PHIL 109: Logic, Critical Reasoning, and Writing

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2025
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 54
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Total Student Learning Hours: 162
Prerequisite: ENGL 101, or ENGL 101E, or ENGL 101H, or ENGL C1000, or ENGL C1000E, or ENGL C1000H.
District General Education: C2. Humanities, A2. Communication & Analytical Thinking
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: Yes - Proposed
Grading Method: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass

Catalog Course Description

This course teaches critical thinking, argumentation, and writing skills, using formal argumentative methods. Emphasis is placed on examining contemporary moral, socio-political, and philosophical issues alongside traditional topics and practices in reason, critical thinking, argument structure, reasoning types, fallacies, and logic in relation to issues of persuasive rhetoric. 54 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • Engage in analytical reading and critical evaluation of the personal, cultural, philosophical, moral, religious, and social themes depicted in literature.
  • Analyze and critique the author's employment of literature as a persuasive device, and either support or challenge the contentious topics addressed in the literary piece.
  • Utilize inferential reasoning to formulate thesis statements, distinguishing between belief and knowledge, and between fact and judgment, in addressing inquiries regarding character, tone, theme, point of view, symbolism, diction, style, and rhetorical strategies such as appeals to logic, emotion, and imagery.
  • Utilize formal sentential and general logic methods of assessment to evaluate arguments.
  • Utilize both deductive and inductive forms of reasoning to support and expand upon thesis statements and judgments.
  • Recognize and circumvent common formal and informal logical fallacies during the formulation of thesis statements and judgments.
  • Compose well-structured critical essays in response to philosophically-based questions, wherein the essays articulate and elaborate on the thesis through coherent and logical argumentation to meet a 5,000-word writing requirement.
  • Assess student essays for the validity and soundness of their arguments, clarity of expression, avoidance of rhetorical fallacies, and adept utilization of both denotative and connotative aspects of language; and evaluate the incorporation of selected examples, details, and evidence to bolster and substantiate the thesis and other generalizations presented.

Major Course Content

The integrated course outline combines logic principles with critical reading and writing strategies, emphasizing their application in philosophic and literary analysis:

  1. Logic and Critical Thinking (20%)

    • Logic Defined: Understanding propositions, arguments, premises, conclusions, and distinguishing arguments from non-arguments.
    • Evaluative Terms: Exploring deduction versus induction, deductive validity, inductive strength, validity versus logical form, and truth.
    • Common Informal Fallacies: Identifying fallacies of relevance, presumption, and ambiguity.
    • Formal Logic: Exploring categorical and propositional logic.
    • Induction: Analyzing analogical reasoning and causality.
    • Sentential Logic: Examining syntax, semantics, and translation.
    • Truth Tables and Natural Deduction.

  2. Critical Reading Strategies (20%)

    • Reading for Purpose: Understanding language's relationship to logic.
    • Drawing Inferences: Evaluating diction and recognizing denotative and connotative language.
    • Identifying Rhetorical Devices: Recognizing and analyzing rhetorical strategies.

  3. Approaches to Critical Analysis (20%)

    • Traditional and Alternate Approaches: Methods for evaluating and understanding literature.

  4. Writing the Argument/Response (20%)

    • Assessing Purpose and Audience: Evaluating evidence and formulating thesis statements.
    • Persuasive Approaches: Determining the effectiveness of deductive, inductive, or mixed approaches.
    • Avoiding Fallacious Reasoning: Developing evidence and organizing, evaluating, and revising arguments.

  5. Applying the Argument (20%)

    • Extended and Researched Arguments: Utilizing conventions of documentation and responding to timed writing proficiency questions.

Evaluation:

  • Judging students on their ability to analyze and advocate philosophic ideas.
  • Assessing the logic and rational sequencing of essays for critical thinking and composition while focusing on reason.
  • Evaluating student essays for progress in refining writing skills and developing critical and analytical techniques to meet the requisite 5,000-word writing requirement.

Suggested Reading Other Than Required Textbook

Jean-Paul Sartre's "Existentialism is a Humanism."

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

In a formal essay, critically analyze Jean-Paul Sartre's argument presented in "Existentialism is a Humanism" regarding the existentialist perspective on human existence, freedom, and responsibility. Begin by summarizing Sartre's main points and the logical structure of his argument. Then, evaluate the coherence and consistency of Sartre's reasoning, paying particular attention to how he defines human freedom and the implications of this freedom for ethical decision-making. Additionally, assess the effectiveness of Sartre's responses to objections against existentialism, such as accusations of subjectivism and nihilism. Finally, conclude by offering your own reasoned assessment of Sartre's argument, considering its strengths, weaknesses, and broader implications for understanding the human condition. Support your analysis with evidence from the text and relevant secondary sources.

Examples of Outside Assignments

Evaluate Sartre's argument for existentialism as a humanism, analyzing the logical coherence and consistency of his claims regarding the nature of human existence, freedom, and responsibility. Additionally, consider the validity of Sartre's refutation of objections raised against existentialism, such as charges of subjectivism and nihilism.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture