COURSE OBJECTIVE  The main aim of this course is to help students to:

develop their abilities to detect and defend themselves from deceptive arguments and attempts to persuade;

evaluate arguments and attempts to persuade

construct better arguments of their own.

REQUIRED TEXTS

• Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People (available in many editions).
• Gavin de Becker.  The Gift of Fear (1997, Dell 1998 edition).
• Suzette Haden Elgin, Genderspeak: Men, Women, and the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1993).
• Michael Kagan.  Working draft chapters from "Informal Logic as a Martial Art," photocopy (referred to as ILMA in assignments).
• H. Anthony Medley.  Sweaty Palms:  The Neglected Art of Being Interviewed, revised edition (Ten Speed Press, 1992).

OPTIONAL TEXTS AND READINGS

• Nicholas Capaldi. The Art of Deception, second edition. Buffalo, New York: Prometheus Books, 1979 [new revised edition, 1987].
• Robert B. Cialdini. Influence: The New Psychology of Modern Persuasion,  revised edition.  New York: Quill, 1991.
• Suzette Haden Elgin. The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense. First published in the USA by Prentice-Hall in 1980.
• Darrell Huff. How to Lie with Statistics (with pictures by Irving Geis). New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1954.
• R.H. Johnson and J.A. Blair. Logical Self-Defense, second edition. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, 1983.
• Michael Kagan.  Educating Heroes (Durango, Colorado:  Hollowbrook, 1994.
• Machiavelli. The Prince and The Discourses, edited with an introduction by Max Lerner. Modern Library College Edition. New York: Random House Modern Library Edition, 1950 (available in many editions).
• Miyamoto Musashi. A Book of Five Rings, translated by Victor Harris. Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press, 1974.
• Sun Tzu. The Art of War, edited with a forward by James Clavell. New York: Delacourte Press, 1983.
• Carl Wellman. Challenge and Response: Justification in Ethics. Carbondale and Edwardsville: Southern Illinois University Press, 1971.
• Anthony Weston, A Rulebook For Arguments, second edition, Hackett, 1992.

METHOD

1. We will introduce and examine the techniques of informal logic as answers to the general question, "When ought one accept a given conclusion on the basis of argument?" To do this, we will consider the classical sources of logic in the analysis of debates, and what is now called "informal logic." This will be the focus of the earlier lectures and the readings.
2. We will apply these skills to attempts at persuasion addressed to general audiences as well as to other encounters.  A major focus of our study will be defense against fallacies and frequently used types of attack and illegitimate persuasion. We will consider these techniques as used in a wide variety of fields (psychology, ethics, politics, and advertising among them) as well as in our own argument experiences. Students will be required to find examples of arguments addressed to the public, and to relate or create examples of their own debates on issues of their own choosing.

EVALUATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

1. In-Class Midterm  [there is also a take-home option]  (25%)
2. Final Project and its presentation (25%)
3. The eight short writing assignments  (25%)
4. Participation, in-class writings, optional writings and extra credit assignments  (25%).  Since you are not participating when you don't attend class, you will need to make up any absences with extra-credit assignments and journalling.

Students are expected to be familiar with the material in the lectures, discussions, and the required text.
Final Projects and other assignments will be determined on the basis of each student's goals. Possibilities include the following:

• A report or creation of a dialogue between the student and another person containing an argument, with the student's analysis and recommendations.
• An investigation of how some aspect(s) of race, class, culture, class, gender and/or religion may affect some range or type of persuading  or convincing.
•  Students may present and analyze an argument addressed to a general audience.
• The final project described below.

SPECIAL NEEDS

STUDENT PRESENTATIONS:  For every presentation, you will be required to turn in an outline or abstract of your presentation, complete with a list of all works used.  Also, if you use any web pages, not only should these be listed on the outline with the rest of your bibliography, but you are also required to turn in a printout of all web pages used in preparing the presentation.  If you present with a group that divides the work into separate parts, each member of the group will need to provide his or her own outline/abstract and printouts.  Outlines/abstracts,  and printouts are to be given to me BEFORE the presentation.  Failure to do so BEFORE  the presentation will result in a 30% deduction from the relevant presenter's presentation grade.  If the outline and printouts are not turned in by the next class, there will be an additional 30% deduction.  You may use up to but not more than 5 minutes of videotaped material for your presentation. If the class is meeting in a room with a built-in VCR, make sure you know how to use it.  If you need to bring in a VCR for the presentation, you may order one from AV by calling 445-4380 or on the web at http://www.lemoyne.edu/information_systems/audio_visual/class.html
In the event of a technical glitch or delivery problem make sure you can present without the videotaped material.

IMPORTANT DATES

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS: The course is divided into 15 weekly divisions; assignments are due as indicated:

• Week #1 (of Jan. 10)   Formal and informal logic, classical and medieval origins, the nature of dialogues, possible uses, philosophical importance. Informal logic as self-defense; basic principles. What is an Argument? What is persuasion? Non-argumentative persuasion and attacks.

Required reading:  ILMA, Ch. 1. Be prepared to discuss exercises. Preliminary discussion of the three basics of audience, opponents/partners, and issue.
Week #2 (of Jan.  17)  Short writing assignment #1 is the ESSAY DUE MONDAY ON YOUR GOALS FOR THIS COURSE. Turn in two copies so I have one available for the end of semester evaluation.  Look over the materials for the course, consider your goals.  Explain why you want to achieve them,  how you intend to achieve them, and how this class can help you towards them  (or how your work for this class could be modified to help you towards them).
Read ILMA, Ch. 2. Be prepared to discuss exercises.  Goals and training. Discussion of the method of training: the distinction between formal exercises, free exercises, competition, and contests with more severe stakes. "What is an Argument?" (continued): premises, presupposition, and enthymemes; implication and inference; induction, conduction, and deduction; validity, soundness and truth; persuasion and conviction.  Basic questions in evaluating arguments. Is there an argument? Who is the audience? Who the proponent? Is an attack involved? What is the field or subject? The tactics of the Topics.
• Week #3 (of Jan. 24)  "When and how do we challenge arguments?" The basics: Is there an opponent? Knowing your opponent, knowing the field or subject, knowing yourself.  The issue of emergencies and when not to challenge.   Optional: Sun Tzu and Musashi. Detecting and defending against fallacy. What is a fallacy? Read ILMA, Ch. 3. Be prepared to discuss exercises.  You should have started reading Gift of Fear and Sweaty Palms. Short writing assignment #2 due Friday:  How do Sun Tzu's three kinds of knowledge apply to the work of Medley and de Becker?  Extra credit assignment:  How might they bear on some of the tasks of the philosopher, and how might they be irrelevant or interfere with doing philosophy?
• Week #4 (of Jan. 31) Diversionary tactics and how to reply. Ad hominem fallacies, types and tactics. Diversionary tactics continued. Fallacies of straw, guilt by association, red herring. Read ILMA, Ch. 4.  Read de Becker through ch. 4.   Be prepared to discuss exercises.  Short writing assignment #3 due Friday:  In what ways do these diversionary tactics resemble de Becker's list of criminals' confidence techniques (forced teaming, too many details, type casting, etc.)?  How do they differ?
• Week #5 (of Feb. 7) Disguise and deception. Read ILMA, Ch. 5, disguise and deception. Be prepared to discuss exercises. Read de Becker, ch. 5, and Medley, Chs. 5-7.  Optional reading: Huff, Chapter 8, "Post Hoc Rides Again," pp. 87-99; and Machiavelli, The Prince, Chapter XVIII, "In What Way Princes Must Keep Faith." Disguise and deception continued. Optional reading: Machiavelli, The Discourses, Chapter XL, "Deceit in the Conduct of a War is Meritorious," and Chapter XLVIII, "Any Manifest Error on the Part of an Enemy Should Make us Suspect some Stratagem." Short writing assignment #4 due February 11:  On the basis of your experience, including other studies,  and the readings  in this course, write a 2-3 page essay on plagiarism and how it can be understood in the context of a persuasion situation.
• Week #6 (of Feb. 14.)  Fakes and feints. Loaded terms, ambiguity, equivocation, vagueness. Read ILMA, Chapter 7, "Oldies but Goodies: Equivocation and some other Appealing Strategies." Be prepared to discuss exercises.  Bluffs and threats.  Read Medley, Ch. 10, and de Becker, Chs. 6 and 7.   Short writing assignment #5 due Friday, Feb., 18:  Discuss three kinds of intimidation from the readings.  Try to explain what they presuppose, and what you can learn from them.
• Week #7 (of Feb. 23)  Fallacies in retrospect. Why do fallacies work? Optional Readings:  Weston, Ch. X.  "Fallacies,"   JB, Chapter 7, "The Causes of Fallacious Reasoning"; and Cialdini, "Epilogue."

Other techniques of the classical rhetorician. The art of memory; these techniques applied to test taking and public debate.
• Week #8 (of Feb. 28).  Introductory Lectures on Carnegie and Elgin. Read all of Carnegie and read Genderspeak's Appendix, "The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense: An Overview."  FRIDAY, MARCH 3:  IN-CLASS MIDTERM GIVEN, TAKE-HOME DISTRIBUTED.  Take-home version due Monday, March 6.
• Week # 9 (of Mar. 6) . Take-home midterms due Monday, March 6. Gender and informal logic as a martial art. Wing Chun, Ng Mui, Brurria. Read Genderspeak Chs. 1-2. Gender, semantics, and body language.  Optional short writing assignment #i due Friday March 10:  Using your reading notes and the books' indexes, compare Elgin's treatment of these issues with the discussions of body language in Medley and de Becker.   Read Genderspeak Chs. 3-4. PROJECT PROPOSALS DUE MARCH 10.
• Week #10 (of Mar. 13) ) Elgin's basic forms, Satir modes and defusing hostility; sensory modes and enhancing communication. Read Genderspeak, Chs. 5-6.
• NO CLASSES  3/ 20 - 3/24 Spring Break.
• Week 11: (of Mar. 27): Metaphors and traffic - the healthy conversation and how it works and. Read Genderspeak Chs. 8-9. Verbal abuse and violence, the problem of sexual harassment. Read Genderspeak, Chs. 10-11.  Read Medley, ch. 11.  Read and print a copy of the executive summary of  Le Moyne's policy (http://www.lemoyne.edu/campus_services/human_resources/executiv.html_). Short writing #6 due Friday, March 31:  What do these discussions have in common?  How do they differ?  Which is most valuable to you?  Why?
• Week 12 (of Apr. 3)    Spatio-temporal breakdowns in communication - inside and out. Bridge building. Read Genderspeak Chs. 12-14. Review Carnegie. Discussion: What do Carnegie and Elgin teach us about informal logic as self-defense? How can we practice what we have learned?  WRITTEN PROJECTS DUE: FRIDAY, APR. 7.
• Weeks 13-15  (Apr.  10 - Apr. 28) Student presentations on projects.  These will take about 15-20 minutes per student, depending on the number of people presenting.  Students who are unable to do their individual presentations at the scheduled time will need to schedule a make-up presentation.
• Short writing assignment #7 due April 14:  List the five assigned texts.  Give a brief description of each one.  What do you think each author thinks is the most important issue s/he presents?  Why? (Make an extra copy of this if you want to do next week's optional assignment.)
• Optional short writing assignment #ii due April 21.   Of the issues discussed in class, the texts, and in student presentations (so far, including your own), what do you think is the most important thing you learned in this class?   Why?
• Short writing assignment #9 due April 28:  What progress have you made with respect to the goals you described in the first short writing assignment?  Support your answer.
• Week 16.  May. 1, last day of class.  MAKE-UP PRESENTATIONS: LAST DAY OF CLASS.. TBA As time permits: An extra lecture on the use of stories in arguments, some connections between rhetoric and poetics.  Evaluations (unless previously distributed).



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Some of this page's  links:
1. This page's online address is http://webserver.lemoyne.edu/~kagan/ils00.html
2. Links to  other materials relevant for informal logic and critical thinking http://webserver.lemoyne.edu/~kagan/312index.html