PHIL 101 Symbolic Logic

This is an asynchronous 12 week class that officially begins Monday, 8/21/23. I will make it available on Friday 8/18/23 so you can look around before class begins. Make sure to log into the course on the first day, so I can know that you intend on staying in the course. The first discussion post is due on Wednesday, and the final posts in the forum along with the syllabus quiz are due on Sunday by 11:59 pm.

There are 6 modules in the course, so we spend 2 weeks on each module. Each module includes two discussion forums, instructions, videos, practice exercises, and a quiz. All discussions open up on Mondays, include a Wednesday 11:59 pm due date for the first post, and a Sunday 11:59 pm due date for the final posts.

The best way to reach me is by email at mgwin@sdccd.edu. I will respond to emails between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm, usually within 24 hours.

My office hours are: Monday-Friday 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm.

I encourage you to ask questions of a general, course related nature in the Ask Here discussion forum. Anyone, especially students, is encouraged to respond. (Questions of a personal nature or regarding a grade should be sent to me via email.)

The way I see it, we are in this together as a community of learners. My goal is to teach you symbolic logic, your goal is to learn it. Along the way, we'll have fun achieving our goals together. There is a lot of philosophy that is hidden in symbolic logic (and mathematics), and lucky for us, we'll get to talk about it.

Diversity is our asset. Because we come from a variety of backgrounds, we bring a lot to the table. Our experiences at home, at work, in our social lives…all shape who we are as people and as learners. This richness only serves to make us better.

Since we are a community of learners, we need to support each other. To that end, we’ll have opportunities to interact in the course in discussion forums and over Zoom.

What you can expect of me:

1. I will respond to your questions within 24 hours.

2. I will give you instructive feedback on your assignments within 5 days of the due date.

3. I will be actively present in your learning throughout this course.

4. I will meet you during and outside of posted office hours.

5. I will be flexible with deadlines upon request.

What I expect of you:

1. You will ask me questions about the material or course as needed, even if (and especially when) you are not sure what to ask. I can try to guess about what needs to be clarified, but it really helps me to be a better teacher when know what needs clarification and what doesn't.

2. You will take the feedback that I give on assignments and use it to improve your work.

3. You will log into the course regularly to stay present and participate in your own learning.

4. You will visit me during office hours or a scheduled meeting to go over questions that you have.

5. You will aim to submit work by the posted deadlines.

In order to get off to a great start in the course, here is a list of 10 things to do in Week 1.

1. Log into the course on the first day.

2. Read (or re-read) the syllabus.

3. Take the syllabus quiz.

4. Get started with Module 1. (The textbook and all activities are located in each module.)

5. Make sure to post in Discussion 1 by 11:59 pm on Wednesday.

6. Make sure to wrap up discussion posts to peers by 11:59 pm on Sunday.

7. Ask questions in Ask Here, if needed.

8. Respond to questions you know the answer to in Ask Here, if applicable.

9. Send questions of a more confidential nature to mgwin@sdccd.edu, if needed.

10. Have fun!

My general advice is: always do your best, no matter what the situation is. This will take you far in life. It also helps for this course. Here are a few more things to keep in mind:

• Since you can rely on our regular schedule of practice exercises, discussion, and exam, knowing what is due and when should be clear.

• Understanding and mastering the material requires practice, and I recommend taking advantage of the practice exercises that I have created. It's best to start those after reviewing the module page and videos. I include several examples to get you started, too.

• The course is cumulative: we build on the material introduced on the first day so that that by the end of the semester, you are using everything you previously learned on the final proofs.

• This course is also foundational for many other disciplines/areas of study such as: advanced logic, programming, and linguistics.

• Finally, make sure to let me know what needs more explanation. I'm always here to help!

Upon successful completion of the course you will be able to:

1. Identify and describe the rules of inference.

2. Identify, describe and/or formulate the terminology commonly used to designate the symbolic formulation of inference and logically equivalent expressions.

3. Critically evaluate formal arguments.

4. Prove the validity and invalidity of deductive arguments in formal/symbolic notation.

5. Compare and contrast deductive techniques in predicate logic with formal proofs of modern symbolic and sentential logic.

6. Identify and/or describe the philosophical foundation presupposed in modern, symbolic logic.

7. Trace the implications of assumptions through the use of the techniques of symbolic logic.

8. Provide significant examples of issues drawn from everyday life which may require the use of techniques/methods studied in the course.

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