David Stamos

dstamos@yorku.ca

Office Location: S447 Ross

Phone Number: (416) 736 - 2100 Ext. 33134

Office Hour: TBA

This is a skills-based course which focuses on skills that are essential for most of your university courses (and consequently can be expected to raise your grades in those courses). Specifically this means: fallacy analysis, conceptual analysis, argument structure analysis, premise analysis, essay style.

As this is primarily a skills-based course, not primarily a knowledge-based course, much of our class time is spent on applications and practice. This is why the participation grade, which is mainly based on attendance, is 20%. Consequently it is very easy to get 20/20 for this portion of the course, and very easy to get 0/20 if you treat it like a knowledge-based course, with minimal attendance. You therefore need to be able to commit yourself to attending class. If you cannot do this, you should take this course at some other time—but you should take this course—the earlier the better.

1) S. Morris Engel (2000). With Good Reason. 6th edition. Bedford/St. Martin’s. ISBN 978-1457695957
https://store.macmillanlearning.com/ca/product/With-Good-Reason/p/0312157584?searchText=Engel
2) Chris MacDonald and Lewis Vaughn (2016). The Power of Critical Thinking. 4th Cdn. edition. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-901868-0.
OR: Chopped ed. ISBN 978-0-19-901536-8 (this one saves you money!). Available in the bookstore as: York University Custom Edition: The Power of Critical Thinking. Chris MacDonald and Lewis Vaughn. (Make sure you buy the red edition for this course.)

Test 15%
Assignments (3) 65%
Participation 20%

lectures combined with class discussions.

The ability to apply to other courses what is learned/acquired in this course.

As this is primarily a skills-based course, not primarily a knowledge-based course, much of our class time is spent on applications and practice. This is why the participation grade, which is mainly based on attendance, is 20%. Consequently it is very easy to get 20/20 for this portion of the course, and very easy to get 0/20 if you treat it like a knowledge-based course, with minimal attendance. You therefore need to be able to commit yourself to attending class. If you cannot do this, you should take this course at some other time—but you should take this course—the earlier the better.