Spring Semester, 2021

Course Description

Course Description

The Chemistry 119H/120H sequence of lecture/laboratory courses is intended to provide a rigorous introduction to important theories and concepts in the broad area of general chemistry. Chemistry 119H covers atomic and molecular structure, chemical bonding, the gas laws, and properties of liquids and solids. Chemistry 120H describes the laws of thermodynamics, chemical  and solution equilibria, and kinetics of chemical reactions.  Successful completion of these courses will provide you with an excellent foundation for further study in more specialized areas of chemistry, as well as in related disciplines such as biology, biochemistry, and engineering.

Because this is an honors course, it will be conducted at a conceptually (and mathematically) more rigorous level than that of the corresponding non-honors course. Students enrolled in Chem 120H should have had at least one year of high school chemistry (and preferably one year of high school physics), and should already be familiar with the material covered in Chemistry 119H (viz., pp. F1 - F106, Focuses 1 through 3, and Topics 9C and 9D of the Atkins/Jones/Laverman text). You should also review the material in sections A, B, and C in Appendix 1 in the textbook (pp. A1 to A6) to ensure that you are adequately familiar with the concepts of scientific notation, SI units, and conversions that are presented there. Proficiency in algebra and simple trigonometry and knowledge of the elementary principles of differential and integral calculus will also be assumed. Sections D, E, and F of Appendix 1 (pp. A6 to A8) briefly review some of the mathematical techniques and concepts that will be used during the course. If you have any concerns that you may not have an adequate background to succeed in this course, please consult with me during the first week of class, so that we may discuss your individual situation.
 

Examinations and Grading

As summarized on the home page of this syllabus, your grade in the course will be based on three one-hour examinations (each worth 100 points), a final examination (150 points), eight graded homework assignments (worth a total of 100 points), and 10 in-class quizzes (worth a total of 50 points), plus your grade for the laboratory portion of the course (worth a maximum of 200 points), resulting in a maximum total of 800 points for the course.  Final course letter grades will correspond to the following percentages of the 800 point maximum:

Homework and Class Exercises

Chemistry is a quantitative discipline that can only properly be learned by solving problems. The assigned even-numbered homework problems from the textbook and their due dates for each chapter are summarized on the Homework Assignments page.  Each Topic of the textbook ends with a section entitled "The skills you have mastered are the ability to:" which summarizes the principal concepts covered in the Topic. The "Skills" from each chapter for which you will be responsible are listed on the "Homework Assignments" page and represent the Learning Outcomes expected for this course.  The textbook's accompanying "Student Solutions Manual" contains complete solutions to all of the odd-numbered problems in the text, and should be used as a learning tool to study solutions of these unassigned problems, since many of the assigned even-numbered problems have an odd-numbered counterpart, for which a solution is given in the manual.

Because one of the best ways to truly learn a subject is to explain or teach it to others, all homework assignments will be performed in pre-assigned groups of three or four students. Each group will submit a single set of solutions for each assignment, signed by all group members, and each member of the group will receive the same grade for the assignment. Graded in-class exercises and short quizzes will occur approximately once per week. These will also be performed as group exercises by the same pre-assigned groups as those for the homework problems, and again each member of a group will receive the same grade for the exercise.
   

Reading Assignments

It has been said that "Teaching is the art of assisting discovery." My role as your instructor is not to "teach" you chemistry, but to assist you in teaching yourselves and in "discovering" chemical principles through self-study. Consequently, the lectures, discussions, and in-class exercises in this course are not intended to provide comprehensive coverage of each topic, but to highlight and strengthen the most important and difficult concepts, in order to assist and guide you in your study.  The course syllabus lists the text sections for which you will be responsible, whether or not they are formally covered in class. As described above, the "Skills" section at the end of each Topic in the text concisely summarizes the subjects which you should have mastered from that Topic. The syllabus also gives a tentative schedule of lecture/discussion topics for the entire semester. To derive the greatest benefit from the class meetings, I urge you to develop the habit of reading and studying each Topic before the class(es) on that topic. This practice of prior study will not only enable you to better understand the material covered in the lectures, but will also allow discussion in class about those topics with which you are having difficulty. Although I will always have adequate lecture material prepared for each class meeting, I hope to conduct as many classes as possible in an interactive "structured tutorial" style, rather than a formal lecture style.
 

Approaches to the Study of Chemistry

In his book, The Chemistry Classroom: Formulas for Successful Teaching, J. Dudley Herron refers to studies by Carolyn Carter, in which she describes two contrasting approaches by students to the study of chemistry:

Some students see chemistry as abstract and alien. Their job is to absorb and reproduce knowledge presented by the teacher, who is an authority from another world. Problems are tasks that require calculations and an answer, but not a question, and the only purpose of solving problems is to get an answer that "they" want. The way to do problems is to reproduce algorithms and recognize problem types; creativity has no role in chemistry. The way to succeed is to work the same problems over and over until they are memorized. Students such as these are estranged from chemistry as a discipline. Chemistry is "out there" and the people who do it are some undefined "they" who want students to perform in mysterious ways that do not make much sense. The student's job is to figure out what "they" want done, to recall how "they" say a problem should be solved, and to apply "their" procedure to generate an answer "they" expect. There is little consideration of whether the answer to a problem or the problem itself makes sense. It is not supposed to.

Other (more enlightened) students hold quite different beliefs. To them, chemistry is a creative way of understanding concepts and problems. They see themselves as the source of knowledge, and they see their role as putting concepts together and applying them to solve problems. The teacher is there to motivate, answer questions, and explain when necessary. Problems are tasks in which one must think creatively and synthesize ideas; problems are not algorithmic. The goal of problem solving is to understand ideas and apply them to new contexts, and the way to get good at it is to work problems, think about the concepts involved, and relate ideas to previous knowledge.

Clearly, it is the second of these two attitudes that I hope you will cultivate in your study of chemistry. I will do all that I can to assist you in developing such an approach. 

Attendance

You should carefully review TAMU Student Rule 7, which describes the University's policy on class attendance and excused absences.  In brief, make-ups for missed scheduled exams (not including unscheduled quizzes), homework assignments, or other graded work will be given only for the allowable excused absences that are described in the Rule.  Make-ups are not provided for unexcused absences.  Excused absences of fewer than three working days due to injury or illness require that you provide either a physician’s statement affirming the date and time of the visit related to the absence or the "Explanatory Statement for Absence from Class". Absences of three or more days due to illness or injury always require a physician’s statement or other acceptable documentation in order to be considered an excused absence.  If you expect to miss an exam or other scheduled graded work because of a University-approved activity, you must provide your instructor with written notification in advance.  If advance notification is not possible, due to illness or injury, you must provide your instructor with the required documentation within two working days after returning from an excused absence.

Electronic Devices

As described in TAMU Student Rule 21, unwarranted disruption of classroom activities is not permissible.  Accordingly, with the exception of calculators, ALL electronic devices, including cell phones, pagers, iPod's, MP3 players, etc. must be TURNED OFF and stowed during class.  Prior to the start of examinations and in-class quizzes, all calculator memories must be cleared of any stored text or equations.  Laptop computers or tablets may be used during class, but only for the purpose of accessing the course's on-line lecture notes or other supporting materials, and NOT for web surfing that is unrelated to the course.

Legalities

All documents used in this course are copyrighted. Here, "documents" means all materials generated for this class, including, but not limited to, syllabi, quizzes, exams, problem sets, and all materials appearing on the class web site. Because these materials are copyrighted, you do not have the right to copy any of them for any purpose other than your own personal academic use unless I expressly grant permission. In particular, course materials may not be given or sold to any for-profit enterprise.

Plagiarism

As commonly defined, plagiarism consists of submitting as one's own the ideas, words, writings, etc., which belong to another. In accordance with this definition, you are committing plagiarism if you copy the work of another person and submit it as your own, even if you have the permission of that person. If you have any questions regarding plagiarism, please consult the latest issue of the Texas A&M University Student Rules, under the section "Scholastic Dishonesty."

Students with Disabilities

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe that you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact Disability Services, currently located in the new Student Services Building on the west campus, or call 979-845-1637. For additional information, visit http://disability.tamu.edu

Texas A&M University and the College of Science are committed to fostering a learning environment that is safe and productive for all. University policies and federal and state laws provide guidance for achieving such an environment. Although class materials are generally considered confidential pursuant to student record policies and laws, University employees — including instructors — cannot maintain confidentiality when it conflicts with their responsibility to report certain issues that jeopardize the health and safety of our community. As the instructor, I must report (per Texas A&M System Regulation 08.01.01) the following information to other University offices if you share it with me, even if you do not want the disclosed information to be shared:

Allegations of sexual assault, sexual discrimination, or sexual harassment when they involve TAMU students, faculty, or staff, or third parties visiting campus. 

These reports may trigger contact from a campus official who will want to talk with you about the incident that you have shared. In many cases, it will be your decision whether or not you wish to speak with that individual. If you would like to talk about these events in a more confidential setting, you are encouraged to make an appointment with the Student Counseling Service (https://scs.tamu.edu/).  Students and faculty can report non-emergency behavior that causes them to be concerned at http://tellsomebody.tamu.edu.

Aggie Honor Code

"An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do."