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Seminar in Logic

Course description

This course has two parts. The first part aims to make you fluent in propositional and predicate logic to the degree that you could teach a first course in symbolic logic at the undergraduate level. You will learn the basics of propositional and predicate logic (symbols, syntax, semantics, translation, tables, trees, proofs), design a syllabus for your very own logic course, and create instructional materials for this course. Your competency in logic will be assessed using CANVAS quizzes (you will be able to retake these quizzes until you achieve mastery) and classroom exercises.

The second part of this course has two main goals. First, we will go beyond what is typically covered in a first-course of symbolic logic. This will prepare you to understand logic on a deeper and broader level. At minimum, we will cover the informal logic (e.g., fallacies), alternative logical notation, truth-functional completeness, different proof systems (e.g., existential graphs, sequent proofs), many-valued logics (along with its philosophical motivations), predicate logic with identity, definite descriptions, higher-order logic, the definitely and indefinitely operators, predicate abstraction, modal propositional logic, and the application of logic to metaphysics. Second, you will be asked to create a final project that either deals with one of these advanced topics or to create a project that incorporates logic in a creative way.

SP26 - Agenda sheets

Assignment Descriptions