Chemistry 11A: General Chemistry ISyllabus, Fall 2016Dr. Claudia Novack

Office: Edison Lecks 120 Office hours: M, T, W 2:30-3:20, Th by appt. Email: novack@brandeis.edu Telephone: x62582 (781-736-2582)

Course Meeting Times: Lectures: Mon., Wed., Thurs., 10:00-10:50 AM, Gerstenzang 123 Recitation: Mon., Tues., Wed. 3:30-4:20 PM, Gerstenzang 123Quizzes: Wed. 6:30-7:30 PM, place TBAExams: September 28, November 2, 30; 6:30-8:00 PM, place TBAFinal Exam: TBA

Course description: Chemistry 11A covers a wide array of topics, embracing aspects of descriptive, as well as quantitative, chemistry. No prior study of chemistry is assumed, as the course begins by looking at the atomic foundation of matter, the elements, and the organization of the Periodic Table, working its way up to an examination of how atoms are bonded together to form larger units of matter. Students who complete this course will have an understanding of the three major phases of matter—solids, liquids, and gases—and how they behave, as well as a knowledge of the major types of chemical reactions and how to represent them. A strong focus is put on learning methods of creative problem-solving—using the material as a way to develop creative approaches to solving unfamiliar problems—a skill that carries students far beyond the confines of the classroom.

Learning goals:Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to

Make qualitative and quantitative predictions about the results of chemical reactions

Predict chemical and physical properties of matter based on models of molecular structure

Think both critically (analytically) and creatively about a variety of approaches to problem-solving

View problems as a maze to which there may be more than one equally effective, if not efficient, solution

Decide between possible approaches to a problem and choose the most efficient

Explain succinctly what “chemistry” is all about to a person who has never studied the subject

Book:

Syllabus, CHEM 11A Page 1 Fall 2016

Tro, Nivaldo J. Chemistry, A Molecular Approach. Pearson Prentice Hall, 3rd

ed., 2013.

LATTE: LATTE is our on-line course website. I will use it to post problem sets, solutions to problems, quizzes, and exams, and slides to help you review the material covered in lectures. You will also be able to use this site to view your quiz and exam grades. To access LATTE, go to http://latte.brandeis.edu and log-in using your UNET ID and password.

Attendance: Attendance at all lectures and at least one recitation section a week is expected. Lectures begin at 10:00 AM. Please be courteous to your fellow students: Take your seat promptly and conclude your conversations in time for class to start.

Lectures: Lectures will serve as your first introduction to the subject matter. While some of the coverage is certainly the same, I will often present things differently from your text. This comes from many years of experience with different textbooks and approaches. I try to present each topic in a way that offers you the most immediate grasp of the material. Exams and quizzes will be based on lecture coverage, as well as on a thorough understanding of the textbook.

Recitations: There is a mistaken assumption that recitations are only for students who do not understand the material or who cannot do the problems on their own. This could not be less correct. While lecture is an introduction to the material, and I do go over problems to illustrate the concepts, it is in recitation that I teach you how to actually solve a wide range of problems and provide you with strategies that will help you perform successfully on exams. During recitation I tie the problems and the concepts together, offering you a level of understanding of the material that students cannot usually get by simply doing the problems on their own.

Supplemental Instruction: Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions are scheduled based on your responses to a survey that assesses your best available times. It is our goal to make these sessions as convenient for you to attend as possible. SI is a wonderful opportunity for you to process the course material in small groups that maximize your active participation. While attendance at SI sessions is strictly voluntary, results from past semesters indicate that, on average, students who attend SI sessions earn higher exam and semester grades than those who do not. Sessions are led by students who have completed this course successfully and know what it takes to get the grades that you want. By engaging actively in these short (one-hour) collaborative learning sessions, you will be able to process as much material as it would take you two and a half hours to study on your own.

Syllabus, CHEM 11A Page 2 Fall 2016

Problem Sets: Problems for each chapter are posted on LATTE. I have assigned a large number of problems of graduated difficulty that I think will help you most to learn the material. You are encouraged to work through as many problems as you can. Solutions to all problems are also available on LATTE. The problem sets are not collected or graded, but students who do not work a lot of practice problems are often surprised that they are unable to perform well on the exams.

Readings: Students who rely solely on lecture notes, recitations, and SI sessions rarely perform very well in the course. It is essential that you keep up with the readings, working through the sample problems in the text as you go along.

Quizzes: The purpose of quizzes is to encourage you to keep up with the material. Keeping up involves attending class, as well as doing the readings and problem sets regularly (i.e. as the topic is being covered in class rather than right before an exam). Quizzes will be given in Structured Study Group (SSG) sessions every Wednesday evening at 6:30, except on those Wednesdays when an hour exam is scheduled. Arrival later than 6:35 will result in an automatic zero on the quiz, no exceptions. You will be given 20 minutes to complete the quiz on your own, after which you will break into small groups of 4-5 students and exchange quizzes with other students in your group for peer review. You will have 30 minutes to discuss solutions with other members of your group, sharing your collective knowledge and understanding to come to a consensus regarding the solutions. No texts or notes will be allowed. Your lowest quiz score will be dropped before your grade is calculated.

Exams: The three "hour" exams will be held Wednesday evenings from 6:30-7:50. The dates are September 28, November 2, and November 30. The final exam is scheduled for TBA. Please avoid making any travel plans that might conflict with these times. You should bring only a scientific calculator and several writing implements to the exams. No collaboration is permitted on exams.

Calculators: You must have a scientific calculator for exams and quizzes. Cell phone calculators will not be permitted under any circumstances.

Missed Exams and Quizzes: THERE ARE NO MAKE-UPS FOR QUIZZES OR EXAMS, NO EXCEPTIONS. Under certain restricted circumstances (see below) an excused absence from a quiz or exam may be granted, in which case you will receive the prorated average of the quizzes and exams that you have taken. Travel plans, family obligations, etc. are not valid excuses and will result in a zero on the missed quiz or exam.

Circumstances qualifying for an excused exam or quiz absence:

Syllabus, CHEM 11A Page 3 Fall 2016

an incapacitating illness or injury in which the student is hospitalized, under medical care, or sufficiently debilitated as to be unable to perform basic academic tasks. [Colds, headaches, or other such mild complaints that result in your feeling less than 100% are not considered "incapacitating." It is your responsibility to get enough rest and take care of yourself in such a way as to enable you to meet all course requirements. To qualify for an excused absence, an illness must be severe or contagious enough to warrant absence from classes and restriction from all other social and group events.]

extraordinary circumstances over which the student has no control such as a death in the family.

Note that requests for an excused absence from an exam or quiz must be made in writing before the scheduled quiz or exam if at all possible, and in no event later than 24 hours after the quiz or exam has been administered, and that all requests must be accompanied by documentation supporting the reason for the absence.

Students entitled to accommodations: If you are entitled to accommodations (extra time on exams, etc.), please provide official documentation at the beginning of the semester so that all appropriate accommodations can be made. No accommodations can be made retroactively.

Grading: Grades in the course will be weighted as follows:

3 hour exams (100 points each) 55%Final exam (200 points) 35%Quizzes 10%

The average grade in Chem. 11 is generally around B-. Letter-grade equivalences to numerical scores are determined based on the class average and the distribution of scores. Any “curve” can only help, it cannot hurt, your grade.

“Redemption points” –Students occasionally have a bad day on an hour exam or figure out a topic only after the exam has been given. In order to give students a second chance to show that they have mastered material, I use a “redemption points” system. The final exam is divided into four parts. The first three correspond to the sets of topics covered on the first three hour exams. If you score less than 100% on an hour exam, you have the chance to “redeem” up to half the points you missed by doing well on the corresponding section of the final. If your percent score on a section of the final is better than your percent score on the corresponding hour exam, your hour exam score will be replaced by the average of your hour exam score and your score on that section of the final. There is no penalty if you do worse on the final than on the hour exam. For example, if on hour exams

Syllabus, CHEM 11A Page 4 Fall 2016

1 and 2, you get 60% and 90%, and on parts 1 and 2 of the final you get 98% and 88%, your score on hour exam 1 will be increased from 60 to (60+98)/2 = 79. Your score on hour exam 2 will remain unchanged. You will thus have earned 19 redemption points.

Academic honesty: Academic integrity is central to the mission of educational excellence at Brandeis University. University policy on academic honesty may be found in your Student Handbook under “Rights and Responsibilities.” While students are encouraged to study together and discuss subject matter inside and outside the classroom, exams must be your own individual effort. Cheating is unfair to your fellow students, to the instructor, and to yourself. You might think that in a class of this size sharing information with a friend during an exam goes unnoticed. It doesn’t. Nearly every year students are caught trying to cheat.* The consequences are embarrassing and time-consuming, and the incident remains a part of your permanent undergraduate record. Violations of University policies on academic integrity, described in Section Three of “Rights and Responsibilities,” will be reported to the Brandeis Student Rights and Community Standards Office. A first offense will result in a zero on the assignment. Subsequent offenses may result in failure in the course, suspension, or expulsion from the university.

*Cheating includes copying or sharing information with a fellow student on an exam, or consulting any written materials during an exam or quiz.

Schedule of Lecture Topics and Exams

Syllabus, CHEM 11A Page 5 Fall 2016

Syllabus, CHEM 11A Page 6 Fall 2016