PHIL 2140 - Introduction to Logic
Fall 2020
Syllabus
Instructor
Professor Bram van Heuveln
Office: WebEx
Phone: N/A
Email: heuveb@rpi.edu
Office Hours: Find and book time slots on LMS -> WebEx -> Office Hours
Undergraduate Student Mentors
Aaron Ditkoff: ditkoa@rpi.edu, Office Hours: Thursday 7:00-9:00pm EST
Alexandra Hsueh: hsueha@rpi.edu, Office Hours: Thursday 9:00-11:00pm EST
Cassandra Clute: clutec@rpi.edu, Office Hours: Monday 8:00-10:00 pm EST
Junjia Lyu: lyuj@rpi.edu, Office Hours: Sunday 7:00-9:00 pm EST
Kat Stochel: stochk@rpi.edu, Office Hours: Monday 6:00-8:00 pm EST
Tim Clough: clougt@rpi.edu, Office Hours: Wednesday 9:00-11:00 am EST
All office hours done through WebEx Teams -> Fall 2020 Introduction to Logic Mentor Help / Office Hours -> "Meet"
Introduction
This course is an introduction to formal, or symbolic, logic. Formal logic studies the deductive validity of reasoning through the use of formal systems. Formal systems consist of a formal language of symbolic expressions, together with precisely defined criteria that capture which expressions are consequences of which. Students will thus learn how to symbolize information or English expressions into the languages of formal logic, and to use tools to manipulate the resulting symbolic expressions. This course will cover two important formal systems: propositional logic and first-order logic. Specific tools include truth-tables, boolean algebra, and formal proofs. Students will learn about the scope and limits of these systems as well, i.e. students will learn what logic can do and what it cannot do.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- translate English expressions into logic expressions
- analyze and manipulate logic expressions to determine logical validity, consequence, and equivalence
- apply formal logic to solve logic puzzles and analyze arguments, draw important connections between formal logic and computer science, artificial intelligence, and mathematics, but also recognize the limitations of formal logic
Course Materials
- "Language, Proof, and Logic" Book and Software Package, 2nd edition, Jon Barwise and John Etchemendy
Assignments and Grading
- Your grade will be determined by a number of homework problems (60% total), and four in-class quizzes (4x10%=40%).
- The 'in-class' quizzes are online during normal class time. Students with extended time should contact the instructor beforehand. Students who due to circumstances cannot take the quiz during class time should contact the instructor to take the quiz during some other time slot that same day.
- Late submissions of HW and make-up quizzes taken on a later day will only be accepted in case of documented emergencies for which you will have to contact the Dean of Students Office (DOSO)
- For your final grade, the following cut-offs will be used: A: 93, A-: 90, B+: 87, B:83, B-:80, C+: 77, C:73, C-:70, D+: 67, D: 60.
- The instructor reserves the right to decide borderline cases based on exceptional class participation, unrepresentative performance, or other such factors.
Academic Honesty
Student-teacher relationships are built on trust. For example, students must trust that teachers have made appropriate decisions about the structure and content of the courses they teach, and teachers must trust that the assignments that students turn in are their own. Acts which violate this trust undermine the educational process. The Rensselaer Student Handbook defines various forms of Academic Dishonesty and you should make yourself familiar with these. In this class, all assignments that are turned in for a grade must represent the student's own work. Submissions of any assignment that is in violation of this policy will result in getting a 0 for the assignment. The second violation will result in the automatic failure of the course. If you have any question concerning this policy before submitting an assignment, please ask for clarification.
Classroom Policies
All classes will be taught online. Most classes will be delivered through an online lecture. These classes will be recorded. A few classes may be delivered through pre-recorded videos. When joining a live online sessions, please mute your microphone unless instructor calls on you. If you have questions or comments during lecture relevant to the course, feel free to put those into Chat. Disruptive or disrespectful comments will not be tolerated.