Welcome to the Online Philosophy 210 (Reasoning in the Sciences). This course satisfies the “Critical Thinking” component of the “Basic Skills” section of the General Education program. We’re going to learn some basics about scientific reasoning, and apply it to think about ordinary matters (such as Bermuda Triangle or Crop Circles). So far we have 24 students enrolled in this class, and I expect we’ll have an enjoyable and productive class together.
The course will be offered online, using WebCT (accessible at http://webteach.csun.edu). After you have register for the course, log on WebCT (with your CSUN Portal ID and password), and you should see our course (titled Phil. 210OnLine). If you need any assistance with WebCT, you can either go to the library or come to my office at Sierra Tower 505 for help.
Lectures will be posted on WebCT every week. Please check WebCT regularly.
Strategies for Success:
The following things are important for your success in this course:
Also, I also teach a regular 210 class on Tuesday Thursday 11-12.15 at JR 204, which basically has the same content and schedule. You are welcome to come to my regular class, for any reason.
Instructor: Weimin Sun
Office: Sierra Tower 505
Email: weimin.sun@csun.edu
Telephone: 818- 677- 6461 (answering machine available--leave a message if I am not available)
Office Hours: TR: 3:45-5:00 p.m.;
Dept. Office: Sierra Tower 522
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
The concepts, methods, and limitations involved in the systematic procedures of empirical inquiry in the sciences and in ordinary thought, e.g., probability, measurement, causal relations, statistical inference, the concepts of "law" and "theory."
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Section A.1 (Analytical Reasoning/Expository Writing);
Either GE Section A.3 (Mathematics) or MATH 210
INSTRUCTOR DESCRIPTION:
This course satisfies the “Critical Thinking” component of the “Basic Skills” section of the General Education Program, which recognizes critical reasoning as a fundamental competence. Courses in this part of General Education take reasoning itself as their focus. This course introduces crucial components of critical thinking, especially the essential elements in scientific reasoning, including basic logic skills, the concept of possibility, probability, truth, knowledge and reality, and the scientific method. We aim to develop a skeptical attitude and an inquisitive mind to the large amount of information available today, and to learn fundamental principles of statement/theory evaluation. These goals will be accomplished by a careful and in-depth examination of extraordinary claims about weird things (such as ESP - Extra-sensory Perception, UFO- Unidentified Flying Objects, Miracle Cure, and etc.). In the end, students should be able to better evaluate such claims in general, which affects our life greatly, and be able to tell science from its pretenders.
GOAL:
Students will analyze information and ideas carefully and logically from multiple perspectives and develop reasoned solutions to problems.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students will:
1. Explain and apply the basic concepts essential to a critical examination and evaluation of argumentative discourse;
2. Use investigative and analytical thinking skills to examine alternatives, explore complex questions and solve challenging problems;
3. Synthesize information in order to arrive at reasoned conclusions;
4. Evaluate the logic and validity of arguments, and the relevance of data and information;
5. Recognize and avoid common logical and rhetorical fallacies.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Students will:
1. understand and be able to apply the basic concepts essential to a critical examination and evaluation of argumentative discourses: e.g. argument/premise/conclusion, logical possibility/physical possibility/reality, probability, truth/knowledge/relativism, deductive validity, the scientific method;
2. develop skills to evaluate the logical structure of arguments and to tell good arguments from bad arguments;
3. recognize and avoid common logical and rhetorical fallacies;
4. recognize and be able to evaluate typically pseudo-scientific claims about things such as ESP, UFOs, Miracle Cure, and etc., and tell scientific claims from their pretenders;
5. understand and develop analytical skills to evaluate empirical/scientific statements based on available information and data;
6. develop skills to apply scientific reasoning/scientific method and to solve challenging empirical/scientific problems faced in daily life;
The Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) are targeted by the corresponding Objectives as follows:
SLOs |
(1) |
(2) |
(3) |
(4) |
(5) |
Course Objectives |
1-6 |
1, 4-6 |
1, 4-6 |
1,2, 4-6 |
1-3 |
TOPICS COVERED:
Argument, deductive validity, formal fallacy, informal fallacy, inductive reasoning, abductive reasoning; logical possibility, physical possibility, subjective validation, availability error, confirmation bias, probability judgment; solipsism, subjectivism, social constructivism, cultural relativism, knowledge, truth, justification, reality; scientific method, theory evaluation, simplicity, testability, fruitfulness, empirical support, conservativeness; causality, theory, hypothesis; UFO, miracle cure, ESP, creationism, astrology, prophecy.
TEXT (required; note its edition)
How to think about Weird Things, 4th. ed. (or 5th edition) by Schick & Vaughn. McGraw-Hill. 2004
There is also an electronic version of the 5th edition available (which is much cheaper) at the University Bookstore. Ask University Bookstore for more infomation.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. You are expected to study carefully the assigned text passages and attempt the problems you encounter there.
2. You are expected to work on your homeworks, quizzes, exams, and project on your own.
3. I will set up at least one hour for the chat room communications. You are not required to be present during the hour, though.
Academic dishonesty is a very serious issue. Students can expect discovery of a violation to result in the filing of a Student Misconduct Complaint with the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. For information on what constitutes academic dishonesty and the possible repercussions of and penalties for acts of academic dishonesty, consult the CSUN Student Conduct Code in the University Catalog. Links to the Code and other helpful resources can be found at: http://www.csun.edu/a&r/soc/studentconduct.html.
.
Ø 6 Homework or quizzes (count the best 5) -- 10% (2% each)
Ø Exam I -- 30%
Ø Exam II -- 30%
Ø Final Project -- 30%
1. All grades are posted on WebCT when available. The final grade is the weighted sum of all grade components, and will be rounded to the first decimal. The plus/minus system will also be used. The scale is:
A |
A- |
B+ |
B |
B- |
C+ |
C |
C- |
D+ |
D |
D- |
F |
≥92.0 |
90-91.9 |
88-89.9 |
82-87.9 |
80-81.9 |
78-79.9 |
72-77.9 |
70-71.9 |
68-69.9 |
62-67.9 |
60-61.9 |
<60 |
For example, for 89.94 you get a B+; and for 89.95, it will be rounded to 90.0 and you get an A-.
2. Two exams (of multiple choice and short essay questions) are required. You are also required to work on a selected project at the end of semester, following the format of case studies presented in the last Chapter of the textbook.