Aims

By the end of this course, the students should be able to criticize an argument by examining how its concepts are specified, how it establishes its facts, its research into causes and their consequences, its value judgments, and the proofs the argument offers in favor, or against, a position. Regarding the latter, the students should distinguish between the formal validity of an argument from the veracity of its premises [its soundness?].

Main themes

Content : in order to meet our goals, we shall start by examining hypothetical and syllogistic arguments. We shall then look into different techniques, such as the definition and the analysis of a concept, inductive research into causes, the role of the preferable, and the arguments to establish or refute a thesis.
Students will confront these techniques in every course in the social sciences, and this will allow them to examine how founded the arguments they encounter are.
Method : the lecture course leads into a series of tutorial sessions that apply logical and argumentative techniques to the social sciences found in the programs of the Faculty. The students are invited to find on their own examples of the techniques discussed in the course.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Assessment:
Students must carry out a series of exercises and provide some examples. These exercises will be corrected by the lecturer in the presence of the students. Students are asked to orally justify their answers and correct their mistakes.

Other credits in programs