PHI 1101 (Section B) Reasoning and Critical Thinking

(Fall 2023)

I NSTRUCTOR : Paul Rusnock

C OURSE E - MAIL : phi1101B@uottawa.ca
PHI1101B O FFICE : DMS C OURSE O FFICE HOURS :

Monday 10–11:30, DMS 8128

Tuesday 2–3:30 (on-line, via Zoom: links in Brightspace)
Wednesday 11–12:30, DMS 8128

L ECTURES: Pre-recorded, available at any time after posting

T UTORIALS (DGD): Schedule varies by section: consult your personal course
timetable for time and place.

T EACHING A SSISTANT /T UTORIAL L EADER : The name, contact information,

and office hours of your tutorial leader will be sent to you by e-mail.

T EXT /C OURSEPACK : P. Rusnock, Principles of Reasoning: an Introduction to Crit-

ical Thinking (Course Notes for PHI 1101), Version 4.1 (available at Laurier Office
Mart, 226 Laurier Ave. East.).

Course description: This course aims to develop and sharpen students’ analyt-
ical and argumentative skills through a study of techniques of critical reading
and reasoning. Topics to be studied include: identifying, analyzing, and evalu-
ating arguments, principles of reasoning, validity and soundness, elementary
formal logic, non-deductive arguments, varieties of fallacious reasoning, in-
ductive arguments, causal reasoning, uses and abuses of language, and defini-
tion.
The course will be delivered in a hybrid format, with pre-recorded lectures and
in-person tutorials (DGD) during scheduled class hours.

N EED HELP, HAVE QUESTIONS ?

If you need help with the course material, or have questions related to the
course, you can:
• Practical questions about the course? Check this syllabus first.
• Send us an e-mail
• Come to office hours: no appointment is needed
 PHI 1101: Syllabus

Workload, evaluation: This course includes seven kinds of activities:

1. R EADINGS : Most weeks, there will be an assigned reading from the text-
book.
2. L ECTURES : Each week, there will be one or two pre-recorded lectures
(available on Brightspace). These will be made available on the Saturday
before the week in question, and in two formats: an .mp4 file, for con-
tinuous viewing, and a .ppt file with clickable audio links, for students
who wish to proceed through the lecture at their own pace. We will also
provide a .pdf of the slides in handout format, in case you would like to
print the slides and take notes on them as you follow the lectures.
3. T UTORIALS : There will be weekly tutorials throughout the term, except
for the weeks when a test a given. Attendance is mandatory. The tutorials
are intended to provide opportunities to answer any questions students
might have about the course material and to provide extra practice. A
special set of exercises will be posted to Brightspace for each session.
4. Q UIZZES : Six on-line quizzes will be made available at various times
during the term. They will remain available until the time of the next
test or exam that follows, and may be taken repeatedly, to a maximum of
10 attempts. A mark of 70% or higher on any quiz counts as a success-
ful completion. All quizzes are of equal weight. Successful completion
of five of the six quizzes will result in full marks for this portion of the
course.
5. T ESTS : We will also have two tests, to be held in class during your nor-
mally scheduled DGD, in the weeks of 9–13 October and 13–17 Novem-
ber.
6. F INAL E XAM : During the examination period (8–21 December, exact date
and time TBD).
7. G RADING : The final grade for the course will be calculated as follows:
Final mark:
Quizzes: 15%
Tests (2): 35% (15% for the lower, 20% for the higher mark)
Tutorial participation: 10%
Final Exam: 40%
8. P OLICY ON MISSED TESTS: Students who are unable to write one of the
tests will have its weight (15%) added to the weight of the final exam. If
you miss a test, you will need to submit a Declaration of Absence. You
can find the required form here:

https://sassit.uottawa.ca/ventus/absence-student/?lang=en-CA

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 PHI 1101: Syllabus

S CHEDULE:
W EEK O NE : 4–8 S EPTEMBER
R EADING : Principles of Reasoning, Chapter 1
L ECTURE 1: Introduction
N O T UTORIAL (DGD) THIS WEEK

W EEK T WO : 11–15 S EPTEMBER

R EADING : Principles of Reasoning, Chapter 2
L ECTURE 2: Arguments and their Elements (1)
L ECTURE 3: Arguments and their Elements (2)
T UTORIAL : covers Lectures 2 and 3; Tutorial Exercises 1
Q UIZ 1 AVAILABLE

W EEK T HREE : 18–22 S EPTEMBER

R EADING : Principles of Reasoning, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, sections 4.1–4.5
L ECTURE 4: Evaluating Arguments
L ECTURE 5: Validity and Soundness (1)
T UTORIAL : covers Lectures 4 and 5; Tutorial Exercises 2
Q UIZ 2 AVAILABLE

W EEK F OUR : 25–29 S EPTEMBER

R EADING : Principles of Reasoning, Chapter 4, 4.6–4.9; Chapter 5, Sections 5.1–5.5
L ECTURE 6: Validity and Soundness (2)
L ECTURE 7: Venn Diagrams and Syllogisms (1)
T UTORIAL : covers Lectures 6 and 7; Tutorial Exercises 3

W EEK F IVE : 2–6 O CTOBER

R EADING : Principles of Reasoning, Chapter 5, Sections 5.6–5.7
L ECTURE 8: Venn Diagrams and Syllogisms (2)
T EST 1 R EVIEW
T UTORIAL : Covers Lecture 8; Tutorial Exercises 4
Q UIZ 3 AVAILABLE

W EEK S IX : 9–13 O CTOBER

University closed on Monday for Thanksgiving
T EST 1 (D URING DGD)

W EEK S EVEN : 16–20 O CTOBER

R EADING : Principles of Reasoning, Chapter 7, sections 7.1–7.7; Chapter 8
L ECTURE 9: Non-Deductive Arguments (1)
L ECTURE 10: Non-Deductive Arguments (2)
T UTORIAL : Covers Lectures 9 and 10; Tutorial Exercises 5
Q UIZ 4 AVAILABLE

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 PHI 1101: Syllabus

READING WEEK: 23–27 O CTOBER

W EEK E IGHT: 30 O CTOBER –3 N OVEMBER

R EADING : Principles of Reasoning, Chapter 7, Section 7.8; Chapter 6, Sections 6.1–6.2
L ECTURE 11: Non-Deductive Arguments (3)
L ECTURE 12: Basic Propositional Logic (1)
T UTORIAL : Covers Lecture 11; Tutorial Exercises 6

W EEK N INE : 6–10 N OVEMBER

R EADING : Principles of Reasoning, Chapter 6, sections 6.3–6.6
L ECTURE 13: Basic Propositional Logic (2)
L ECTURE 14: Basic Propositional Logic (3)
T UTORIAL : Covers Lectures 12 and 13; Tutorial Exercises 7
Quiz 5 Available

W EEK T EN : 13–17 N OVEMBER

T EST 2 R EVIEW
T EST 2 (D URING DGD)

W EEK E LEVEN : 20–24 N OVEMBER

R EADING : Principles of Reasoning, Chapter 6, Sections 6.7–6.8, Chapter 9, Sec-
tions 9.1–9.2
L ECTURE 15: Basic Propositional Logic (4)
L ECTURE 16: Inductive and Causal Arguments (1)
T UTORIAL : Covers Lectures 14 and 15; Tutorial Exercises 8

W EEK T WELVE : 27 N OVEMBER –1 D ECEMBER

R EADING : Principles of Reasoning, Chapter 9, Sections 9.3–9.5; Chapter 10, Sections 10.1–10.2
L ECTURE 17: Inductive and Causal Arguments (2)
L ECTURE 18: Language and Argumentation
T UTORIAL : Covers Lectures 16 and 17; Tutorial Exercises 9
Quiz 6 Available

W EEK T HIRTEEN : 4–8 D ECEMBER

L ECTURE 19: The Challenging Cognitive Enviornment
F INAL E XAM R EVIEW

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 PHI 1101: Syllabus

I MPORTANT I NFORMATION

A CADEMIC F RAUD : Academic fraud is a serious offence, which can carry se-
vere penalties up to and including expulsion from the University. Please take
the time to inform yourself on this subject by reading the University Regulation
on Academic Fraud:
http://www.uottawa.ca/about/academic-regulation-14-other-important-information

C OURSE D ESCRIPTION AS A PPROVED BY T HE U NIVERSITY S ENATE :

PHI 1101, Reasoning and Critical Thinking: Development of fundamental skills in
reasoning and critical thinking through the study of argument types, logical structures,
criteria used in the evaluation of arguments, and forms of fallacious reasoning.

S TATEMENT BY THE TASK F ORCE ON R ESPECT AND E QUALITY:

The University of Ottawa does not tolerate any form of sexual violence. Sexual Violence refers to
any act of a sexual nature committed without consent, such as rape, sexual harassment or online
harassment. The University, as well as student and employee associations, offers a full range of
resources and services allowing members of our community to receive information and confiden-
tial assistance and providing for a procedure to report an incident or make a complaint. For more
information, visit: http://www.uottawa.ca/sexual-violence-support-and-prevention/

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