This course is an introduction to formal logic for students with no prior familiarity with the subject. Logic is the study of validity, a property of good arguments. In formal logic we approach this in a mathematical way, introducing a formal (symbolic) language and using this to study logical properties like logical consequence and logical equivalence. This course begins with truth-function operators and truth-tables, and by the end we have learned a proof-system for first-order logic and established its soundness and completeness. The coursework will include regular problem sets.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- evaluate arguments for validity and identify key steps in informal proofs;
- use truth-tables to test for logical properties;
- construct formal proofs in first-order logic;
- translate between formal and informal languages; and
- develop maturity in working through and writing up initially challenging problem sets alone and in a group setting.
Indicative Assessment
- Take-home problem sets (2-4 questions on previous material) (40) [LO 2,3,4]
- Midsemester examination (approx 2 hours) (25) [LO 1,2,5]
- Final examination (approx 2 hours) (25) [LO 3,4,5]
- In-tutorial group problem sets (2-8 questions as group work) (10) [LO 1,4]
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Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 35 hours of contact comprising lectures and tutorials
b) 95 hours of independent student study, problem sets, and research.
Prescribed Texts
There will be a single textbook for the course, which students will need to buy, e.g. "Language, Proof and Logic" by Barwise and Etchemendy (or similar.) All other course materials will be made available on Canvas.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.