for
Philosophy 415, Spring 2016
Michael F. Goodman
Department of Philosophy
Humboldt State University
Philosophy 415, Spring 2016
Michael F. Goodman
Department of Philosophy
Humboldt State University
Texts: Available at the HSU Bookstore
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February
March
April
May
Important dates: January 24: Last day to add classes without instructor approval. February 15: Last day to drop classes without instructor's & department chair's signatures, and serious and
compelling reason. February 11: Last day to register for the February 27 GWPE. March 14: Last day to opt for Credit/No Credit. April 4: Last day to drop a class with serious and compelling reason;
need instructor's and department chair's signatures. Make sure to confirm all dates with HSU calendar.
Attendance is mandatory. Unless you have a compelling reason to miss class, your presence at each class session is required. Bring your text to class every day.
Quizzes. There will be a quiz on almost every Friday of the semester. Each quiz will be worth 10 points. There are no make-ups on quizzes. The one lowest quiz score will be dropped.
Weekend assignments. There will be weekend assignments throughout the semester. Some assignments will be posted to your eMail accounts and I will inform you in advance each time this occurs.
Weekend assignments will be worth 10-20 points.
Exams. There will be three exams, the second and third of which will be comprehensive. The dates of the exams are: 1st: February 19th; 2nd: April 8th; 3rd: May 13th, 10:20am 12:10pm.
You will have an entire period for each exam. Each exam will be worth 100 points.
Grading. General grading scheme: 100-93 = A; 92-90 = A-; 89-87 = B+; 86-83 = B; 82-80 = B-; 79-77 = C+; 76-73 = C; 72-70 = C-; 69-67 = D+; 66-60 = D; 59-00 = F. I do not grade on a curve.
How do I grade? Fair, but merciful. I am willing to discuss grading with you at any time during the semester.
Practice. The course materials contain a plethora of exercises and examples with which you should be acquainted. Daily Practice is one of the best ways to get good at the kinds of things you
will be tested on in this course. I urge you to work the exercises in each assigned chapter and encourage you to visit me in my office for discussion on even minor points of concern. If my office hours
do not fit your schedule, we can arrange to meet at a mutually convenient time.
Academic honesty. It is the student's responsibility to know policy regarding academic honesty. For more information, go to the HSU catalog.
Students with Disabilities. Persons who wish to request disability-related accommodations should contact the Student Disability Resource Center in House 71, 826-4678 or 826-5392. Some
accommodations may take several weeks to arrange.
Attendance & disruptive behavior. It is the student's responsibility to know the policy regarding attendance and disruptive behavior. For more information, go to the HSU catalog.
For this course, daily attendance is required. As to this class, disruptive behavior will not be tolerated and my response will be rational, legal, moral and swift.
Cell phone & texting policy. You are welcome to have your cell phone turned on during class. Please set it on "stun" in case you get a call. If you get a call while in class that you must
answer, please leave class to take the call. Text messaging during class time is prohibited.
Catalog description: "Quantifiable logic, including logic of relations; properties of axiomatic systems; many-valued logic; modal logic and its extensions."
Learning outcomes. The following are the learning outcomes for this course, approved by the Department of Philosophy, 2008: a) Students will learn to define concepts and use traditional
vocabulary of philosophy; b) Students will increase the ability to use the logical methods of analysis and to critically assess philosophical arguments; c) Students will learn to apply methods of
philosophy to specific issues and problems; d) Students will increase the ability to read and analyze philosophical writing.
Late work. Late work will be acceptable on all assignments except quizzes. There will be a 10% reduction of grade for each day the assignment is late. Example: If the assignment is due
in class, then it is one day late if it is not turned in in class. If turned in the next day, it is 2 days late, and so on.
Some topics of this course:
Predicate Logic (translations, quantification, proofs, trees), The Logic of Relations, Predicate Logic with Identity, Translations in Sentential and Predicate Logic, Proofs and Truth Trees in
Sentential and Predicate Logic, Elementary Theories (semantically presented, axiomatically presented, properties (e.g., consistency, completeness, independence of axioms)), Modal Logic
('necessity' and 'possibility', translations, proofs), Validity, The Connectives...
Office hours & contact information:
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Some important web pages:
In Konigsberg, Germany, a river ran through the city such that in its center was an island, and after passing the island, the river broke into two parts. Seven bridges were built so that the people of the city could get from one part to another.
The people wondered whether or not one could walk around the city in a way that would involve crossing
each bridge exactly once.
Try to 'plan your journey' with a pencil in such a way that you trace over each bridge once and only once and you complete the 'plan' with one continuous pencil stroke.
