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Syllabus Construction Assignment

This is an overview of the "syllabus construction assignment" for PHIL512 - Graduate Seminar in Logic.

Overview

One of this course's goals is to prepare you to teach an introductory logic course. To that end, you are asked to create a syllabus for an introduction to logic course. While the focus of this course is on symbolic (formal) logic, the course for which you create a syllabus is for a logic course, broadly defined. This may be a critical thinking (informal logic) course, an advanced course in formal logic, a logic course designed for pre-law majors that contains some LSAT preparation, a course on argumentation inclusive of rhetoric, or some monstrous hybrid logic course containing various aspects of all the above.  

To help you with the construction of your syllabus, (1) several sample logic and critical thinking syllabi are provided (in the OneDrive), (2) my syllabi (see .zip file in OneDrive), and (3) a collection of syllabi from other instructors.

Due

  1. Syllabus for a logicky course: formal logic, critical thinking (informal logic), philosophical reasoning, or argumentation course
  2. A short (one-page) and informal rationale explaining decisions you made when creating your syllabus.

Basic Overview of a Syllabus

A syllabus usually consists of three parts:

  1. Course Information
  2. Course & University Policies
  3. Calendar

Part 1. Course Information

This part of your syllabus focuses on (1) what the course is about and (2) what you and the student will be doing in the course.

  1. Course & Instructor Information: Course name, your name and contact information, date and time of course, office hours.
  2. Course Description: Description of your course.
  3. Course Objectives: What students can be expected to achieve.
  4. Course Materials: Required texts, Optional readings, Supplemental resources.
  5. Course Assessments: Quizzes, Homework, Exams, Attendance with percentages / points

Part 2. Course & University Policies

This portion of the course concerns general policies that apply more broadly (across courses, to the university, etc.). What is included here will vary from institution to institution and some universities will tell you what to include in this section. I include:

  1. Course Policies (these apply to all my courses): email correspondence, late work, grading scale, rounding, curving, etc.
  2. Assorted University Policies: these are usually given to you by your institution

It is best to start creating the policies portion of your syllabus by copying from another course or syllabus and the make modifications to your liking. Some universities require you to use the exact wording of their policies.

Part 3. Calendar

This portion of the course details content to be covered in the course. It typically includes:

  1. Course reading, e.g., name of text and page numbers
  2. Assignment due dates

What's Most Important (An Opinion)

While the most important aspect of your course is what is done in the classroom, the most important parts of your syllabus are the following (in order):

  1. Assignments
  2. Course policies, especially concerning late work and attendance
  3. Textbook
  4. Supplemental resources
  5. University policies

Some quick thoughts on assignments.

Assignments

In my opinion, assignments need to (1) be scaffolded, (2) plentiful, (3) closely-tied to what occurs in class, and (4) challenging (at times).

"Scaffolding" in education sometimes refers to the practice of gradually removing support from a student as they are learning material. For example, a teacher may explain how to solve a problem, solve the problem (model it themselves), have students work together (or with the instructor) to solve the problem, and then have students solve the problem independently. It is summarized in the expression: "I do. We do. You do".

Confusingly enough "scaffolding" also refers to a technique where a firm foundational knowledge or skills are established before building on that foundation with new, more complex knowledge or skills. For example, a writing-assignment that is not scaffolded might simply have students "write an argumentative paper on a topic" (this is a complex skill). In contrast, scaffolding the assignment would involve (to name one thing) having students learn a simpler, more foundational skill that is used in the process of essay-writing. For example, suppose we have the following assignment before the essay (let's call it a "Passage Interpretation Paper" (PIP)):

  1. select an important passage of text from the course reading
  2. quote and cite that text appropriately
  3. explain what that passage of text means in their own words (summary) and using an example (clarification by ostension)
  4. take a stance about whether what the passage says is true or false

In my formal logic course, exercises and assessments are scaffolded in both senses and each step up in the scaffolding (in almost every case) the weight of the exercises increases:

  1. 0% of grade: in-class exercises (I do, we do, you do)
  2. Extra credit: practice quizzes
  3. 4% of grade: easy open-book online quizzes
  4. 25% of grade: homework with answers in the back,
  5. 0% of grade: practice exams
  6. 70% of grade: Exams.

Other Considerations

Here are some other things to think about with respect to your logic course or writing your 1-page rationale for your logic syllabus. Not everything below belongs in a syllabus.

  1. Textbook: Why did you pick this textbook over another? Is the exposition clearer? What role does price play? Will the textbook stay in print? Can you use it at other institutions? What are the supplemental resources?
  2. Assignments: What was the thought process behind the assignments? What type of scaffolding do you plan on using (if any)? How much work will the assignments be for you to grade (especially at the end of the semester)?
  3. Extra-credit: Does your course include extra-credit opportunities? What is the course policy surrounding extra-credit opportunities?
  4. Attendance: What is your attendance policy?
  5. Students: Who did you envision your students to be, e.g., criminology majors taking the course as a requirement, philosophy majors with some students from computer science or linguistics?
  6. Software: If you plan on using course software, are you prepared to deal with technology issues (e.g., Mac, Windows, students without a computer)?
  7. Cheating: Integrity issues are rare in logic, but how will you deal with them (common feature is copying homework, trying to take the quiz together, getting quiz questions from student when taking exam on a later date).
  8. Holistic considerations: Are you planning on designing your course with a student's educational and career trajectories in mind, e.g., law school (LSAT, writing letters), philosophy courses, general argumentation, prevention of consumer scams
  9. Remediation and outside-the-classroom help: Students in logic tend to need more help outside the classroom hours. How will you address those concerns or issues? Private tutors, office hours, office hours via Zoom, scheduled classroom review days
  10. Practice exams: Students love practice exams, but they are not strictly necessary (and I think a little uncommon for professors to offer them). Will you offer them this resource or some other equivalent?
  11. Labs: Some courses have "labs". You go to a lab to solve problems with a TA (sometimes on special software, sometimes in groups). You leave when you complete the problems.
  12. Outstanding students: Some students in logic gobble up all the lecture material, excel in class, and are willing to do "more". Are you planning on catering to these students?

Resources