Minor in Logic

Logic is the study of arguments—giving reasons to support a conclusion—and arguments come in two different varieties. Deductive or formal arguments support their conclusions with absolute certainty, leaving no room for doubt, while inductive or informal arguments support their conclusions with less than perfect certainty, always leaving some room for doubt and the possibility that the conclusion is false even if the premises are true. We use both informal and formal logic constantly as tools to discover the truth and to persuade others in a respectful and responsible way, so a truly logical person is good at both inductive and deductive logic. This minor gives you the opportunity to demonstrate that you’ve achieved a well-balanced understanding of logic by taking classes in both formal and informal logic.

A minor in logic requires 15 credits, including: PHI 209 Informal Logic and PHI 211 Formal Logic, at least one more class in informal logic from the list below, at least one more class in formal logic from the list below, and at least one other class in either formal or informal logic from the list below. (New courses may be added to those listed below so please contact the Department for an up to date list.)

 

Formal Logic Courses

exactly one of

MAT 141 Foundational Discrete

or

MAT/CS 165 Introductory Discrete Mathematics

MAT 207 Proofs

MAT 242 Foundations of Geometry

MAT 342 Topics in Geometry

MAT 359 Introduction to Theory of Computation
CS 215 Computer Architecture

CS 285 Artificial Intelligence

CS 355 Programming Languages

Informal Logic Courses

COM 200 Language and Communication

COM 263 Persuasion and Propaganda

COM 264 Argumentation and Debate

COM 268 Public Communication

COM 276 Debate Workshop

COM 408 Strategies of Persuasion

WRT 103W Composition II: Research and Writing

WRT/JLA 321W Legal Writing

WRT 335W Fact-Based Opinion Writing

WRT 371W Writing the Weird: Conspiracy Theories