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Chem 110 Fall 2021 Syllabus |
Modified: Jan 8, 2021 |
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Dr.
Sam Abrash
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Tests
There will be three 75 minute tests given during the semester. The tests will be closed-book but you will be allowed to use a "test packet" consisting of your answers to the Lecture Questions prepared for each lecture (without changes or corrections), as well as summaries of homework presenations (if turned in by the date I set). The test packet must be turned in with the test. Please note that you will be assembling your test packets from your own copies of these assignments. (More detail on lecture questions and homework assignments is given below.) More details on the topics covered by each test are given in the Lecture Schedule. There will also be a cumulative, 75 minute Final during Exam week. You may use all your Lecture Questions for the Final, as well. Students who need extra time for tests due to LD should present me with the appropriate documentation as early as possible, so I am aware in advance of the test about your needs and so I can work with you to meet your needs. All tests will be preceded by a three hour review session, at a time which is convenient for as many of the people in the class as possible.
Lecture Questions
For every section (i.e., The Atmosphere, The Ozone Layer, etc.) in the course, I will assign a portion of the textbook and/or some articles to read, and several questions to answer based on this material. You are to type up your answers to these questions and bring them to the first class in which the material is discussed. The answers to the lecture questions will mostly be found in your textbook, but there will be times when it is necessary to turn to internet sources for answers to the questions. This is fine, BUT under no circumstances are you allowed to cut text or any other material from the internet or textbook and then paste it into your answers to the lecture questions. The lecture questions will be due at the beginning of the class in which we first discuss a new topic. You may turn in a printed copy, or email me a word document before class starts. Emailed submissions must be in Word format. Google docs will not be accepted. Lecture Questions may not be turned in late. All questions must be answered to get credit for these lecture questions. If you turn in these answers on time, they will become part of a "test packet" that you can use when taking tests. For this reason, I strongly recommend that you include both the question and the answer in your submissions. Please note that for your test packets you must use the lecture questions that you turn in to me with no modifications. Even if one of your answers is incorrect, the lecture questions for your test packet may not be corrected. No handwriting will be allowed on the lecture questions included in your test packet. Homework Assignments
There will be five homework assignments due during the course of the term (see table above). Each homework assignment will consist of a brief (approximately 500 words, double spaced, please) paper about an article that deals with an environmental issue related to the sources or effects of chemical pollutants. The article may be a news story from a newspaper, or a feature in a magazine, or a peer-reviewed research article - it is up to you. If you choose a short article, you will also need one or more related articles to include in your summary paper. Since your paper will need to be 500 words long, articles must be at least 1000 words long, or the supplemental articles will be required. Please note that the shorter the article you choose is, the greater the danger that you will inadvertently commit plagiarism, which is an honor violation. Please note that paraphrasing your source article is also considered plagiarism. Your grade on the homework assignment will depend on the following factors: the length and sophistication of your source article(s), the accuracy of your summary, and the understanding of the environmental issues that you demonstrate in the summary. Please note, however, that articles from the popular media will earn a lower grade than articles from scholarly journals. The highest grade for an article from a scholarly journal will be 10 points. The highest score for an article from popular media will be 8 points. It is also possible to earn bonus points towards your homework grade, as described below. The first two homework assignments are to be related in some way to air pollution, the third assignment must deal with energy sources, and the last two assignments should be related to water pollution. You do NOT need to choose "chemistry" articles; in fact, as long as it relates to the topics just described, you are encouraged to choose articles based on your interests (politics, economics, public health, science, current events, international relations, environmental justice etc). You should, however, avoid articles that are more than a few years old. Before class on the day a homework assignment is due, upload both your summary and a pdf of the original article to blackboard. All summaries must be in Word format. Google docs will not be accepted. The class will be divided into 4-5 small groups. Within the small group, each group member will summarize his/her article and then the group will choose one to be presented to the class. 0.25 bonus points (out of 10) will be awarded to the person chosen from each group. The class will then resume in full, and each chosen representative will present their paper to the class. After each group's representative has summarized his/her article, every student present will vote on the homework that you found the most interesting or informative. You may not vote for the article presented by a member of your own group. The winner will be awarded an additional 0.25 bonus points, as will every member of his/her/their group. The articles presented to the class are considered "testable" material. You are advised to take notes during the presentations and to ask questions. Although not required, you will be allowed to submit your notes (typewritten) by the next class period to be included in your test packet. These should be uploaded to Blackboard. Links to the original articles presented to the class will also be posted online. You must submit homework assignments by uploading them to Blackboard. Your article summary must include the article title and a full citation, as well as a pdf copy of the original article. Since the summaries will be presented and discussed in class, attendance is required on days when homework assignments are due. Participation Grade
Your participation grade will be calculated based on the number of lecture questions sheets you turn in (on time) and your attendance on days when we discuss the homework assignments. Extra Credit Notebook This semester you will be given the option of keeping a double entry notebook on your reading. The notebook must be a word document, with each page divided vertically in half. On the left-hand side you are to summarize what you have read in a given section of the text, while on the right hand side you are to write a response consisting of questions, comments or ideas that arise from the reading. Note that if I assign a chapter in the reading materials, you will have to do separate summaries for each section of the chapter, i.e. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 etc. A single summary for a chapter, or for groups of sections is not acceptable. I will grade this notebook at the end of the semester. The notebook grade will be based on completeness (did you do all sections of all the chapters?), on the accuracy and clarity of your summaries, and on the thoughtfulness of your responses. Up to 3.5 points of extra credit added to your final grade can be earned for completion of the notebook. Note that notebooks missing more than a chapter of material will not earn any extra credit, so should not be turned in. In addition, the notebooks must be your individual work. No collaboration is allowed on this extra-credit assignment. The extra credit notebooks will be due on the day you take your final. Hard copies can be turned in to me, and electronic copies and should be uploaded to Blackboard. Only Word or PDF documents will be accepted. No Google Docs will be accepted. Policy for Late Assignments
Late assignments will not be accepted except for reasons of illness or other excused absences (ie, due to University events such as athletic competition or artistic performances), and only if arrangements are made with Dr. Abrash in advance. Unfortunately Lecture Questions cannot be accepted late, because I will be distributing handouts that contain answers to the lecture questions, and will be covering the questions in class. Making up missed work for the laboratory portion of the course is entirely up to the discretion of your lab instructor. Honor Code
All work submitted under your signature in this course is pledged as being your own work. The honor code applies to answers to Lecture Questions, lab reports, homework assignments, tests, final exam, and the extra credit notebook. In some cases, assignments may be given as group projects, and are considered to be a collaborative effort of the entire group. Every student in the group will receive the same grade. The honor pledge is "I pledge that I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance during the completion of this work." For electronic submission of assignments, typing your name after the honor pledge constitutes an electronic signature that carries the same weight as a normal signature. Attendance
Although your presence is expected in class, no attendance will be taken except on days in which homework assignments are due (and will be discussed in class). If you are absent -- even if the absence is excused -- you are still responsible for all announcements and material covered in class. Any missed test or homework discussion will count as zero points unless it is an excused absence (illness, participation in a scheduled University event, etc.) which should be cleared with me before or immediately following the missed class. If you are more than 5 minutes late on a day when we discuss a homework assignment you will be marked as absent and will receive a zero for the discussion. If a student misses a significant number of classes and I feel that his/her/their work is affected, I will notify the student's residential college dean. |