• Instructor: G. Randolph Mayes 

• Campus Phone: 278-7588 

• Office: Mendocino 3028 

• E-mail: mayesgr@csus.edu 

• Office Hours: MW 7:50 to 9:50 AM, or by appointment..

• Website:  www.csus.edu/indiv/m/mayesgr

• AIM/Google Talk: grandolphmayes
  

Catalogue Description

A 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. This course satisfies General Education Area A3.

Learning Objectives

Anytime you  say "Because..." you are about to give a reason for something.  Logic is the study of how to do this correctly.  You  already have an intuitive understanding of good reasoning.  In this class you will build on this understanding and emerge with an explicit grasp of logical concepts, a subtle understanding of logical relations and a sophisticated ability to do rigorous logical analysis.

In this course we will learn two basic skills:

Logical Analysis

We will learn a vocabulary and a technique for representing the precise logical relationships that exist between reasons and conclusions. Beyond developing a certain technical expertise, our overarching aim is to learn to represent a person's reasoning fairly and completely, regardless whether we agree or disagree with the conclusion(s) the reasoning is intended to support.

Logical Criticism

We will learn various standard ways in which people are led to draw conclusions that are not well-supported by the reasons given. More generally, we will learn how to critique a person's reasoning in ways that are rational, balanced and constructive, rather than emotionally charged, tendentious and combative.

As a result of acquiring these skills you will improve your ability to:

1. Locate the argument and explanations in a passage;
2. Detect errors of reasoning and explain how the reasoning is in error;
3. Evaluate reasoning and make appropriate inferences from reasons given;
4. Construct and defend arguments and explanations in support of or in opposition to a proposition;
5. Argue fairly and to handle bias, emotion, and propaganda.

Assignment Format Requirements

• All work must be neatly presented and proofread for typographical errors.
• All work done outside of class must be typed.
• Assignments with multiple pages must be stapled.
• All work must demonstrate a college-level comprehension of English.
• Assignments that fail to meet the above criteria will be assessed a 10% reduction for each type of violation.

Attendance

Most students who do not attend this class on a regular basis fail it.  Therefore, if you prefer to not fail the class you should plan on attending  class on a regular basis.

Collaboration and Academic Honesty

I encourage  cooperative learning  in this class but all written work submitted must be your own. Tests and analyses that exhibit unusual similarities, even in places, will be summarily failed.  The University's academic honesty policy may be found at  http://www.csus.edu/admbus/umanual/UMA00150.htm

Late Policy and Makeup Tests

Take home assignments

Late take-home assignments are downgraded by 10% for every day they are late, with no assignment being accepted more than 2 days late. This means, for example, that if an assignment is due on Wednesday at noon,  then it may not be turned in later than Friday at noon.  As the class does not meet on Friday, this will entail submitting the assignment by e-mail (see e-mail submissions below). 

In-class assignments.

There are no make-ups for quizzes/tests administered in class.  A student who is not present for an in-class assignment will receive a zero on that assignment. 

E-mail Submissions

Unless otherwise noted, e-mail submissions are acceptable only as a way of stopping the late clock.  The time of an e-mail submission is recorded is the time it reaches the Saclink server.  You are responsible for any technological difficulties encountered through this mode of submission.  You must follow any e-mail submission with hardcopy at the next class meeting.  Failure to do this nullifies prior stopping of the late clock.  Please write the time and date of the e-mail submission on your hardcopy.

Course Requirements

Assignments

Your grade in this course will be based on the best 5 of 7 analyses and the best 10 of 13 quizzes.  The analyses are worth 10 points each and will be done outside of class.  The quizzes are worth 5 points each and will be given during class. The quizzes will be unannounced, but will occur on average once a week starting after the 2nd week. There is no final exam.

Grading

Your final grade is based on 100 pts.  In calculating your final grade fractional point totals are rounded up to the nearest whole point. Grades are assigned on a standard scale with minuses (-) added to scores ending in 0 and 1 and plusses (+) added to scores ending in 8 or 9. Note: You and only you are responsible for monitoring your performance in this course. Be sure to pay close attention to the drop deadline. Do not hesitate to talk to me if you are experiencing problems at any time during this course.

Course Materials

Required Software:  Rationale 2.0 by Austhink.

The procedure for purchasing this software is as follows.  Go here and download a free trial version of the software.  The trial version is fully functional, but it will expire in 30 days and it also will constantly remind you to buy the software until that time.  After you download the software you can buy it for  $29.00 here.  You can use PayPal or a major credit card.  Either way, click on the PayPal icon when you are ready to pay.  If you do not have a PayPal account, you will see an option to pay with a credit card.  The $29.00 price is for students at CSUS, and it will expire on September 30th.  After that, the cost is $69.00, so buy it right away.

Note, this software runs on Windows, so if you use a Mac you will need to either know how to run Windows programs on your Mac or have access to a PC for the purpose of this class. 

Required Texts

There is no hard-copy book for this course.  All course materials not contained on Rationale 2.0 are distributed through the instructor's website.

Students with Special Needs

Students who have special learning or testing needs must notify the instructor by the end of the second week of the semester.  Students who fall into this category should visit SSWD Lassen Hall 1008 (916) 278-6955 with appropriate documentation.

Course Schedule

This syllabus is subject to minor changes at the instructor's discretion.