Logic and Conversation: Fall 2026

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 Bol, Amazon, or other online bookstores.

Grading and homework

• The grade for this course is based on a final paper.
• There will also be homework exercises but these won’t be graded.
• Questions about the homework exercises can be asked during office hours.
• A latex template for drawing inquisitive semantics diagrams can be downloaded here.

Office hours

There will be four office hours:

• 9/11 at 13.00-14.00
• 17/11 at 11.00-12.00
• 23/11 at 13.00-14.00
• 30/11 at 13.00-14.00

The office hours will be held in room L6.31 at LAB42. During office hours you can discuss questions you may have about your homework exercises, or ideas for your final paper.

Instructions for final paper

The final paper must be written individually. Please discuss possible topics with me early on in the course. Topics should be determined by November 25 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 9, and the final version is due on December 18, 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, but each paper should be written individually.

Policy on the use of AI tools

It is permitted to use generative AI tools as a collaborative assistant for:

• Brainstorming: Generating potential paper topics or identifying interesting research questions.
• Line editing: Checking spelling and grammar mistakes.

It is prohibited to use generative AI tools for:

• Draft generation: Using AI to write entire paragraphs, sections, or the complete draft of your term paper.
• Literature sourcing: Relying on AI to find primary sources (AI tools frequently invent or “hallucinate” fake academic citations).
• Unverified claims: Presenting factual claims generated by an AI tool without verifying them through credible, peer-reviewed sources.

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.