University Phone:   Faculty Secretary Contact)  (416) 736 – 2100 X 22207

Office:                        TBA [E-mail is the best method of contact]

Office Hours:           By Appointment Only: TBA at 647 967 1930

COURSE DIRECTOR: JAI Y CHETRAM

EMAIL: jaichetr@yorku.ca

Contact information: jaichetr@yorku.ca, jaichetram@rogers.com

Mobile# 647 967 1930.

Virtual Office hours via Zoom: Tuesday between 5:30PM-6:30PM, by appointment only. 

The purpose of this course is to teach critical reasoning skills that are applicable and invaluable to your academic studies, professional career and your life in general.  The goal is to develop a rational and critical viewpoint that can be applied in general to analyze concepts, statements, arguments and theories. This aim is achieved by examining modes of reasoning drawn from the area of rhetorics, argumentation, language and the social sciences.We will cover a diverse range of Ethical Theories such as Kantian Deontological Ethics, Utilitarianism, Rights bases Ethics and Virtue Ethics. In the third section of the course, These moral theories will be applied in a multi - disciplinary manner from disciplines such as The Social Science, Sociology, Feminism, Humanities, Law and Education.

The course will coach students how to develop critical skills in how to read or listen to other ideas and perspectives with an engaged mind, think critically about those ideas, develop cogent arguments and how to verbalize those ideas clearly and concisely, orally and in writing.

The course will be divided into three sections.  The first section of the course is devoted to learning analytical techniques. The use and misuse of language will be examined. Conceptual, factual and evaluative issues will be distinguished.  The basic forms of reasoning, their uses and limits will be analyzed.  Fallacies that are frequently found in ordinary discussion, academic texts, mass media, advertising, etc. will be carefully studied.   The avoidance of these fallacies and learning the analysis of arguments and fallacies will be a major concern in the first third of the course.

The second section of the course will concentrate on the techniques of conceptual analysis. The aim in the second third of the course is to master a step by step set of techniques for working out the meanings of unclear concepts and questions.  For example, we may work on questions of concept like: “Is Religion compatible with Evolution?”; “Does Morality apply to Humans outside Social Conventions?” and “Is Democracy a Universal Value?”  The techniques teach you to describe the way concepts work in concrete cases and to analyze their abstract characteristics and uses.

In the final section of the course we apply these skills to the analysis of texts.  We will put into practice the techniques learned in the first section on argument and in the second section on concept analysis.  Moreover:  in the third section of the course, we apply these skills to the analysis of texts.  We will put into practice the techniques learned in the first section on argument and in the second section on concept analysis. As this course take a Multi – Disciplinary approach to current Moral issues in mass media, advertisements, and thorny issues such as Euthanasia, Abortion, Pornography, Same Sex marriage and Religious Pluralism. This part of the course will apply the skills of argumentation and concept analysis on a number of passages and articles from the Social Science, Sociology, the Humanities (Religious and Literary, and Philosophical texts.)

Engel, S. Morris.  With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies.  Sixth Edition.  New York: Bedford/St.Martin’s, 2000.

1. Fallacy Test = 25%
2. Conceptual Analysis = 25%
3. Passage Analysis Test = 20%
4. Article Analysis Assignment = 15%
5. Homework = 8%
6. Attendance = 7%

This course is divided into 3 modules. You should begin the course in Module 1, (Argument and Argumentation,) and complete it before moving onto the next module, Conceptual Analysis, then Passage/Article Analysis. The modules have been organized in sequential order, so that you build X skills and enhance X knowledges as you move from one module to the next. While you can complete the modules at your own pace, a suggested timeline for completing the course has been provided in the schedule of readings and activities.

For each module, there is a series of assigned readings that must be completed. To help you make sense of the assigned texts, each text is accompanied by [a brief podcast or video lecture/ or narrated PowerPoint presentation/notes] as well as by a set of guided reading questions.

I encourage you to begin each module by first attempting to read the assigned text by yourself. Afterwards, please listen/watch/read the accompanying [podcast/video lecture/notes/narrated PowerPoint presentations].
·      The next step is to answer the guided research questions. The guided reading questions will orient your focus to the major [themes/arguments/concepts/theoretical frameworks/ideas] in the assigned reading. [Explain how addressing the questions might be tied to assessment, whether as a point of discussion/participation on a message forum, or as a starting point for the course’s written assignments/tests.]
You will have until the end of each module to complete and submit all work [assignments/tests] for that module. You are encouraged to submit your assignments before the final due dates listed in the schedule of readings

• Reading Comprehension
• Active reading; deconstructing others’ ideas; reading between the lines
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Critically evaluating what we hear and read; rational decision –making; presenting strong arguments; being aware of cognitive and illegitimate biases (self-bias and others’ bias.)
• Awareness of Persuasion Techniques
• Recognizing manipulative persuasion; developing persuasive tactics, ethically.
• Personal Development discourse
• hone the disposition of a competent layperson (the abiliy to engage in civil discourse
• , even if one isn’t an “expert on the topic; clarity and confidence when presenting views.
• Writing Skills
• Improve general writing skills (grammar, writing style, thesis development, etc.); essay organization; writing persuasively; improving self-editing techniques.

(1) How to reason correctly by distinguishing valid and invalid arguments, (Deductive,) to distinguish strong and weak arguments, (Inductive.)

 (2) How to identify fallacies or errors in reasoning committed in everyday discourse.

(3) How to use concepts properly, to distinguish conceptual claims from empirical and normative claims. To separate empirical facts from conceptual meanings and analyzing conceptual questions.

(4) How to apply critical skills to passages and articles that committed errors in reasoning, vague and ambiguous expressions and to diagnose assumptions that underpins concepts and statements. These skills will be applied to passages/articles concerning issues in Social Science, Humanities, Philosophy, Political Science and Religion.