Critical Thinking and Writing

PHILOSOPHY 1 CRITICAL THINKING AND WRITING FALL 2016

Instructor – Dr. Jason Chang Units – 5 Email – [email protected] Transfer status – CSU/UC Web site – http://jasonmchang.com Meetings – TTH 12:00-1:50pm in 3403

Course Description: This course develops understanding of informal logic and practical reasoning skills necessary for academic success, including tools needed to analyze information from a variety of sources such as academic essays, philosophic literature, news media and advertising. In addition, this course focuses on skills of argumentation including, but not limited to, elements of an argument, deductive and inductive forms of argumentation, the evaluation of arguments and the recognition of a variety of fallacies. Skills are developed through a series of written assignments of increasing scope and difficulty culminating in a sophisticated argumentative essay.

Student Learning Outcomes:  Determine if a passage contains an argument  Identify informal fallacies within a passage  Evaluate an argument for its soundness or cogency  Write a composition presenting a well-reasoned argument defending a position on a controversial issue.

Course Requirements: Below are the course requirements in detail.

I. “Daily” Work

1. Homework (including in-class exercises) (15%) – On most days, there will be a homework assignment to be completed by the next class. Homework will be collected in class at random. No late assignments will be accepted (unless the absence is excused).

1 2. Participation (10%) – The quality of student participation in class will be assessed. Participation includes in-class participation and online activity. II. Exams, Papers, Projects

3. Group presentation (15%) – There will be one 45 minute group presentation on an article from the professional literature.

4. Exams (40%) – There will be two in-class exams. Each exam is worth 20 percent.

5. Term paper (20%) – There will be one 5-6 page paper due at the end of the quarter. A completed rough draft of the paper will be due several weeks before the final due date.

Hybrid Hours: This course includes one lecture hybrid hour per week. This hybrid hour is conducted via the Internet (on ETUDES) and not in a face-to-face class session on campus. Student participation for this hybrid hour is mandatory. In order to fulfill the participation requirements for this hybrid hour, students are expected to complete online activities each week. These online activities might include but are not limited to:

 Watching a video lecture  Participating in an online discussion  Watching a film  Taking a short quiz

To access our ETUDES web site, complete the following steps:

1) Visit https://myetudes.org/portal 2) Enter your ETUDES ID (same as your student ID) and your password.

More specific log in instructions: http://www.foothill.edu/fga/logininstructions.php

If you’re having difficulty logging in, visit http://foothill.helpdeskconnect.com/. Phone support (650-949-7446) is available Monday through Friday during regular office hours.

Grading: The following scale will be used to assess student performance: A = 92.5-100%; A- = 90-92.4%; B+ = 87.5-89.9%; B = 82.5-87.4%; B- = 80-82.4%.... and so on. Scores of less than 60% and/or failure to take one or more exams will result in an F for the course.

Attendance & Tardiness Policies: Attendance is mandatory. Students will be allowed three unexcused absences; each unexcused absence thereafter may result in 3 percent deduction from the student’s overall course grade. Also, please make every effort to arrive to class on time. Two “tardies” amount to one unexcused absence.

2 Note about excused absences: You may petition to have an absence “excused” by providing all three of the following: (1) An email before class notifying me of your absence; (2) necessary documentation (doctor’s note, etc.); (3) a one page paper arguing why your absence should be excused. The instructor will decide whether to excuse your absence based on the cogency of your argument.

Late Assignment and Make-Up Policy: In general, late assignments will not be accepted and make-up exams will not be permitted. (An assignment is considered “late” after the point at which it is collected in class.) Exceptions to this rule will be made in the event of an excused absence.

Readings: 1. Custom Textbook. (Available at Campus Bookstore) 2. Selected readings made available through http://jasonmchang.com. Course Schedule:

Arguments and Critical Thinking SESSION TOPICS READING ASSIGNMENTS DUE

Tue 9/26 Course introduction

What is an argument?

[Exercise – Intro to arguments]

Thu 9/28 Deductive vs. inductive arguments pp. 33-39

[Exercise – Argument forms]

Fri 9/29 Video Lecture: Arguments vs. non- pp. 14-25 (Online) arguments

Take quiz

Tue 10/4 Validity, soundness, strength, cogency pp. 44-53 pp. 40-43: 1-15, 25-30

[Exercise – Examples]

Thu 10/6 Diagramming arguments, Part I pp. 53-54: 1-15 pp. 54-55: 1-15

3 pp. 56-57: 1-20

Fri 10/7 Video Lecture: Tips for diagramming (Online) arguments

Take quiz

Tue 10/11 Diagramming arguments, Part II Diagramming arguments I [web site] [Exercises]

Thu 10/13 Language and rhetoric Diagramming arguments II [web site]

Fri 10/14 Video Lecture: (Online) Character – Virtues and vices

Watch film: 12 Angry Men

Tue 10/18 Fallacies I: Irrelevance pp. 122-133

Thu 10/20 Fallacies II: Weak induction pp. 138-149 pp. 133-135: 1-25

Fri 10/21 Finish watching 12 Angry Men (Online) Work on 12 Angry Men paper

Tue 10/25 Fallacies III: Presumption, ambiguity, pp. 156-170 Submit 12 Angry Men analogy paper

pp. 149-150: 1-15 pp. 151-154: 1-20

Thu 10/27 Review session pp. 170-172: 1-25

Fri 10/28 Take Quiz – Fallacies in ads and pop (Online) culture

Tue 11/1 MIDTERM EXAM

4 Applied Topic I: Abortion SESSION TOPICS READING ASSIGNMENTS DUE

Thu 11/3 Abortion, Part 1: Do Fetuses Count? Warren. “On Article summary [web Warren. “On the Moral and Legal the Moral site] Status of Abortion” and Legal Status of Abortion” [web site]

Fri 11/4 Online discussion: (Online) Moral status of the fetus

Tue 11/8 Abortion, Part 2: Do Fetuses Count? Marquis. Article summary [web Marquis. “Why Abortion is Immoral” “Why site] Abortion is Immoral” [web site]

Thu 11/10 Abortion, Part 3: Thomson’s Thomson. “A Article summary [web Argument Defense of site] Thomson. “A Defense of Abortion” Abortion” [web site]

Fri 11/11 Online discussion: (Online) Thomson’s argument

Applied Topic II: The Death Penalty SESSION TOPICS READING ASSIGNMENTS DUE

Tue 11/15 Group A presentations Van Den Article summary [web Haag. “On site] Death penalty: “On Deterrence and the Deterrence Death Penalty” and the Death Penalty”

5 [web site]

Thu 11/17 Group B presentation Pojman. “In Article summary [web Defense of site] Death penalty: “In Defense of the the Death Death Penalty” Penalty” [web site]

Fri 11/18 Video Lecture: (Online) Writing a persuasive paper

Take quiz

Tue 11/22 Group C presentation Nathanson. Article summary [web “Why We site] Death Penalty: “Why We Should Put Should Put the Death Penalty to Rest” the Death Penalty to Rest” [web site]

Thu 11/24 HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Fri 11/25 HAPPY BLACK FRIDAY! (Online)

Applied Topic III: Animal Rights SESSION TOPICS READING ASSIGNMENTS DUE

Tue 11/29 Group D presentation Singer. “All Article summary [web Animals are site] Animal rights: “All Animals are Equal” Equal” [web site]

Thu 12/1 Group E presentation Warren. Article summary [web “The Rights site] Animal rights. “The Rights of the of the Nonhuman World” Nonhuman

6 World” [web site]

Fri 12/2 Online discussion: (Online) Animal rights

Tue 12/6 Paper workshop Bring 5 copies of a rough draft

Thu 12/8 Group F presentation Rachels. Article summary [web “The Moral site] Animal rights: “The Moral Argument Argument for Vegetarianism” for Vegetarianis m”

Frey. “Moral Vegetarianis m…”

Tue 12/13 FINAL EXAM 1:00-3:00pm

Fri 12/16 Email papers to [email protected] no later than 11:55pm

Withdrawal from Class: Per the 2015-16 college catalog: “You are responsible for initiating the official add/drop process and for notifying both the instructor and Admissions & Records Office (Room 8101). Do not rely on an instructor to add you to a course or to drop you if you stop attending. To ensure that you are properly registered or dropped from a class and do not receive a substandard grade, you are responsible for dropping the class by the appropriate deadline. Verify your current enrollment status by accessing your MyPortal.fda.edu account.”

Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is necessary for an institution of student learning such as Foothill College to function properly. Academic dishonesty – whether in the form of plagiarism, cheating on exams, etc. – undermines the academic environment that Foothill aims to foster and, therefore, will not be tolerated. Students who engage in academic dishonesty will receive a zero on the particular

7 assignment or exam and possibly fail the course. It is at the instructor’s discretion whether the case will be forward to the Dean.

Student Disciplinary Procedures and Grievance Policy: Details about student disciplinary procedures and grievance policy can be found starting on p. 55 in the 2015-16 college catalog.

Special Accommodations: Students in this course who have a documented disability that may impact work in this class and require special accommodations should make an appointment with the Disabilities Resource Center (room 5400) and notify me during the first week of class. The DRC can be reached at (650) 949-7017. Both the DRC and I will implement whatever accommodations needed to provide equal opportunity to learning and other academic outcomes.