Fall 2009

Administrative Information

Class meets: MWF 8:00-8:55 am in ST129
Class Text: Atoms First McMurry & Fay

Instructor: Dr. Jeremy Kua
Office: ST 381
Phone:  (619) 260-7970
E-mail:
Office hours: Mon 11:30am-12:30pm, Tue 2:30-4pm, Wed 11:30am-12:30pm, Thu 10:30am-noon
Class web site:  http://home.sandiego.edu/~jkua/chem151fall09/

Course goals: To learn the fundamentals of chemistry from an atomic and molecular perspective. The course covers atomic and electronic structure, chemical bonding, the Periodic Table, chemical reactions, stoichiometry, and thermochemistry.
Learning Outcomes for Chem 151: Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
(1) demonstrate an understanding of atomic theory and its application to the periodic table;
(2) predict and visualize the structure of atoms, simple molecules, and compounds;
(3) write balanced chemical reactions and use them to quantitatively predict reaction outcomes.
(4) distinguish between various forms of energy and the principles that govern chemical and physical processes

Course requirements:
1a. There will be four in-class hour long exams and one comprehensive two hour Final Exam.
1b. There will be 10-15 random quizzes that will take place at the beginning of class. I will count the top eight towards your grade.
1c. There will be suggested problems to practice from the textbook. It is highly recommended that you attempt these before the next class period. There is no credit for doing this but they will help you on the exams and the quizzes (and I might just ask you to solve a suggested problem in a quiz or exam). Solutions will be posted every 4-5 lecture periods.
1d. The participation grade will be based on in-class participation and attendance of three (your choice) FRESH@USD events. After each event, write me one short paragraph about the event and what you found useful (or not) about the session.

2a. Collaboration is allowed (even encouraged) on suggested problems.
2b. There will be NO collaboration on exams.
2c. Depending on the quiz or assignment, there may or may not be collaboration.

3a. Grade breakdown is as follows:
                8 Quizzes at 0.5% each              4%
                4 Exams at 15% each               60%
                Final Exam                               32%
                Participation                               4%
3b. Tentative Grading Scale (subject to change by the instructor at any time)
                A     85-100%
                B       70-84%
                C       55-69%
                D       40-54%
                F          0-39%
Appended + and - will approximately constitute 3% widths at either end of the scale for A-D grades. 

4a. There are no make-up exams. If you have a very good reason for missing an exam you have to let me know beforehand or as soon as possible. If I judge the reason to be valid and you did let me know beforehand or ASAP, an alternative will be available (probably in the form of an oral exam where I ask you anything I would have expected you to know on the exam).
4b. There are no make-up quizzes.

5a. Students are most welcome to come in during office hours. Generally if my office door is wide open even if not during my office hours, you're more than welcome to stop by. Remember, I'm here to help you master the material. On the rare instances I'm super-busy right when you appear, I'll just ask you to come back a little later. I check my e-mail reasonably often during working hours so you can contact me that way too. (Don't expect replies on weekends and evenings.)
5b. I love talking about chemistry, in particular chemical bonding and the strangeness of the universe we live in. So if you have a wild thought or idea, I'll probably be interested in hearing it while giving you a dose of my wild ideas. Hopefully that will be obvious from class!

6. All students are expected to adhere strictly to the Academic Integrity policy. Violations will be dealt with through the Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, in accordance with the University of San Diego policy on academic integrity.