CH180
Chemistry in Our World
Course Syllabus
Spring 2009
Instructor: Dr. Philip W. Crawford
Office: RH 201A
Telephone: 573-651-2166
E-mail:
Lecture: TR 9:00 to 9:50 a.m., MG124
Laboratory W 8:00 to 10:50 a.m., MG214/MG216
Office Hours: MF 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
TR 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Website: Under Construction
Credit Hours: 3.0
Textbook and other required Materials:
· John Suchocki, Conceptual Chemistry, 3rd Ed., Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007.
· Goggles (provided on first day of lab)
· CH-180 has no lab text; instead, lab exercises will be provided in class or at the Website.
Prerequisites: MA090 or the equivalent.
BRIEF COURSE DESCRIPTION
CH180 Chemistry in Our World is a general chemistry course designed for non-science majors, and deals with the principles governing the systematic behavior of matter, with applications to life and living. The course meets the Physical Systems requirement of the University Studies Program.
Chemistry is not easy for many people, especially those not used to dealing in abstractions or in the language of algebra. (Even chemistry and other science majors wrestle with their chemistry courses.) As a result, an honest, all-out effort from the first day of class to the end of the final exam is required to be successful in a chemistry course. In view of the subject’s difficulty, it is reasonable to ask why you should take chemistry, particularly if it is a required service course for your major. There are two important reasons.
First, Chemistry is truly the Central Science: virtually every area of science and engineering - indeed, virtually every aspect of our daily lives - is closely tied to chemistry. Chemistry is the science that studies the rusting of cars, the cleaning action of detergent on dirty dishes, the manufacture of nylon, the synthesis of new drugs to fight disease, the formation of rubies, and even the transport of oxygen to your cells by the blood in your body. Medical doctors, engineers, artists, farmers, pharmacists, deep-sea divers, and even homemakers make daily use of some of the facts that you will learn in chemistry. And as our textbook points out, a majority of the legislation that is brought before the U.S. Congress addresses science-related questions and issues, many of which involve chemistry. Thus, a basic understanding of science is important for all citizens, especially those citizens who will become our country’s leaders. Not only will you learn chemical facts useful in your career in this course, but you also learn facts that others use in their careers, making you better able to interact with others professionally.
The second reason for taking chemistry is, if anything, even more important than the first. Chemistry makes extensive use of communication and problem-solving skills that will prove extremely valuable to you throughout your career, regardless of what field you are in. In CH-180, you will learn to logically analyze problem statements to decide exactly what constitutes a solution to the problem. You will learn to solve problems, based on given information and pertinent rules. And you will gain proficiency in algebra and arithmetic as you calculate correct solutions. The best jobs tend to go to people who communicate well and solve problems; chemistry offers you an excellent opportunity to hone some of the skills that can help you become a successful, valued professional.
So, you now have two good reasons for taking chemistry. Of course, few worthwhile things in life come cheap, and success in chemistry is no exception. You will have to read and do your assignments. Moreover, chemistry is a discipline that builds on what you already know: you use what you learn this week as a foundation on which to build the concepts that you will learn next week. Because of this, you need to work on your chemistry every day! (You know the old saying: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice! Practice! Practice!)
EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS
1) Students are expected to attend class, i.e. both lecture and laboratory. Class attendance is important because of the pace of the course and the abstract nature of some of the topics covered in lecture. It is your responsibility to obtain class notes, assignments, and announcements when a class meeting is missed. In addition, if you miss a scheduled lab session it is your responsibility to attend the make the lab period.
2) While attendance per se can not be required of students, there are consequences associated with absences and policies governing excused- and non-excused absences. The official University statement about attendance may be found in the latest UG Bulletin under Academic Policies and Procedures. Specific policies regarding make-up exams, point deductions for late work, etc. may be found in the Academic Accomplishment and Performance section of this syllabus.
3) Each student is expected to work towards an understanding of the material discussed in class and the textbook, including the basic language of chemistry, chemical concepts and principles, and applying chemical principles to solving chemistry-related problems.
4) Each student is expected to read the assigned chapters in the textbook. This will help in understanding key concepts and learning necessary factual material. Due to time constraints, it is not possible to cover each topic fully in lecture. Students are responsible for reading the text to fill in the details that are not covered specifically during class meetings. Students are responsible for all material covered in lecture, lab, and the reading assignments.
5) Students are expected to read the lab handouts prior to coming to lab.
6) Class will begin promptly at the scheduled time. Students are expected to be in class and ready to learn at the scheduled time. While unavoidable delays occur on occasion, please do not make it a habit to come to class late every day.
7) You are expected to refrain from disruptive behavior during class. Such behavior may cause you or those around you to miss an important point or announcement made in class. Examples of disruptive behavior include, but are not limited to, the following: (a) Habitually walking into class late, (b) chatting while the instructor or another student is talking to the class, (c) packing up and leaving class early (unless the instructor is notified first that you must leave early for a specific reason), (d) texting or talking on cell phones. Please turn off cell phones and pagers before class begins.
8) Students are expected to practice safe lab procedures at all times while working in the laboratory.
a) All students must wear safety goggles in the laboratory. This is a state law. If you already have APPROVED lab safety goggles, you may use them in lab; otherwise, you will be issued a pair of goggles from the stockroom on the first day of lab. “Approved” means safety goggles that seal up around your face, not safety glasses.
b) Students are expected to wear proper laboratory attire (closed toed shoes and clothing covering from your shoulder to your knee). Depending on the lab exercise being performed, a student who comes to lab in improper attire will be asked to go home and change before being allowed to perform the experiment.
9) Students are expected to bring their safety goggles with them each week for lab. If you forget or lose your goggles, you may purchase a new pair of goggles at the stockroom. Note that you will not be allowed to work with or around chemicals in lab unless you have your goggles with you and worn over your eyes.
10) Students are expected to refrain from participating in all forms of academic misconduct. (See Academic Misconduct below.)
ACADEMIC ACCOMPLISHMENT AND PERFORMANCE
Grading Standards
The grade you receive for this and any course depends not only on your academic ability, but also on how much time and commitment you are willing to invest in the course. In other words, your grade depends on you and how much quality time you put into the course. CH180 grades will be based upon the following course standards (as a % of total possible points):
90 – 100 A Excellent
80 – 89 B Proficient
70 – 79 C Acceptable
60 – 69 D Poor
< 60 F Unacceptable
You must receive a grade of 50% or better in laboratory in order to pass CH-180, regardless of what your overall average may be. Laboratory is a very important part of chemistry!
Grades will be based on the following point distributions:
Hour Exams 300 points
Final Exam 200 points
Problem Sets 100 points
Laboratory 300 points
Total 900 points
Exams
There will be three one hour exams worth 100 points each administered during the semester. The specific dates for the exams are listed under the course outline at the end of the syllabus. The hour exams will include material from lecture, problem sets, the textbook, and lab. There will also be a 200 point comprehensive, multiple-choice final exam given during finals week on the date listed in the Semester Schedule of Classes.
You are expected to take all examinations at the times listed in the syllabus (see the course outline). Students will not be allowed to take an exam administered to the whole class before or after the scheduled time. The only exceptions to this are (1) students who have been identified to the instructor by the University as those needing to take the exam at Testing Services, and (2) students involved in an official University-sanctioned event that requires their absence on exam day, i.e. athletic events that are off campus. Students taking the exam at Testing Services should sign up with that office to take the exam during a block of time that includes the regular class time for the course. Student athletes need to provide me with an official schedule of dates that they will not be in class due to athletic events early in the semester. The Athletic Department typically provides this for the athletes to give to their instructors.
Should an unavoidable problem (major illness, family emergency, court appearance, car breakdown, automobile accident, or any other excuse that the instructor deems is valid, etc.) necessitate you missing a scheduled exam, you may arrange to take the make-up exam provided that the instructor is notified no later than exam day and you provide documentation to support the reason for your absence upon returning to class. And, because I have no way of really verifying whether the reason a student missed a regularly scheduled one hour exam is valid or not, the makeup exam will be comprehensive and administered at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday May 12, 2009 during finals week. All students needing the makeup exam will take it during this time. Failure to take the makeup exam at the arranged time will result in a 0 for the exam.
Problem Sets
Assigned problem sets will be given for most topics covered in the course. The total points you receive for problem sets will be scaled or normalized to 100 when calculating your final semester grades. All assignments should be turned in to the instructor by 9:00 a.m., i.e. at the start of class, on the specified due date announced in class, unless otherwise specified. Late problem set assignments will be penalized: 25% for up to 1 day late (defined as the 24 hour period after 9:00 a.m. on the due date), and 100% beyond 1 day late (> 24 hours). Exceptions to this policy will be made on rare occasions, provided the instructor considers your excuse as a valid reason for not being able to turn an assignment in on time.
Lab Reports
Each laboratory assignment is listed on the schedule with the week it is to be done. Laboratory reports are due at the beginning of the lab period of the next week. Be sure to turn in your lab as you enter the room. Late arrivals are a disruption to lab and could cause you to miss important information about the laboratory procedure. Therefore, labs turned in after lecture has started will be considered late. There will be a 10% penalty for labs turned in after the start of lecture and prior to 5:00 pm on the same day as the laboratory period. A 50% penalty will be assessed for laboratories turned in after 5:00 pm and prior to the start of the next laboratory period. After the start of the next laboratory period (one week after the assignment was due) no points will be given for the laboratory.
The makeup policy for missed lab periods is essentially the same as that for missed exams. A make-up lab period is scheduled for the end of the semester. All students needing to do a make-up lab will meet at that time. Students who miss more than one lab period will be assigned an additional library research related make-up assignment towards the end of the semester. Note that this make-up policy is for students who missed a lab period because of an excused absence only. Students with unexcused absences will not be allowed to perform the make-up lab or additional research assignment.
Academic Misconduct