Carmela Circelli

carmela.c@rogers.com

Virtual office hours:  Virtual office hours will take place every Thursday following the scheduled class time at 5:30. (by appointment)

Times and locations:  Please note that this course will depend on remote learning for the Fall 2021 term. There will be no in-person interactions or activities on campus during the Fall term.

The course will require some synchronous participation during the official class time of Thursdays 2:30 to 5:30. If the situation permits there will be in-person classes during the Winter 2022 term.

Reasoning about Social Issues is a skill based, critical thinking course, which also introduces students to research based writing and qualitative and quantitative analysis. The course will teach students the basic reasoning skills, principles and concepts needed to develop a critical sensibility, as well as introduce them to the different types of research used in the social sciences. While the course is wide ranging in its approach, using different kinds of texts and topics and also different media, particular focus will be placed on the various positions taken in the social sciences, on topics such as abortion, euthanasia, pornography, immigration, for example. Students will learn to read, write and listen critically, to develop argumentative, reflective positions of their own, to verbalize those ideas clearly and concisely, orally and in writing, and to apply those skills, principles and concepts to a variety of contemporary social issues.

Technical requirements for taking the course:

 In addition to stable, high speed internet connection, students will require a a computer or other device with a webcam and microphone as the course will involve some video conferencing where students will need to appear on video for tutorial discussions.

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.]

With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies by S. Morris Engel. Sixth edition.

And a course kit.

Mid-term test on fallacies – 20%

Test on conceptual analysis – 10%

Essay 1 – 20%

Essay 2 – 20%

Final Essay – 20%

class participation - 10%

This course will be taught remotely for the Fall 2021term.

It will involve synchronous and asynchronous elements. This means that prerecorded lectures will be posted on e-class every week (asynchronous) before or around scheduled class time of 2:30 pm.  And every Thursday at 4:00 pm there will a zoom tutorial (synchronous) to discuss contents of the lectures.

The Winter 2022 term will involve mostly tutorials scheduled for Thursdays at 2:30 pm, unless otherwise indicated on the course syllabus. The course syllabus will be posted on

 e-class. If our public heath situation permits, tutorials will be in-person for the Winter term (location to be determined).  If the situation should not permit, tutorials will be held remotely via zoom at scheduled class time (synchronously) of 2:30 pm

See expanded course description.

Course policies

. No late essays will be accepted without prior permission from course instructor.

. Arrangements for make-up tests, if necessary, are to be made prior to scheduled

test.

. Turnitin will be used for essay submissions.

. Please note that all recordings are to be used for educational purposes only.

Students do not have permission to duplicate, copy and/or distribute the recordings

outside the class.