COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to acquaint nonscience majors with the impact of chemistry on their world. The course provides a general introduction to both inorganic and organic chemistry and stresses applications of chemistry in the commercial, industrial and technological components of society. EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY: My main objective is to transfer adequate and sufficient amount of knowledge to all the students at the appropriate levels: a) make sure that students understand the idea I am trying to convey, b) prepare students for the next level of education, c) develop the understanding of students, such that they adapt the process of thinking rather than memorizing facts and principles, d) develop practical skills and techniques to work confidently in laboratories, e) demonstrate how chemistry is part of their daily lives, and f) to use alternative and diverse methods of teaching to keep students motivated and interested during the course of their study in the semester, and hopefully for the rest of their lives. COURSE OBJECTIVES [Top] 1) To learn about the scientific theory and measurement in science.2) To learn about the basic properties of substances and their different phases. 3) To learn about the periodic table and its properties. 4) To learn chemical bond formation and basic nomenclature of compounds. 5) To learn some properties and applications of water, gases, acids and bases, and organic chemicals. 6) To learn how all the above information is connected and used in: a) Radioactivity, b) Food chemistry, c) The environment (air, water and earth), d) Medicines, e) Everyday chemistry, and f) Polymers. 7) To be able to read the newspaper or any general magazine and understand the scientific articles. To effectively communicate scientific principles verbally and in written format and justify a point of view scientifically with facts. 8) To learn some basic techniques chemists use in the lab to carry out simple physical and chemical property determinations of chemicals and techniques to analyse unknown and known samples. 9) To learn and understand that science: a) is as diverse as the world is; b) originates from all parts of the world and belongs to all parts of world; and c) is a global concern. COURSE ASSESSMENT[Top] Exams: There will be four exams; three midterms and one final. The midterms are not comprehensive while the final is. Quizzes: There will be occasional quizzes in the class. There will also be quizzes available on the internet for practice and credit. Homework: Homework will be assigned during class at the end of every chapter and is to be submitted as indicated during class. Class Reports: a maximum of four reports will be assigned during the course of the semester. The topic and due date will be announced in the class. Term Paper/Group Project: A term paper or group project is an essential part of the course. Term paper should be an individual or group research in an area of chemistry that interests the student(s) most (if anyone is unable to decide on a good topic please come and see me and we will work something out). The term paper should be approximately 10 pages long, typed, have size 12 font and double spaced lines. In all reports the margins is usually 1" all around. Of about ten references only a maximum of two references will be allowed to be of reference books e.g. book, encyclopedia, rest should be all journals and magazines. This will be due in the last week of the semester. GRADING PLAN [Top]
COURSE POLICIES [Top] ACADEMIC HONESTY: Academic Honesty is required of all members of a learning community. Hence, Park will not tolerate cheating or plagiarism on tests, examinations, papers, or other course assignments. Learners who engage in such dishonesty may be given failing grades or expelled from Park. PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism—the appropriation or imitation of the language or ideas of another person and presenting them as one’s original work—sometimes occurs through carelessness or ignorance. Learners who are uncertain about proper documentation of sources should consult their facilitator. ATTENDANCE POLICY: Facilitators are required to keep attendance records and report absences. The facilitator may excuse absences for cogent reasons, but missed work must be made up within the semester/term of enrollment. Work missed through unexcused absences must also be made up within the semester/term of enrollment, but unexcused absences may carry further penalties. In the event of two consecutive weeks of unexcused absences in a semester/term of enrollment, the learner will be administratively withdrawn, resulting in a grade of “F”. An Incomplete grade will not be issued to learners who have unexcused or excessive absences recorded for a course. Learners receiving Military Tuition Assistance (TA) or Veterans Administration (VA) educational benefits must not exceed three unexcused absences in the semester/term of enrollment. Excessive absences will be reported to the appropriate agency and may result in a monetary penalty to the learner. Reports of a F grade (attendance or academic) resulting from excessive absence for learners receiving financial assistance from agencies not mentioned above will be reported to the appropriate agency. Please Note: Attendance is part of your grade. Unexcused absences: Of 5 lectures will result in 3% deduction of overall grade LATE SUBMISSION OF COURSE MATERIALS 1) Class quizzes and exams cannot be made up. DISABILITY GUIDELINES: Park University is committed to meeting the needs of all learners that meet the criteria for special assistance. These guidelines are designed to supply directions to learners concerning the information necessary to accomplish this goal. It is Park University’s policy to comply fully with federal and state law, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990, regarding learners with disabilities and, to the extent of any inconsistency between these guidelines and federal and/or state law, the provisions of the law will apply. Additional information concerning Park University’s policies and procedures related to disability can be found on the Park University web page: www.park.edu/disability. CLASSROOM RULES OF CONDUCT[Top] 1) There will be no drinking or eating in the classroom, unless approved by the instructor. COURSE TOPICS [Top]
STUDYING FOR CHEMISTRY[Top] Chemistry is all about practice practice and more practice As you can see from the syllabus we have to cover a number of chapters in 15 weeks. We will all have to work hard to keep up with the concepts and practice of problems. My advice for your mental sanity is:
Most common techniques for studying Chemistry
Learning the course material is your responsibility, I am there to help you understand concepts and how to apply them. Your learning is in your hands, the more time you spend on it the better your understanding will be and the consequently you will earn a better grade. My job is not to give you answers to all your questions but to guide you to the answer. For a full load of 12 credit hours you should be spending 36-48 hours studying on your time. For every sceice class of 3 credit hours you need to spend four times the credit hours (12 hours) practicing and studying. If you are not committed to put the time and effort required for a class then you should also be expected to earn a lower grade in class. The above is only my advice. If you have a better way of studying then by all means follow it. CH101L/Spring 2004 Chemistry in the World[Top] CAUTION: We will be dealing with some organic and volatile compounds during the course hence the following are mandatory for the whole semester. THE FOLLOWING ARE TO BE OBSERVED DURING ALL LAB CLASSES 1 You must always wear goggles in the lab. (Glasses are insufficient for organic labs). You will not be allowed to do the lab if any of the above are not followed. COMMENTS[Top] Working in the lab: Everyone is expected to be cautious and take their work seriously in the lab. There should be no pranks or running around in the lab. It is always better to look around and move, you may be safe yourself but you might hurt your neighbor. Punctuality in the lab: Most instructions and safety precautions for the lab are given in the beginning of the lab session hence it is mandatory that everyone be punctual to the lab. Anyone late by 5 mins might consider not coming to the lab at all that day. The door of the laboratory will be closed after the first five minutes of the lab session. Submission of Lab reports: Lab reports will be due by the next lab session. (You will be advised whether you are to submit the prelab and the post lab). Late lab reports will be accepted and certain percentage of points will be deducted depending on the number of days that it is turned in late. A zero will be given for any lab report not submitted. Late by 1 day - 25% 2 days- 50% 3 days- 75% 5 days- no credit (week after the report was due) Any excused lateness will be have points deducted according to the nature of the excuse. You will not be allowed to take the lab quiz if you are late to class. Excused Absence: You can be excused from the lab only if a valid excuse can be presented before the lab is missed. The validity of the excuse is totally up to the instructors discretion. Final Quiz: There will be a final quiz given during the last week of classes (ie 4 May). The quiz will be over some of the practical aspects you have learnt in the semester. The quiz may be one hour long. SCHEDULED EXPERIMENTS[Top] Below are some tentative experiments scheduled for the semester. If for any unforeseen reason any of the experiments below are not carried out, there will be alternate assignment assigned during the lab, which will account for the lab report.
Good Luck and Have a Safe Lab Experience!!!! Park University: MISSION STATEMENT The mission of Park University, an entrepreneurial institution of learning, is to provide access to academic excellence, which will prepare learners to think critically, communicate effectively and engage in lifelong learning while serving a global community. VISION STATEMENT Park University will be a renowned international leader in providing innovative educational opportunities for learners within the global society. |