Los Angeles Valley College, Spring 2008 K.L. Ross, DrKelley@AOL.com
Philosophy 9, Symbolic Logic I Office: Campus Center 224
Tu 6:45-9:55 PM (3322), CC 205 Phone: (818) 947-2467
https://www.friesian.com/valley/
SYLLABUS
TEXTS: Elementary Logic, by Benson Mates
CONTENTS: This course is intended to familiarize students with the basics
of formal deductive logic, specifically as this is now found in
Benson Mates' system of symbolic logic. You will not be responsible
for everything in the textbook. The book is written in logician's
jargon and is difficult to understand. I will make clear what is
important as we go along and will have handouts on important material
-- the handouts can also be found at the class website,
https://www.friesian.com/valley/. The following divisions do not
represent equal periods of time; the bulk of the course may consist
of part II.
I. Truth Functional Connectives & Truth Tables: chapter 6. Quiz I
II. SC Derivations: chapter 6. Quiz II
III. Quantified Translations: chapter 5. Quiz III
IV. Aristotelian Syllogisms and Derivations with Quantifiers:
chapter 7. Quiz IV &, if time allows, Quiz V
Final: 6:45 PM, Tuesday, May 27th, CC 205
ATTENDANCE: This class only has one textbook. It will be
supplemented by some material not found in the book, but the most
difficult thing about the class will be the need to practice
doing truth tables, translations, and proofs. In some ways these things
will look simple, but they really can be very, very difficult. If you
like algebra or computer programing, you will love this stuff; but if
you have a problem with mathematical or algorithmic reasoning, this
will be a difficult class. For most people it will be essential for
you to do the homework and to be in class to have sufficient experience
with the material. Believe me, you will not do well unless you
are present for the class or arrange to work over material with
students who are present. Tape recorders may be used during class.
After the third week attendance is no longer taken for each class
meeting. However, attendance will be taken occasionally and randomly,
and students with more than a week of absences may be excluded for
non-attendance. Do not report absences to me. It is your own
responsibility to drop the class if you wish to do so (final drop date:
May 4th). Anyone on the roster at the end of the semester
who has not been present for the tests will receive an F. It is your
responsibility to obtain from other students any material or assignments
you miss when absent.
Holidays this semester are Presidents' Day, February 15 & 18; Spring
Break, March 24-28; Chavez Day, March 31; and Memorial Day, May 26.
The last day of classes is May 23.
Note well: Anyone who persistently disrupts my class by talking,
arriving late, repeatedly leaving & returning, or through any other
distracting or inconsiderate behavior may be instructed to leave the
class. If you do not want to be here, don't come in the first place.
OFFICE HOURS: My office hours are MW 7:30-8:00 & 11:10-11:45 AM,
TuWTh 6:30-6:45 PM, and by appointment in CC 224. The phone number is
(818) 947-2467. This is a direct line, and no one else will answer
the phone. You should call during office hours. If you call at
other times, you can leave messages on voicemail. You do not need
to report absences, or your reasons for them, by voicemail. Do not
leave messages for me to call you, without the times you can be
reached at your number. I will not return calls if all you want is
to be brought up to date for classes you have missed. Just return to
class. Any inquiries by e-mail can be answered within a couple
of days: DrKelley@AOL.com. Identify the class in the subject line
of the e-mail.
TESTS: There will be several quizzes and a final. The quizzes will be
given at intervals (every few weeks) as units of the class are
completed. Extra credit questions will be given in the weeks
following some of the quizzes, both to make up missed quizzes and to
improve poor grades. If you miss the final and cannot take it at
another time I have scheduled, you cannot make it up during the current
semester and will be credited with an F unless you request an
Incomplete--which you may do simply by leaving a message for me before
I turn in the grades.
The tests will consist of problems (truth tables, translations, and
proofs). Missed quizzes will count as F's unless made up. Point
values are assigned to grades as follows: F=0, D=3, C=6, B=9, A=12.
Minuses subtract one point, and pluses add one. A C+ is thus worth 7.
The final will count half of your grade and will be comprehensive.
The course grade thus will be = {[Quiz I + Quiz II + Quiz III + Quiz IV
+ 4x(Final)]/8}. The lowest quiz grade (or an F for a missed quiz)
will be dropped if the grade is improved by the substitution of the
grade of the other quiz or of the final with the penalty of one letter
grade (subtracting 3 points). For instance, an A+ (13) on the final
means that a quiz grade lower than a B+ (10) is replaced with a B+. If
the course grade is as much as 10 (B+), without rounding, an A will be
awarded. If a 7 (C+), a B; a 4 (D+), a C; and a 1 (F+), a D.
Quizzes will have a point value of 10, with 10/9=A, 8/7=B, 6/5=C,
4/3=D, & 2/1/0=F. Extra credit questions will have a point value of 5.
To determine whether an extra credit question improves a quiz grade,
the quiz point value is credited only up to a value of 5, and then the
extra credit point value is added. Thus if the quiz was 6=C and the
extra credit score was 3, the 6 is reduced to a 5, and the result is
5+3=8=B. Or, if the quiz was 4=D and the extra credit score was 5, the
result is 4+5=9=A. The same procedure is repeated for further extra
credit questions.
I reserve the right to exclude or fail anyone who turns in work that
they have not done themselves or who cheats in any other way. On the
other hand, all tests in this class will be open book and open note.
The only thing you may not do is consult with your neighbors.
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