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Introductory Logic PHIL 102 (3 credit hours - Natural World - No Lab course. Fulfills University’s Quantitative Reasoning requirement.)

Course Overview

Information is all around you. It is stored in books, on computers, in the rings of a tree, in your brain. Logic is the study of the most basic property of information: that you can put two pieces of information together to make a new piece of information. This process is called inference and it is at the very heart of what it means to be a thinker. In logic, we study inference by trying to give precise rules for what makes a good inference. Our goal is to uncover and understand the hidden structure of information. In addition to the basic interest that this project has, it also has important practical benefits. In this course you will learn principles of inference that will be useful to you in any activity that requires careful thought. You will improve your ability to make and evaluate arguments, and you will gain a greater appreciation for precision in language.

Required Texts

The Logic Book (Fifth Edition). Marie Bergman, James Moor and Jack Nelson. McGraw Hill. 2009. It is your responsibility to have access to this book - some of the problem sets will contain exercises from the book. Note that this is not the most recent edition of the book. I’ve chosen to use an older edition because it is substantially cheaper.

Evaluations

!- 5 in-class surprise quizzes: 10% ! - Participation in discussion sections: 10% - 6 problem sets: 30% - !Midterm Exam: 25 % ! (Last week of February) - Final Exam: 25% (Exams Week) - Extra-Credit: Students can earn up to 5% extra credit for attending and participating in study groups (See Success TA below). To earn the full 5% you must attend and participate in at least one study session (almost) every week. In addition, students who attend and participate in at least 5 study group sessions can drop their worst problem set grade. Success TA and Group-study sessions This year, the philosophy department is offering a “success TA” for Introductory logic, Deborah Haar (dhaar2@uic.edu). The success TA will organize and run group-study sessions where students from all sections of Introductory Logic and work together on practice problems (with help from Deborah) and problem sets (with help from each other). In addition, the success TA will monitor the progress of students in all sections of 102 and make a special effort to reach out to students who are in danger of failing the course.

Instructor

Reza Hadisi

Meetings

Mondays 5:30-8:00pm, 2LCA

Email

mkarim7@uic.edu

Office Location

University Hall, 1410

Office Hours

Tuesdays 10am – 12am or by appointment. Course Web Page

The course web site will be handled through the UIC blackboard system. Disclaimer

The terms of this syllabus are subject to change by announcements in class, on the course website (blackboard) and by email.

Prerequisite(s): None.

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Course Schedule

Date Subject Reading

Jan 12

What is Logic? What is a good argument? LB 1-27 !

Jan 19

MLK DAY – No Class LB 1-27 (re-read!)

Jan 26

Sentential Logic (Introduction) LB 28-48

Feb 2 Sentential Logic (Translation) LB 50-72

Feb 9 Sentential Logic (Semantics) LB 75-92

Feb 16

Sentential Logic (Semantics – cont.) LB 92-113

Feb 23

Sentential Logic: Relations TBD

Mar 2 Sentential Logic (Truth Trees) LB 115-156

Mar 9 Sentential Logic Derivations

LB 160-187

Mar 16

Sentential Logic Derivations LB 189 – 222

Mar 30

Sentential Logic Derivations LB 228 - 236

Apr 6 Introduction to Predicate Logic LB 276-308

Apr 13

Predicate Logic LB 309-321

Apr 20

Predicate Logic Translations

Apr 27

Predicate Logic Translation Summing up the course discussions, going through the final paper questions, and saying goodbye!

Problem Set Schedule (Provisional; you will be notified of any possible changes through BlackBoard and in class)

1st Problem Set (Jan 29th), 2nd Problem Set (Feb 13th), 3rd Problem Set (Feb 26th), 4th Problem Set (March 12th)

5th Problem set (April 9th), 6th Problem Set (April 30th)

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How to submit? You must submit a hard copy of your answer by brining it to my office (UH 1410). If I am not in the office you can leave your answer sheet in my mailbox at the 14th floor of UH.

Late submission policy: No late submissions will be accepted.

Plagiarism: Here is how the English Department at UIC defines plagiarism:

“A student who submits a paper which in whole or part has been written by someone else or which contains passages quoted or paraphrased from another’s work without acknowledgment (quotation marks, citation, etc.) has plagiarized. Maintain your integrity when completing assignments and be overzealous to give credit where it is due. If you ever are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, ask your instructor. Students who are found to have plagiarized work may be subject to various disciplinary actions, including a failing grade on a particular assignment, failure of the entire course, and possible expulsion from the university. In egregious cases, most instructors fail the student on the spot and file a complaint with Student Judicial Affairs. For more information about violations of academic integrity and their consequences, consult the web site of the UIC Office of Student Judicial Affairs.” (From https://www.uic.edu/depts/engl/phd/FYWP/PlagiarismPolicy.pdf ; extracted on 8/16/14)

Accessibility

• Here is the official policy: Concerning disabled students, the University of Illinois at Chicago is committed to maintaining a barrier-free environment so that individuals with disabilities can fully access programs, courses, services, and activities at UIC. Students with disabilities who require accommodations for full access and participation in UIC Programs must be registered with the Disability Resource Center (DRC). Please contact DRC at (312) 413-2183 (voice) or (312) 413- 0123 (TDD).

• Here is my policy: If you have a disability, please do get in touch with DRC so they can help us arrange things (e.g. they can help us to get the material to you in the right format, etc.). But please don’t be shy to approach me about anything you need. It’s my obligation to make the class accessible, and not a favor that I am doing for you.

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