PY1012 Reasoning

Academic year

2024 to 2025 Semester 2

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

20

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 7

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Planned timetable

5.00 pm - 6.00 pm Mon, Tue, Thu

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module coordinator

Dr M S J Bowen

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module Staff

Team taught

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

This module introduces the essential concepts and techniques of critical reasoning, formal propositional logic, and basic predicate logic. Among the central questions are these: what distinguishes an argument from a mere rhetorical ploy? What makes an argument a good one? How can we formally prove that a conclusion follows from some premises? In addressing these questions, we will also cover topics such as argumentative fallacies, ambiguity, argument forms and analyses, induction versus deduction, counterexamples, truth-tables, truth-trees (tableaux), natural deduction, and quantification.

Relationship to other modules

Anti-requisites

YOU CANNOT TAKE THIS MODULE IF YOU TAKE PY1802

Assessment pattern

50% Coursework; 50% exam

Re-assessment

3-hour Written Examination = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

3 lectures and 1 tutorial.

Scheduled learning hours

43

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

157

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.

Intended learning outcomes

  • Understand and evaluate the different roles that informal and formal reasoning can play, for an individual or for a group, and gain experience in constructing arguments, evaluating arguments, and responding to them.
  • Evaluate informal arguments, to understand and avoid argumentative fallacies, to identify the forms of arguments, and break down a longer argument into steps that can be checked.
  • Construct counterexamples to invalid arguments, and to evaluate different options for responding to counterexamples.
  • Reconstruct simple arguments in sentential logic and predicate logic and prove whether they are valid or invalid.
  • Use the tools of elementary formal logic, including the proof theory and semantics of propositional and first order logic.