SO, IS THIS A COURSE FOR YOU?

Doug McFerran: This photo was taken a while back, as you can see from the fact that I'm still in front of an old-fashioned chalkboard. I'm a bit older, but the way in which we can teach a course these days is a lot younger. That means we really have two different types of questions to answer when you ask if Symbolic Logic on the Internet is a course for you.

 The first question is whether you should take symbolic logic at all. The second is whether you should take this or any course on the Internet. Let's see what you should know:

1. Symbolic logic (Philosophy 9 in LACCD) does satisfy the GE requirements for critical reasoning for students at the California State Universities. In addition, it is often a requirement for philosophy majors and for computer science majors. Both Mission and Pierce are  fully accredited two-year public colleges, and credits for this course do count for transfer to CSU or the University of California or to most other four-year schools. You should know, if this is a concern, that the transcript will not indicate any difference between an Internet course and one taught on the campus.

 
2. Symbolic logic, however, is not a course for anyone who has experienced more serious problems in math classes. The reason is that it does require a certain left-brain ability that is not equally distributed among all students. This has nothing to do with being intelligent or with being a good student otherwise. Many individuals do find, though, that the type of thinking involved in, say, a geometric proof is extremely difficult for them. Since derivations, which resemble the proofs done in geometry, are an important part of this course, I would not recommend it to anyone with special problems here.

 
3. And what about doing a course on the Internet? Well, one thing is that you have to be especially motivated. The good news is that you can work at your own pace at a time of the day that is good for you. The bad news is that without having a definite place to be at a set time many individuals find that good intentions are not enough. What will be important for me as your instructor is that we do remain in constant contact, so in many ways we will be working together much more closely than we would if you were just out in my regular classroom. This will allow me to vary the work according to your interests and your abilities.

 
4. What will you need for equipment? You should have access to a computer that can handle today's web pages. Ideally, for a PC this will be a Pentium or its equivalent. You do need a more up-to-date modem unless you have access through some other type of connection (DSL or cable or something like that). Students with access to computer labs at a school or at the public library may be able to do just as well as those with their own equipment.

 
5. The last point is that this is a regular course offered in one of the California Community Colleges, so you must be enrolled and have paid your fees, and, unfortunately, students who are not California residents will have to pay much higher fees than those who live in the state. Everything you need to know about this is on these web pages.

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