Text: The full text, Notes for Elementary Symbolic Logic, is available on line. A link to the table of contents is at the upper left of this window and you can find links to individual sections in the calendar at the left. Links to sections also appear in the list of topics that appears in this frame when the web site first opens (there is also a link to that above). Most of the content of the text is also available in pdf format (there are links to that both in the table of contents and the list of topics). However, there is some animated material that can only be viewed using web browser in the version in html format.

The text uses a number of special symbols. These must be available in fonts on your system in order for them to appear in the online html version of the text. Such fonts are available on most recent operating systems, but some browsers (Internet Explorer in particular) will not always display some of these symbols even when they are available. The symbol ⊤ (which should look like the letter ‘T’ or, more specifically, like an upside-down perpendicular sign) is one of the problems. If you have this problem, Firefox and related browsers (see http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/) should work on either Windows or Macs, and Safari will work on Macs. And the pdf version should always display the correct symbols.

(There are two sorts of problems that can arise and they have different symptoms. The one just mentioned will usually lead you to see a box where another symbol should appear—although the box is a symbol used in logic, it is not used in this text. Another problem can lead to the substitution of the wrong symbol. If you think that this may be happening, try comparing what you are seeing with the pdf version. This second problem is hard to diagnose; but it is something I may be able to solve, so I encourage you to let me know if you run into it—especially on campus machines where I’ll be able to reproduce it.)

Requirements: Grades will be based primarily on 5 tests (18% each), the last during the final exam period. Each is primarily devoted to the portion of the course since the last test; but the material in the course is naturally cumulative, and the final test will also have a few questions that are designed to look back to earlier parts of the course. The rest of your grade (10%) will reflect the regularity with which you have handed in homework assignments and your class attendance and participation.

Attendance and homework: You will be automatically excused from a class if you notify me in advance that you will miss it (e-mail or voice-mail messages are fine). After the fact, you will be excused if you give me a good reason or a dean’s excuse.

I don’t credit homework that I receive late (i.e., after the beginning of the class when it is due), so (depending on the circumstances) I may ask you to submit homework in advance if you arrange to miss a class; an excuse sufficient to excuse you from class after the fact is sufficient to excuse you from the homework due that day. But even if homework will not be credited, I encourage you to submit it for feedback, and I will be happy (even delighted) to give you feedback on exercises I haven’t assigned as homework.

Homework assignments will be made in class and are due at the beginning of the next class. If you miss a class, I’ll expect you to seek out the homework assignment. I’ll be happy to respond to e-mail and phone calls about this, but the assignments will be posted on the class web site (unless I forget—so don’t count on finding them at the last minute).