IU Academic Policies 

This course is governed by IU academic policies in the following areas:

• Grading Guidelines
• Writing Standards
• Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
• Course Evaluations
• Students With Disabilities

GRADING GUIDELINES

A (90-100) = Excellent
B (80-89) = Good
C (70-79) = Below standards
F (69 or below) = Failure
FN = Failure for nonattendance
I = Incomplete
W = Withdrew

Additional Information 

SUCCESSFUL STUDY USING ONCOURSE

The home page of Oncourse has links, video tutorials and several tips and updates to help you navigate the website. IU has prepared a reference page containing links to information about a variety of resources to help you function successfully in your online Oncourse class.

Right to Accommodation for Individuals with Disabilities

Indiana University is committed to creating a learning environment and academic community that promotes educational opportunities for all individuals, including those with disabilities. Course directors are asked to make reasonable accommodations, upon request by the student or the university, for such disabilities. It is the responsibility of students with documented physical or learning disabilities seeking accommodation to notify their course directors and the relevant campus office that deals with such cases in a timely manner concerning the need for such accommodation. Indiana University will make reasonable accommodations for access to programs, services, and facilities as outlined by applicable state and federal laws.

Campus support office:

Student Support Services, HH 239, (219) 980-6798
Student Support Services www.iun.edu/~supportn