Course Director: Dr. Alexandru Manafu alexman@yorku.ca

This is an interdisciplinary course in which we will look at persuasion along both its logical and psychological dimension. Along the logical dimension, you will learn about the standards of good reasoning in everyday life, as well as in science; you will develop a set of skills that will allow you to recognize and make good arguments, recognize and avoid bad arguments, as well as criticize arguments and ideas effectively. Along the psychological dimension, we will look at the underlying factors that influence people’s decisions. Using a range of examples from the world of marketing and advertising, politics, the media, etc., we will investigate the 6 principles that social psychologists have found to govern social influence and persuasion. As part of the coursework you will analyze the persuasion around us.

Technical requirements: The students will need steady internet access to access the course materials, lecture recordings, and assignments/exams.

Prerequisite / Co-requisite:  None

Here are some useful links for student computing information, resources and help:

Student Guide to Moodle

Zoom@YorkU Best Practices 

Zoom@YorkU User Reference Guide

Computing for Students Website

Student Guide to eLearning at York University

• Influence: Science and Practice. by Robert Cialdini. Publisher: Allyn and Bacon; 5th edition (August 8, 2008). ISBN-10: 0205609996. Everyone must have a copy of this book (either printed or electronic version), as we will be using 100% of it. You can order it at the York U bookstore, or here:

https://www.pearson.com/store/p/influence-science-and-practice/P100000232537

• Critical Thinking: An Introduction to the Basic Skills – Canadian Seventh Edition. by: William Hughes; Jonathan Lavery; Broadview Press. ISBN: 9781554811991 / 1554811996. Available at the University Bookstore. We will be using approximately 40% of this book. Available at the University Bookstore, and at the library (though access to the online version seems to be not working very well). We will be using approximately 40% of this book.
• Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking by Van Cleave, available as an open textbook, from the Open Textbook Library:

https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/introduction-to-logic-and-critical-thinking

• A selection of materials which will be made available in PDF online or on Moodle

6 Wiki entries: 12%

4 Homework assignments: 32%

2 End of term Moodle exams: 36%

Quizzes: 20%

The course will be online and asynchronous. There will be no in-person interactions or activities on campus. Students will be given access to video recorded lectures.  There will be the possibility of class meetings or individual student meetings via Zoom, to further clarify/explain the material, at the student’s request or as needed. Students will be able to book office hours. Students will be expected to study the material individually, at their own pace, but following the detailed course schedule (the Roadmap), which will be made available on eClass/Moodle. The students are responsible for following the Roadmap, and for submitting the quizzes and the assignments by the deadlines indicated in the Roadmap.

This is a practical course which aims to help you build your critical thinking and persuasive argumentation skills. By the end of this course, you will:

• Be able to formulate and evaluate arguments, as well as to refute them.
• Be able to analyze persuasion productions around us using the principles that govern the psychological dimension of persuasion (reciprocation, social proof, commitment and consistency, liking, authority, scarcity).
• Recognize fallacies in reasoning.
• Be able to distinguish between good science and questionable science or pseudoscience.
• Become a better arguer and persuader.

Wiki entries

At the end of each set of lectures addressing one psychological persuasion principle (there will be 6 such sets), you will write an individual wiki entry about a persuasion production you have found which exemplifies that principle. You may write about examples of persuasion that you find in everyday life: at a store, in the mall, in a YouTube video, a web article, a picture, a poster, an advertisement, a podcast, a radio show, a passage from a book, a newspaper/online magazine article, etc. Word count: 250-500 words. Each entry is worth 2%, which will be awarded fully to all and only to those entries that are reasonably well prepared.

Homework assignments

There will be 4 homework assignments throughout the year, divided equally between semesters. The feedback on these assignments will be offered through Moodle.

End of term Moodle exams

Each term there will be one exam, to be written during the standard examination period. The exams will be administered through Moodle, and students will need a working computing device and access to Moodle to take them.

Quizzes

Many weeks, though not all, will have a quiz. The purpose of the quiz is to ensure that the student have assimilated the material covered in the previous lecture. Therefore, every week, students are expected to do the readings and watch the lecture videos. The students are responsible for checking the Moodle several times a week, and taking the quiz when it becomes available. Typically, the questions on the quiz will be from the content covered in the previous lecture, or from the readings.

Late assignments

The penalty for late wiki entries is 10% of the value of the assignment/day. Due to the fact that the answers to the homework assignments will be revealed on Moodle and feedback will be provided in the following class, no late homework assignments will be permitted.

Extensions

If you get sick or encounter other incapacitating problem before a deadline and are intending to ask for an extension please talk to me before the deadline explaining your situation and attaching the relevant documentation. No extensions will be provided post deadline.

Missed exams

If you know ahead of time that you will not be able to write your exam, you are required to talk to me or email me before the exam takes place explaining your situation and attaching the relevant documentation. If you have missed your exam due to unforeseen circumstances you have to talk to me or email me explaining your situation and attaching the relevant documentation. Make-up exams will be organized only in special circumstances, if there are serious and sufficient reasons for doing so.

Office hours

Individual or class Zoom meetings with students, can be arranged, as needed. More details will be provided on our course’s eClass/Moodle page.

Recordings policy

Students will be given access to recorded lectures. Students do not have permission to duplicate, copy and/or distribute the lectures outside of the class (these acts can violate not only copyright laws but also FIPPA).