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EMPORIA STATE UNIVERSITY
SPRING 2014
COURSE SYLLABUS FOR
ES567/CH506
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY /ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Andrew Miller
OFFICE:
Science Hall 221F
PHONE:
620.341.5988
EMAIL:
amille30@emporia.edu
OFFICE HOURS:
T
3:00-5:00 PM
W
2:00-4:00 PM
R
9:00-11:00AM
Other times by appointment.
Dr. Marcia Schulmeister
OFFICE:
Science Hall 119C
PHONE:
620.341.5983
EMAIL:
mschulme@emporia.edu
OFFICE HOURS:
M
2:00-4:00 PM
W
2:00-3:00 PM
R
10:00AM-12:00PM
F*
9:00-11:00AM
*online only
Other times by appointment.
COURSE GOALS:
This course is designed as an introduction to chemical reactions occurring on the earth surface
(from ~1km below ground surface to ~100km above the ground surface) and/or that involve earth related
materials. Both global and local phenomena will be examined from a chemical perspective. The three major
media of interest include air, water, and soil/minerals. This course will cover chemical interactions
between and within these three media in the context of both ‘natural’ processes (processes that do not
involve humans) and at the interface between humans and the ‘natural’ world. Applied aspects of these
concptes will be emphasized. Along with studying chemical reactions occurring on the earth, methods to
study those reactions will also be covered. These methods include experimental techniques, mass/energy
balances, steady state calculations, and systems engineering (breaking apart a whole into a series of
interrelated systems).
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. Be able to identify and quantitatively describe reactions occurring in natural systems.
2. Recognize and quantify the chemical interconnectedness of earth systems.
3. Describe the chemistry of pollution sources and mitigation.
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
Textbook
Author
Title
Publisher
Stanley Manahan
Environmental Chemistry 9th Ed.
CRC Press
A scientific calculator
Access to a computer with an internet connection and Microsoft Office (Word and Excel)
An ESU student email account
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COURSE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Meeting times:
This class is an online/face to face hybrid class. All teaching materials will be available online
(including rescorded versions of the in class lectures). The regularly scheduled meeting time is M, W, F
from 1:00-1:50 PM in SH 215. On-campus students are required to attend regularly scheduled lectures,
although class will not be held during each and every lecture period. Assume class is meeting and
either Dr. Schulmeister or Dr. Miller will communicate when lecture is not being held. Recorded
lectures and powerpoint slides will placed online immediately after they are conducted. Off-campus
students are expected to view the materials during the weeks in which they are assigned, and are
responsible for meeting the same deadlines as on-campus students.
Class Materials:
Because this class is offered as a hybrid class, much more of the responsibility to master
materials is placed on the student. Besides the posted lectures, expect to spend significant time
reading your text and other materials provided online. This is the major route through which you will
assimilate new material.
Canvas:
All relevant course materials except for your textbook will be accessed through Canvas.
Materials beyond your text will include: recorded lectures, readings, assignments, problem sets,
quizzes, and exams. The majority of the assignments will be funneled through canvas. This
program is still new, so don’t be surprised if there are a few hitches.
Communication:
Student emails to the instructor: We will try to respond to email messages for students in a timely
fashion. “Timely” does not mean instantly – especially at night or on weekends. In most cases, you
should have a reply from us by or on the next class day. When emailing one of the instructors,
please send the email to the most relevant instructor first. For example, if you are having trouble
with material presented in a lecture by Dr. Schulmeister, it makes sense to email her first with any
questions. If there is no obvious choice (general course question), email either of us.
Instructor emails to the class: Emails to the class will only be sent to your emporia.edu address.
Check your school sponsored email regularly.
Late Work
Any work turned in after the due date will be penalized 50%.
ESU Academic Dishonesty Policy: Academic misconduct will not be tolerated and could result in a zero for
the assignment and possible dismissal from the class. Please refer to ESU guidelines for more
information. If you need assistance with properly referencing published work, please see one of us and
we will help you.
ESU Policy on Accommodations for Disabilities: “Emporia State University will make reasonable
accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Students need to contact the Director of
Disability Services and the professor as early in the semester as possible to ensure that classroom and
academic accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. All communication between students,
the Office of Disability Services, and the professor will be strictly confidential.” As the course
instructors, we will facilitate any necessary accommodations.
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GRADE COMPONENTS AND GRADING SCALE
CH506/ES567
Component
Problem Sets
Writing Assignments
Bi-weekly Quizzes and Quizlets
Mid-term Exam
Final Exam
% of grade
15
15
20
25
25
Total
100
PROBLEM SETS - Homework problems will be assigned each week and will be usually be due one
week later.
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS- To add “real-life” perspective to topics covered in class, 3 to 4 scientific
papers will be posted during the semester that illustrate their application. Students will be expected to
provide written answers to general questions about their content.
QUIZES AND “QUIZLETS” – Two or three online quizzes may be given during the semester that will
cover material covered between the midterm and final exams. Online Quizlets (shorter quizzes) will be
given each week PRIOR TO delivery of the week’s material. The purpose of the quizlets is to ensure that
everyone has thoroughly reviewed the reading assignment before attending/viewing the weekly lecture
presentations.
MIDTERM AND FINAL EXAMS- Both will be assigned in take home format. Students may use course
notes and the textbook to answer questions, but must work independently. All work presented must be the
original work of the student.
Grade cutoffs may be adjusted, but the following are the maximum percentages to receive a certain
grade:
Letter
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
D
F
%
100-93
92-90
89-87
86-83
82-80
79-77
76-70
69-60
<60
*To determine your letter grade, round your total grade to the nearest whole percent. For example, 76.5% is a C+.
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TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
Week of
Lecture
Book Sections
1/19
Introduction to Environmental Chemistry
1.1-1.9
1/26
Chemistry and the Anthrosphere;
Elemental Cycles; Risk
Aquatic Chemistry; Acid-base;
Precipitation; Carbonate
behaviors/Alkalinity
Metals in water; Complexation/Chelation;
Hydroxide Precipitation
Phase interactions: Water/Solid
2.1-2.9
4.1-4.11
3/9
Redox reactions; Nernst Expression; Redox
tower; pe/pH diagrams
Microbial basics and the reactions they
control
Mid-term exam
3/16
SPRING BREAK
3/23
Water Pollution
7.1-7.13
3/30
Drinking water/Waste water treatment
8.1-8.13
4/6
Atmospheric chemistry
9.1-9.3, 9.6-9.14
4/13
Gaseous inorganic/organic pollutants
11.1, 11.3-11.7, 12.3-12.4, 12.7
4/20
Geosphere
15.1-15.3, 15.5-15.8
4/27
Soils and Agricultural Chemistry
16.1-16.12
5/4
Industrial waste/raw materials
TBD
2/1
2/9
2/16
2/23
3/2
3.1-3.8
3.9-3.18
5.1-5.10
6.1-6.14