Is a Logic I Course Right for Me as a Math Major?

[Shackleford]

I'm trying to pick my last elective. My others are PDEs. What's a Logic I course like? I'm considering this one course/professor, and he has good reviews on ratemyprofessor for this course.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I assume it would be similar to the material covered here (Logic I from MIT Open Course Ware):

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Linguistics-and-Philosophy/24-241Fall-2005/CourseHome/

 

[Shackleford]

PHIL 1321: Logic I
[TCCN—PHIL 2303]
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: MATH 1310. (part of the core curriculum: Math/Reasoning). May not be taken for credit by students who already have credit for PHIL 2321. Techniques for analyzing statements and evaluating arguments, primarily through use of the apparatus of modern symbolic logic.

 

[Redbelly98]

If you're pretty handy with math, and it's an introductory symbolic logic course, it's probably easy. I took a class like that as a freshman. From what I remember, people who found math challenging also found Introduction to Logic (the name of the course) challenging.

2 years later I took Advanced Logic and struggled with it. Different professor, and much less intuitive material.

 

[moo5003]

If its a general logic course then go for it, mostly common sense. If this is an upper division mathematical introduction to logic then I would be a little hesitant. The introductory material will be easy in the latter class but depending on how far the professor goes it may end up being a very demanding course.

Read the syllabus, if you are going past the completeness theorem then it may be somewhat time consuming.

Note: I'm biased since my first logic class had a very peculiar professor and ended up failing 30-40% of the students in his class.

In terms of material, the logic course can be very interesting or very dry depending on what topics you look at in detail. If possible try to sit in on some classes before committing yourself to it.

 

[Tickitata]

Hm. Sorry for attempting to hijack the thread, but I have a related question. I'm enrolled in a Mathematical Logic & Computability course this semester, which has the goal of covering up to Godel's Incompleteness theorems. Here's the course description

"The basic metatheorems of first order logic: soundness, completeness, compactness, Lowenheim-Skolem theorem, undecidability of first order logic, Godel's incompleteness theorem. Enumerability, diagonalization, formal systems, standard and nonstandard models, Godel numberings, Turing machines, recursive functions, and evidence for Church's thesis. (Same course as PHIL 4003*)"

I've had no formal previous courses in Logic (such as Symbolic Logic), but as a pure math major I've learned much of it through many proof based math courses.

Think I'm over my head? If anyone's familiar with the text, we're using Enderton's Mathematical Introduction to Logic, second edition