Philosophy 1103 – Critical Thinking – Discussion Group

Instructor: David “Deeg” Garrison

Office: FAO 216

Phone: 974-5915

E-mail: dgarriso@mail.usf.edu

Office Hours: Monday 1-3pm or by appointment

Text: John Chaffee’s Thinking Critically (TC)

Course Objectives: As the name of the course implies, our goals shall be to help you become a better, more careful, and more critical thinker. To this end we will pay specific attention to the logic of argument, critical analysis of persuasive essays, and the application of critical analysis and logic in our own decision making.

Course Requirements

Reading and Discussion: Reading and discussion form the core of this course. The readings for the discussion portion of this course shall not be extensive nor shall they be overly difficult; however, they will require a good amount of time and effort to be fully appreciated. Plan to read each of the assignments twice. I will lecture, if necessary, but I prefer to participate in student/teacher discussions, and you will get much more out of this class and find it more interesting and stimulating if you participate. Philosophy is necessarily a group endeavor. A person who develops a worldview on his or her own is not practicing philosophy but is suffering from schizophrenia. In order to understand the problems that face humanity, we must discuss them with other humans. For this reason, you will be required to read each of the assigned chapters before coming to class and be prepared to discuss them.

Attendance and Participation: Attendance for the discussion group is mandatory. I expect all students to attend each class period. I will duly consider reasonable pleas for exemption from a particular day’s meeting. A ‘reasonable plea’ must be documented by an appropriate doctor, judge, or religious or school official. Unexcused absences will count against your participation grade. Class participation will count for 20% of your grade for this portion of the course.

Quizzes: There will be at least nine (9) quizzes given during the course of this semester, the top 8 of which shall count toward your discussion-group grade. The quizzes may be short answer, simple essay, multiple guess, or sometimes a short take-home essay. Each quiz will be worth ten (10) points. The quizzes will be unannounced.

Grade Summary: Class Participation 20 points

8 quizzes at 10 points each 80 points

Total Possible 100 points

Schedule: Subject to change.

Date	Subject	Readings
8/28	Introduction to Deeg, the course, and a liberal education
9/4	Basic Thinking Strategies: Solving Problems, Making Decisions, and Analyzing Issues	TC Chapter 1
9/11	Components of Critical Thinking	TC Chapter 2
9/18	Solving Problems	TC Chapter 3
9/25	The Influence of Perception on Thinking	TC Chapter 4
10/2	Examining How We Form Beliefs and Construct Knowledge	TC Chapter 5
10/9	Catch-up Day
10/16	Review for Mid-Term Examination
10/23	Thinking as Organizing and Relating our Experience	TC Chapter 9
10/30	Recognizing and Evaluating Deductive Arguments	TC Chapter 10
11/6	Understanding and Constructing Deductive Arguments	TC Chapter 10
11/13	Inductive Arguments and Reasons for Belief	TC Chapter 11
11/20	Recognizing and Avoiding Faulty Reasoning	TC Chapter 11
11/27	Thanksgiving Holiday
12/4	Review for Final Exam

Disability Accommodation: Students with disabilities should consult me as soon as possible. If accommodations are needed, a letter from the Office of Student Disability Services (SVC 1133) will be required. Please inform me if there is a need for alternate format documents or a note taker.

Academic Dishonesty: The University of South Florida has an account with an automated plagiarism detection service which allows instructors to submit student assignments to be checked for plagiarism. I reserve the right to submit assignments to this detection service. Assignments are compared automatically with a huge database of journal articles, web articles , and previously submitted papers. The instructor receives a report showing exactly how a student’s paper was plagiarized. Also see www.turnitin.com and http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0304/adadap.htm#plagiarism.

Plagiarism is a serious issue and must be dealt with seriously if we are to maintain any form of academic credibility and decorum. If you have any questions regarding plagiarism or with the University’s policy, please ask.