CHEMISTRY 100
OUR CHEMICAL WORLD
SYLLABUS
DR. MARIJA MESKAUSKAS
Office: LP- 1647, Lewis
Tel: 312/362-6111
Office hours, T Th, 9:00 -10:00am
or by appointment
e-mail/mmeskaus@condor.depaul.edu
Winter‘06
Office: LPC- 122. O’Connell,
Tel: 773/ 325-7358
Office hours: MT 1:00-2:00
PURPOSE OF THE COURSE:
To introduce the non-science majors to the application of scientific methods to the study of
chemistry, and to some of the concepts and terms that form the fundamental basis of chemistry.
The course will include a special project to enhance the understanding of a specific application of
chemistry that is of interest to the student.
PREREQUISITES:
None.
TEXT:
Introductory CHEMISTRY, Steve Russo, and Mike Silver. 2nd ed. Addison Wesley Longman,
publishers, 2002.
STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE:
The course consists of two lecture sessions each week. Experiments, demonstrations and
activities will be used to help illustrate the ideas discussed in class. Weekly quizzes, given
Thursdays, the last 20 to 30 minutes in class, will assist student learning.
The course will follow the sequence outlined in the tentative lecture schedule. To enhance
learning students are required to read the assigned text materials before coming to class. Regular
class attendance along with participation in class activities will be considered for the class
participation grade. Students are responsible for all materials covered in class, even if it does not
appear in the course text. You should allow a minimum of two hours of study for every hour of
class time to succeed.
Problem solving is a very important part in learning chemistry. You are encouraged to work
problems at the end of each chapter, to ensure competency in problem solving. All problems at
the end of the chapter that are numbered in red have answers in the back of the book. Homework
problems based on the material discussed in class will be assigned each week and will be
discussed in class.
One of the goals of this course is to familiarize the students with application of chemistry to our
daily lives. To that effect, a topic for the special project is to be chosen by the student, to learn
about a chemical company or product. The report will focus on the chemical product the
company produces, the environmental concerns and also the commercial concerns. This project is
to be written using word-processing, and must include some data charts and graphs, and their
interpretation as part of the write-up. The project organization and topic presentation will count
for 60 % of the grade and the write-up and conclusions for 40% of the grade.
EXAMINATIONS.
Quizzes will be given Thursday during the last 20 min of class time. Each quiz will have
problems related to the material studied during the previous class meetings. The lowest quiz
grade will be dropped from the averaging process. Missed quizzes cannot be made up, however
they can be rescheduled due to extenuating circumstances with prior consent, and must be taken
before the next class period. Calculators may be used during quizzes.
A midterm and a Final Exam will be given during the quarter. The exams are comprehensive and
will cover all topics of the course. All tests may consist of true/false, multiple choice, matching
and problem solving questions as well as short essays.
OVERALL GRADING:
Grade earned for the course will be determined by the students' participation and performance in
all class activities according to the following:
ACTIVITY
Quizzes
Quant, project
Midterm
Final
Participation
GRADE
20%
10%
25%
35%
10%
90-100%
80-89%
70-79%
60-69%
Below 59%
A
B
C
D
F
Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Failure
There usually is no grading curve. The standards listed above may be altered depending on the
size and overall performance of the class. The final letter grades may be modified by a “+” or “-“
when warranted.
TENTATIVE LECTURE SCHEDULE
WEEK
CHAPTER
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
6
10
7
7
8
9
9
17
10
18
TOPIC
What is Chemistry
Numerical Side of Chemistry
Evolution of Atomic Theory
Modern model of the Atom
Chemical Bonding and nomenclature
Shapes of Molecules
Intermolecular Forces
Chemical reactions
Transfer of electrons
The Chemistry of Carbon
Synthetic and Biological polymers
MIDTERM February 2nd
FINAL March 16th
11:45-2:00 PM
NOTES:
• Students are expected to attend class. Three late arrivals will be considered as an absence.
• Students are expected to behave in class in a manner conducive to learning. Rude or
disruptive behavior will not be tolerated.
• Students are expected to observe the University’s Code for Academic integrity.
•
•
Any student reporting work of others as his or her own or cheating will receive a zero for that
work.
Students should use a calculator for problem solving during tests, but will not be allowed to
share one with another student. Cell phones or cell phone calculators may not be used during
exams.
RESOURCES
The chemistry department conducts a tutoring program in Lincoln Park that is free for all students
in chemistry. The tutor schedule can be accessed on the Chemistry Department web site
(http://www.depaul.edu/~alchemy).
Blackboard is a website for DePaul courses. The following course information: syllabus, chapter
objectives, homework and the answer keys, and class announcements can be accessed at our
Blackboard site. Any changes in class operations will be posted on this site. Students are
automatically enrolled, if they have enrolled to the course through Campus Connect. The address
is http://www.oll.depaul.edu. The website information will guide you through the enrollment
process.
The materials submitted to blackboard are sent in Rich Text Format, since I am a Mac user. The
documents have to be converted to WORD format to be read. Do not double click the document
open, choose: File, Open As - a Word Document, and then save it.
THE SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY LEARNING DOMAIN
Courses in the scientific Inquiry Domain are designed to provide students with the opportunity to
learn the methods of modern science and its impact in understanding the world around us.
Courses in this domain are designed to help students develop a more complete perspective about
science and technology, and the scientific process.
SID learning Goals
•
•
•
•
•
To develop students’ understanding of the major principles guiding modern scientific thought
To develop student’s comprehension of the varying approaches and aspects of science,
mathematics and technology
To develop student’s appreciation of the connection among the sciences and the fundamental
role of mathematics and technology in contemporary society.
To develop student’s awareness of the roles and limitations of theories and models in
interpreting, understanding and predicting natural phenomena.
To demonstrate how theories and models change or are models change or are supplanted as
our knowledge increases.