Informal Fallacies

Students will study the most common informal fallacies that one encounters in argumentation, including fallacies of ambiguity, presumption, and relevance. We will also discuss the nature of modern rhetoric in our age of identity politics. Students will take online quizzes and have weekly homework assignments, such as identifying fallacies in magazine and newspaper opinion articles. Students will complete mid-term and final exams and will submit a final essay in which he or she analyzes an opinion article in detail. Students will attend one, 90-minute session per week.

NOTE: This course is identical to the Spring 2023 Semester course Informal Fallacies

Course Objectives:

1. To learn and identify several informal fallacies
2. To gain an appreciation for and commitment to proper argumentation
3. To prepare for instruction in rhetoric
4. To cultivate an appetite for learning as a way of life

Text:

• I do not require a text for this course. Students will have access to a PowerPoint slide deck that defines each fallacy and provides examples.