PHIL 240 Homepage

INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC PHIL 240.501-509 (Spring 2024) COURSE HOMEPAGE

The general resources on this page are available to all students taking Philosophy 240, but specific information pertains only to sections taught by Christopher Menzel.

[Syllabus] [Schedule] [The Power of Logic Web Tutor]

Quiz links and Other Important Info

• Have a safe and enjoyable summer!

Features of the Course

• No Canvas (Except for Grades)

  I am generally, let us gently say, disappointed with so-called Learning Management Systems. Consequently, I like to kick it old school and maintain my own website for PHIL 240 — the very one you see before you. To make is easy to remember, the URL for the website is just what you'd hope: phil240.tamu.edu. Here you will find links to the syllabus, the weekly quizzes, and other resources.

• The PHIL 240 Slack Channel

  I will be using Slack as our primary means of communication. Slack is a very powerful and flexible messaging tool. Messages sent to the channel can be seen by the entire class. But you can also use the direct messaging functionality to communicate directly and privately with me or with one or more of your classmates. See the syllabus for instructions on how to sign up.

• The Power of Logic Web Tutor

  The most prominent web-based feature of our course is the Power of Logic Web Tutor. The Web Tutor is an online program that supplements our text, The Power of Logic The tutor provides an interactive environment for working nearly all of the problems in the text. It is especially useful for those elements of the course — notably, Venn Diagrams, Truth Tables, and Proofs — whose mastery involves learning a certain set of skills that can only be acquired through diligent practice. The weekly labs will often give you the opportunity to work on the Web Tutor, though, of course, you will need to work on it during the week on your own considerably more often than that.

• Weekly Labs/Quizzes

  Our regular weekly format will consist of two lectures (on Mondays and Wednesdays) and a one hour lab (on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, depending on your section). The labs are led by your TA. Each lab will have a quiz on (at least some of) the material presented in the week's lectures. Labs will be held in Room 114 of the YMCA building. You should find that the labs are pretty fun, low-stress affairs; the point of the labs is the experience of learning by working together. The quizzes are open book and open note, and almost all students who attend the labs faithfully end up with a high average quiz score at the end of the semester.

• Lecture Notes

  Links to my lecture notes can be found in the Lecture and Exam schedule on the syllabus. I suggest that you print out the notes for a lecture the morning of the lecture and then bring them to class and annotate them — the notes are only an outline of my actual lecture, so there will always be additional points that it will be important to add. Let me know if you are having any trouble viewing or understanding the notes. I also very much appreciate it when students inform me of any errors that I've overlooked.

Last updated 12 Jan 2025