PHL 221 - Critical Thinking

CRITICAL THINKING

PHL 221 - Spring 2020
Online (CRN 43308)
Prof. Borrowdale

OFFICE HOURS VIA ZOOM
TU & TH 7-8pm

PHILOSOPHY TUTORING VIA ZOOM
Jordan Brown: MW 10-12

For help with Moodle, Zoom or any other technology issue, please visit the Student Help Desk (SHeD)

TEXT: This course uses Open Educational Resources (OERs) embedded in Moodle; there is no text to purchase.

IMPORTANT: There is a quiz on the syllabus due THURSDAY, April 9 by 11:59pm. If you don't take the Syllabus Quiz by the deadline, you may be dropped from the course for non-participation. Try to take this quiz early so you don't miss the deadline. If you decide this class is not for you, please drop right away on MyLane as there is no guarantee you will be dropped by the instructor. This will also help out students on the wait list who would like to add and get started with the class. If you don't drop by Sunday, April 12, 11:59pm, you will be charged for the class. If you drop the class after the 4th week, the class will be recorded on your transcript with a "W" (withdrawn) next to it. The absolute last day to drop or change your grading option to pass/no pass has been moved to Saturday, June 13 at 11:59pm due to the coronavirus crisis.

CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR: Please use Moodle messages to contact me. I will do my best to reply within 24 hours. You may receive a notification and copy of Moodle messages in your email. Please don't reply to those directly; log into Moodle and reply there. Using Moodle messages consistently also allows us to track any ongoing issues by scrolling up in the message history. Replying to email notifications or using email to contact me will result in a delayed response and the 24 hour rule will not apply. My students come first; using Moodle for communication will ensure your message gets the priority treatment it deserves. Before contacting me, please review this syllabus and and the Announcements Forum to see if your question is already answered there.

THIS IS AN ADULT LEARNING SPACE: Expect to come into contact with ideas with which you disagree and to have your beliefs challenged. Students will be treated as mature, responsible adults, capable of engaging in adult conversations which may touch on topics such as race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, sexual relations, cultural differences, morality, politics and religion. It is a prerequisite of this course that you possess, or be willing to develop, the ability to discuss controversial issues in a calm, rational and respectful manner.

TRIGGER WARNING: This class uses examples of real arguments made by real people about real subjects people care about. Quotes, slogans, memes, protest signage and video clips used in this class may contain words and images which you find provocative, offensive, vulgar, shocking or insulting to groups or public figures with which you identify or who you hold in high esteem. If you have difficulty handling such material, you may want to consider taking another course. For help with post-traumatic stress or emotional fragility, please conact the Counseling & Career Center. The purpose of these examples is not to provoke but to give you practice dispassionately analyzing actual arguments people actually make in the public square. The use of an argument should in no way be interpreted as an endorsement of its conclusion nor of the person making it. These arguments are merely grist for our critical thinking mill. Using real life examples will help you to understand and guard against non-rational means of persuasion, identify common fallacies and recognize sound arguments, even when they are dressed up in polarizing or incendiary rhetoric. If you would like to improve your tolerance for subject matter and ideas you may currently find distressing or offensive, I encourage you to remain in the class but with the understanding that thinking about, discussing and critically evaluating this material is a course requirement.

If you have difficulty handling such material, you may want to consider taking another course. For help with post-traumatic stress or emotional fragility, please contact the Counseling & Career Center. If you would like to improve your tolerance for subject matter and ideas you may currently find distressing or offensive, I encourage you to remain in the class but with the understanding that thinking about, discussing and critically evaluating this material in a mature and responsible manner is a course requirement.

ACADEMIC FREEDOM OF THE INSTRUCTOR: "The professional freedom of faculty includes the right to explore and discuss controversial issues and divergent points of view, including evaluating, criticizing, and advocating their point of view concerning the policies and programs of the college..."-- Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Lane Community College Educational Association and Board of Education, Section 15.3. According to this section of the faculty contract, the instructor is free not only to discuss contentious, hot-button issues which have the potential to offend you, but to approach them from viewpoints which diverge from the mainstream and deviate from what you might consider "acceptable" opinion. Academic freedom is essential to fostering robust discussion of intellectual issues and the social progress that results from such discussions. Before reacting in knee-jerk fashion to an idea, please try to remember that what offends our sensibilities is often a product of our culture, mass media, upbringing, peer group and personal history rather than any quality intrinsic to the idea itself. Also keep in mind that these things change over time. Many ideas that were considered dangerous, controversial or offensive in the past are now part of the unquestioned status quo. Your job as a thinking person is to sort feeling from fact and to separate rationality and morality from cultural prejudice and personal bias. This type of self-examination is a big part of what it means to be a philosopher.

Faculty have wide discretion in how they treat academic subjects in the classroom. Although this class will explore a diversity of opinions, some ideas will be emphasized over others. Beliefs which enjoy institutional support from the college may be singled out for scrutiny, as explicitly allowed in Section 15.3 above. Ideas which predominate in academic culture and the social sciences or among college students may face special criticism, while minority or neglected viewpoints may be given special consideration. This is because critical thinking is most important when it comes to beliefs you are likely to have uncritically adopted (or dismissed) due to various dominant social influences. Considerations of "balance" in this course are approached from the institutional level. So, for example, if the college as an institution and the majority of courses favor or promote one view on a controversial issue, this class may balance that out by emphasizing an opposing view.

The instructor attempts to give the best argument for many different views. Just because an argument in favor of a particular view is given in class, podcasts, the text or other external resources does not necessarily mean that it is the instructor's view on the subject. In fact, you may notice that the instructor will make arguments for views which are logically incompatible with one another. Therefore, it makes no sense to assume that every time a view is being presented, the instructor believes it and is attempting to persuade you to accept it. It is up to you to sort through the competing claims and arguments presented in this class and decide for yourself which views to accept.

If you disagree with or take offense at any of the views expressed in this class by the instructor or in course materials, may I suggest: (1) try to keep an open mind (2) reflect on why you find certain beliefs or opinions vexing or upsetting and use this as an opportunity for self-exploration, to practice self-management skills and to develop your capacity for tolerance of ideas which differ from your own (3) remind yourself that emotions are an unreliable guide to objective reality and that the feelings we associate with certain ideas are often accidents of birth, culture and personal experience (4) keep in mind that exploring or understanding an idea isn't the same as approving of or accepting it and (5) engage the instructor in civil discussion or debate in class sessions (in the case of face-to-face classes) or privately in office hours.

Another relevant section of the faculty contract is Section 16.3, Civic Life, which states, "Each faculty member is also a citizen of his or her nation, state and community; and when he or she speaks, writes or acts as such shall be free from institutional censorship." This means that faculty have an absolute right to express themselves outside the classroom without fear of retribution from the Administration. Therefore, if you encounter the instructor outside the classroom, acting in his capacity as a private citizen, you should recognize that his views do not necessarily represent those of the college and that the college recognizes his right to speak, write and act according to the truth as he sees it and the dictates of his own conscience.

ACADEMIC FREEDOM OF STUDENTS: "Each faculty member is entitled to and responsible for protecting freedom in the classroom in discussion and presentation of subject matter." -- Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Lane Community College Educational Association and Board of Education, Section 15.2. Voicing an opinion that differs from that expressed by the instructor in face-to-face sessions or online forums will never be penalized, though there may be occasions when debate must be curtailed in the interest of adequately covering course material. The instructor encourages the voicing of dissenting opinions, especially on controversial issues and when backed by convincing reasons and supporting evidence. This enlivens class, provides an alternative viewpoint, fosters critical thinking and may end up enlightening the instructor, who occasionally realizes he has been wrong. Please couch dissenting opinions in a constructive and respectful manner in order to keep the exchange of ideas civil. This particular class uses recordings from the face-to-face classes and has weekly quizzes in lieu of online forums, but alternative viewpoints are always welcome in Zoom office hours Tu 4-5pm and Th 7-8pm. Click the link near the top of this page to connect.

USE OF HUMOR: The instructor frequently employs humor to lighten the mood as well as to illustrate points, add color and make learning fun. This should in no way be interpreted as disparaging any individual or group. Students will always be treated with the utmost respect and will never be mocked or ridiculed.

CONCERNS: I want this class to be a positive learning experience for you. If, at any time, you have a concern, grievance or complaint about the course, please speak with me about it directly in office hours or via Moodle message. You have my personal guarantee that I will hear you out, reflect carefully on what you have to say and that it will have no bearing on your grade. Because the class uses objective testing (with a record of scores on the server), you have additional protection. My only request is that, if I have some feedback for you, you consider it in the same spirit. I'd rather correct any problems than have you be disgruntled for the rest of the term (which is likely to negatively affect your performance in the class) only to complain about it in student evaluations. Why not alert me to a problem when I can actually do something about it? In the unlikely event that you remain dissatisfied, you can still take your concerns to the Dean of the Social Science Division. I am a reasonable, fair and kind human being and care about my students, so I'm sure we will be able to work something out. The Dean's first suggestion will probably be that the three of us meeting to discuss the issue. He is a busy man doing important work for the college. Why not see if we can work it out between us first? Addressing any concerns early, honestly and directly will result in a better outcome for both of us.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

PODCAST QUIZZES	Weeks 1-9: Due before Sunday 11:59pm Week 10: Due before Thursday 11:59pm	20% of grade
FIRST MIDTERM EXAM	Opens: Monday, April 27 at 9am Closes: Monday, May 4 at 11:59pm	20% of grade
SECOND MIDTERM EXAM	Opens: Monday, May 18 at 9am Closes: Tuesday, May 26 at 11:59pm	20% of grade
COMPREHENSIVE MIDTERM	Opens: Wednesday, May 27 at 9am Closes: Friday, June 5 at 11:59pm	20% of grade
FINAL EXAM	Opens: Monday, June 8 at 9am Closes: Friday, June 12 at 11:59pm	20% of grade

WHAT PHILOSOPHY IS: Philosophy is the attempt to come to a systematic understanding of the objective world through the use of reason. The philosophical approach assumes a commitment to follow the truth wherever it leads, however uncomfortable it may make us and in spite of what we may wish to be true. It strives for logical consistency and agreement with the empirical evidence. Philosophy is about asking questions, especially questions no one else wants to ask. Philosophy even questions the unquestionable, including things considered to be "common sense," such as the existence of an external world of matter, free will, God, the soul, an afterlife or the existence of universal, objective moral values (or perhaps the unquestionable certainty of our age is the dogma that morality is culturally relative or completely subjective). Philosophy uses conceptual analysis as its primary tool. Properly analyzing concepts requires the rigorous definition of terms, so the precise use of language is very important to philosophers, or at least to the good ones. This goes all the way back to Socrates. Fuzzy language evinces fuzzy thinking. Because this is a course in applied reasoning, our approach will be mainly topical, practical and contemporary, though I do draw on some historical works.

WHAT PHILOSOPHY IS NOT: Philosophy is not about exploring your "personal beliefs." Nor is it about your feelings (please avoid the phrase "I feel" when expressing your point of view in class, as hopefully what you have to say is based on more than your subjective emotional state). Philosophy is not about your identity, your sex, your gender, your sexual orientation, your culture or your "race." It's not about your faith or "how you were raised." Try to put these things out of your mind when attempting to think philosophically. Instead, try adopting the role of a impartial juror, weighing the evidence in an important case, or of a scientist trying to understand the causes of a mysterious disease. Although there is an historical tradition associated with philosophy, it is not primarily about history, and even though understanding their historical or cultural context may help us understand the ideas of particular philosophers, it is the ideas themselves with which philosophy is concerned.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is aimed at developing practical reasoning skills. Students will learn to analyze and evaluate arguments, detect fallacies, distinguish science from pseudo-science, recognize media bias, and better understand methods of deception employed by advertisers, political organizations and others. A central goal of this course is to develop an attitude of fair-mindedness and intellectual honesty while learning to avoid the pitfalls of defensiveness and rationalization.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: The objectives are this course are for students to (1) be able to identify, analyze and evaluate arguments, including being able to recognize hidden assumptions and implied conclusions (2) be able to identify various kinds of valid and strong arguments and to distinguish them from formal and informal fallacies (3) develop an awareness of various kinds of psychological bias that can cloud clear thinking and to develop effective strategies for overcoming it (4) develop an awareness of social, cultural and institutional bias and to develop strategies for correcting for its influence (5) be able to guard against non-rational means of persuasion such as slick sales techniques, rhetoric and propaganda (6) be able to apply critical thinking skills in different contexts, e.g. advertising, science, politics (7) be able to distinguish between unreliable personal experiences or anecdotal evidence and good empirical evidence (8) understand and appreciate the value of rationality and objectivity.

The first half of this course is devoted to developing the logical framework, attitudes and skills necessary for critical thinking. The second half will apply this framework and these attitudes and skills to particular areas of human knowledge: economics, science, religion, ethics, academia, the news media and politics. It will also explore special problems and considerations for thinking critically in these areas.

READING AND VIDEO RESOURCES: It is important to read the material in Moodle (both instructor provided handouts and exercises and external links) and watch the linked videos in order to perform well on exams. There will be more reading and videos in the second half of the course; as the first half focuses in on basic concepts, skills, exercises and short example arguments.

AUDIO PODCASTS: Each week you will listen to the lecture/discussion from the face-to-face classroom section from last Fall. These audio podcasts will will help explain the reading and course concepts. Not listening to these recordings would be the equivalent of not going to a face to face class and attempting to pass by simply reading the textbook. There will be some material presented in these recordings which will be tested on but which is not in the readings and videos provided in Moodle. You can stream them from Google or download them to your computer or phone and listen to them while doing routine household chores, exercising, and so on, though you may find it helpful to take some notes as you listen. Most sessions will refer to Powerpoint slides or whiteboard notes, included with the recordings.

PODCAST QUIZZES: To incentivize timely listening to the audio podcasts, a quiz will be due each Sunday before 11:59pm during Weeks 1-9, Thursday11:59pm during Week 10. The quiz will ask for "pass phrases" given each hour of the podcast (two each class, four per week) to demonstrate that you listened. On a few occasions where I forgot to give a pass phrase, I will ask a question of a very general nature about the podcast which you should easily be able to answer if you listened.

EXAMS: The exam format will be multiple choice and true/false questions. The final will not be comprehensive. Each exam has a study guide linked in Moodle. Read the questions and make sure you can answer each of them. You may even want to write out the answers, which you can consult while taking the exam. If you don't know the answer to a particular question, search the relevant section of the online textbook, the Powerpoints, whiteboard captures and your notes from the audio podcasts for the answer. If you are still unsure or have questions about the reading or podcasts, attend the Zoom tutoring hours listed above. Even if you don't have any particular questions, you are encouraged to attend Zoom tutoring hours for help in doing your very best on the exams. If you still have questions, attend the Zoom office hours of the instructor listed above. Also, make sure to take the short practice quizzes each week.

Once you take the exam, you'll immediately receive your score and see the questions you missed, along with the correct answers. Please give yourself time to review the exam right after you take it, since you will not be able to review your exam once you close out the window. Reviewing your first two midterm exams will be helpful to you when you take the Comprehensive Midterm Exam, which will cover the same material.

The lowest of your three midterm exam scores is automatically dropped (note that this does not include the Final Exam). This means that even if you get an F on the First Midterm Exam, you can get some help with the class, figure out where you went wrong, apply yourself, and possibly end up with an A in the class.

You will have a week to take the First and Second Midterm, nine days for Comprehensive Midterm and five days for Final Exam. Exams are taken via Moodle with a time limit of one hour. The opening and closing times of exams are listed in the table above and in the course outline at the end of the syllabus. Clicking on any exam in the main course view in Moodle will also show you the opening and closing dates as well as the chapters and weeks it covers.

EXAM DEADLINE POLICY: Since you will have at least a week to take each midterm, you will be expected to meet the deadline, however, you may contact the philosophy tutor via Moodle message (not email) to request an extension without penalty. Please include the class, the exam and the date you would like it extended to in your message. Since there is no separate final exam week, the final closes Friday of Week Ten and no extensions are possible past then. If you miss the deadline for the final due to some unforeseen circumstance or emergency situation, contact the instructor via Moodle message for options ASAP.

Since I have the gradebook set to ignore empty grades, if you miss an exam, just like a missed forum post, you won't see the effect on your grade until the end of the term when I turn that setting off. If you got an 80% on the First Midterm but that's the only exam you take, the gradebook might tell you that you have a 80 in the course, or even an 84% if you didn't do any forum posts either, but your grade would be 16%, an F. Again, Moodle will tell you your grade based on the assignments completed so far. Anything you don't complete will be converted to a zero at the end of the term. Make sure to complete all of the exams by the deadlines!

GRADING: There is no curve. At the end of the term, the class will be graded on the following absolute scale, with course totals rounded up to the nearest whole number:

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%

GETTING HELP WITH THE CLASS: If you are having difficulties with the class, please see the philosophy tutor as soon as possible. The tutor's Zoom office hours are at the top of this syllabus and linked near the top of the main course page in Moodle. The tutor can go over your exam with you and help you to improve your grade on the next one as well as on the Comprehensive Midterm Exam. If you have questions about basic concepts or the study questions, please see the tutor before seeing the instructor. You can earn extra credit for each tutor visit of at least half an hour, up to a total of three.

EARLY OUTREACH AND REFERRAL (EOR) PROGRAM: At Lane Community College, we want every student to be successful. The Early Outreach and Referral (EOR) Program is a campus-wide effort to support students early in the term when they first begin experiencing difficulty in a class. If I see you are having difficulty in this class (ex. missing classes, missing assignments, and/or receiving low test or assignment scores) I may refer you to our Early Outreach Specialist. Once referred, the Early Outreach Specialist will follow up with you by phone or email to find out how to best support you by connecting you with necessary resources and helping you develop and implement a success plan, which may include individual tutoring or other services. Please respond to these messages. Our current specialist, Mike Walker is really nice, a good listener and has helped many struggling students to succeed. If he contacts you, let him help.

ADVANCED QUESTIONS: If you have a particular issue from the readings, audio podcasts or PowerPoints which you would like to explore, discuss or perhaps debate in more depth than is practical in Moodle messages, please visit me during my zoom office hours. I am also happy to help clear up any questions you may still have after seeing the tutor first.

TECHNOLOGY USE AND HELP: This is an online course. It requires you to use (but not necessarily own) a computer, tablet or smart phone with access to the internet. The syllabus, schedule, announcements, supplementary material and resources, quizzes, exams and grades are all distributed via Moodle. Campus labs are staffed with people who can help you if you are new to computing devices or have difficulty using them. Contact the Student Help Desk (SHeD) or call them at 463-3333 for assistance with all of your education-related technology questions.

COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE

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.
Podcast Quizzes for online students due before Sunday 11:59pm Weeks 1-9.

WEEK 2: The Problem of Bias. The Ethics of Belief. 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

WEEK 4: The Limits of Formal Logic, Argument by Analogy, Informal Fallacies
First Midterm Exam on Weeks 1-3 opens Monday 9am

WEEK 5: Informal Fallacies
First Midterm Exam closes Monday 11:59pm

WEEK 6: Thinking Critically About Economics

WEEK 7: Thinking Critically About Science
Second Midterm Exam, on Weeks 4-6 opens Monday 9am

WEEK 8: Thinking Critically About Religion and Ethics
Second Midterm closes Tuesday 11:59pm
Comprehensive Midterm Exam on Weeks 1-6 opens Wednesday 9am

WEEK 9: Thinking Critically About the Academy
Comprehensive Midterm Exam closes Friday 11:59pm

WEEK 10: Thinking Critically About the News Media and Politics
Week Ten Quiz closes early, Thursday 11:59pm
Final Exam closes Friday 11:59pm
Grade Option/Drop Deadline Saturday 11:59pm (change at http://mylane.lanecc.edu)

Lane Community College (LCC) is dedicated to providing inclusive learning environments. The Center for Accessible Resources (CAR) coordinates all academic accommodations for students at LCC. If you anticipate or experience academic barriers due to a disability, to request assistance or accommodations, contact the Center for Accessible Resources (541) 463-5150 or accessibleresources@lanecc.edu.