2016 Fall Course Syllabus - Mathematics 0828.701
Course: Mathematics 0828.701.
Course Title: critical thinking and problem solving.
Time: online.
Place: BE 160.
Instructor: Raymond F. Coughlin.
Instructor Office: WH 1033.
Instructor Email: raymond.coughlin@temple.edu
Instructor Phone: 215 204 1659.
Office Hours: T/Th 11:30 to 12:30, 2:15 to 3:30.
Prerequisites: none.
Textbook: none.
Course Goals: This course fulfills the Quantitative Literacy area of the program, one of the nine areas in Gen Ed. The goals of the Quantitative Literacy area are to help students: Communicate logical arguments and their conclusions. Understand quantitative models that describe real world phenomena and recognize limitations of those models. Recognize, absorb, and appreciate quantitative reasoning for solving problems that are part of everyday life. Retrieve, organize, and analyze data associated with a quantitative model. Understand the various sources of uncertainty and error in empirical data. Perform simple mathematical computations associated with a quantitative model and make conclusions based on the results.
Topics Covered: Critical reasoning is about how we make judgments and reach conclusions, not just about the judgments and conclusions themselves. Critical reasoning entails making a cogent decisions and mental leaps from the immediate to the uncertain. This course, then, is not as much about "getting the right answer" as it is about "how did you reach that decision" and "did you use proper and accepted reasoning" to make that conclusion. Once the need for a more formal approach to studying the topic has been established, the course will then cover the terms, definitions and techniques of formal logic. The role of logic as the foundation for critical analysis will be studied. Problems directly related to national standardized exams, such as the LSAT, will be the crux of this section of the course. The optimal goal of reasoned inquiry is complete knowledge, but often this goal is unattainable. Almost by definition of inquiry and disciplined thought, complex issues arise that are fraught with considerable uncertainty. Critical reasoning can then be described as the process of reaching decisions by transcending the bounds of incomplete information and using analytical judgment to sort through a wide range of possible explanations to find the most compelling one. As problems become more complex their solution requires deeper reasoning. Bloom's taxonomy provides a simple backdrop to illustrate levels of complex thought. Many college courses are information-based and require no more reasoning than level 2 or 3 in Bloom's taxonomy. In this course we get to levels 5 and 6 early on and stay there. The course, Critical Reasoning, is a direct consequence of my years as Honors Director and pre-med advisor and what I saw was lacking in our students' development. In a snapshot, national standardized exams such as the GRE, MCAT and LSAT examine students' ability to solve problems posed at Bloom's sixth level of reasoning. Few of our courses get to the third or fourth levels. We get to the fifth level - Synthesis - by having the students answer question such as: How do you combine these three or four ideas to form a new structure? What would you predict or infer from these statements? What ideas must be added to these statements to make the argument valid? How would you create or design a new or similar type of reasoning or argument? What would happen if you combined these ideas or statement in a different order or pattern?.
Course Grading: A(94%) A-(92%) B+(90%) B(84%) B-(82%) C+(80%) C(74%) C-(70%) D+(68%) D(65%) D-(62%).
Exam Dates: 9-27, 10-25, 11-30, 12-15.
Attendance Policy: You are expected to attend every class and you are responsible for all assignments made in class. You are allowed 4 absences. There is no such thing as an "excused" absence. For each absence after the fourth your grade will be lowered by one grade, so store up your absences for "emergencies." (Here is a word to the wise: most "emergencies" occur at the end of the semester, so plan on attending every class, in this course and all your courses.).
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. Contact Disability Resources and Services at (215) 204-1280, 100 Ritter Annex, to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed here.
Students will be charged for a course unless dropped by the Drop/Add deadline date. Check the University calendar for exact dates.
During the first two weeks of the fall or spring semester, students may withdraw from a course with no record of the class appearing on the transcript. In weeks three through nine of the fall or spring semester, or during weeks three and four of summer sessions, the student may withdraw with the advisor's permission. The course will be recorded on the transcript with the instructor's notation of "W," indicating that the student withdrew. After week nine of the fall or spring semester, or week four of summer sessions, students may not withdraw from courses. No student may withdraw from more than five courses during the duration of his/her studies to earn a bachelor's degree. A student may not withdraw from the same course more than once. Students who miss the final exam and do not make alternative arrangements before the grades are turned in will be graded F.
The grade I (an "incomplete") is reserved for extreme circumstances. It is necessary to have completed almost all of the course with a passing average and to file an incomplete contract specifying what is left for you to do. To be eligible for an I grade you need a good reason and you should have missed not more than 25% of the first nine weeks of classes. If approved by the Mathematics Department chair and the CST Dean's office, the incomplete contract must include a default grade that will be used in case the I grade is not resolved within 12 months.