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Professor: Dr. Charles Wallis	Phone:
Wallis Office: 908 MHB	Wallis Office hours: M,W 12:45-1:45pm and by appointment
Wallis e-mail: charles.wallis@csulb.edu	Web Site: http://www.csulb.edu/~cwallis/170/170f.html

 

Understanding Critical Thinking, Inferences, & Arguments

Formal Deductive Logics: Categorical Logic

March 30th-April 5th: Spring Recess (Classes Not In Session)
 

Formal Deductive Logics: Propositional Logic

Formal Inductive Logics: Probability Theory & Statistics

Course Requirements: I will base course grades exclusively upon (1) six tests (6 on-line tests) covering the material in the course readings and lectures 70% of course grade  [Two online tests; Test 1 and Test 2 (3.5% each, 7% Total), Test 3 (10.5%)  Tests 4,5, & 6 (17.5%) each test], (2) approximately 15 homework assignments (20% total for homework), and (3) class attendance (10% total for attendance). The 6th test will occur during the finals period of the course (above).   I post homework assignments on the news and announcements page and collect the assignments on the specified due dates.  Grades on individual homework assignments range from 0 to 3 points.  Students will receive 3 points for complete, largely correct, homework assignments turned in on the due date.  Students will receive 0 points if they fail to turn in an assignment on the due date.  I will take attendance on twelve unannounced days during the term.  Students who attend on an attendance day receive 1 point up to the total of 10 points; absent students receive a 0.  I adhere to the university policy on withdrawals.  

Make-up exams: I try to be flexible with regard to deadlines for assignments.  For instance, I generally permit extensions of deadlines, make-up exams, etc.. for serious illness, personal tragedies, and religious holidays not recognized in the University calendar.  In some cases, I may require a physicians' note for illness.  If you cannot meet a deadline,  it is your responsibility to send me an e-mail within 4 hours either prior to or after the deadline.  Your message must include contact information, such as a telephone number or e-mail address where I can reach you to arrange appropriate accommodation.

Cheating and Plagiarism: The CSULB Policy on Cheating and Plagiarism will be followed strictly. (See 2005-6 Catalog, pp. 75-6.) Students who have any questions or uncertainty whatsoever about this policy are responsible for meeting individually with the instructor to discuss the policy.  Students discovered cheating or plagiarizing on any exam, quiz, or other course element will be FAILED for the COURSE and will be reported to the Office of Judicial Affairs for possible probation, suspension, or expulsion.

Withdrawals: I follow the university policy on withdrawals.  I have no disinclination towards signing withdrawal forms up until the last date allowed by the university policy.   

Disabilities: I am happy to accommodate any students with disabilities.  It is the student's responsibility to inform me of their disability and need for accommodation.  The office of Disabled Student Services (5-5061) serves as an information source and evaluates students� needs.  DSS often proctors tests for students with disabilities.

Goals: The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the inherent strengths and weakness of natural reasoning patterns, the nature, advantages, and goals of good reasoning, as well as formal and informal tools for the construction and evaluation of arguments.  In accordance with the standard course outline for critical reasoning "Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to: A. analyze, criticize and advocate ideas, based on understanding of fundamental concepts and relationships of logic; B. demonstrate skill in deductive and inductive reasoning and in problem-solving recognizing and using relevant logical principles and some elementary formal techniques; C. criticize constructively his or her own thinking processes, and the reasoning of others, recognizing common fallacies and pitfalls of thought and language; D. show ability to attend to relevant logical, epistemological, and psychological concepts and distinctions informing the relationships of language and thought to the world and to values."

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