Gensler's Homework Assignments
PL 301 - Logic
For Jan 16: Read pages the syllabus and pages 1-6 from the book. Skim pages 349-356 (about the computer exercises - skipping sections A and F); the current program is a little different. Do the Web exercises mentioned at the end of the pretest. Read pages the "Download LogiCola" handout, get a flash drive if you don't already have one, and download LogiCola to your computer or flash drive.
For Jan 18: Do 9-16 on page 9. Read pages 7-14 (skipping the exercises). LogiCola A (EM & ET): this is set A (Syllogism translations) with the EM (Easier Multiple-choice) and ET (Easier Type-answer) settings.
Jan 21: Martin Luther King day - no classes.
For Jan 23: Do 5-14 on page 13 and 4-16 on pages 14-15. Read pages 17-19 (starting at bottom of 17); when you read ahead, always skip the exercises. LogiCola B (H, S, E): this is set B (Syllogism arguments) with the How-to-star, Symbolic, and English settings.
For Jan 25: Do 1-5 on page 17 and 3-14 on pages 19-20. Read pages 20-22 and 25-28; when you read ahead, always skip the exercises. LogiCola A (HM & HT): this is set A (Syllogism translations) with the HM (Harder Multiple-choice) and HT (Harder Type-answer) settings.
For Jan 28: Do 5-15 on pages 22-23 and 3-6 on page 29. Read pages 29-30. LogiCola B (D & C).
For Jan 30: Do 4-15 on pages 31-32. LogiCola B (F & I).
Feb 1: Quiz (like the first sample quiz): 2 English arguments (like LogiCola BE), 3 idiomatic arguments (like LogiCola BI), 7 sentence translations (like LogiCola A), 2 circle test (like LogiCola BC), 5 derive conclusions (like LogiCola BD). Bring your flash drive with these exercises done: set A (EM ET HM HT) and set B (H S E D C F I).
For Feb 4: Read pages 35-41.
For Feb 6: Do 11-20 on page 38 and 1-17 on page 41. Read pages 41-45. LogiCola C (EM & ET) and D (TE & FE).
For Feb 8: Do 9-15 on page 42, 5-12 on page 43, and 3-4 on page 46. Read pages 46-48 & 56-57. LogiCola D (TM, TH, UE, UM, UH, FM, and FH).
For Feb 11: Do 5-7 on page 49 and 3-15 on page 58. Read pages 50-52. LogiCola C (HM & HT), D (AE & AM).
For Feb 13: Do 5-15 on page 52 and 3-10 on pages 53-54. Read pages 58-59 & 61-63. LogiCola E (S & E).
For Feb 15: Do 11-14 on page 54, 4-8 on page 60, and 9-20 on page 63. Read pages 64-68. LogiCola E (F & I), F (SE & SH).
For Feb 18: Do 9-14 on page 60, 9-20 on page 67, and 5-16 on page 68. Read pages 68-70. LogiCola F (IE, IH, CE, & CH).
Feb 20: Quiz (like the second sample quiz): 3 English arguments (like LogiCola EE), 3 idiomatic arguments (like LogiCola EI), 6 symbolic arguments (like LogiCola ES), 12 S-I rules (like LogiCola F), 5 sentence translations (like LogiCola C), 1 truth table (like LogiCola DF), 2 truth-table arguments (like LogiCola DA). Bring your flash drive with the assigned exercises done (see LogiCola Score Sheet).
For Feb 22: Read pages 71-75.
Feb 23 to Mar 2: Spring break - no classes.
For Mar 3: Do 4 & 5 toward the top of page 76, and 1 & 2 toward the bottom of page 76. Read pages 79-81 and 355-356 (LogiCola "Proof Sets"). LogiCola F (TE & TH) and G (EV).
For Mar 5: Do 4-8 on page 77 and 3-4 (don't do 5 & 6, since we'll do them in class) on page 81. LogiCola: continue with G (EV) if you need to, or try G (EI) if you're brave.
For Mar 7: Do 2-10 on pages 82-83. LogiCola: G (EI & EC).
For Mar 10: Do 11 and 12 on page 83. Read pages 86-91. LogiCola: continue with G (EI & EC) if you need to, or try G (HV) if you're brave.
For Mar 12: Do 1-5 on page 92. Read pages 93-94. LogiCola: G (HV).
For Mar 14: Do 1-7 on pages 95-96. LogiCola: G (HI, HC, & MC).
Mar 17: Quiz (like the third sample quiz): 4 English and 4 symbolic proofs (5 points each for: translation, V-or-I, perfect proof-refutation). Bring your flash drive with the assigned exercises done: F (TE & TH) and G (EV, EI, EC, HV, HI, HC, & MC). I suggest that you also review G (MC) and sets C and F.
For Mar 19: Read pages 145-48.
Mar 20 to 24: Easter break - no classes.
For Mar 26: Do 15-21 on page 149. Read pages 149-154. LogiCola J (BM & BT); skip J (QM & QT).
For Mar 28: Do 22-26 on page 149 and English problems 1-5 on page 155. Read pages 157-160. LogiCola K (V).
For Mar 31: Do 27-30 on page 149 and English problems 1-4 on page 161 (being sure to do the ambiguous arguments both ways). LogiCola: continue with K (V) - or, if you're brave, try K (I).
For Apr 2: Do 5-8 on pages 161-162. Read pages 327-331 on informal fallacies. LogiCola: K (I & C).
For Apr 4: Do 9-12 on page 162. Read pages 331-336 on informal fallacies. LogiCola: Keep doing K (I & C) if you haven't mastered it.
For Apr 7: Do arguments 13-14 on page 163 and fallacies 11-25 on page 337. LogiCola: Set R.
Apr 9: Modal quiz (like the fourth sample quiz - no informal fallacies): 4 arguments in symbols, 3 arguments in English, 5 sentence translations. Bring your flash drive with the assigned exercises done (see LogiCola Score Sheet): JBM, JBT, KV, KI, KC.
For Apr 11: Do fallacies 26-40 on pages 333-334, read pages 101-105, LogiCola set R.
For Apr 14: Do translations 11-20 on page 105 and fallacies 41-50 on page 338. Read pages 106-110. LogiCola H (EM & ET).
Apr 16 & 18: I'll be at a philosophy conference - no logic classes.
For Apr 21: Do translations 21-25 on pages 105-106 and English arguments 1-5 on pages 110-111. Read pages 112-113 and 116-117. LogiCola IEV.
For Apr 23: Do 1-5 on pages 114-115 and 1-7 on page 118. Read pages 118-119. LogiCola H (HM & HT) and I (EI & EC).
For Apr 25: Do 8-15 on page 118 and 1-6 on pages 120-121. LogiCola I (HC & MC).
For Apr 28: Do 16-20 on page 118 and 7-10 on pages 121.
Final exam Monday, 5 May, at 8 am (for 8 am class) or 10 am (for 10 am class). Click here for the complete JCU final exam schedule.
The comprehensive final exam will have 9 fallacies (multiple choice), 1 truth table, 18 sentence translations, 9 proofs, and 10 smaller syllogistic or propositional arguments (4 in simple English, 4 in idiomatic English, 2 derive conclusions). The final gives equal weight to syllogisms, basic propositional logic, propositional proofs, modal logic, and fallacies - and double weight to quantificational logic. Bring your flash drive with these exercises done: Set R, H (EM, ET, HM, HT), and I (EV, EI, EC, HC, MC).
I suggest you review these 23 LogiCola exercises: A (ET & HT), B (S, E, D, F, & I), C (ET & HT), D (FM), E (S, E, F, & I), F (CH & TH), G (MC), J (BT), K (C), H (ET & HT), I (MC) and R -- and the class slides for chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, & 15.
PL 230 - Christian Thinkers
For Jan 16: Read the syllabus and preface (pages xi-xiii) and pages 3-15. Mini-reports: three senses of "Catholic philosophy": first sense (Almstead Antonelli Bader 3), second sense (Betschart Calabria 3-4), third sense (Day Denbow Detzel 4-5); the initial problem of Catholic philosophy (DiSabato Feaver Flynn 5-6); what philosophical issues are raised or suggested by the Old Testament (Foos Frakes Glem 7-11) and New Testament (Gooch Ingraham Laubenthal 11-15). Optional: read the intro to Catholicism for Dummies. Where you sit on Friday will become your assigned seat.
For Jan 18: Read pages 16-24, 25 (introduction), 26-27 (to the bottom), 30 (from the bottom)-33 (Plato and Aristotle). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Plato: creation (Martof Meilinger Morvan 16-17), proving God's existence (Mudery Mustafa Myers 17-18), following God's will (Nardini Ricart Schuele 18-19), the soul's immortality (Skaggs Wehrung 19-23), and the allegory of the cave (Almstead Antonelli Bader 23-24). Aristotle: the eternity of motion (Betschart Calabria 26-27), the soul (Day Denbow Detzel 27), God as first mover (DiSabato Feaver Flynn 30-31), our highest good (Frakes Glem 31-33).
Jan 21: Martin Luther King day - no classes.
For Jan 23: Read pages 37-46 (Patristics Introduction and Aristides). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Aristides: Polytheism (Gooch Ingraham Kelkis 42-44), Judaism and Christianity (Laubenthal Martof Meilinger 44-45), persecution of Christians (Morvan Mudery Mustafa 45-46).
For Jan 25: Read pages 47-53 (Justin). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Justin: His studies and conversion (Myers Nardini Ricart 47-middle of 50), the prophets and Christianity (Schuele Skaggs Wehrung bottom of 51-53).
For Jan 28: Read pages 54-57 and 61-62 (Irenaeus and Tertulian). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Irenaeus: free will (Almstead Antonelli Bader 54-55), why we were not created perfect (Betschart Calabria Denbow 55-56), distinguishing good from evil (DiSabato Feaver Flynn 56-57). Tertullian (Frakes Glem Gooch 61-62).
For Jan 30: Read pages 63-70 (Felix). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Caecilius's criticisms of Christianity (Detzel Ingraham Kelkis 63-65), Octavius's defense of Christian beliefs (Laubenthal Martof Meilinger 65-bottom of 67), Octavius's defense of Christian life (Mudery Mustafa Myers bottom of 67-70).
For Feb 1: Read pages 71-76 (Origen). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): What are the core beliefs of Christianity? (Morvan Nardini Schule 71-73), What is the evidence for the divine inspiration of the Bible? (Ricart Skaggs Wehrung 73-74), Why should some of the Bible not be taken literally? Almstead Antonelli Bader 75-76).
For Feb 4: Read pages 87-93 (Augustine's Confessions). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Augustine's difficulties in conceiving of a spiritual God (Betschart Calabria Day 87-88), Whence comes evil (Denbow Detzel DiSabato 88-89), Platonism (Feaver Flynn Frakes 89-90), Good and evil (Glem Gooch Ingraham 90), Human weakness (Kelkis Laubenthal Martof 91-92), Christ as mediator between God and man (Meilinger Morvan Mudery 92-93).
Feb 6: Written test: This will have an objective part (10 short answers) and an essay part. It will cover the preliminaries (including OT-NT-Plato-Arist), and the first part of patristics (Aristides, Justin, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Felix, and Origen -- but no Augustine).
For Feb 8: Read pages 94-101 (Augustine's Christian Doctrine). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Understanding God (95 Mustafa Myers Nardini), Use and Enjoyment (95-96 Ricart Schuele Skaggs), Loving God and Our Neighbor (96 Wehrung Almstead Antonelli), Sensitivity to Language (97 Bader Betschart Calabria), Secular Knowledge (98-99 Denbow Detzel DiSabato), Logic and Definitions (99-100 Feaver Flynn Frakes), Secular Philosophy (100 Glem Gooch Ingraham), Biblical Fundamentalism (101 Kelkis Laubenthal Martof).
For Feb 11: No homework (since assignments are getting ahead of classes).
For Feb 13: Read pages 102-106 (Augustine's Freedom-and-Evil). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Two kinds of evil (102-103 Meilinger Morvan Mudery), Inordinate desire (104 Mustafa Myers Nardini), Good will (104-105 Ricart Schuele Skaggs), Why God gave us free will (105-106 Wehrung Almstead Antonelli).
For Feb 15: Read pages 107-111 (Augustine on God's Providence) and 117-120 (Boethius). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Augustine: Why people deny God's providence (107 Bader Betschart Calabria), God's providence in our natural constitution (108-109 Day Denbow Detzel), God's providence in our lives (109-110 DiSabato Feaver Flynn), Scripture and divine wisdom and Christ (110-111 Frakes Glem Gooch). Boethius's Problem (117-118 Ingraham Kelkis Laubenthal), Philosophy's Reply (118-120 Martof Meilinger Morvan).
For Feb 22: Read pages 133-137 (Anselm). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Understanding Requires Belief (133-134 Mudery Mustafa Myers), Why God Exists (134 Nardini Ricart Schuele), Objections from Gaunilo (135-136 Skaggs Bader Almstead), Anselm's Response to Gaunilo (136-137 Wehrung Antonelli Betschart).
Feb 23 to Mar 2: Spring break - no classes.
For Mar 3: Read pages 165-169 (Aquinas's The Existence of God, first part). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Is knowledge needed besides philosophy? - objections and replies (165-166 Calabria Denbow DiSabato) and body (165-166 Detzel Feaver Flynn), Is the existence of God selfevident? - objections and replies (166-168 Frakes Glem Gooch) and body (166-168 Ingraham Kelkis Laubenthal), Can it be demonstrated that God exists? - objections and replies (168-169 Martof Morvan Mudery) and body (168-169 Mustafa Myers Nardini).
March 7: Written test: This will have an objective part (10 short answers) and an essay part. It will cover Augustine, Boethius, and Anselm -- but no Aquinas.
For Mar 10: Read pages 169-171 (Aquinas's Does God Exist?) and the Santa Clause handout (both sides); also try to think of objections to Aquinas's arguments. Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Aquinas's Does God Exist? - objections and replies (169 & 171 Ricart Schuele Skaggs), the first way (169-170 Wehrung Almstead Antonelli), the second way (170 Bader Betschart Calabria), the third way (170 Day Denbow Detzel), the fourth way (170-171 DiSabato Feaver Flynn), the fifth way (171 Frakes Glem Gooch).
For Mar 14: Read pages 172-178 (Aquinas's Natural Law). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Does natural law contain several precepts? (172-174 Ricart Schuele Skaggs), Is natural law the same in all men? (174-176 Wehrung Almstead Antonelli), Can natural law be changed? (176-177 Bader Betschart Calabria), Can natural law be abolished from man's heart? (178 Day Denbow Detzel).
For Mar 17: Read pages 220-222 (Ockham). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Can it be proved that there is only one God? (220-221 DiSabato Feaver Flynn), A criticism of the first mover argument (221-223 Frakes Glem Gooch).
For Mar 19: Read pages 233-234 (Loyola) and 241-244 (Galileo). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Loyola (233-234 Ingraham Kelkis Laubenthal), Galileo (241-244 Martof Meilinger Morvan).
For Mar 26: Read pages 248-256 (Descartes). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): What may be doubted (248-249 Mudery Mustafa Nardini), Mind and body (249-250 Myers Ricart Schuele), The existence of God (250-253 Skaggs Wehrung Almstead), The source of error (253 Bader Day DiSabato), God's necessary existence (254 Feaver Flynn Frakes), Moderating our skepticism (255-256 Ingraham Kelkis Laubenthal).
For Mar 28: Read pages 279-281 (Leo XIII). Mini-reports (plus any we didn’t finish): Leo XIII (279-281 Martof Meilinger Mudery).
For Mar 31: Read pages 285-292 (Twentieth Century & Beyond) and 350-356 (Stein). Mini-reports: The historical context (350-351 Mustafa Myers Nardini), The singularity of woman (351-353 Ricart Schuele Skaggs), What women contribute (353-356 Wehrung Almstead Antonelli).
For April 2: Read pages 488-495 (Callahan). Mini-reports (plus any we didn’t finish): Prochoice feminism (488-489 Bader Betschart Calabria), The moral right to control one’s own body (489-91 Day Denbow DiSabato), The moral necessity of autonomy and choice (491-492 Feaver Flynn Frakes), The contingent value of fetal life (492 Glem Gooch Ingraham), The right of women to full social equality (492-493 Kelkis Laubenthal Martof), A feminine model of sexuality (493-495 Meilinger Morvan Mudery).
April 4: Written test (10 short answers + one longer essay), on Aquinas (especially), Ockham, Loyola, Galileo, Descartes, Leo XIII, and lecture materials on the 19th century -- but nothing on the 20th century.
For April 7: Read pages 390-399 (Copleston). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Introduction (390-391 Mustafa Myers Nardini), God as Necessary Being (391-394 Ricart Schuele Skaggs), God as Object of Religious Experience (394-396 Wehrung Almstead Antonelli), God as Moral Lawgiver (396-399 Bader Betschart Calabria).
For April 11: Read pages 326-329 (Teilhard). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): Evolution (including "Our Explanation," 326-327 Day Denbow Detzel), Christianity (including "Our Explanation," 327-329 DiSabato Feaver Flynn).
For April 14: Read pages 523-531 (Gensler). Mini-reports (plus any we didn't finish): A Consistency Norm (523-526 Glem Gooch Ingraham), Morality and Religion (526-528 Kelkis Laubenthal Meilinger), Science and Religion (528-530 Martof Morvan Mudery), The Problem of Evil (530-531 Mustafa Myers Nardini).
April 16: I'll be at a philosophy conference - no class.
April 18: Your paper is due (in paper and computer-file formats).
For April 21: Read pages 478-487 (Plantinga). Mini-reports (plus any we didn’t finish): Introduction (478-480 Ricart Schuele Almstead), Theism and Verifiability (481-482 Antonelli Betschart Calabria), Theism and Theory of Knowledge (482-484 Detzel Feaver Flynn), Theism and Persons (484-487 Glem Kelkis Laubenthal).
For April 23: Read 441-447 (Rescher). Mini-reports (plus any we didn’t finish): Matters of Religion Introduction (441-442 Myers Mustafa Nardini), The Quaker Influence (442-443 Ricart Schuele Almstead), The Pascalian Shift to Roman Catholicism (443-444 Antonelli Bader Betschart), On Christian Commitment (444-446 Feaver Flynn Frakes), Queries and Replies (446-447 Glem Gooch Kelkis).
For April 25: Read 415-421 (John Paul II). Mini-reports (plus any we didn’t finish): Introduction and Know Yourself (415-418 Laubenthal Martof Meilinger), Philosophy and the Church’s Role as Teacher (418-419 Morvan Mudery Mustafa), The Second Vatican Council (419 Myers Nardini Ricart), The Crisis of Meaning (420 Schuele Skaggs Wehrung), Conclusions (420-421 Almstead Antonelli Bader)
May 5 at 1:00 pm: Written test (10 short answers + one longer essay), on the 20th century and beyond: Stein, Callahan, Copleston, Teilhard, Gensler, Plantinga, Rescher, and John Paul II. Click here for the complete JCU final exam schedule.