Chemistry for the Citizen (CHE 102)
Instructor:
Dr. Noel Sturm, NSM D-323, (310) 243-3383 or (310) 243-3376.
E-Mail:
nsturm@csudh.edu
Course Organization and Policies:
1. Required Text: “The World of Chemistry Essentials” by Joesten, Castellion & Hogg,
Thompson, Brooks/Cole; fourth edition, 2007; ISBN: 0-495-01213-0.
2. Power Point Presentations: Many of the chapters have Power Point presentations
arranged via lecture topic as links: http://chemistry.gravitywaves.com . There is also
supplementary material towards the end of the course that has been provided as Power
Point presentations.
3. Examinations:
 There will be four examinations each worth 100 points.
 Examinations will be multiple-choice. There will be 50 randomly generated questions
each worth 2 points.
 From the time you log-on you will have 100 minutes to complete the examination. If you
go over the time limit penalties will be assessed based on the following:
 15 minutes over = 5 point deduction
 30 minutes over = 10 point deduction
 45 minutes over = 15 point deduction
 more than 45 minutes beyond the stated time limit will result in a score of “0” for that
exam.
 You may not log-off and back on during the specified time period.
 All examinations will be taken on-line during a specified fifteen-hour period of time as
listed below. There will be absolutely NO EXCEPTIONS to these dates and times.
Exam 1: Chapters 1-3 + Supplementary Material
Friday, February 13th, 2009, between 7:00AM and 10:00PM
Exam 2: Chapters 5, 8, 9 + Supplementary Material
Friday, March 6th, 2009, between 7:00AM and 10:00PM
Exam 3: Chapters 10, 13, 14 + Supplementary Material
Friday, March 27th, 2009, between 7:00AM and 10:00PM
Exam 4: Chapters 15, 16 + Supplementary Material
Friday, May 15th, 2009, between 7:00AM and 10:00PM
4. Homework: Homework will be assigned. Given the array of unfamiliar material and the
speed with which we cover the material doing the assigned homework problems is
required to succeed in the course. Answers for the homework assignments will be posted
in Blackboard. Each Homework assignment is worth 5 points, there are 10 assignments
for a total of 50 points.
Homework Assignment
Chapters 1 and 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 5
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapters 15 and 16
Forensics and Chemistry and
the Gym
DUE DATE
Friday, February 6th, 2009
Friday, February 13th, 2009
Friday, February, 20th, 2009
Friday, February 27th, 2009
Friday, March 6th, 2009
Friday, March 13th, 2009
Friday, March 20th, 2009
Friday, March 27th, 2009
Friday, April 17th, 2009
Friday, May 8th, 2009
How To Submit
Blackboard.
Digital Dropbox.
Attach a .doc or .pdf file.
Make sure you put your name
on the submission.
Use the “Browse” feature to
attach your file.
Hit “Submit”, then “OK”.
Now you MUST click-on
“Send File” or I will not
receive your submission.
5. Discussion Board Etiquette: Effective usage of the discussion board means that only
quality information should be posted to it. The best uses for the discussion board tend to
concern course content for which you are unclear, and need help to more fully
understand. As such, posted questions should be reasonable for your classmates to
understand and contribute (but perhaps with some forethought!). It should not be one of
the following types of questions that vaguely incorporates course content:




A question for which there is no known answer (i.e., “What is the atomic number of the
heaviest possible element that could be created in a particle accelerator?”)
A question involving trivia (i.e., “What is the thrust, in pounds, of the Saturn V rocket?”)
A question that is surveying an opinion (i.e., “Is the automobile the most important
invention of the twentieth century?”)
What types of questions does this leave? Questions about understanding processes. A
good example might be, “How is it that the loss of trees contributed to the collapse of
civilization on Easter Island?”
Lastly, you should be cautioned that the discussion board is not the venue to ask questions
concerning answers to the problem sets. Naturally, you may pose questions about general
concepts—some of which may be implicitly embedded into questions on the problem sets—
but if discussion board questions veer into, “I got 300 meters for problem 4. Did anyone else
get this?”, that is a clear misuse of the discussion board. Such postings will be immediately
deleted.
6. Chat Room: There will be a facilitated weekly chat room where you will have a chance
to participate in discussions with other students and ask questions in a non-threatening
environment.
7. The Goal: of this course is to understand the basic principles of chemistry.
8. Grading Criteria: Letter grades will be assigned on the following basis. Grades are not
curved.
Grade
A
B+
BC
D+
F
a. Four Exams @ 100 pts
b. Ten Homework Assignments @ 5 pts
=
=
400 pts
50 pts
c. Total
=
450 pts
Percentages
100-91
88-87
80-79
76-71
68-67
59-0
Grade
AB
C+
CD
Percentages
90-89
86-81
78-77
70-69
66-60
9. Course Description: A non-mathematical treatment of the basic principles of chemistry
and their application to various facets of life in a highly technological society.
10. Academic Integrity Statement: A university is a community of learners bonded
together by the search for knowledge; the pursuit of personal, social, cultural, physical,
and intellectual development; and the desire for the liberating effects of an advanced
education. California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) has a culture--an
academic culture--shared with other universities and colleges across the nation. Integral
to that culture is a set of values such as academic freedom, dedication to teaching and
learning, diversity, civility toward others, and academic integrity. Academic integrity is
of central importance in the university community and involves committed allegiance to
the values, the principles, and the code of behavior held to be central in that community.
Integrity concerns honesty and implies being truthful, fair, and free from lies, fraud and
deceit.
11. Disabled Student Services: CSUDH adheres to the American with Disabilities Act with
respect to providing reasonable accommodations for students with temporary or
permanent disabilities. To receive accommodations, students with disabilities must
register with Disabled Student Services. For more information, please contact their office
in Welch Hall B250 at (310) 243-3660 or (310) 243-2028.