2023s2-apphil2200m-03

AP/PHIL2200 3.0 M: Critical Reasoning

Offered by: PHIL


 Session

Summer 2023

 Term

S2

Format

ONLN (Fully Online)

Instructor

Calendar Description / Prerequisite / Co-Requisite

A systematic study of practical argument, formal and informal fallacies, and the relationship between arguing well and winning an argument. Methods of identifying and undermining specious arguments will be explored as well as the question of when argument becomes propaganda. Course credit exclusion: AP/MODR 1770 6.00.


Course Start Up

Course Websites hosted on York's "eClass" are accessible to students during the first week of the term. It takes two business days from the time of your enrolment to access your course website. Course materials begin to be released on the course website during the first week. To log in to your eClass course visit the York U eClass Portal and login with your Student Passport York Account. If you are creating and participating in Zoom meetings you may also go directly to the York U Zoom Portal.

For further course Start Up details, review the Getting Started webpage.

For IT support, students may contact University Information Technology Client Services via askit@yorku.ca or (416) 736-5800. Please also visit Students Getting Started UIT or the Getting Help - UIT webpages.


    Additional Course Instructor/Contact Details

Dr. Linda Carozza
Lcarozza@yorku.ca
Office Location:  S401 Ross

Virtual office hours: by appointment. Booking calendar will be made available on eClass.

    Expanded Course Description

Critical reasoning is an important skill that can be transferred to your other courses and life’s work. It enables you to avoid being duped, to see the heart of arguments and positions, to understand how your biases, and the biases of others, influence argumentation, and to be able to evaluate competing views to determine which is strongest. With these skills in mind, we spend the majority of time in this course examining the nature and structure of arguments, how they are composed, and how they can be analyzed. We accumulate several “tools” that can equip you to engage in arguments - whether with your family, co- workers, sales people, etc.

In addition to being a skill in analysis and comprehension, a good arguer also understands that argumentation is a human interactive process that involves people, their feelings, goals, belief systems, values, egos, and personalities. We examine these aspects of argumentation too, with reference to recent work in Argumentation Theory.

Being a strong critical thinker is a main ingredient in becoming a “competent layperson” - an individual who has the confidence to engage in discussions about issues that s/he may not have expertise but has the skills to engage in a fruitful discussion.

    Additional Requirements

Course Format and Organization:  

  • You do not have to attend campus for this course.
  • This is an asynchronous course – you can review weekly material at a convenient time for you during each week.
  • The course will go live on eClass July 4, so you can review the syllabus, schedule, readings, etc.
  • This course will release weekly lecture materials on Thursdays: July 6, 13, 20, 27, August 3, 10.
  • There will be three 1-hour synchronous webinars, which students have found helpful to connect with the course requirements and content: July 13, July 27, August 10. The time will be determined the first week of the course.

All course deadlines will be Thursdays at noon

    Required Course Text / Readings

Concise Guide to Critical Thinking

By Lewis Vaughn

2020

Oxford University Press

978-0197535790

    Weighting of Course
  • Participation – 10%
  • Quizzes – 30%
  • Argumentative Assignment – 30%
  • Critical Essay – 30%
    Organization of the Course

TBA

    Course Learning Objectives
  • Understand and diagram simple and complex arguments by breaking them down into conclusion-premise form
  • Supplement arguments by revealing underlying assumptions in consideration with relevant contexts
  • Recognize and respond to obstacles to cogent thinking and reasoning
  • Evaluate the strength of arguments
  • Determine argument schemes and/or fallacies
  • Deliver a strong argument
  • Write critically and argumentatively
    Additional Information / Notes

Full syllabus with detailed weekly reading and assignment schedule will be available on the course eClass site.

    Relevant Links / Resources