CHEM 101 –
Applying Chemistry to Society
Section 002, Course
#21922, 3.0 Credit Hrs – Spring 2011
Class Time/Location:
8:00 - 9:15 TR / Sims 113B
Professor: Dr.
Cliff Calloway, callowayc@winthrop.edu
Office/Phone:
312-B Sims Hall/323-4945
Office Hours: M-F: 10:00-12:00 {And
other times by appointment…please don’t hesitate to contact me by your favorite
method.}
Textbook: Trefil, J., Hazen, R.M. The Sciences: An
Integrated Approach, 6th ed.; John Wiley & Sons,
2010.
Pre-requisites: None
Registration Calendar (important dates for registration, S/U,
graduation, etc.)
Introduction:
Graduating
seniors at a major American university were recently asked the question: “What is the difference between an atom and a
molecule?” Only one-third of the
respondents answered the question correctly.
We live in an age of dramatic scientific discovery…a world reshaped
almost daily by new technologies. In fact, technology is perhaps the most immediate way you come
into contact with science. The chances
are good that, in the next few days, you’ll see a headline about global
warming, drug discovery, cloning, alternative energy sources or genetically
engineered food.
Copyright: National Library of Medicine
Link to Power Points (students only)
Course Goals:
Science plays an important role in our
society. Simply consider public issues
about the environment, medical advances, new materials and government support
of research. However, all science is
founded on only a few universal principles that describe the behavior of our
physical surroundings…principles that operate in every action of our
lives. Science has an infinite number of
possible observations, but is usually categorized by humans into areas such as
physics, biology, geology and chemistry.
Physics usually searches for laws that describe the most fundamental
aspects of nature, such as matter, energy and forces. Biology is the study of living
organisms. Geology is the study of the
origin and evolution of our own planet.
Chemistry is the study of atoms in combination. However, these categories should not be
considered separate, disconnected subjects.
In fact, it’s the fringe areas, such as biochemistry or geophysics that often
draw the most attention. CHEM 101 is
part of the Touchstone Program, Winthrop University’s distinctive
approach to general education.
The goal of this course is not for you to
become a scientist but rather to understand what scientists do and why they do
it. By the end of the course, you should
be able to read and appreciate popular accounts of discoveries in chemistry,
physics, geology and biology as well as place them in their proper scientific
context. It’s not important for you to
know how to synthesize a polymer, sequence a section of DNA or calculate the
trajectory of an asteroid, but it is important for you to know why polymers,
genes and asteroids are fascinating and important things to study.
Specific Course
Objectives:
By the end of this
course, you should:
- Understand
how “The Scientific Method” describes the universe as regular and
predictable, science’s quantitative nature and its dynamic
and contingent character
- Have
an understanding of the fundamental pillars of science, including
- great
ideas of physics such as conservation of energy, how heat moves, electricity,
magnetism and light
- great
ideas of chemistry such as the atom, chemical bonding, atomic
architecture and that chemicals react to form new compounds
- great
ideas of geology such as formation of the Earth, plate tectonics and
Earth’s cycles
- great
ideas of biology such as interdependence of ecosystems, chemistry of
cells and important molecules of life
Grading/Evaluation:
Student
Conduct Code: “Responsibility for good
conduct rests with students as adult individuals.” Since all graded work (including homework to
be collected, quizzes, papers, mid-term examinations, final examination,
research proposals, laboratory results and reports, etc.) are used in the
determination of academic progress, no collaboration on such work is permitted
unless the instructor explicitly indicates the
specific degree of collaboration that is allowed. This statement is not
intended to discourage students from studying together, seeking help from the
instructor, or working together on assignments that are not to be
collected. Refer to the “Academic
Misconduct Policy” in the online Student
Handbook: http://www2.winthrop.edu/studentaffairs/handbook/StudentHandbook.pdf
Grades in this course will be determined
from three sources, as follows:
·
Homework
& Quizzes (20%): Approximately 12 homework problems have been assigned
from chapters in the textbook. These will not be collected or graded. However, you should successfully work each
of the assigned problems several times prior to a chapter quiz. I will pull 3 questions directly from the
list to make up a chapter quiz. Eight
chapter quizzes have been scheduled. You will be given 15 minutes to complete the
quiz. Please do not neglect the
homework. Your lowest chapter
quiz will be dropped before averaging.
- Mid-term Exams (60%): There will be 4
exams given during the term covering the topics listed below. Make sure to
bring pencil and a calculator to the exam.
Cell phone calculators are not allowed. Make-up exams will not be given except
under extreme circumstances. If you
plan to miss an exam with valid excuse, let me know as soon as
possible. The exams are scheduled
as follows:
- Exam
1: Thursday, February 3
- Exam
2: Tuesday, March 1
- Exam
3: Tuesday, March 29
- Exam
4: Tuesday, April 19
- Cumulative Final
Examination (20%): Thursday, April 28, 8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. If you score
higher on the final exam than your lowest mid-term exam, the final exam
grade will replace the lowest exam grade, before averaging.
Letter grades will
be assigned as follows:
|
94
- 100%: |
A |
90-93%: |
A- |
86-89%: |
B+ |
82-85%: |
B |
78-81%: |
B- |
|
74-77%: |
C+ |
70-73%: |
C |
66-69%: |
C- |
62-65%: |
D+ |
58-61%: |
D |
|
55-57%: |
D- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Attendance:
You are expected to attend each class meeting
for the full scheduled time. Attendance
will help you concentrate on the appropriate material and reinforce the
assigned readings and problems. You
should bring pencil, paper, textbook, and a calculator to each class. Cell phone calculators are not acceptable.
Students
with Disabilities:
Winthrop
University is dedicated to providing access to education. If you have a
disability and require specific accommodations to complete this course, contact
Services for Students with Disabilities, at 323-3290. Once you have your
official notice of accommodations from Services for Students with Disabilities,
please inform me as early as possible in the semester.
Syllabus Changes:
While unlikely, the Professor
reserves the right to change the course syllabus if circumstances
dictate...such as the weather. You will
be notified of any change via class meeting time and/or email.
Course Calendar: *Revised
– March 22, 2011
|
Tentative Schedule*: |
|
|
|
|
Date |
|
Lecture Sections |
|
|
T,
11-January |
|
Snow
Day – Classes cancelled |
|
|
R,
13-January |
|
Introduction,
Chapter 1 |
|
|
T,
18-January |
|
Chapter
2 |
|
|
R,
20-January |
|
Chapter
3 |
quiz
#1 – Chapter 2 |
|
T,
25-January |
|
Chapter
4 |
|
|
R,
27-January |
|
Chapter
4 |
quiz #2
- Chapter 4 |
|
T,
1-February |
|
Review |
|
|
R,
3-February |
|
Exam 1 |
Ch. 1-4 |
|
T,
8-February |
|
Chapter
5 |
|
|
R,
10-February |
|
Chapter
6 |
|
|
T,
15-February |
|
Chapter
6 |
quiz
#3 - Chapter 5 |
|
R,
17-February |
|
Chapter
8 |
|
|
T,
22-February |
|
Chapter
10 |
quiz #4 - Chapter 6 |
|
R,
24-February |
|
Chapter
10/Review |
|
|
T,
1-March |
|
Exam
2 |
Ch. 5,6,8,10 |
|
R,
3-March |
|
Chapter
10 |
|
|
T,
8-March |
|
Chapter
11 |
quiz #5 -
Chapter 10 |
|
R,
10-March |
|
Chapter
11 |
|
|
T,
15-March |
|
Spring
Break |
|
|
R,
17-March |
|
Spring
Break |
|
|
T,
22-March |
|
Chapter
12 |
|
|
R,
24-March |
|
Chapter
12/Review |
quiz #6 -
Chapter 11 |
|
T,
29-March |
|
Exam
3 |
Ch.
10,11,12 |
|
R,
31-March |
|
Chapter
21 |
|
|
T,
5-April |
|
Chapter 22 |
quiz
#7 - Chapter 21 |
|
R,
7-April |
|
Chapter
23 |
|
|
T,
12-April |
|
Chapter
24 |
quiz
#8 – Chapter 23 |
|
R,
14-April |
|
Review |
|
|
T,
19-April |
|
Exam 4 |
Ch. 21-24 |
|
R,
21-April |
|
Course Review |
|
|
T,
26-April |
|
Study Day |
|
|
R,
28-April |
|
Final Exam – 8:00 am |
|
*Schedule
is subject to change, if weather or events make it necessary.
Menu of Topics:
- Scientific
Method
- Energy
- Heat
and the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics
Exam
1
- Electricity
and Magnetism
- Waves
and Electromagnetic Radiation
- The
Atom
- The
Chemical Bond
Exam 2
- New
Materials
- The
Nucleus of the Atom
Exam 3
- Cells
- Molecules
of Life
Exam 4
My advice to help you
succeed in this course:
·
Read the textbook.
·
Work the homework problems by yourself,
without any aid (at least once).
·
Review & tweak your notes right after
class.
·
Did I mention, read the textbook?
·
Wear sunscreen.
·
Floss at least once a day.
·
Talk to your professor, especially if
you’re confused.
·
Even if you have a study group, spend some
quite time alone with the material each day.
·
Get a good night’s rest.
·
Sing occasionally.
·
Finally, read the textbook!