Course Syllabus

Fitchburg State University

Course Syllabus PHI 213: Introduction to Logic

Fitchburg State University
General Information
Semester and Year: Spring 2024 Phone: 901-258-7430
Instructor Name: J. Spencer Atkins Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: By Appointment Department: Philosophy

Catalog Description
Introduction to the language, methods, and content of deductive logic. Topics
include: truth-tables, syllogisms, syntax of sentential logic and predicate logic
systems, and proofs of validity in sentential logic and predicate logic.

Prerequisite(s): None Corequisite(s): None

Course Outcomes
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
1. Recognize arguments in natural language;
2. Distinguish deductive and inductive arguments;
3. Translate natural language sentences and arguments into well formed
sentences of sentential logic;
4. Construct truth tables to assess sentences and arguments for their logical
properties
5. Construct derivations in propositional logic and predicate logic to prove that
an argument is valid
6. Construct natural deduction proofs to demonstrate the validity of arguments
Identify and explain common fallacies in inductive reasoning.

Required Text
● forallX by P.D. Magnus available for free download on Blackboard
● Additional resources made available on Blackboard

Reference Materials
None
Procedures
Evaluation and Grading Scheme
Assessment Type Weight
[HW] Homework Assignments (x10) 40% (4% each)
[Test] Tests (x3) 60% (20% each)
Tests
There will be three tests administered via Blackboard spaced periodically
throughout the semester. These tests are designed to assess your critical

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comprehension of the material covered in the readings, lectures, and

homework. The tests are not comprehensive--each test covers roughly ⅓ of
the material for the course.
Homework Assignments
Homework will be assigned on a (mostly) weekly basis. These assignments
are designed to make you engage with the course material by emphasizing
practice and repetition–as this is a time-tested, empirically-proven method
for learning logic. The instructor reserves the right to offer or rescind extra
credit opportunities at his discretion.
Plagiarism and Cheating
It is expected that all students enrolled in this class support the letter and
the spirit of the Academic Honesty Policy as stated in the College
Catalog.
All students are expected to behave with academic honesty. It is not honest
to:
· misrepresent another person’s work as your own;
· to take credit for someone else’s words or ideas;
· to accept help on a quiz, test, or assignment when you are expected
to work independently, which is true for all assignments unless it is
otherwise specified;
· to obtain advance information on confidential test or quiz materials;
· to act in a way that might harm another student’s chance for
academic success.

Withdrawal
There may be a financial aid issue associated with your withdrawal and you
are encouraged to meet with a counselor and/or financial aid representative
prior to completing the required withdrawal form.
Additional Policies/Information
Late Work & Make-Ups
● I will accept late course work on a case-by-case basis. Without a good excuse
for late submission, I will likely assess a 10% late penalty per day the
submission is late.
● I will grant make-up quizzes on a case-by-case basis. To receive a make-up,
you’ll need to have a good excuse (like documented illness) for missing the
quiz. If you think you need to reschedule a quiz or if you miss one, you must
let me know as soon as you possibly can.
Students with Disabilities
If you have, or suspect you may have, any type of disability or learning problem
that may require extra assistance or special accommodations, please speak to me
privately after class or during my office hours as soon as possible so I can help you
obtain any assistance you may need to successfully complete this course. It is the
policy of the College that any student requiring accommodations of any kind to
fully access this course must be registered for accommodations with the Student

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Support Services office located in the Angell College Center. If you need any
accommodations for this course, please contact Student Support Services at 518-
564-2810.

Special Instructions for Online Courses

Virtual Classroom Environment
Students are expected to be respectful and courteous to fellow classmates and to
their instructor. I will show the same respect and courtesy to you and your fellow
classmates. Our classroom should be a place where all students are able to learn
without distraction or interference.
Equivalent Instructional Activities
The New York Department of Education (NYDE) and the federal government have
established the standard that all academic courses must meet for a required
number of hours. Since blended and online courses do not meet for the appropriate
number of hours faculty must include a set of Equivalent Instructional Activities
(EIA’s) in their syllabus that shows how the contact hour requirement is met.

Course Schedule
WEEK TOPICS / MODULE WORK
Week 1: Syllabus & Introduction, Unit 1 What is Logic? forallX pp. 5-10
(1/17—1/22) arguments, sentences, induction vs. deduction, No HW Due!
Week 2: forallX pp. 7-12
Validity, soundness, cogency, strength
(1/23—1/29) HW-1
forallX pp. 12-
Week 3:
Logical properties, Formal languages, formal logic 14
(1/30—2/5)
HW-2
forallX pp. 17-
Week 4: Unit 2 Sentential Logic: Sentence letters and logical
18
(2/6—2/12) connectives
HW-3
forallX pp. 18-
Week 5: Semantics for the connectives, characteristic Truth
28
(2/13—2/19) Tables, simple translations
HW-4
Week 6: Complexities in translations, SL→Eng, Eng→SL. (No Reading)
(2/20—2/26) Unit 3 Truth Tables (TTs) Intro Test 1
forallX pp. 37-
Week 7: Truth Tables for WFFs, consistency, equivalence, and
42
(2/27—3/5) arguments
HW-5
(SL) CH.
Week 8: Unit 4 Natural Deduction Intro to ND, basic rules,
1,2,3,4
(3/6—3/12) connection to Truth Tables
HW-6

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(SL) CH.
Week 9: Direct Derivation, Conditional Derivation, Practice
11,5,6,7
(3/13—3/19) Derivation, Indirect Derivation
HW-7
(SL) CH.
Week 10: Practice Derivation Sub-derivations, Strategies,
8,9,10,12
(3/20—3/26) Theorems, Practice Derivation
HW-8
forallX pp. 48-
Week 11: Unit 5 Quantification Logic (QL) Intro to QL, Building
62
(3/27—4/4) Blocks, Quantifiers
Test 2
(4/5—4/9) SPRING BREAK
forallX pp. 62-
Week 12:
Translating Eng→QL, QL→Eng 71
(4/10–4/16)
HW-9
Week 13: (QL) ALL
Derivations in QL
(4/17–4/23) HW-10
Week 14:
Practice, Review QL HW-11
(4/24–4/30)
Week 15:
Final Review Test 3
(5/1—5/7)

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