Return to Dr. Mertzenich's Homepage

Course Syllabus

Instructor: C. Mertzenich
Office: Sampson Hoffland Laboratories Room 390F.
Phone: 563 387 1626
E-mail
Office Hours

Other staff associated with Chemistry 114 :
L. Meeker-Gast, stockroom manager, creative consultant, and head of laboratory preparation
D. Schumacher, creative consultant
Laboratory assistants: TBA

Chemistry Department tutor(s)
Student Academic Support Center (tutors)

Resources:

• Textbook for the course: Chemistry in Context, 6th Edition (CIC6/e; ISBN: 9780073048765). No previous editions will be used. CIC6/e will NOT be available via the Luther College Book Shop; if you wish to have hardcopy of CIC6/e, you will need to visit an off-campus book store or go to your favorite online book seller or call McGraw-Hill Customer Service @ 1-800-262-4729. CIC6/e is available from the publisher in electronic versions at about half the price of a print textbook by clicking here.
• Scientific calculator, i.e., one that can handle scientific notation. Contact any of the course staff listed above if help is needed in figuring out what kind of calculator to get.
• Laboratory manual: "Laboratory Manual. Chemistry in Context. Applying Chemistry to Society," sixth edition, to be purchased via the Luther College Book Shop. Do not write in the lab manual at all until after you have attended your first lab period.
• Eye protection: UVEX Astro OTG 3001 Eyewear. Eye protection is REQUIRED in the laboratory. UVEX Astro OTG 3001 Eyeware is available at the Luther College Book Shop. Students are responsible for having eye protection before beginning work in the laboratory. Eye protection is not available from the chemistry department. Laboratory begins the first week of classes.

No cell phones, laptops, or other electronic equipment may be used during the lecture periods unless explicitly indicated by the instructor.

Only materials assigned and/or provided for this course for winter/spring 2009 may be used unless otherwise indicated by the instructor. The Honor Code must be observed.

Communication:
The instructor will communicate with the class as a whole outside of lecture or lab time primarily via email. Sometimes documents and other information might be posted on KATIE. Scores and grades will be posted on KATIE.

Lecture:
The instructor's goal in lecture is to make the text and, thus, chemistry and its relationship to the environment, come alive; reflecting the diverse nature of the students in the classroom, a variety of teaching techniques are used throughout the semester to convert the static text material to the living, dynamic discipline which is chemistry. Attendance is required and will be checked periodically and will count toward the quiz/homework/attendance grade component. Lecture is located in the Olin Hall, room 102.

Anticipated lecture and laboratory schedule:
Titles for experiments are listed here.
Textbook chapter table of contents is listed here.
Lab is located in the Sampson Hoffland Laboratories building, room 233.

Laboratory section	Instructor	Day & time
CHEM-114L-A01	C. Mertzenich	02:45pm-04:15pm W
CHEM-114L-A02	C. Mertzenich	08:00am-09:30am R
CHEM-114L-A03	C. Mertzenich	02:30pm-04:00pm R

Reading and Homework:
Readings and homework from the text will be assigned. Students are expected to do homework to practice for quizzes and exams. Specific information about readings and homework, including due dates, will usually be sent out by email. For a particular homework set, the problems may be graded in detail, the problems may be reviewed to see that they have been completed, or a random selection of the problems may be chosen for detailed grading. There may or may not be time in lecture to deal with homework problems; the student should count on getting his/her homework done outside of class. Working in groups on homework problems is recommended and encouraged. Show all work--not just a brief answer--on all assignments, unless directed otherwise by the instructor. It is anticipated that students might work in groups to solve homework problems; however, each student must turn in his/her own homework, which should be substantially his/her own work.  Only fellow Luther students, Luther College staff, the text, other material assigned by the instructor, and/or the answers at the back of the text may be consulted when solving homework problems; no other materials in printed or electronic form may be used--the Honor Code must be observed.

Quizzes:
Quizzes are like mini-exams. Occasional quizzes may be given in class. Quizzes may be announced, and textbook sections to be covered made explicit, or they may be "spot" quizzes covering material recently discussed in lecture. Some quiz questions may be challenge problems--problems not exactly like problems already encountered--to measure student problem solving skills. Quizzes may have multiple components including (possibly) fill in the blank, worked out problems, multiple choice, etc.  The best way to prepare for quizzes in this course is by re-working, and coming to an understanding of, the problems which have caused you difficulty in the past.  It is also a good idea to re-work lecture problems and to work (and/or re-work) problems suggested during lecture. As a review of chapter material, see the Chapter Summary section at the end of each chapter. Students are required to take quizzes at the appointed time unless other arrangements are made prior to the test. Show all work--not just a brief answer--on all quizzes, unless directed otherwise by the instructor.

Exams:
Exams during the semester are designed to test student understanding of chemistry and societal issues associated with the environment. Each exam is one-hour long. Students are required to take exams at the appointed time unless other arrangements are made prior to the test. If you are unable to take the exam on the day scheduled, the instructor has the option of giving a different equivalent examination. Exams typically have multiple components including (possibly) fill in the blank, worked out problems, multiple choice, etc.  The best way to prepare for exams in this course is by re-working, and coming to an understanding of, the problems which have caused you difficulty in the past.  It is also a good idea to re-work lecture problems and to work (and/or re-work) problems suggested during lecture. As a review of chapter material, see the Chapter Summary section at the end of each chapter. Show all work--not just a brief answer--on all exams, unless directed otherwise by the instructor. Some exam questions may be challenge problems to measure student problem solving skills. Some exam problems may be taken from the laboratory component of the course; in this event, specific lab experiments to be covered on the exam will be made explicit. Textbook sections to be covered will also be made explicit.

Final Exam:
The final exam will cover material from the entire semester. The date of the final exam is set by the Registrar's Office.  Except in cases of College-approved family or personal emergencies, all students are required to take the final exam AT THE TIME SCHEDULED by the Registrar of the College; out of fairness to all of the students in the class, no other exceptions will be made; make your end-of-semester transportation arrangements accordingly.

Laboratory:
All chemistry knowledge is ultimately derived from laboratory experiments; hence, the laboratory experience is essential to a study of chemistry. Laboratory experiments in Chemistry 114 are designed to reinforce chemical principles and techniques discussed in the lecture component of the course. Lab problems may show up on quizzes and exams. Lab attendance is required and will be checked. Students must perform and turn in reports for all experiments in order to get credit for Chemistry 114. If, due to legitimate reasons, you cannot make it to your scheduled lab period during a given week, contact me to see if you can go to a different section that week. Lab is located in the Sampson Hoffland Laboratories building, room 233.

Laboratory section	Instructor	Day & time
CHEM-114L-A01	C. Mertzenich	02:45pm-04:15pm W
CHEM-114L-A02	C. Mertzenich	08:00am-09:30am R
CHEM-114L-A03	C. Mertzenich	02:30pm-04:00pm R

Grading: