The second part of Formal Logic, introducing more advanced elements of the Syllogism.

How to get the most out of Methods of Logic with Sam Nicholson:

• First, read the course materials below before the first class meeting.

• Then have a notebook ready and available for class notes each live session.

• Read assignments before class meetings

• Watch that week’s recording if you need to revisit information from our live session.

• Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for that week.

• Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.

Total classes: 12

Duration per class: 55 minutes

Prerequisite: Introduction to Formal Logic, live or recorded course

Suggested Grade Level: 9th to 12th grade

Suggested High School Credit: One full semester Logic II or Methods of Logic

Instructor: Sam Nicholson, PhD

Course Description: This course continues the introduction to the Syllogism begun in the Introduction to Formal Logic course. In this class, we will explore various forms of arguments, introducing and explaining conditionals, disjunctive syllogisms, dilemmas, and enthymemes. We will also learn how to construct extended chains of syllogistic reasoning, including polysyllogisms and sorites.

Course Outline:

Class One: Introduction and Review
Class Two: Elements of the Syllogism: Figure
Class Three: Elements of the Syllogism: Mood
Class Four: Terms and Reduction of the Syllogism
Class Five: Indirect Reduction of First figure Syllogism
Class Six: Enthymemes
Class Seven: Conditional Syllogisms
Class Eight: Conjunctive and Disjunctive Syllogisms
Class Nine: Polysyllogisms and Aristotelian Sorites
Class Ten: Goclenian and Conditional Sorites
Class Eleven: Epicheirema and Dilemma
Class Twelve: Oblique Syllogisms; Review

Course Materials: Traditional Logic, Book II: Advanced Formal Logic (Classical Trivium Core Series) by Martin Cothran (Jun 1, 2000) and Traditional Logic II, Key by Martin Cothran (Jun 1, 2008). Can be found at www.memoriapress.com or your favorite used curriculum forum.

Homework: Homework will be a combination of reading assignments in the textbook and homework problems which appear at the end of each text module. Students should expect to spend 45 minutes to an hour reading, and up to an hour working through the homework problem sets. There will also be extracurricular homework assignments such as logic puzzles or word problems for extra practice.
There will be three automated quizzes, one mid-term, and one final exam.
Technical Help: If you have any technical trouble or questions about course content, please email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.

©2024 Homeschool Connections and Sam Nicholson. All rights reserved. This course is designed by Sam Nicholson.

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