Philosophy 12A
Symbolic Logic
Mr. Graves
This handout gives a general description of the
requirements for the course, including the texts, testing, attendance policy,
and grading. Read it carefully. Ask any questions now. By continuing in this class, you are
agreeing to accept the responsibility for understanding and adhering to these
requirements for the rest of the semester.
[See Student Contract, in your Reader.] "Incompletes” in this class will be issued
extremely rarely, so if you anticipate serious problems meeting these
responsibilities, you should arrange to drop the class. However, most students
find these requirements quite achievable.
Please feel free to discuss any concerns with me immediately.
REQUIRED TEXTS: A Concise
Introduction to Logic, 9th edition, by Patrick Hurley. You will also need:
1. The Phil. 12A Course Reader, available at Copy Edge,
three blocks west of campus, at Ocean and
2. A notebook with pockets in which to do exercises and retain
all of your work for review. You
will need something that secures loose work, not just a folder.
RECOMMENDED MATERIALS:
Be sure to purchase your text and the Course Reader right away, and to bring them, any handouts provided, and your notebook to each class meeting.
NOTE: I encourage you to work with tutors, form study groups, etc. However, any work -- including homework -- that you submit for a grade must be solely your own work, completed by you alone.]
TESTING: There will be
either a 25-point quiz or a 50-point test on alternate Tuesdays. Quizzes and tests will check your knowledge
of the material and your ability to apply the skills it discusses. Weekly assignments should give the general
flavor of what will be covered. Be sure
you are aware of upcoming tests, as indicated in your course syllabus; and be
certain to attend on test days.
There will be no midterm, final exam, or test covering the
semester's materials cumulatively.
However, some test questions will relate prior material to current
material. You should expect, and be
prepared for, unannounced tests or quizzes at any time. This approach
means that, while you won't experience any "exam crunch" times during
the term, neither will there be any "cram" times. Your success will depend upon continuing
study, practice, and participation.
HOMEWORK/WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: Practice is the center of this course. There will be extensive weekly written
homework, in the form of exercises.
Exercises that I hand out to you in class will be done in class on
Thursdays. Exercises from the Hurley
text (the first twelve, including starred problems, from every subsection) will
always be due on Tuesday (for the evening class, on Tuesday). Two copies of the homework are required,
or you have not successfully completed your homework. Photocopy your homework, and bring both
copies to class.
Homework will receive full credit if received by due date;
it will receive half credit if turned in by the following (i.e., Wednesday
for the daily class, Thursday for the evening class) class meeting. Homework will receive no credit after
that. (Since this includes illness and
other emergencies, you may wish to consider doing you homework a little
early. However, since there will be so
much homework, and since homework does not constitute a majority of your grade
[see "GRADES," below], missing a single homework assignment should
not cause critical problems.)
There will be no essay-type papers.
ACTIVE, SKILLED PARTICIPATION: This is central to the class, and to the practice of good
philosophy and good learning. Solid
participation demands full preparation -- in this case, completion of the
reading and exercise homework, and presentation in groups and at the blackboard
-- and reflective thought. (Mere
attendance does not constitute participation, any more
than watching a house burn down is the same thing as helping to put it out;
however, attendance is necessary in order to be able to participate.)
Good participation will also show both active discussion
and active listening. Both should
show concern for relevance to issues under discussion, sensitivity
to the needs of others in the class community, and a sense of proportion
-- that is, if you are talking only a little, or not at all, you need to begin
making more of a contribution; if you are talking significantly more than most
other class members, you should use that opportunity to practice active
listening. If you are unsure whether
your participation shows these qualities, check with me. (See “Meeting With
Me”, below.)
Also take care not to withdraw from the community into mere
note taking, or to withdraw into a "sub-community of neighbors" in
the classroom. (In the rare case where
class performance has distracted us from, or worked against, class goals,
points will be subtracted.) Do not
take this requirement for granted; it will reflect substantially upon your
grade. If you are unsure of how you
are doing, please see me. If --
for whatever reason -- you are not prepared to participate in this manner, you
should drop this section now; this requirement will not be altered or ignored.
MEETING WITH ME: I
strongly recommend that you schedule at least two meetings during the term: the
first, to make sure you are well oriented and clear all the facets and details
of the course; the second, between week 4 and week 10, to assist you in
doing the strongest work you can. (Other
office visits are welcome.) In addition to
discussing your participation, tests, paper, etc., you should determine,
through our discussion, how you are doing in the course, strengths and
weaknesses you display, and what you can do to improve. You should be at least roughly aware of how
you are doing in the course at all times.
(Be sure to use the Semester Scorecard in the back of the Reader.) This is also a time to let me know how the
class is going for you, to let me know what you find helpful and unhelpful, and
to ask any questions you might not have brought up in class. Bring all of your written work, and any
questions you have. My office is in Room
664, Batmale Hall.
We will have a third of a year together. Making sure that
these meetings happen is solely your responsibility. So, you have a third of a year to make the
necessary arrangements, which will take into account the realities of both your
schedule and mine.
ATTENDANCE: This is
essential. Roll will be taken and
attendance policy observed. If you
arrive after the roll has been taken, you will be counted absent. If you are present for the
roll but absent later in the class period, you will be counted absent and you must
come and see me before or directly after the next class meeting. If you show attendance
problems of any kind for meetings totaling two weeks' worth of classes (ten
classes for the daily section; four classes for the evening section), you must
immediately discuss dropping the course with me.
GRADES: Grades will be
computed on the basis of all points accumulated during the term. Grading will not be done on a curve; that is,
you will not be competing with each other for grades. Here is some general information about
grades, so you can keep track of how you are doing during the term:
Course:
A Range = 90% of
total possible points (or above)
B Range = 80%
of total possible points (to 89%)
C Range = 70% of total possible points
(to 79%)
D Range = 60%
of total possible points (to 69%)
F Range = 59%
of total possible points (or less)
Possible points: Tests
and quizzes -- weighted to constitute 65% of total possible points.
Homework -- Weighted to constitute 25% of total possible points.
Participation -- 10%
of total possible points. (Includes quality of class
participation; office visit; etc.)
Attendance -- Problems
will seriously diminish your grade.
Also, see "ATTENDANCE."
If you have any questions about any part of these requirements, please ask now. ...Questions? Ask!