Clarity comes before criticism
You cannot evaluate an argument fairly until its claims and support are reconstructed clearly.
Rutgers catalogResearched guideSIRS history37 section records
01:730:101
Logic, Reasoning, And Persuasion
PHILOSOPHY
- credits
- 3
- Core
- AHo, SOEHS
- Typical seasons
- Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter
- Fall 2026 sections
- 10
- Open snapshot
- 5 open in snapshot
Course guide
AI-generated overview
Course fingerprint 10 AI-generated signals
Difficulty
3/5Why
The course develops transferable reasoning skills and requires careful analysis, but Rutgers presents it as a general introductory course.
Workload
3/5Why
Reasoning improves through repeated practice evaluating and constructing arguments; the catalog does not identify a lab or large project.
Pacing
3/5Why
The published scope moves from argument basics to validity, errors, clarification, evaluation, and construction in one term.
Projects
2/5Why
Argument construction is an applied skill, but the official course description does not describe a build-style project.
Exams
3/5Why
Validity, fallacies, and argument analysis are readily assessed, but Rutgers provides no common exam breakdown.
Math
2/5Why
The course is formal in its attention to structure and validity but is not described as mathematics-heavy.
Memorization
2/5Why
Students need vocabulary for argument and fallacies, but performance depends more on applying rules than recalling lists.
Abstraction
4/5Why
Validity, inference, and argument form require abstract analysis of how reasons support conclusions.
Prerequisites
1/5Why
Rutgers lists no academic prerequisite and presents the course as a general reasoning course.
Reading
2/5Why
The course is skill-centered; the official description does not specify a large literature or text-heavy reading sequence.
Topic breakdown
A practical chapter-by-chapter view from foundations to applications.
4 modules
Module 1
Arguments and claims
Students learn to distinguish arguments from explanations, assertions, and other kinds of language.
argumentpremiseconclusionsupport
Basic concept overview
Validity is structural
An argument can have a false premise yet be valid, so structure and truth must be evaluated separately.
Persuasion is not proof
Rhetorical force can help communication, but it does not replace adequate reasons.
Reasoning is a practice
The goal is to make better judgments by repeatedly applying analysis to real arguments.
Things to watch for
Calling an argument invalid because its conclusion is false
Check whether the premises logically entail the conclusion before judging truth.
Memorizing fallacy names without diagnosis
Explain exactly how the reasoning fails in the specific argument.
Confusing confidence with support
Separate how forcefully a claim is presented from the quality of its reasons.
Fall 2026 sections
5 open · Livingston, College Avenue, Online
| Section | Status | Instructor | Meeting | Campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0113222 | Open | HUTCHENS | Tuesday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at BE 003; Friday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at BE 003BE 003 | Livingston |
| 0213223 | Open | DERSTINE | Tuesday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at HH A2; Thursday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at HH A2HH A2 | College Avenue |
| 0313224 | Closed | KANG, YOONHEE | Monday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at HH A1; Wednesday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at HH A1HH A1 | College Avenue |
| 0413225 | Closed | IWANICKI | Tuesday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at HH A2; Friday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at HH A2HH A2 | College Avenue |
| 0513226 | Closed | DERSTINE | Tuesday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at HH A1; Thursday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at HH A1HH A1 | College Avenue |
| 0613227 | Open | MUSE, ETHAN | Tuesday 7:30 PM-8:50 PM at FH A2; Thursday 7:30 PM-8:50 PM at FH A2FH A2 | College Avenue |
| 0713228 | Closed | SORENSEN, DAVID | Monday 5:40 PM-7:00 PM at CI 203; Wednesday 5:40 PM-7:00 PM at CI 203CI 203 | College Avenue |
| 0813229 | Open | SORENSEN, DAVID | Monday 7:30 PM-8:50 PM at CA A1; Wednesday 7:30 PM-8:50 PM at CA A1CA A1 | College Avenue |
| 0913230 | Open | HUTCHENS | Tuesday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at BE 003; Friday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at BE 003BE 003 | Livingston |
| 9024140 | Closed | SKOLITS, WES | ONLINE INSTRUCTION(INTERNET) | Online |
cachedSource: Checked-in Rutgers Schedule of Classes snapshotsUpdated when term datasets are refreshedMay be stale
SIRS teaching signals
Historical student surveys
Teaching
3.92
Course quality
3.84
Response rate
40.5%
Coverage
109 offerings · 2014–2025
| Instructor | Offerings | Teaching | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derstine, Janelle | 15 | 3.71 | 3.75 |
| Kang, Yoonhee | 11 | 4.29 | 4.10 |
| Skolits, Wes | 11 | 3.66 | 3.57 |
| Hutchens, Benjamin | 8 | 4.05 | 3.95 |
| Kalef, Justin | 6 | 3.82 | 3.82 |
| Kalef, Peter | 5 | 3.54 | 3.50 |
Course stats
Catalog and planning context
Credits
3
Current campuses
Livingston, College Avenue, Online
Current availability
5 open of 10
Catalog terms
Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter
Core codes
AHo, SOEHS
Loaded terms
6
Prerequisites
No prerequisite note appears in the checked-in Rutgers catalog snapshots.
Degree requirement lists
No direct degree-list membership appears in the checked-in requirement index.
