IMPORTANT STUFF: There are two sections of this class: please make sure you are registered in the correct section.

The Studio Classroom Section (CRN 22180) meets TR 1-2:50pm in Building 2, Room 214. The classroom is equipped with TV cameras and broadcasts class sessions live on on Lane-TV. You get to be on TV with your instructor - how cool is that? If you're shy, don't worry; the cameras will usually be pointed the professor or showing a digital slide or whiteboard. You'll have to sign a release to allow non-commercial use of your image and voice as a condition of attendance the first day.

Students registered in the Online Video Section (CRN 23446) can watch the live stream at http://www.lanecc.edu/it/media/live-classroom-streaming (it take a while to buffer - get on a few minutes early and be patient) or watch/record the broadcast on Lane-TV (Comcast Cable, Channel 23) or watch recordings of the class posted to YouTube by early evening. Requirements for both sections are exactly the same.

MORE IMPORTANT STUFF: There's a quiz on the syllabus due by Thursday at 3PM. Please take it right away. If you take the Syllabus Quiz by the deadline, I'll add two points to your First Midterm Exam score! That's almost half a letter grade! If you don't take the Syllabus Quiz by Thursday at 3pm, you will be dropped from the class.  Nothing personal. The Feds who give you your financial aid, the State of Oregon and the College all require me to drop "non-participating students." For online video students, that means providing a "meaningful educational activity" and dropping the ones who don't do it. I require it of the studio classroom students as a check against the attendance roster and just to be fair. Don't be that student who contacts me at the beginning of Week 2, sheepishly asking to be let back into the class because she "forgot."

If you decide this class is not for you, please drop yourself right away on MyLane, as there's no guarantee I will drop you and there are other students waiting to get in. If you don't drop by 11:59pm Sunday, somebody's going to have to pay for the class. That somebody might be you! Also, after Sunday the class will be recorded on your transcript, and even if you drop it will be listed with a"W" (withdrawn) next to it. If later in the term you decide to go "Pass/No Pass" or completely bail on the class, the deadline to do that is always Friday of the 8th week, which this term is November 17. If you forget to drop and forget about the class, you probably won't like the grade I'll have to give you.

EVEN MORE IMPORTANT STUFF: This course requires testing in an LCC campus lab or with approved proctor. You cannot take tests at home. If you live outside the greater Eugene area and can't make it to the Instructional Testing Center, Cottage Grove Center or Florence Center, you will have to arrange a proctor. Tests are multiple choice and true false and should take you less than an hour. More details will be available in the syllabus tomorrow.

There is no text to buy. We will be using OERs posted to Moodle.

COMPUTER USE: This course requires you to use (but not necessarily own) a computer. Testing, distribution and archiving of notes and handouts and reporting and calculation of grades are all done via Moodle. Campus labs are staffed with people who can help you if you are new to computers or have difficulty using them. Visit the Student Help Desk (SHeD) website at https://www.lanecc.edu/atc/student-help-desk, call them at 463-3333 or visit them in Building 2, Room 121/122. Campus computer labs and hours may be found at https://www.lanecc.edu/cit/computer-lab. Please make sure your current email address is in your myLane account and Moodle profile.

EXAMS: You will have a window of several days during which you must take each exam in Instructional Testing Services in the  in CEN 311 on the Main Campus or at the Cottage Grove Center or with an approved proctor. Exams cannot be taken at home. You will need a photo I.D. and to know your L Number and myLane PIN to log into the test. The exam format will be multiple choice and true/false questions. During the exam you may use a 3 x 5 card note card (both sides) or a piece of paper measured with a ruler and cut to the same size. The final will not be comprehensive. Opening and closing times of exams are in the syllabus and may also be seen by clicking on the exam name in the main course view or consulting your Moodle Calendar. Hours for Instructional Testing Services are posted at https://www.lanecc.edu/learningcommons/its. You must arrive one hour before closing. See http://www.lanecc.edu/laneonline/test-proctoring for details on proctoring if you are taking the course from out of the greater Eugene area. If you need help locating a proctor, try The National College Testing Association at http://www.ncta-testing.org/cctc/. A per test fee is usually required, though fees will vary by institution. Note: LCC Testing labs will be closed Friday, November 10 (Veterans Day). They will also close early at 2pm on Wednesday, November 22 for the Thanksgiving holiday, not opening again until Monday, November 28.

EXTRA CREDIT EXAM: There is an  optional Extra Credit Exam, based on the material from the First and Second Midterm Exams. It opens Monday of Week 8 and closes Friday of Week 10. It will replace the lowest of your First or Second Midterm Exam scores. If it is lower than either, it will have no effect. In order for it to count, you have to take both midterms. It is not a substitute for taking either midterm or the final exam.

MAKE-UP EXAM POLICY: Since you will have at least a week to take the exam, you will be expected to meet the deadline. If you may contact the instructor before the deadline via Moodle messaging or in person to request an extension without penalty.

The Final Exam must be completed by THURSDAY 5PM of Final Exam Week.  Since the lab closes at 5pm and I will be determining grades Thursday night, MAKE UPS ARE USUALLY NOT POSSIBLE for purposes of Spring Term grades. If you have a legitimate excuse for missing the Final, contact me about a make-up and grade change in the Summer or Fall.
 
PENALTIES FOR CHEATING: Students caught cheating will be given an F in the course.

GRADING: At the end of the term, the class will be graded on the following absolute scale. Any extra credit work (with the exception of the Extra Credit Exam) does not count towards the A+.

A+ 97% -100%	A  93% - 96%	A-  90% - 92%
B+  87% - 89%	B  83% - 86%	B-  80% - 82%
C+  77% - 79%	C  73% - 76%	C-  70% - 72%
D+  67% - 69%	D  63% - 66%	D-  60% - 62%
	F 0% - 59%

AVAILABILITY OF THE INSTRUCTOR: I am available by Moodle messaging or in-person office visits. We can also set up an appointment to talk on the phone or via a conferencing app like Skype. If you are having difficulties with the class, please contact me as soon as possible; I am here to help. If you performed poorly on your first exam, please come by office hours or make an appointment to see me to see what we can do to improve your next exam score and the Extra Credit Exam, which will replace your lowest midterm score. I am also available to discuss any issue in the class which has piqued your intellectual curiosity, or which you find interesting or important, outside of the realm of assignments and testing.

PHILOSOPHY AT LANE: All Religion classes (many of which dealt with Eastern Philosophy) and most Philosophy classes were eliminated by outgoing President Mary Spilde last Spring, even though Philosophy had the highest fill rate and lowest enrollment decline of any other Social Science discipline and both were generating a $250,000 profit for the college every year. President Spilde believed that by eliminating the sole full-time position in Philosophy and Religion replace it with cheaper part-time work in other Social Science areas, she could save the College money, despite the fact that this is a direct violation of the faculty contract. A grievance has been filed. This penny-pinching scheme also had the negative side-effect of laying off some great part-time faculty: Caroline Lundquist (who paradoxically received a teaching award before being laid off), Dale Lugenbehl and Jonathan Seidel. Meanwhile, the College had huge reserves and expanded other programs, like the First Year Experience, Oregon Promise and the drone program, and created two new manager positions. The college plans on offering no more than two courses per term; otherwise, it has to pay a full-time rate. It plans on only offering Ethics and Critical Thinking from now on. If you find this objectionable, write a letter to the Torch, show up at the Board meetings or tell ASLCC that you'd like them to take this issue up. The new President seems open to new ideas and values student input. You can also show your support by joining the Titan Philosophy Club.

CLUB, CREDIT AND WORK STUDY OPPORTUNITIES: Lane has a  I am the faculty advisor for Young Americans for Liberty, a locally controlled, independent student club dedicated to individual rights, limited government, personal responsibility and the principles of reason, freedom and compassion. We meet Tuesdays 12-1 (location for Fall Termto be determined). We're also discussing having a second meeting so everyone's schedule can be accommodated. For more information, check out YAL on OrgSync and click the Join button to be updated on club activities. You can also check out YAL at LCC on Facebook (not much activity there lately, but we hope to remedy that soon). If you're interested in doing an internship through Cooperative Education (Political Science) to earn 2 or 3 credits helping out with the club, send me a Moodle message. Also, if you have Federal Work Study, I could use a new Philosophy assistant to help with some research and clerical work.

COURSE OUTLINE

WEEK 1: What is Critical Thinking and Why Is It Important? Objectivity, Truth and Knowledge. Language and Meaning. The Problem of Vagueness. The Law of Excluded Middle. The Problem of Bias. The Ethics of Belief.

WEEK 2: Arguments, Premises and Conclusions. Inductive and Deductive Arguments. Validity and Soundness. Valid and Invalid Arguments. Strong and Weak Arguments.

WEEK 3: Logical Operators. Basic Valid Arguments. Basic Formal Fallacies
First Midterm opens Thursday 3:00pm (taken in Instructional Testing Services, or with approved proctor)

WEEK 4: Argument by Analogy, Appeals to Authority, Informal Fallacies
First Midterm closes Friday 5pm

WEEK 5 More Informal Fallacies

WEEK 6: Thinking Critically About Religion and Ethics
Second Midterm opens Thursday at 3:30

WEEK 7: Probability, Risk and Reward. Thinking Critically About the Academy
Instructional Testing Services closed Friday (Veterans Day); Second Midterm close date moved to Monday of Week 8

WEEK 8 Thinking Critically About Science
Second Midterm closes Monday 7pm
Extra Credit Exam Opens Tuesday 9am

WEEK 9 Thinking Critically About Advertisements

WEEK 10 Thinking Critically About the News and Politics
Final Exam opens Thursday 3:30
Extra Credit Exam closes Friday 5pm

FINAL EXAM WEEK
Take Final Exam in the Computer Testing Lab by Thursday 5pm