Course Syllabus

CHEM 1110 Elementary Chemistry

Course Description

This course introduces individuals to a variety of chemistry-related knowledge and experience. As a general education course, it relates chemistry to the real-world experience and gives the student an opportunity to investigate chemical principles in their life. The course serves as a prerequisite to programs related to allied health such as nursing, economics, biology, natural resources, and others. The course also serves as a preparatory course for general chemistry. Some topics in the course are atomic structure, chemical calculations, energy and matter, gas laws, nuclear chemistry and an introduction to organic chemistry.

Justification

This is an equivalent course offered by Chemistry departments at most institutions in the state and may transfer to them. This course fulfills requirements for programs and majors in health sciences, forestry, agriculture, etc. as required by major departments. This course also fulfills part of the Physical Science General Education Option. Science is the systematic inquiry into natural phenomena organizing and condensing those observations into testable models and hypotheses, theories or laws. The success and credibility of science is anchored in the willingness of scientists to: 1) expose their ideas and results to independent testing and replication by other scientists which requires the complete and open exchange of data, procedures, and materials; 2) abandon or modify accepted conclusions when confronted with more complete or reliable experimental evidence. Adherence to these principles provides a mechanism for self-correction that is the foundation of the credibility of science. (Adapted from a statement by the Panel on Public Affairs of the American Physical Society which was endorsed by the Executive Board of the American Association of Physics Teachers in 1999.)

General Education Outcomes

1. A student who completes the GE curriculum has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world. Students will develop an understanding of the natural world by focusing on the chemical processes and compounds associated with atoms and molecules, atomic structure and chemical reactions through lecture, assignments, and reading of the text. Exploration of the evidence and application of chemical phenomena in the natural world will be covered through the text, lecture and class discussions. Students will be exposed to this material through the text, lecture and in word problems on assignments and tests.
2. A student who completes the GE curriculum can read and research effectively within disciplines. Students will be required to combine lecture, reading and online information to master concepts in General Chemistry. Connections are made through the material in the text, lecture, homework and exams to real-world applications and problems related to the course content. Students will be able to interpret graphs and charts as well as distinguish between various chemical symbols, numerical constants and relationships in General Chemistry and convey information in numbers, graphs, tables and charts in a clear and concise manner. Students will be evaluated through written responses in quizzes, tests and homework.
3. A student who completes the GE curriculum can draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems. Students will demonstrate the ability to assess the credibility of scientific information as they encounter topics related to chemistry in their everyday lives. Class discussions and lecture highlight real-world applications of topics taught in this course and relate to currently debated topics that reach into multiple disciplines. These discussions highlight the need for credible information and what constitutes a credible source and the application of the scientific method and to combine information learned in different disciplines and life experiences within the context of the chemistry experience. Their performance will be assessed through readings and assignments associated with the scientific method and complex problems.
4. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively. Students will demonstrate reasoning ability by assessing quantitative problems in chemistry dealing with unit conversion and stoichiometry as well as understanding how to make proper analytical measurements using appropriate tools for the quantity measured. They will draw conclusions based on the course content and apply critical problem-solving skills. These outcomes will be evaluated using quizzes, homework and tests.
5. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason quantitatively.  The study of chemistry includes the ability to perform calculations to understand magnitudes of effects or products and how those are influenced by concepts. Students are expected to be able to perform calculations related to product yield, magnitude of atomic and molecular interactions and the behavior of gases. The students will be assessed on homework, quizzes and exams.

General Education Knowledge Area Outcomes

1. Students will demonstrate the ability to apply the principles of Chemistry including unit conversions, dimensional analysis in situations that they are likely to encounter beyond the duration of this course and in other areas of physical science. These could include applications to their future careers (e.g., dose calculations in nursing, pesticide application in range science or agriculture, etc.). Life-long learning in science is facilitated by the scientific method, which is applied in forming and verifying hypotheses and understanding how others have used the scientific method to enhance our understanding of the physical world. Their performance will be evaluated through homework, quizzes and exams.
   Students will be required to identify a topic in this course for which they are passionate through a written assignment in either a homework assignment, or as a question on one of the exams.  Students will demonstrate the ability to apply the principles of Chemistry including unit conversions, dimensional analysis in situations that they are likely to encounter beyond the duration of this course and in other areas of physical science. These could include applications to their future careers (e.g., dose calculations in nursing, pesticide application in range science or agriculture, etc.). Life-long learning in science is facilitated by the scientific method, which is applied in forming and verifying hypotheses and understanding how others have used the scientific method to enhance our understanding of the physical world. Their performance will be evaluated through homework, quizzes and exams.
   Students will be required to identify a topic in this course for which they are passionate through a written assignment in either a homework assignment, or as a question on one of the exams.
2. Demonstrate understanding of forces in the physical world. As part of this course students examine the underlying principles of reactions from electrostatic forces and bonding to properties and interactions such as phase changes, colligative properties, intermolecular forces, and combustion. Students will demonstrate the ability to connect these and other principles of Chemistry with everyday occurrences. Their performance will be assessed with real-world problems both in class, on homework and exams.
3. Discuss the flow of matter and energy through systems (in large and small scales). Students approach energy transfer and transformation of energy in this course at both the small scale (individual atoms and molecules and their reactions) to the large scale (thermodynamics, heat transfer, and energy of reactions). This includes the principles of stoichiometry which allow for scaling the molecular scale to the macro scale utilizing the mole concept. Students will be assessed in their understand of these topics in homework, quizzes, and exams.
4. Develop evidence-based arguments regarding the effect of human activity on the Earth. Instructors will model this outcome by showing and explaining scientifically valid evidence of the consequences of human activities on the natural world through the lens of chemistry (e.g. ozone layer, acid rain). Students will be given opportunities to recall and restate these examples and to generate appropriate conclusions from evidence provided to them in homework or exam questions or written assignments.
5. Describe how the Physical Sciences have shaped and been shaped by historical, ethical, and social contexts. The history of chemistry and the development of our models of the atom and understanding of chemical processes are tightly tied to the people and progression of the models used to represent the physical world. These are tightly tied to history and are reflected in the way that this course addresses the discovery of atoms and elements and the understanding of atomic theory and how it scales up to macroscopic chemical interactions. Additionally, many of these developments hit on ethical and social constructs as the principles of chemical interactions are applied within science, medicine, and society. As this class is primarily a health sciences pre-requisite, many of these examples focus on real-world examples within the world of medicine and health related fields. One example could be the contributions of Marie Curie to the understanding of radiation could then be connected to cancer treatments and causes, impacts on nuclear warfare, power generation, and medicine. These concepts will be assessed in real world problems on homework, quizzes, and/or exams.

Course Content

Chemistry 1110 is an introduction to General Chemistry and an introduction to Organic Chemistry. Through lecture and discussion, the following major topics are covered: Matter and Measurement, Atomic Theory, Chemical Bonds, Chemical Reactions, Gases, Liquids, and Solids, Solutions and Colloids, Reaction Rates and Equilibrium, Acids and Bases, Nuclear Chemistry, Organic Chemistry (alkanes), Alkenes, Alkynes, and Aromatics. Course content will be conveyed through reading of the text, lecture, homework and class discussion.Scientists from any background may be highlighted as to their role in these historical experiments. Including the various perspectives of historical and modern scientists as well as from the students in this course are invaluable in aiding accessibility for all students to understand the chemical context of everyday life.