TEXT: Introductory Chemistry; Russo and Silver; Benjamin Cummings; 2nd Ed.; 2002

PHILOSOPHY: This class is offered primarily to those students who have no interest in pursuing a career in science. The goal of the class, therefore, is to demonstrate to you the fascinating and relevant nature of chemistry. In order to meet this goal, we will utilize classroom discussion and demonstrations, paper writing, mathematical manipulations and outside reading (using both hard copy and computer resources) as well as traditional lecture classes. The grading scheme is designed to give credit both to students who understand the material and to those who want to understand but are, through no fault of their own, “chemically challenged.”

READING: Read ahead of the progress of class; solve problems at the end of each chapter; work through and understand examples in chapter.

CALCULATORS: Some of this class involves calculations. We will do these both with and without calculators. When we need to use them, you MUST have a NON-PROGRAMMABLE scientific (with scientific notation and logarithms) calculator that you can use.

ATTENDANCE: You are encouraged to attend class both as an aid to understanding the material and to take the quizzes (which are an important part of your final grade!). In addition, I am not prepared to help a student who has multiple unexcused absences from class. ALL EXAMS are compulsory. Absolutely no make-up exams or quizzes will be given.

NOTES:

• All drops are the responsibility of the student.
  
• ALL GRADED WORK SHOULD BE DONE INDIVIDUALLY. The UH Academic Honesty Policy is in effect.
  
• Any students who need special accommodations are responsible for communicating these to me.
  
• In exams, only a pencil and a non-programmable calculator without alphanumeric capability are allowed “in view.” Pagers, cell phones, and other communication devices MUST be left in your closed book bag or not brought to class at all. I reserve the right to confiscate such devices temporarily.

We will attempt to cover the first seven chapters and skim several more. However, as some chapters might either stir your interest more than others or, be more difficult to understand than others; this schedule is not written in stone.

GRADING: There are a number of components to the grading scheme:

• There will be 3 midterm exams of 20 questions each given during the semester and a final exam of 40 questions. The exams will be given in class on Thursday June 5, Monday June 16, and Wednesday June 25). They will test material covered between the previous exam and two days before the exam. The final will be at 11 am on Wednesday, July 2nd. This exam will be comprehensive. Do NOT leave for holidays before this date!
• There will be a number of “pop” quizzes given in class, which will combine to account for 20 points. These will NOT be announced ahead of time, and will be based on the previous classwork and assigned homework.
• Two papers will be assigned during the course of the semester. Each of these MUST be typed, at least 1000 words long, and feature at least five references, cited correctly. Each paper is worth 10 points. These papers will be on the topics of:

  i) An element of your choice. Focus on the chemistry and applications of the element. Due June 19th.
  ii) An area of every day life that has a large chemistry component (e.g., the pharmaceutical or cosmetic industries). Again, the primary focus of the paper should be the chemistry involved, using the concepts discussed in class. Due July 1st.

• Attendance. At the end of the semester, students who have missed no more than one quiz will be given an additional 10 points.

	3 exams	60 points
	Final exam	40 points
	Quiz grade (drop worst)	20 points
	Papers	20 points
	Attendance	10 points
	Total	150 points

The complete method by which letter grades will be assigned will be discussed during the semester. However, students who obtain 90% are guaranteed an A, 80% a B, 70% a C, and 60% a D.