CHEM 101 – Applying Chemistry to Society

Fall 2008

 

Required Textbook: Chemistry in Your Life, 2nd edition, Colin Baird. ISBN 0-7167-7042-3

 

Course Materials

·         Course Schedule  This is a tentative guideline, as I want to keep the flexibility to modify the pace and add special topics as appropriate. Exams do not share this flexibility.  I reserve the right to make changes to the schedule.  Notification will be made during class and through e-mail.  The schedule is tentative and may be modified to keep with the pace of the class or special topic introduction.

·         Equation sheet

Course Goals:

·         Establish an understanding of how basic chemistry applies to significant societal-technological issues

·         Develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills

·         Develop an appreciation for how chemistry is involved in our daily lives

·      Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental principles presented in each of the selected chapters.

 

Class Preparation: You will get more from a class period if you spend time preparing ahead of time. Therefore, before each class, you should:

·         read the related textbook material

·         review previous lecture material

·         complete recommended and assigned homework problems

·         take good notes

 

Exams and Grading:

Assignment

Exam 1

Exam 2

Exam 3

Final

Quizzes

Homework

Presentation

Total

Occurrences

1

1

1

1

~ 6

As needed

1

 

Percentage

20

20

20

20

10

5

5

100

 

1.    Quizzes: There will be 6 quizzes worth 10 points each. There will be no make-up quizzes. A missed quiz is a zero.  The lowest quiz score will be dropped.

2.    Exams:  There will be three exams. Make-up exams will only be offered to students having an excused absence. Excused absences are: 1) personal family crises which must be confirmed by the office of the Dean of Students, 2) participation in an event sanctioned by the university which must be confirmed via letter from the faculty/staff member giving oversight to the event.  Tentative exam dates are noted on the syllabus.  If you miss an exam with a valid excuse, the missed exam grade will be replaced with your final exam grade. You will need a calculator and pencil for exams.  A basic scientific calculator is required for this course. Graphing calculators are not necessary. Cell phones/PDAs may not be used as calculators.  Cell phones and pagers are strictly prohibited during exams. 

3.    Final:  There will be a comprehensive final exam.  You must take the final exam to pass the course.  You must score better than 50% on the final exam to pass the course.  You must score an A on the final exam to earn an A in the course.

4.    Score replacement:  If your score on the final is higher than your lowest exam, that score will be replaced. 

5.    Letter grades will be assigned as follows: A = 93-100%; A- = 88-92%; B+ = 85-87%; B = 80-84%; B- = 76-79%; C+ = 72-75%; C = 66-71%; D = 56-66%; F = <56%

6.    You should carefully read the Winthrop University Student Conduct Code printed in the Winthrop University Student Handbook.

 

Course Withdraw: October 24 is the last day to withdraw from a fall semester course with an automatic N grade issued.  Students may not withdraw from a course after this date without documented extenuating circumstances as determined by the University.

 

Communication: If you have any questions, please stop by and see me during office hours. If these hours are not convenient, see me in class or e-mail me to set up an appointment. The easiest way to contact me is through e-mail. I read my e-mail regularly throughout the day and over the weekend. If you call and leave a voice mail message, I might not get back to you as quickly. 

 

Attendance:  I highly encourage daily class attendance.  You are responsible for all material covered in class and in the assigned reading/homework, as well as for all announcements made in class. Absence or tardiness does not excuse you from this responsibility.  When attending class, please be courteous and attentive - no newspapers, cell phones, sleeping, etc. 

 

Missed quiz/exam policy:  If you miss an exam without 7 day prior notification, you will receive a zero (0) for your score.  I will not give make-up quizzes or exams for those missed. Instead, I’ll use the following policy: For all quizzes and course exams, a missed event will result in a recorded zero score until the end of the course. At that time, the average score achieved on all other quizzes will replace a zero quiz score, and the final exam score (percentage) will replace a missing exam score.  Note that all students must take the final exam for a grade. Moreover, once a student has been handed a quiz (exam), the event will be graded.

 

Homework: You are expected to complete each reading assignment and all assigned homework problems.  All of the questions listed are reasonable questions on material that might be on the exam. See the syllabus for the assigned homework problems.  Homework problems will NOT be collected and graded unless specifically highlighted.

 

Students with Disabilities:  Winthrop University is dedicated to providing access to education.  If you have a disability and need accommodations, please contact Gena Smith, Coordinator, Services for Students with Disabilities, at 323-3290, as soon as possible.  Once you have your Professor Notification Form, please tell me so that I am aware of your accommodations well before the first exam.