Logic and Conversation: Fall 2025

Prerequisites

A good working knowledge of first-order logic is expected (see for instance the first three chapters of this book). It is also convenient to have some background in formal semantics (see for instance this book), though this is not strictly required. For students of the Master of Logic, this course is usually taken in the second year of the programme, after having completed Meaning, Reference and Modality and Structures for Semantics during the first year. Master and PhD students in Linguistics, AI, Cognitive Science and other programmes are also very welcome to take this course.

Textbook

The first part of the course uses a textbook. The book is open access, so everyone can download a pdf for free. If you prefer a hardcopy, you can order one at amazon or other online bookstores.

Grading and homework

The grade for this course is based on a final paper. There will also be homework assignments but these won’t be graded.

Instructions for final paper

The final paper must written individually. Please discuss possible topics with me early on in the course. Topics should be determined by November 28 at the very latest and should be communicated to me by that date, either in class or by email. A preliminary version of the paper is to be presented during the last lecture on December 12, and the final version is due on December 20, 6pm. See Appendix B of the textbook and the inquisitive semantics website for pointers to some relevant literature, which may help in finding an interesting topic. You are strongly encouraged to discuss your projects with other students and give each other feedback.

Grading criteria for final paper

The grading criteria for the final paper are the same as for a master thesis, though of course here we do not expect as much as in the case of a thesis.

1. Correctness All claims should be correct, precisely formulated and carefully argued for.
2. Writing The paper should be well-structured; the writing should be clear and concise. Typically, papers are around 10 pages. There is no official upper or lower bound, but quality is preferred over quantity: a single idea or result that is clearly explained in 7 pages is better than a collection of multiple half-baked ideas discussed in 15 pages.
3. Difficulty Both conceptual and technical difficulty are taken into account.
4. Originality The paper should contain some new results. This can take many forms: establishing previously unknown properties of one of the logical systems discussed in class, or closely related ones; further enriching the theories discussed; testing the predictions of the theories; developing new applications; developing a theory of your own that solves some of the remaining challenges for the theories discussed.

Late policy

The deadline for the final paper is strict. Late submissions will in principle not be accepted.