Logic for Doctoral Students of the Doctoral School of Social Sciences 1600-SZD-ID-SA
The course provides participants with tools necessary to conduct sound argumentation and debate, both in academic contexts and in the broader social sphere of intellectual exchange. Based on concepts from logical pragmatics and basic formal tools, the following methods will be presented:
[a] Formal analysis of various types of argumentation, including identifying premises and conclusions, recognizing logical fallacies, and constructing one's own arguments free from such flaws;
[b] Recognizing common rhetorical strategies in academic and public debates—both fair and unfair;
[c] Assessing the pragmatic strength of different types of arguments;
[d] Selecting appropriate types of arguments for specific types of debate;
[e] Critically analyzing content with respect to logical correctness—including interpreting legal texts and solving various types of “reading comprehension” tests.
The course is focused on achieving practical objectives. Therefore, the amount of theory is limited to only those elements that have direct application to the skills listed above. During the course, authentic examples of argumentation from public discourse will be analyzed and discussed.
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge | The graduate knows and understands:
WG_02 - the main development trends in the disciplines of the social sciences in which the education is provided
Skills | The graduate is able to:
UW_01 – make use of knowledge from various fields of science, in particular the social sciences in order to creatively identify, formulate and innovatively solve complex problems or perform tasks of a research nature, and in particular to: define the purpose and object of scientific research in the field of the social sciences, formulate a research hypothesis; develop research methods, techniques and tools and apply them creatively; make inferences based on scientific findings
UK_04 - participating in scientific discourse in the field of the social sciences
Social competences | The graduate is ready to
KK_01 - critically evaluating achievements within a given scientific discipline in the field of the social sciences
The course provides participants with the tools necessary to conduct sound argumentation and debates both in academic contexts and the broader social sphere of intellectual exchange. Based on concepts from logical pragmatics and basic formal tools, the course will present methods for:
[a] formal analysis of all types of argumentation, including identifying premises and conclusions, recognizing logical fallacies, and thus constructing one’s own arguments free from such defects;
[b] recognizing the most common eristic tactics used in academic and public debates—both honest and dishonest;
[c] assessing the pragmatic strength of various types of arguments;
[d] selecting appropriate types of arguments for specific kinds of debates;
[e] critically analyzing any content for logical correctness—including interpreting legal provisions and solving various types of reading comprehension tests.
The course is focused on practical goals. Accordingly, the amount of theory is limited to only those parts that directly support the development of the skills listed above. Authentic examples of argumentation encountered in public discourse will be discussed throughout the course.
Assessment criteria
Description of requirements related to participation in classes, including the allowable number of excused absences: Active participation in classes is required. The allowable number of absences is 2.
Rules for passing the classes and the course (including resit opportunities): 30% of the final grade is based on activity during classes. 70% of the final grade is based on the score of the final exam covering the course material.
Methods of verifying learning outcomes: Activity during in-class problem-solving sessions and the final exam.
Assessment criteria: 30% of the final grade comes from activity during classes. 70% of the final grade comes from the final exam.
Practical placement
-
Bibliography
The course materials provided by the instructor form the basis of the course.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: