UWG Philosophy Program

 

PHIL 4160

SYMBOLIC LOGIC (3 hours)

Spring Semester 2010

TR 9:30-10:50am (Pafford 308)

Prerequisites: PHIL 2020 (Critical Thinking)

Web Site: http://www.westga.edu/~rlane/symbolic

Email: rlane “at” westga “dot” edu

Instructor: Dr. Robert Lane, TLC 2247

Office Hours:

            T: 8:30-9:15am; 11am-12:15pm; 3:30-4pm

W: 9:15-9:55am; 1-3pm

R: 8:30-9:15am; 11am-12:15pm; 3:30-4pm

and by appointment

My office telephone: (678) 839-4745
Phil. Program office telephone: (678) 839-4744

 

UWG Severe Weather Policy

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION: An introduction to the application of symbolic methods to reasoning, covering sentential logic and predicate logic. Students will learn how to translate ordinary language sentences and arguments into the notation of symbolic logic, determine the truth value of compound sentences, distinguish among various valid and invalid argument forms, and demonstrate whether an argument in symbolic form is valid or invalid.

 

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of the semester, each student will be able to:

·         translate ordinary-language statements and arguments into the language of sentential logic and predicate logic, and vice versa;

·         determine the truth-value of a compound sentence using the truth table method;

·         distinguish among tautologies, contingent sentences and contradictions using the truth table method;

·         distinguish between valid and invalid argument forms, using the truth table method and the proof method; and

·         demonstrate that a given argument in symbolic form is deductively valid or invalid.

These course-specific learning outcomes contribute to the departmental learning outcomes of the Philosophy Program by enabling students better to

·         incorporate philosophical positions in oral and written communications; and

·         critically outline and analyze a philosophical question.

 

 

METHODS OF INSTRUCTION: This is primarily a lecture course, but each class meeting will require a great deal of student participation. On most class days, you will be assigned both exercises from your textbook and a reading assignment. At the beginning of each class, we will review the exercises assigned for that day. You should be prepared to participate by explaining how you answered or solved each question or problem. You may sometimes be required to write your answer/solution on the board. Since the answers to all even-numbered questions/problems are in the back of your textbook, we will typically go over only the odd-numbered questions/problems in class. Your preparedness with regard to these exercises will count toward the “class participation” portion of your grade. After this review of exercises, I will lecture on the material you’ve been assigned to read for that day. You should be prepared to ask at this time any questions you may have about the reading assignment. At the end of each class, I will assign new exercises and a new reading assignment for the following class.

 

 

TEXTS:

·         Hausman, Kahane and Tidman, Logic and Philosophy: A Modern Introduction, 11th ed. (0495601586). This textbook is accompanied by a downloadable computer program, LogicCoach, available at

 

http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=9780495601586

 

However, this program crashes quite a bit, in my experience, so you should not rely on it. The bulk of your energy should be spent engaging in traditional learning methods: reading the book, working the exercises and recording your work by hand, coming to class, asking questions in class, and, if needed, meeting with me during my office hours.

 

 

EVALUATION:

·         Three in-class examinations (20% each)

·         Comprehensive final examination (30%)

·         Class participation (10%)

·         GRADING SCALE:

100 – 90.1%  A        90.0 – 80.1%  B             80.0 – 70.1%  C             70.0 – 60.1%  D             60.0 - 0%   F

 

 

MISSED TESTS / EXTRA CREDIT:

·         If you know that you will need to miss class on a day on which a test is scheduled (for example, due to a UWG sponsored event), you must let me know about your absence as far in advance as possible so that we can schedule another day and time for you to take the test (or a make-up test). If you miss a test without receiving my explicit permission beforehand and making arrangements for a make-up test, you will be permitted to take a make-up test if and only if one of the following conditions applies: (a) Your absence was due to illness or injury serious enough to require professional medical care and which prevented you from contacting me before the test; or (b) Your absence was due to other extenuating circumstances beyond your control. I will determine on a case-by-case basis what constitutes "extenuating circumstances beyond your control." You may be required to provide documentation pertaining to your absence before you are allowed to take a make-up test. Make-up tests will usually be longer and potentially more difficult than the original test that you missed.

·         Extra-credit work will not be given under any circumstances.

 

 

ATTENDANCE, LATE ARRIVAL, EARLY DEPARTURE [UPDATED FEBRUARY 8]

·         You may miss four class meetings with no effect on your grade. Beginning with your fifth absence, you will lose five points from your final average for every class meeting you miss. This policy applies to the first week of class, even for days on which you have not yet registered for the class. I will make exceptions for absences necessitated by UWG-sponsored events or by other circumstances that were absolutely outside your control. However, I will make these exceptions only if ALL of your absences can be accounted for in one of these ways (e.g., if you miss five classes and you have documented, acceptable reasons for missing only four classes, then your fifth absence will still count against you). Documentation will be required in all cases in which I make an exception to this attendance policy.

·         Students who miss 8 or more class meetings (four weeks, or one month, worth of classes) will not earn a passing grade in this course. In this case the reason for your absences is irrelevant. If you are unable to attend class for a month due to medical reasons, a family emergency, or any other reason, you should withdraw from the course; if the withdrawal date has passed, you should apply for a hardship withdrawal.

·         Beginning Thursday February 9, every late arrival to class will count as 1/2 an absence. "Late arrival to class" means showing up after I have closed the classroom door at the beginning of class, which will never happen any earlier than 9:30am. An early departure may be counted as an absence, depending on the circumstances. I will decide in each case whether an early departure counts as an absence. If you know before class that you will not be able to stay for the entire class session, please inform me of this before class and sit as close to the door as possible, so as to cause as small a distraction as possible when you leave.

·         From the UWG Undergraduate Catalog:  “Class attendance policies are determined by each instructor for his or her own classes, subject to the following principles: class attendance policies shall be stated clearly during the drop-add period; each student is responsible for everything which happens in class and is responsible for making specific arrangements with the instructor for the work missed, including that missed during illness or university-sponsored activities; students absent from class while officially representing the University should not be penalized in the calculation of final grades; students may be dropped from the class by the instructor for violation of the instructor's attendance policy with a grade of W up to the midpoint of the semester or with the grade of WF following the midpoint of the semester; any student who is unable to continue attendance in class should either drop the course, withdraw from the University, or make appropriate arrangements with the instructor; any student who must be absent for more than three successive days is required to notify the Student Development Center, Parker Hall, telephone 678-839-6428. It is also recommended that the student notify the instructor or department. Faculty members have the authority to drop students who do not contact them or attend the first two class meetings for classes which meet daily (or the first class meeting for classes which meet less frequently). Faculty do not, however, automatically drop students who miss these first classes. Students who do not intend to remain in a course must drop the course before the end of the official drop/add period. Failure to drop a course during the drop/add period may result in grades of F in courses not attended.”

 

 

COMMON COURTEY (ELECTRONICS, ETC.)

·         You may not use laptop computers, cell phones, or other electronic devices while class is in session. Turn off all laptops, cell phones, and other electronic devices before class begins.

·         Do not leave the room during class unless it is absolutely essential that you do so. Leaving the classroom while class is in session (e.g., to visit the restroom) is both disrespectful and distracting. So when you come to class, be prepared to remain in the classroom for the full duration of the class period.

·         Do not study material from other classes while this class is in session. While you are in this class, I expect your attention to be focused on it rather than on your other courses.

·         Students may be dismissed from any class meeting at which they exhibit behavior that disrupts the learning environment of others. Such behavior includes – but is not limited to – arriving late for class, allowing cell phones to ring, speaking disrespectfully to the instructor and/or to other students, and using personal audio or visual devices. Each dismissal of this kind will count as an absence and will be applied toward the attendance policy above.

 

 

DISABILITY PLEDGE

·         I pledge to do my best to work with the University to provide all students with equal access to my classes and materials, regardless of special needs, temporary or permanent disability, special needs related to pregnancy, etc.

·         If you have any special learning needs, particularly (but not limited to) needs defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and require specific accommodations, please do not hesitate to make these known to me, either yourself or through Disability Services in 272 Parker Hall.

·         Students with documented special needs may expect accommodation in relation to classroom accessibility, modification of testing, special test administration, etc. This is not only my personal commitment: it is your right, and it is the law.

·         For more information, please contact Disability Services at the University of West Georgia.

 

 

RELEVANT INFORMATION FROM THE UWG STUDENT HANDBOOK:

·         “University of West Georgia students are provided a MyUWG e-mail account. The University considers this account to be an official means of communication between the University and the student. The purpose of the official use of the student e-mail account is to provide an effective means of communicating important University related information to UWG students in a timely manner. It is the student’s responsibility to check his or her email.”

·         “At the University of West Georgia we believe that academic and personal integrity are based upon honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. Students at West Georgia assume responsibility for upholding the honor code. West Georgia students pledge to refrain from engaging in acts that do not maintain academic and personal integrity. These include, but are not limited to, plagiarism*, cheating*, fabrication*, aid of academic dishonesty, lying, bribery or threats, and stealing. Definitions:

Cheating: ‘using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or study aids’

Fabrication: “falsification or unauthorized invention of any information or citation’

Plagiarism: ‘representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own. Direct quotations must be indicated and ideas of another must be appropriately acknowledged’”

 

 

COURSE SCHEDULE: SYMBOLIC LOGIC (PHIL 4160)

 

THE FOLLOWING SCHEDULE IS TENTATIVE AND MAY CHANGE AS THE SEMESTER PROGRESSES. THIS INCLUDES TEST DATES, WHICH ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. If because of an absence you miss in-class announcements about deviations from this schedule because, you are still responsible for keeping up with test dates, due dates, and reading assignments. All readings and exercises are from Hausman, Kahane, & Tidman, Logic and Philosophy (11th ed.)

 

We will cover the "exercises due" at the beginning of each day’s class. You should complete all problems in each exercise before coming to class and check your answers to the even-numbered problems against the answers given in the back of the textbook. Typically, we will cover in class only the odd-numbered problems.

 

 

Jan.

exercises due

reading due

lecture topic

T 10

--

--

Introduction to arguments

R 12

1-1

Ch.1 (all)

Deduction and induction

T 17

1-2, 1-3

Ch.2:1-9 (pp.19-32)

Symbolizing in sentential logic

R 19

2-1, 2-2, 2-3

Ch.2:10-14 (pp.33-45)

Symbolizing in sentential logic

T 24

2-3, 2-4, 2-5, 2-6, 2-7, 2-8

Ch.3:1-2 (pp.53-62)

Truth tables

R 26

2-7, 2-8, 3-1, 3-3, 3-4, 3-5

Ch.3:3-6 (pp.63-74)

Truth tables

T 31

3-3, 3-4, 3-5, 3-6, 3-7, 3-8

--

Truth tables

 

Feb.

exercises due

reading due

lecture topic

R 2

--

--

Exam 1

T 7

--

Ch.4:1-6 (pp.86-101)

Proofs

R 9

4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, 4-5

Ch.4:7-10 (pp.103-109)

Proofs

T 14

4-6, 4-7, 4-8

Ch.4:11-12 (pp.111-121)

Proofs

R 16

4-9, 4-10, 4-11, 4-12

Ch.5:1-2 (pp.123-136)

Conditional & indirect proofs

T 21

5-1, 5-3, 5-4

Ch.5:3-5 (pp.137-140); Ch.3:7-9 (pp.74-80)

Conditional & indirect proofs

R 23

5-5, 5-6, 5-7, 3-10, 3-11

--

Conditional & indirect proofs

T 28

--

--

Exam 2

 

Mar.

exercises due

reading due

lecture topic

R 1

--

Ch.7:1-4 (pp.167-177)

Predicate logic symbolization

T 6

7-1, 7-2, 7-3, 7-4, 7-5

Ch.7:5-7, 9 (pp.178-182, 186-188)

Predicate logic symbolization

R 8

7-6, 7-7, 7-9, 7-10

Ch.8:1-2 (pp.191-95);
Ch.9:1-2 (pp.200-208)

Predicate logic semantics
Predicate logic proofs

T 13

8-1, 8-2, 9-1

Ch.9:3-5 (pp.209-219)

Predicate logic proofs

R 15

THIS CLASS DOES NOT MEET: DR. LANE IS AWAY AT A CONFERENCE

T 20

SPRING BREAK: CLASSES DO NOT MEET

R 22

SPRING BREAK: CLASSES DO NOT MEET

T 27

9-2, 9-3

Ch.9:6 (pp.220-24)

Predicate logic proofs

R 29

9-5 (#1-15 only)

--

Predicate logic proofs

 

 

Apr.

exercises due

reading due

lecture topic

T 3

--

--

Exam 3

R 5

THIS CLASS DOES NOT MEET; DR. LANE IS AWAY AT A CONFERENCE

T 10

--

Ch.10:1-2, 4 (pp.226-232, 234)

Relational predicate logic

R 12

10-1, 10-2, 10-3, 10-4 (#5-15 only)

Ch.10:5, 7-8 (pp.235-38, 241-49)

Relational predicate logic

T 17

10-6, 10-7, 10-9, 10-10; optional: 10-11

Ch.10:8 (pp.248-49); Ch.13:1-3 (pp.286-97)

Relational predicate logic; Identity, Definite Descriptions, and Properties of Relations

R 19

10-10, 10-11, 13-1, 13-2, 13-3, 13-4 (parts A & B)

--

[student evaluations]

 

FINAL EXAM: Thursday April 26, 8-10:30am

 

 

IMPORTANT DATES:

 

January 9-14                Drop/Add and late registration

March 2                        Last Day to withdraw with grade of "W"

April 19                        Last regular day this class meets

April 26                        Final exam date for this class