Exercises — Week 3: Plato's Symposium · Aristotle's Four Causes · Basic Logic and Fallacies
3 hands-on tasks. Do them in order; each one feeds the Canvas item it names.
10 min · reasoning
1. Four causes of three things
- Draw a 3×4 grid: rows = a phone, a school, a friendship; columns = material, formal, efficient, final.
- Fill every cell in a few words.
- Circle the cell you found hardest and write one sentence on why.
Turn in / bring: The grid — bring it to class for the lightning round.
15 min · practice
2. Fallacy hunt
- Find four real arguments from ads, posts, or conversations this week.
- For each: write the conclusion, the premise(s), and name the fallacy if there is one (or write 'no fallacy').
- Rewrite one of the fallacious arguments so it is fair.
Turn in / bring: Four labeled examples — the Week 3 Discussion asks for one of them.
30 min · writing
3. Grade your own Major Essay 1
- Print or open your draft. Underline the thesis. If you cannot underline one sentence, write one now.
- Number each reason. Next to each, write the quote or example from the reading that supports it.
- Find the objection paragraph. If there is none, add one and answer it.
- Read once for fallacies in your own writing. Fix any straw man, false dilemma, or begged question.
- Check formatting, citations (author + section), and the Canvas rubric. Save as a file, not a link.
Turn in / bring: Major Essay 1 submitted in Canvas before the window closes. Late work is not accepted.