#25- Dean: The mathematics department at our university has

[rachue]

Hi, can someone please help me understand why B is the correct answer here and not D? Is it because we don't know the reasons that the mathematics department wants sole responsibility for teaching the course?

[Dave Killoran]

This is another difficult question, but its a classic "some evidence against a viewpoint is taken to mean that the viewpoint is false" argument. See the Flaw in the Reasoning section in the course for more info on this error in the use of evidence.

Answer choice (B) is correct because the Dean has a reasonable point about the necessity of a math professor teaching the course, but then the Dean goes too far in saying that the demands of the math department are "unjustified."

Answer choice (D) is incorrect because the Dean's argument was about whether it was a necessity that a math professor teach the course, not whether a math professor was capable of teaching it effectively.

Please let me know if that makes sense. Thanks!

[rachue]

Yes, that makes it clear. Thanks!

[bli2016]

Hi, could someone explain why E is wrong? I did not see any evidence justifying the analogy between math and history classes made by the Dean, and that's why I chose E. I do see how one reason why the mathematics department could be incorrect does not mean that their argument is unjustified (as specified by answer choice A) but in my opinion E was a stronger answer choice because it directly attacked one of the premises the Dean put forth in his/her argument. Any help understanding why A is a better answer than E would be appreciated. Thanks!

[AthenaDalton]

Hi bli,

One problem with answer choice (E) is that it presumes that the example given in the prompt (not all courses which take a historical perspective must be taught be a history professor) is an actual policy applied to the university's history professors. In fact, there is no evidence that the university has this policy in place at all.

Another problem with answer choice (E) is that a course can still "take a historical approach" without being a course about history. For example, a literature course may emphasize how an author was influenced by historical factors without making history the entire focus of the course. By contrast, it seems like the course Statistics for the Social Sciences is still, at heart, a course about math.

Answer choice (E) doesn't accurately apply the facts from the prompt. The "policy" about history courses is just an analogy, not an actual policy in place at the university.

I hope this makes sense! Good luck studying!

[EmilyLSAT22]

Hi, I still do not understand why answer B is correct. Also, why is answer choice A incorrect?

Thank you!

[Malila Robinson]

Hi Emily,
In the argument the Dean has focused on a single reason (mathematical content) for why the course does not need to be taught by the mathematics department. Even if we assume that the Dean is correct about the amount of mathematical content in the statistics class, that doesn't mean that it is the reason why the mathematics department is requesting to teach the course. (For example, another reason that the mathematics department is requesting to teach the course might be that the statistics course is a prerequisite for a mathematics major, and as such that department would need to be able to control the content to ensure that specific things are taught.) The Dean's singular focus makes B the correct answer.

Answer choice A is incorrect because the Dean does not say that having expertise in a subject does not make it possible for someone to teach the subject properly.
Hope that helps!
-Malila