PHIL 120 Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking is designed to improve students' ability to reason well. Students will study the nature, structure, and purpose of valid arguments, identify common fallacies and mistakes, and determine when to use various forms of reasoning (e.g., deductive, inductive, and abductive). Students will sharpen their understanding of these concepts by analyzing and assessing arguments in the courts, news, and other contemporary media.
Prerequisites: English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12 or ENGL 60 with a minimum grade of 60%
Accessibility Services Notice
Students who would like an academic accommodation and who have a documented disability should contact Accessibility Services, if they have not already done so.Course Details| Total number of weeks | 15 |
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| Total Credits | |
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| Total Hours | 45 |
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Typical hours per week breakdown| Lecture | 3 |
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Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the learner will be able to:
- Participate in activities and discussions about arguments and critical thinking in a respectful and collegial manner
- Identify and explain the parts, structure, and purpose of sound and cogent arguments
- Identify and explain common fallacies in reasoning
- Analyze invalid and weak forms of argumentation
- Distinguish between deductive, inductive, and abductive reasoning
- Recognize when to use various forms of reasoning
- Critically analyze arguments in political, legal, and contemporary media content
- Formulate arguments that use evidence and reason to support claims
Teaching and Learning Approach
The School of University Arts and Sciences at Selkirk College expects that each of its courses will facilitate both
the acquisition and the application of a body of knowledge and skills appropriate to each academic discipline. In
addition, the School places a high value on a wider set of skills, which support the lifelong learning that leads to
success in the workplace. These include the cognitive skills necessary to read proficiently, to be effective in oral,
written, and computer communications, to work constructively with others, to think critically and act logically. The
Arts curriculum is designed to develop these generic skills progressively, beginning at a relatively modest level in
introductory courses, and requiring a successively higher level of proficiency and independence in more
advanced courses. Assessment of these generic skills will form an important part of student evaluation in this
course, as it does in all Arts courses.Learning Resources
Required:
Kelly, D. and Hutchins, D. (2021) The Art of Reasoning: An Introduction to Logic. 5th Ed. New York: W. W. Norton
& Company
Required:
Additional articles, videos, and readings will be available online.Detailed Course Content, Topics, and Sequence Covered
1. The Value of Logic and Critical Thinking; Thinking about Language
2. Elements of Reasoning and Diagramming Arguments
3. Evaluating and Distilling Arguments
4. Fallacies
5. Fallacies and Cognitive Biases
6. Test One
7. READING WEEK
8. Deductive Reasoning - Statement Forms, Syllogisms, and Validity
9. Deductive Reasoning - Propositional Logic, Truth Functional Connectives
10. Deductive Reasoning - Testing for Validity and Natural Deduction
11. TEST TWO
12. Inductive Reasoning - Generalizations and Causal Reasoning
13. Inductive Reasoning - Analogical, Legal and Moral Reasoning
14. Inductive Reasoning - Explanations and Science
15. Final ExamAssessment
| Title | Learning Outcomes | Value |
|---|
| Participation | (assessing learning outcome 1) | 5% |
| Quizzes Homework | (assessing learning outcomes 2, 3, 4, 5) (assessing learning outcomes 2 | 10 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| Assignments | 8) | 20% |
| Test One | (assessing learning outcomes 2, 8) | 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 20 |
| Test Two | (assessing learning outcomes 2, 8) | 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 20 |
| Final Exam | (assessing learning outcomes 2, 8) | 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 25 |
| Total | 100% |
Grading Table
Standard Academic and Career Programs Grading Table
| Percentage |
Letter Grade |
GPA |
| 90-100 |
A+ |
4.33 |
| 85-89 |
A |
4.00 |
| 80-84 |
A- |
3.67 |
| 76-79 |
B+ |
3.33 |
| 72-75 |
B |
3.00 |
| 68-71 |
B- |
2.67 |
| 64-67 |
C+ |
2.33 |
| 60-63 |
C |
2.00 |
| 55-59 |
C- |
1.67 |
| 50-54 |
P |
1.00 |
| 0-49 |
F |
0.00 |
| |
DNW |
0.00 |
See the Academic Calendar for General Information including how to withdraw from course(s) and other regulations.
Disclaimer
Information contained in this course outline is correct at the time of publication. Content of the course is revised on an ongoing basis to ensure relevance to changing educational, employment and market needs. The instructor will endeavor to provide notice of changes to students as soon as possible. The instructor reserves the right to add or delete material from courses.