CSU Philosophy 4: Critical Thinking Fall 2009 Section 6: MW 1:30-2:45 Instructor: David Freelove Office: 3032 Mendocino Wednesday, 3:00-4:00; Friday, 9:00-9:50 Office Hours: E-mail: freelove@csus.edu Catalog Description: Study of the basic skills of good reasoning needed for the intelligent and responsible conduct of life. Topics include: argument structure and identification, validity and strength of arguments, common fallacies of reasoning, use and abuse of language in reasoning, principles of fair play in argumentation. 3 units Satisfies General Education Area A3: Critical Thinking The knowledge and skills to be studied in this course include: - Logical analysis and the identification and construction of arguments. - Understanding logical relations, in particular the relations between premises and conclusions. - Recognizing the more common forms of formal and informal fallacies. - Evaluating the relevance, validity, and strength of arguments. - Understanding the logical structure of deductive and inductive arguments. - Awareness of the abuses of language, including connotation, ambiguity, and definition. - Recognizing arguments in a variety of contexts, including other disciplines as well as in public affairs. - Improve the ability to find out what one needs to ‘information competence’: know in order to have a responsible position on an issue. - Acquiring an immunity to propaganda. - Developing not only the capacity but the disposition to use good reasoning in a variety of contexts. - Developing a sense of fairness and respect for opposing positions. Learning Objectives: At the end of the course the student should have the ability to: - Locate the argument in a passage. - Detect errors of reasoning and explain how the reasoning is in error. - Engage in cogent and respectful discussion. - Analyze specific arguments for consistency and credibility. - Apply good reasoning to issues in professional and personal contexts. - Evaluate evidence and and make appropriate inferences from that evidence. - Determine what evidence is necessary and know how to find that evidence, if possible.
CSU Philosophy 4: Critical Thinking Fall 2009 Section 6: MW 1:30-2:45 Instructor: David Freelove Office: 3032 Mendocino Office Hours: Wednesday, 3:00-4:00; Friday, 9:00-9:50 E-mail: freelove@csus.edu Catalog Description: Study of the basic skills of good reasoning needed for the intelligent and responsible conduct of life. Topics include: argument structure and identification, validity and strength of arguments, common fallacies of reasoning, use and abuse of language in reasoning, principles of fair play in argumentation. 3 units Satisfies General Education Area A3: Critical Thinking The knowledge and skills to be studied in this course include: - Logical analysis and the identification and construction of arguments. - Understanding logical relations, in particular the relations between premises and conclusions. - Recognizing the more common forms of formal and informal fallacies. - Evaluating the relevance, validity, and strength of arguments. - Understanding the logical structure of deductive and inductive arguments. - Awareness of the abuses of language, including connotation, ambiguity, and definition. - Recognizing arguments in a variety of contexts, including other disciplines as well as in public affairs. - Improve ‘information competence’: the ability to find out what one needs to know in order to have a responsible position on an issue. - Acquiring an immunity to propaganda. - Developing not only the capacity but the disposition to use good reasoning in a variety of contexts. - Developing a sense of fairness and respect for opposing positions. Learning Objectives: At the end of the course the student should have the ability to: - Locate the argument in a passage. - Detect errors of reasoning and explain how the reasoning is in error. - Engage in cogent and respectful discussion. - Analyze specific arguments for consistency and credibility. - Apply good reasoning to issues in professional and personal contexts. - Evaluate evidence and and make appropriate inferences from that evidence. - Determine what evidence is necessary and know how to find that evidence, if possible.