2019 Spring Course Syllabus - Mathematics 0828.001
Course: Mathematics 0828.001.
Course Title: CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING.
Time: TU/TH 11:40 TO 1:20.
Place: BE 160.
Instructor: Raymond F. Coughlin.
Instructor Office: WH 1033.
Instructor Email: raymond.coughlin@temple.edu
Instructor Phone: 1659.
Office Hours: TU/TH 10-11;30.
Prerequisites: NONE.
Textbook: NONE.
Course Goals: CRITICAL REASONING: Strategies for Analytical Judgment: Transcending the Limits of Incomplete Information 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? We get to the sixth level - Evaluation - by having the students answer question such as: How would you draw a proper conclusion based on these value decisions? How could you resolve the following controversy or difference of opinion? How could you develop a valid opinion, judgment or decision based on these statements? Why is the following argument flawed? What criteria would you use to assess the validity of the following statements? These questions are the specific illustrations of the fifth and sixth levels of Bloom's taxonomy. They are the specific types of questions that appear on national standardized exams. More importantly, when you learn how to reason at this level you are well on your way to mastering the complex material in your major, and to solving the intricate problems you will encounter in your career.
Topics Covered: CRITICAL REASONING: Strategies for Analytical Judgment: Transcending the Limits of Incomplete Information 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? We get to the sixth level - Evaluation - by having the students answer question such as: How would you draw a proper conclusion based on these value decisions? How could you resolve the following controversy or difference of opinion? How could you develop a valid opinion, judgment or decision based on these statements? Why is the following argument flawed? What criteria would you use to assess the validity of the following statements? These questions are the specific illustrations of the fifth and sixth levels of Bloom's taxonomy. They are the specific types of questions that appear on national standardized exams. More importantly, when you learn how to reason at this level you are well on your way to mastering the complex material in your major, and to solving the intricate problems you will encounter in your career.
Course Grading: 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: Exam1 - Feb. 14: Exam 2 - March 28: Exam 3 - Ap. 18: Final Exam - May 7 at 10:30.
Attendance Policy: Attendance: 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.).
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