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HY8002 Syllabus

This document is a draft syllabus for a logic and critical thinking course at NTU for the 2020-21 academic year. The course will be taught online and cover topics such as categorical logic, sentential logic, statistical reasoning, and fallacies. Assessments will include two tests, participation assignments, and a final exam. The goals of the course are for students to develop skills in logical reasoning, distinguishing between inductive and deductive arguments, examining issues from different perspectives, and thinking critically. The syllabus provides information on the instructor, course structure, schedule, expectations, and assessments. Students are asked to provide introductory information and questions for the instructor.

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ZY Tan
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65 views4 pages

HY8002 Syllabus

This document is a draft syllabus for a logic and critical thinking course at NTU for the 2020-21 academic year. The course will be taught online and cover topics such as categorical logic, sentential logic, statistical reasoning, and fallacies. Assessments will include two tests, participation assignments, and a final exam. The goals of the course are for students to develop skills in logical reasoning, distinguishing between inductive and deductive arguments, examining issues from different perspectives, and thinking critically. The syllabus provides information on the instructor, course structure, schedule, expectations, and assessments. Students are asked to provide introductory information and questions for the instructor.

Uploaded by

ZY Tan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DRAFT of HY8002 Syllabus for AY2020-21 Sem 2; Subject to change at any time due

to changing requirements and restrictions resulting from COVID-19.


HY 8002
Logic and Critical Thinking
AY 2020-21 Sem 2

Course Information
Meeting time and place: Online; Lectures to be posted on Mondays and Wednesdays at 1:30
Instructor: Emi Okayasu, [email protected]
Office Hours: Online by appointment

Course Goals
We all have our reasons for doing certain actions and believing certain things. The purpose of
this course is to give you tools to help you to think critically (and well) about how you (and
others) use reasons to come to conclusions: How can we identify good (and bad) reasons in
support of a conclusion? How do we prove that our reasons are good support for our
conclusions? Is it possible to quantify how much better one reason is than another?
The goals of this course are for you to:
• Acquire and use basic logical terminology (e.g. argument, conclusion, validity,
soundness, cogency, and fallacy)
• Understand the distinction between inductive and deductive argumentation
• Develop an appreciation of critical thinking in both private and public decision-making.
• Examine issues from different perspectives and understand the complexity surrounding
various issues in the real world.
• Think critically, ask relevant questions, identify fallacies, offer meaningful critiques, and
construct good arguments.

Over the course of the semester, we’ll cover a variety of different topics that have been
developed to help us achieve these goals, including categorical logic, basic sentential logic,
statistical and probabilistic reasoning, and psychological and rhetorical fallacies. The best way to
learn the course material is through regular practice and review of the material.

Required Texts
There is no required textbook for the class. However, there may be occasional reading
assignments posted on NTULearn.

Special Accommodations
I want each student to have the best shot possible at learning the material in this course. To that
end, please let me know if there is something I can do to accommodate your learning needs (e.g.
provide supplementary reading material or extra practice problems). If you have official
documentation, please show it to me within the first two weeks of classes.
DRAFT of HY8002 Syllabus for AY2020-21 Sem 2; Subject to change at any time due
to changing requirements and restrictions resulting from COVID-19.
Cheating of any kind, including plagiarism, will not be tolerated. If you are found to be in
violation of the University’s policies governing academic dishonesty, you will be penalized in
accordance with University guidelines.

Assessments
• Two tests, conducted online
o First two tests will be conducted via NTULearn and are worth 25% each.
• In-class participation assignments (“midnight assignments”) 25%
o Throughout the class, I’ll assign smaller responses designed to help you engage
with the class content and develop your own well-reasoned views on the material.
These will be due before midnight on the day the lecture is posted
• Final Exam, conducted IN PERSON
o The final exam will be cumulative and is worth 25%.
• No extra credit will be offered for this class.

Course Units
• Unit 1: Logic and Deduction
• Unit 2: Induction and Probability
• Unit 3: Fallacies and Good Argumentation

If you have a problem…


If you wish to discuss problems concerning the teaching of this course, please contact the
instructor as soon as possible. If you wish to further pursue your complaint with someone else,
you should contact Teru Miyake, Chair of the Philosophy Department.

Questions?
Feel free to contact Emi at the email address listed above. For all questions asked by email,
please allow 24 hours for a response. For questions about course content, I find that 99% of the
time, it’s easier to talk it out in person, so if you have a question about the material, please feel
free to set up an online video chat with me. I don’t bite!
DRAFT of HY8002 Syllabus for AY2020-21 Sem 2; Subject to change at any time due
to changing requirements and restrictions resulting from COVID-19.
Tentative Course Schedule*
*This schedule is meant to serve as a guideline for the semester and is subject to change at Emi’s
(or the University’s) discretion. As restrictions relating to meetings are liable to change with the
evolving COVID-19 situation, I will do my best to stick to this schedule, especially the dates for
Tests 1, 2, and 3. Any changes will be posted on the NTULearn announcements page and
announced by email.

Week Day Topics


M, Jan 11 Day 1: Introduction
1
W, Jan 13 Day 2: Sentence relations & Aristotelian logic
M, Jan 18 Day 3: Translations & arguments with categorical sentences
2
W, Jan 20 Day 4: Proving validity/invalidity of categorical arguments
M, Jan 25 Day 5: Existential import & more on Venn diagrams
3
W, Jan 27 Day 6: Introduction to Sentential Logic
M, Feb 1 Day 7: More on Sentential Logic
4
W, Feb 3 Day 8: Truth tables
M, Feb 8 Day 9: Using truth tables to do stuff
5
W, Feb 10 Day 10: Truth tables and validity
M, Feb 15 Day 11: Argument forms
6
W, Feb 17 Day 12: Test 1 review—LIVE Q&A during lecture time
M, Feb 22 Test 1: 13:30-15:00 on NTULearn
7
W, Feb 24 Day 13: Introduction to induction and probability
Spring Recess
M, Mar 8 Day 14: Probability basics
8
W, Mar 10 Day 15: Conditional probability and ToTP
M, Mar 15 Day 16: Bayes’ rule & base rates
9
W, Mar 17 Day 17: Bayes’ rule applications & confirmation
M, Mar 22 Day 18: Other applications of Bayes’ Rule
10
W, Mar 24 Day 19: Probability application: Decision Theory
M, Mar 29 Day 20: Test 2 review—LIVE Q&A during lecture time
11
W, Mar 31 Test 2
M, Apr 5 Day 21: Intro to fallacies & Rhetorical fallacies
12
W, Apr 7 Day 22: Statistical fallacies
M, Apr 12 Day 23: Cognitive/Psychological fallacies
13
W, Apr 14 Day 24: Disagreement
Exam T, Apr 27 Final Exam, 5-7 PM
DRAFT of HY8002 Syllabus for AY2020-21 Sem 2; Subject to change at any time due
to changing requirements and restrictions resulting from COVID-19.
Congratulations on making it to the end of the syllabus! Please answer the following questions
and submit on NTULearn!

• Name (how can I address you?), where you’re from, Major/year


• Three things you’re seriously interested in (can be serious or not)
o (e.g. my three are plastic in oceans, Pokemon (Gen1 and 2 ONLY), and
geography trivia)
• Why are you taking this class? What do you expect/want to learn?
• What do you want to be when you grow up?
• How do you learn material best?
• Ask me (Emi) anything:
• Is there anything about you that I as your instructor should know about you in this
course?

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