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Lectures

Tuesday / Thursday 2:00-2:50 pm, 105 Lawrence Hall

Recitations

(Register for one)

Wednesday, 9:00-9:50 am, 339 Cathedral of Learning

Wednesday, 10:00-10:50 am, 151 Cathedral of Learning

Wednesday, 11:00-11:50 am, 105 Lawrence Hall

Instructors

John D. Norton, jdnorton@pitt.edu
Office hours: Tuesday, Thursday 2:50-3:50 pm, immediately after the lecture.

Kamyar Asasi, Kamyar.Asasi@pitt.edu
Office hours: Room 1126D, 11th floor Cathedral of Learning,
                     Tuesday 1:00-2:00pm, Wednesday, 1:00-2:00pm (by appointment)                         

Course website

Course materials will be posted at the course website
http://www.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/teaching/paradox/document_list.html
All assignments and tests will be submitted through Canvas.

General Education Requirement

This course satisfies the "course in philosophical thinking or ethics" requirement among the General Education Requirements in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences.

Assessment

Short tests There will be 6 short, open-book tests, roughly one each two weeks. (Schedule) The grade is the best 5 of 6.	35%
Assignments An assignment is due each week for submission by the start of the Wednesday class meeting. The assignment grade is the best 10 of 13.	35%
Term paper The term paper is due Monday, April 24. A topic preview is due Thursday, April 6.	30%

 

All work submitted for assignments, tests and the term paper are to be your own work, written in your own words.

Short Test

The short tests will examine material covered roughly in the preceding two weeks. They will be offered in Canvas in the 24 hours after the lecture on Thursday, according to the schedule. The tests are open book, require short answers (usually a sentence or two) and should only require 15-30 minutes of time to complete.

Policy on Missed Tests and Late Assignments

   No make up tests will be offered. Since the test grade is the best 5 of 6, one missed test is automatically forgiven. It is strongly recommended that this one forgiven test be used only when illness or emergencies preclude participation.
   Assignments are due each week at the start of your Wednesday Recitation. Late assignments are not accepted. Since the assignment grade is the best 10 of 13, three missed assignments are automatically forgiven. It is strongly recommended that these forgiven assignments be used only when illness or emergencies preclude participation.
(An exception is made for students who add the course after the start of term. Assignments due prior to the date on which the class was added may be submitted in the week after the course was added)
   For added flexibility, a universal makeup assignment is offered to all students. The makeup assignment is a second term paper conforming to the term paper guidelines, but only 500 words in length, due at the same time as the term paper, Monday, April 24.

Texts

The primary text for the class is available on this website as the online text Paradox: Puzzles of Chance and Infinity.

Supplementary texts

... that may be useful as background reading and for selection of a term paper topic:

Michael Clark, Paradoxes from A to Z. 3rd ed. Routledge 2012.
This a useful compendium of paradoxes presented in brief, accessible forms. Some of the paradoxes are minor and unimportant.

R. M. Sainsbury,  Paradoxes. 3rd. ed. Cambridge UP, 2009.
This is a more detailed, but still accessible treatment of many important paradoxes.

A. W. Moore,  The Infinite. 3rd ed. London: Routledge, 2019.
This text covers notions of infinity only. It is rich in details and includes much history.

Alexander R. Pruss,  Infinity, Causation and Paradox. Oxford Univ. Press, 2018.
This is technically the most advanced of the supplementary texts. Parts are challenging but rewarding if mastered.

These texts have NOT been ordered through the campus bookstore since the online, primary text has ample material for the entire course. If you are interested in these supplementary texts, you should borrow them from the library or purchase through an online vendor.

School Statements

Academic Integrity
All students are expected to adhere to the standards of academic honesty. Any student engaged in cheating, plagiarism, or other acts of academic dishonesty would be subject to disciplinary action. Any student suspected of violating this obligation for any reason during the semester will be required to participate in the procedural process, initiated at the instructor level, as outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. This may include, but is not limited to the confiscation of the examination of any individual suspected of violating the University Policy.

Disability Services
If you have a disability, contact both your instructor and the Office of Disability Resources and Services (DRS), 216 William Pitt Union, 412-648-7890/412-383-7355 (TTY) as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.

Statement on Classroom Recording
To address the issue of students recording a lecture or class session, the University’s Senate Educational Policy Committee issued the recommended statement on May 4, 2010. While it is optional, the Committee recommends that faculty consider adding the statement to all course syllabi. “To ensure the free and open discussion of ideas, students may not record classroom lectures, discussion and/or activities without the advance written permission of the instructor, and any such recording properly approved in advance can be used solely for the student’s own private use.”