LOGIC, REASONING, & PERSUASION
FALL 2025

links: syllabus | canvas
instructor: Adrian Liu (Contact: adrian.liu@rutgers.edu)
times: Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:40pm-6:50pm
place: Campbell Hall General Purpose Classroom 1 (CA-A1)
office hours: M 4:30 - 5:30, in Campbell Hall; and Mondays before 4:30 by appointment in the philosophy department (106 Somerset St, 5th floor)

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NEXT WEEK (Week of September 1, 2025)

Wednesday, September 3rd:

• Topic: Introduction to the course!
• Pre-reading: syllabus.
• Get ahead: read (or begin reading): Aylsworth and Castro.

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SCHEDULE

Week 1: Introduction

• 0.1 Week 1 (Sep 03): Introduction Wednesday Sep 3.

Weeks 2-8: Deductive Reasoning

• 1.1 Week 2 (Sep 08, 10): How to figure out what an argument is doing.
  • Reading: Aylsworth and Castro (all of it on Monday, Introduction on Wednesday)
  • Handout. To come.
• 1.2 Week 3 (Sep 15, Sep 17): Identifying different types of argument
• Monday Reading: Aylsworth and Castro, § 2.0 (before 2.1)
• Wednesday Reading: Aylsworth and Castro, § 2.1, 2.2
• Handout. To come.
• 1.3 Week 4 (Sep 22, Sep 24): Evaluating the strength of an argument
  • Monday Reading: Aylsworth and Castro, § 2.0 (before 2.1)
  • Wednesday Reading: Aylsworth and Castro, § 2.1, 2.2
  • Handout. To come.
• 1.4 Week 5 (Sep 29, Oct 01): Criticizing arguments.
  • Monday Reading: No new reading.
  • Wednesday Reading: Aylsworth and Castro, § 2.3
  • Handout. To come.
  • PSet 1 due Wed Oct 01
• 1.5 Week 6 (Oct 06, Oct 08): Making arguments
  • Reading: Aylsworth and Castro, §3 (Monday and Wednesday)
  • Handout. To come.
  • Writing Assignment Part 1 Due Wed Oct 08
• 1.6 Week 7 (Oct 13, Oct 15): Deciding how to engage with an argument
  • Reading: Aylsworth and Castro, §4, §5 (Monday and Wednesday)
  • Handout. To come.
• 1.C Week 8 (Oct 20, Oct 22)
  • Midterm 1 Mon Oct 20
  • Wrap-up Oct 22

Weeks 9-15: Inductive Reasoning (less detailed so far)

• 2.1 Week 9 (Oct 27, Oct 29): How to be uncertain
• 2.2 Week 10 (Nov 03, Nov 05): Reasoning about evidence
• Writing Assignment Part 2 Due Wed Nov 05
• 2.3 Week 11 (Nov 10, Nov 12): Reasoning about data (which is a type of evidence)
• 2.4 Week 12 (Nov 17, Nov 19): Do GPT models reason?
  • Pset 2 due Wed Nov 19
• 2.5 Week 13 (Nov 24, Nov 26) (Friday Classes Nov 26)
  • [catch-up day Nov 24]
• 2.6 Week 14 (Dec 01, Dec 03): What to pay attention to
• 2.C Week 15 (Dec 08, Dec 10)
  • Midterm 2 Mon Dec 08