PHL 245: Modern Symbolic Logic
University of Toronto
May-August, 2015
Tuesdays, 3-6 p.m.
Instructor: Adam Murray
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: Thursdays, 3-4:30 p.m., or by appointment, JHB 430
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Course Description
This is an introductory level course in symbolic logic. Our focus will be on the identification and representation of the logical form of natural language sentences, and on the logical
properties of sets of such sentences. In the first half of the course, we will focus on symbolization in propositional logic, and on the semantics and proof theory of the propositional
calculus. In the second half of the course we will deal with analogous topics in first-order
logic. This course (especially its second half) is intended to provide you with the background
skills needed for PHL 345: Intermediate Logic.
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Course Text
You are not required to purchase any textbook for this course. Our primary course text is
called An Introduction to Symbolic Logic, by Terence Parsons, and a copy will be available
for download on the course Blackboard Page. You will also have direct access to this text
by registering for Logic 2010 (more on the latter below).
An additional source of reading and study material will be in the form of course handouts.
These are intended to supplement the assigned readings with examples and more detailed
explanations of certain topics. Typically, handouts for a given lecture will be made available
during class, though I may occasionally post handouts and additional information about the
course to the class Blackboard page as well.
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Course Schedule
Date:
May 14
May 21
May 28
June 4
June 11
June 18
June 25
July 2
July 9
July 16
July 23
July 30
August 6
Week of August 5th
August 13
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Topic:
Course outline and basic concepts
Symbolization in Sentential Logic (SL)
Assignment 1 available on Blackboard/Logic 2010
Symbolization in SL and Introduction to SL Derivations
SL Derivations 2: Theorems
Assignment 1 due on Logic 2010
Assignment 2 available on Blackboard/Logic 2010
SL Derivations Review
Assignment 2 due on Logic 2010
Test 1 and Introduction to SL Semantics
Assignment 3 available on Blackboard/Logic 2010
No Class: Summer Reading Break
SL Semantics Review; Introduction to Predicate Logic (PL)
Assignment 3 due on Logic 2010
PL Symbolization; Introduction to PL Derivations
Assignment 4 available on Blackboard/Logic 2010
PL Derivations 2: Theorems of PL
PL Derivations Review
Test 2 and Introduction to PL Model Theory
Assignment 4 due on Logic 2010
Assignment 5 available on Logic 2010
PL Model Theory
Review Session; Assignment 5 due on Blackboard/Logic 2010
Final Exam (Tentative and subject to final approval by FAS)
Evaluation
Your grade for the course will be calculated on the basis of a combination of tests, a final
exam, and a series of short assignments. Here are the details:
1. Tests. There will be 2 two-hour in-class tests. The first will be held June 18th, and
will count for 20% of your final grade. The second will be held July 23rd, and will
count for 25% of your final grade.
2. Final Exam. The final exam will be held on August 13th, in the exam centre on
McCaul Street. This is a three-hour exam that will count for 45% of your final grade
in the course.
3. Short Assignments. There will be five short assignments, each worth 2% of your final
grade in the course. Assignment dates and deadlines are listed on the course schedule
above. You will need to complete and submit each assignment via Logic 2010: an
excellent (and free!) logic tutorial program created by David Kaplan at UCLA. Using
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this program is an excellent way to develop the skills we will be covering in class, and
the purpose of the short assignments is to get you practicing the skills you’ll need to do
well on the tests and exam. Installation instructions for Mac and Windows, as well as
instructions for submitting assignments, may be found on the course Blackboard Page
under the “Logic 2010” tab. If linux is your PC’s primary OS, please get in touch with
me to learn about the options for installing the program.
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Weekly Drop-In Sessions
In addition to the weekly lecture (and my weekly office hours), students are encouraged to
attend a weekly drop-in help session run by our course teaching assistant. Drop-in sessions
will be held in UC 144, Mondays from 4-6 pm. Help sessions will begin our third week, and
while attendance is not mandatory, it will be extremely helpful if you are having difficulty
with the material.
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Course Business
6.1
Communications
• Email is absolutely the best way of reaching me outside of class. However, it is often
easiest to address questions about course content in person, and so I may respond
to an email asking for clarification by recommending that you approach me with the
question at the end of the next class meeting.
• I may also ignore email that asks for information that is on the course syllabus, or that
is available on the course website.
• Please ensure that any email you do send is from an official University of Toronto email
address (so that your email is not redirected to my spam folder). Please also ensure
that you include ‘PHL 245’ in the subject line of your email, so that I don’t miss it.
6.2
Course Policies
• Given the regular schedule of assignments and tests, it is highly recommended that
you attend every class meeting and get your work in to me on time. If you foresee
any problem with the latter, see me before—not after, or when—the work is due.
Otherwise, late penalties are set at 1/3 of a letter grade per day, to a maximum of
three days (this includes weekends/holidays), unless accompanied by a documented
medical explanation or due to a family emergency. Any work outstanding beyond this
point will receive no grade.
• Please note that the common penalty in FAS at the University of Toronto for plagiarism
on a written assignment, test, or examination is F on the paper (assignment or test)
and F for the course. For the most serious acts of plagiarism, such as the purchase of
an essay or cheating on a test or examination, the penalty can also include suspension
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for a period of up to five years from registration in courses taught in a particular
department in FAS or from all courses taught in this Faculty. You are responsible
for knowing the University of Toronto regulations on these matters; please consult
the General Academic Regulations and Requirements, which are available online or
through your college. If you are unsure about what counts as plagiarism (or academic
misconduct more generally), please see me in advance.
• You must present your student photo identification in order to write the tests and the
exam. It is preferable that your tests be written in pen; students who choose to write
in pencil cannot re-submit tests for reconsideration if they disagree with the evaluation
of their work. Make-up tests may be written by students legitimately excused from
scheduled tests for medical or other reasons, with documentation. (A University of
Toronto medical certificate is required if absence is due to medical reasons.) If you
miss a test due to a legitimate reason, contact me as soon as possible to determine the
time & location of the make-up test.
6.3
Special Accomodations
If you require any special accomodation during this course due to a disability, please either
see me about it or contact Accessibility Services for information on what some of the options
are. I am more than happy to accomodate students with special needs, and if you require
any further information on the accessibility options available at the University of Toronto,
please do not hesitate to approach me.
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