This compressed course is largely asynchronous with synchronous elements. Two video recorded lectures will be posted on eClass each week (through Zoom recordings). In addition, each Tuesday, there will be a live one hour Q&A meeting (20:00-21:00) to provide additional clarifications and explanations for the material covered in the video postings.

The Q&A meetings will be arranged via Zoom (link will be provided on the eClass).

The course is divided into four modules:

a)    Understanding arguments and various claims;

b)    Deductive and inductive logic;

c)    Informal logic and fallacies;

d)    Conceptual analysis and argument analysis.

This is an asynchronous course. There are no regular meeting times for lectures. PowerPoint slides and Lecture Videos will be posted twice a week at regular intervals. Each Tuesday (20:00-21:00 PM), there will be a weekly online tutorial using Zoom during which students can ask questions, ask for clarifications, and engage in exercises

This course requires access to internet and Zoom. It requires stable internet connection that can support Zoom interaction and videoconferencing, as well as downloading and playing video files with course materials. Students also require access to relevant software (word processing, pdf, email, and powerpoint.

Here are some useful links for student computing information, resources and help:

Student Guide to Moodle

Zoom@YorkU Best Practices 

Zoom@YorkU User Reference Guide

Computing for Students Website

Student Guide to eLearning at York University

To determine Internet connection and speed, there are online tests, such as Speedtest, that can be run.]

This is an asynchronous course. There are no regular meeting times for lectures. PowerPoint slides and Lecture Videos will be posted twice a week at regular intervals.

In additions to two weekly lectures, each Tuesday (20:00-21:00 PM), there will be a synchronous weekly online tutorial using Zoom during which students can ask questions, ask for clarifications, and engage in exercises. Each weekly tutorial session will be around 1 hour long (depending on the difficulty of the material, it might be shorter or longer than this). This is an extremely important element of the course, and all the students are encouraged to attend and participate. The link for recurring meetings will be posted on eClass.

-       Analyze arguments, diagram them, and assess their strength and validity.

-       Recognize faulty reasoning and neutralize fallacies.

-       Carry out conceptual analysis and improve analytic skills.

-       Critically assess arguments in academic and non-academic writing.

-       Improve reasoning skills in assessing and constructing oral and written arguments

Academic Honesty

The Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies considers breaches of the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty to be serious matters. To quote the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty. The Policy on Academic Honesty is an affirmation and clarification for members of the University of the general obligation to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty. As a clear sense of academic honesty and responsibility is fundamental to good scholarship, the policy recognizes the general responsibility of all faculty members to foster acceptable standards of academic conduct and of the student to be mindful of and abide by such standards. Suspected breaches of academic honesty will be investigated and charges shall be laid if reasonable and probable grounds exist.

Students who engage in academic dishonesty can be subject to disciplinary action under the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty. Lack of familiarity with the Senate Policy and Guidelines on Academic Honesty does not constitute a defense against their application. Some academic offences can also constitute offences under the Criminal Code of Canada, which means that you, as a student, may also be subject to criminal charges.

Students should review the York Academic Honesty policy for themselves at:
http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/policies/document.php?document=69

Students might also wish to review the interactive on-line Tutorial for students on academic integrity, at: http://www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academic_integrity/

As a student at York University, you have a responsibility to not only understand, but also play an important part in upholding the integrity of the academic experience. The Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies at York University supports the International Center for Academic Integrity’s definition of academic integrity. That is, you will be committed to acting in all academic matters, even in the face of adversity, with honesty, trust, fairness, courage, respect and responsibility.

Turnitin

To promote academic integrity in this course, students will be normally required to submit their written assignments to Turnitin (via the course eClass) for a review of textual similarity and the detection of possible plagiarism. In so doing, students will allow their material to be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database, where they will be used only for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. The terms that apply to the University’s use of the Turnitin service are described on the Turnitin.com website.

Religious Accommodation

York University is committed to respecting the religious beliefs and practices of all members of the community, and making accommodations for observances of special significance to adherents. For more information on religious accommodation, please visit:
https://w2prod.sis.yorku.ca/Apps/WebObjects/cdm.woa/wa/regobs

Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities

The nature and extent of accommodations shall be consistent with and supportive of the integrity of the curriculum and of the academic standards of programs or courses. Provided that students have given sufficient notice about their accommodation needs, instructors shall take reasonable steps to accommodate these needs in a manner consistent with the guidelines established hereunder. For more information please visit the Disabilities Services website at http://www.yorku.ca/cds/

During regular course delivery York’s disabilities offices and the Registrar’s Office work in partnership to support alternate exam and test accommodation services for students with disabilities at the Keele campus. For more information on alternate exams and tests please visit http://www.yorku.ca/altexams/

Please note that with the move to an online/virtual learning environment, accommodated tests and exams will not be coordinated by Alternate Exam & Test Scheduling during the term. Instead, test and exam accommodations, such as additional time, will need to be put in place by course instructors.

Please let the course instructor(s) know as early as possible in the term if you anticipate requiring academic accommodation, so that your accommodation needs can be discussed and considered within the context of this course.

Missing Deadlines and Assignments:

If you missed a test or exam, you must inform me of this within 24 hours.

If your reason for missing a test or exam is illness, you must provide the Attending Physician’s Statement filled out by your physician (must be stamped with the office stamped to be valid).  The doctor MUST be

a member of the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons. The document must specify:

1) date of consultation.

2) contact information

3) a statement that the student would not have been able to attend  class (or carry out

activities) during the relevant period of time.