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Chem1004.10
Contemporary Science for Non-Science Majors
Spring 2015
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
Instructor
Martín G. Zysmilich
Associate Professor
Dept. of Chemistry- SEH 4850
(202) 994-4726
[email protected]
Meeting time and place
1957 E Street Room 113 – MW 2:20 – 3:10 PM
Office Hours: MW 3:10-3:55pm (1957 E Street, room 113) or
by appointment in SEH 4850
Course Description and Learning Objectives
This course will focus on several topics that have been making the headlines in the science section (and sometimes in
the main section) of major newspapers and other relevant mainstream publications. The main objective of the course is
to provide students with the necessary tools to understand the chemistry and biochemistry behind scientific and social
issues in the area of medicinal chemistry and drug development. Students will learn about the structure-function
relationships of important biopolymers (proteins, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, etc.), essential biochemical processes
such as enzyme catalysis and hormone-receptor interactions, as well as different mechanisms of drug action, namely
enzyme inhibition, agonism and antagonism, etc. With this knowledge, students will be able to rationalize the action and
side effects of popular and important drugs used in the treatment of allergies, cancer, HIV, and depression, among others.
Learning Objectives
After taking the class students should be able to:
- Appreciate the diversity and complexity of phenomena in the natural world;
- Identify regularities and patterns in Nature that may indicate fundamental unifying principles and laws;
- Evaluate scientific information and apply critical judgment to determine whether the data and observations support a
hypothesis;
- Understand the strengths and limitations of the scientific process;
- Know how to distinguish the products of scientific enquiry from the products of other types of inquiry;
- Establish connections between the scientific enterprise and everyday life;
- Recognize that science is not just a body of knowledge, but is also a set of skills.
Required text
Over-the-Counter CHEMISTRY, Martín G. Zysmilich et al., Cognella Academic Publishers, San Diego, CA, 2011.
This is the revised preliminary edition of a textbook that Prof. Zysmilich is currently writing in
order to provide Chem1004 students with a more relevant and custom learning experience.
This book, published and distributed by Cognella, Inc., includes materials that will be used in
class daily, so you should purchase your own copy. Please keep in mind that The George
Washington University adheres to copyright law, so any copyrighted material should not be
copied or duplicated in any manner.
You can purchase the textbook from the GW Bookstore or directly from the publisher by
following the instructions on Blackboard.
E-mail policy
E-mail correspondence with the instructor is encouraged. That said, office hours are far more effective! When e-mailing
the instructor and/or TA, please use your official GW account (to protect student privacy). E-mails received from other
providers (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.) will be ignored and deleted. All correspondence regarding the course should
contain Chem1004.10 in the subject field. Please INCLUDE YOUR NAME in ALL correspondence and please consider
all sources of information prior to sending an e-mail.
Method of Instruction
Students are required to attend two lecture sessions and one laboratory session per week. Attendance to both lectures
and laboratory is mandatory.
Reading assignments from the textbook are required. Readings from related websites and newspaper articles, as well as
short "research projects" will be given throughout the term. These assignments are "optional" and they are intended to
motivate your curiosity. Nevertheless, the material covered by these "optional" assignments can be included in the
exams.
Chem1004.10 – Spring 2015
Laboratory
Laboratory Supervisor: Ashley Mills <[email protected]>
Students taking Chem1004 must complete the laboratory requirement concurrently. Laboratories start the week of
January 26. In order to obtain a passing grade in the course, you will need to complete the laboratory requirement and
obtain a passing grade for it. (See “Grading” below.)
Absences
No student will be excused from taking an exam at the schedule time without the prior permission from the instructor.
If you believe that you have a valid reason for requesting an excused absence, contact your instructor before the exam
either in person, by phone or by e-mail. A grade of zero will be given for an unexcused absence. You may be excused for
religious holidays that are recognized by George Washington University. It is your responsibility to inform your instructor
of the holidays that you plan to observe prior to February 1.
The excused status means that you will be given the right to make up the work you miss. The make-up exam is
comprehensive and it will be given on April 29. If, for any valid and properly documented reason, you miss one of the
exams, the comprehensive make-up exam is your only opportunity to make up for the missing grade. You cannot
make-up more than one exam. No exceptions.
Method of Evaluation
There will be two non-cumulative multiple-choice exams (February 25 and April 22). If you want to improve your grade in
one of the two exams, you can choose to take an optional comprehensive make-up exam on April 29. In order to be
allowed to take the comprehensive make-up you need to receive at least 40 points on the exam you wish to replace.
The grade you receive on the comprehensive exam will replace your lowest test score even if it is lower than your
original exam grade. There is NO final examination.
Grading
Two 50-minute exams (2 x 100)................ 80%
Lab reports................................................ 20%
Extra Credit................................................ 5%
Passing grade
In order to pass this course you need to obtain at least 120 out of the 200 possible points for the exams, and at least 60
out of the 100 possible points for the lab. Grades are not negotiable.
The final percentage grade is calculated by multiplying your total exam grade by 0.40, and adding it to your lab grade
multiplied by 0.2, plus the extra credit points multiplied by 0.05:
%grade = (E1+E2) x 0.40 + Lab x 0.20 + XC x 0.05
For example, if you obtain a 75 in the first exam (E1), 86 in the second (E2), 90 in the lab (Lab), and 65 extra credit
points (XC), your final percentage grade will be (75+86) x 0.40 + 90 x 0.20 + 65 x 0.05 = 85.65. If the sum of your grades
for exams 1 and 2 (E1+E2) is less than 120, your final grade will be F, regardless of your lab grade and/or the number of
extra credit points you have acquired (see below). If your lab grade is less than 60, your final grade will be F, even if you
had received a passing grade in the lecture exams.
Letter grades will be assigned
according to the following scale:
A: 100 – 94.50
A–: 94.49 – 89.50
B+: 89.49 – 84.50
B: 84.49 – 79.50
B–: 79.49 – 74.50
C+: 74.49 – 69.50
C: 69.49 – 64.50
C–: 64.49 – 59.50
F: 59.49 – 0
Grading problems or concerns regarding an exam should be discussed with
the professor within ten days from the date grades are posted on
Blackboard. Grading problems or concerns regarding laboratory assignments
should be discussed with the laboratory coordinator within ten days from the
date the graded assignment is returned to the student.
Extra Credit
The Classroom Performance System (CPS) by eInstruction will be used to assign extra credit. It is your responsibility to
bring your response keypad to every lecture and to keep it in working condition. Extra credit points cannot be made-up
even for excused absences and/or keypad malfunction. Please, read the eInstruction information posted on
Blackboard.
Extra Credit Policy:
- Extra credit points do not count towards the 120 lecture points necessary to pass this course. The extra credit is only
2 Chem1004.10 – Spring 2015
used to boost your grade once you passed the course.
- During every lecture 1-3 questions related to material covered in previous lectures (as a review) and/or the current
lecture (to emphasize concepts) will be posted. These questions will be up on the screen for different times according to
their degree of difficulty.
- During the time each question is shown, each student should select the answer s/he considers correct (A, B, C, or D).
Discussing the question with a classmate in class is allowed and encouraged.
- You will then deliver your answer by using your registered eInstruction response pad. Using and/or being in
possession of a classmate's response pad will be considered an act of Academic Dishonesty.
- The number of extra credit points (XC) will be computed with the percent of questions correctly answered (%R) as
follows:
• If 80% ≤ %R ≤ 100%, your XC = 100.
• If 31% ≤ %R ≤ 79%, your XC = %R+15.
• If 0% ≤ %R ≤ 30%, your XC = 0.
Academic Integrity
The University community, in order to fulfill its purposes, must establish and maintain guidelines of academic behavior.
All members of the community are expected to exhibit honesty and competence in their academic work. Incoming
students have a special responsibility to acquaint themselves with, and make use of, all proper procedures for doing
research, writing papers, and taking examinations.
Members of the community will be presumed to be familiar with the proper academic procedures and held responsible for
applying them. Deliberate failure to act in accordance with such procedures will be considered academic dishonesty.
Acts of academic dishonesty are a legal, moral, and intellectual offense against the community and will be prosecuted
through the proper University channels.
Copies of the University Code of Academic Integrity can be obtained from the following officers: all department chairs, all
academic deans, the Registrar, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Student Conduct
All students, upon enrolling and while attending The George Washington University, are subject to the provisions of the
Guide to Student Rights and Responsibilities, which outlines student freedoms and responsibilities of conduct, including
the Code of Student Conduct, and other policies and regulations as adopted and promulgated by appropriate University
authorities. Copies of these documents may be obtained from the Office of the Dean of Students or from the offices of
the academic deans. Sanctions for violation of these regulations may include permanent expulsion from the University,
which may make enrollment in another college or university difficult.
Use of Electronic Devices
Laptops can be used in the designated areas and for note taking purposes only.
No cell phones, smart phones, Blackberries, etc. are allowed in class. Anyone who
engages in rude, thoughtless, selfish behavior, such as use of a cell phone or a
laptop for instant messaging, playing games, browsing the Internet, checking email,
etc., will have his or her cell phone and/or laptop confiscated and 5 points will be
subtracted from his or her final percentage grade (%grade).
Disability Support
Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Disability
Support Services office at 202-994-8250 in the Marvin Center, Suite 242, to establish eligibility and to coordinate
reasonable accommodations. At a student's request, DSS prepares an individualized letter to professors, which verifies
the nature of the student's disability and documents the need for auxiliary aids and services and/or academic
adjustments. Students are encouraged to meet with each professor early in the semester to discuss the academic
implications of the disability as they relate to the specific course and to request accommodation. For additional
information please refer to: http://gwired.gwu.edu/dss/
All students needing special accommodations for the exams (additional time, scribe assistance, etc.) should submit an
accommodation request online AT LEAST seven days before each test. If the request is submitted after this deadline, the
student will have to take the test with the rest of the class and in the allotted 50 minutes. No exceptions.
University Counseling Center
The University Counseling Center (http://counselingcenter.gwu.edu) offers 24/7 assistance and referral to address
students' personal, social, career, and study skills problems. 202-994-5300
Services for students include:
• crisis and emergency mental health consultations
• confidential assessment, counseling services (individual and small group), and referrals
3 Chem1004.10 – Spring 2015
Lecture Schedule
Lecture
Unit Day
Topic
Introduction.
Atoms and Molecules. Matter. Mixtures and Pure
Substances.
Holiday - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Elements and Compounds. Chemical Reactions.
Periodic Table.
Chemical Bonding. Molecular Geometry.
Brief Introduction to Organic Chemistry.
Plastics and Polymers. Properties and Uses.
Plastics and Polymers. Disposal and Recycling.
Introduction to Biochemistry. The Big Molecules.
How Drugs Work. Drug Function and Drug Design.
Holiday - President’s Day
Analgesics. Optical Isomerism.
Open Lecture.
Lectures 1 to 11 (Units 1-4)
Cold and Allergy Medicines. Asthma.
The Chemistry of Nutrition. Carbohydrates. Fats.
1
M
Jan. 12
2
W
Jan. 14
M
Jan. 19
3
W
Jan. 21
4
5
6
7
8
9
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
Jan. 26
Jan. 28
Feb. 2
Feb. 4
Feb. 9
Feb. 11
Feb. 16
Feb. 18
Feb. 23
Feb. 25
Mar. 2
Mar. 4
Mar. 10
Mar. 12
Mar. 16
Mar. 18
Mar. 23
Mar. 25
M
Mar. 30
W
Apr. 1
M
Apr. 6
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
Apr. 8
Apr. 13
Apr. 15
Apr. 20
Apr. 22
Apr. 27
Apr. 29
1
10
11
Exam 1
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Exam 2
25
Make-up
2
3
4
4
5
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Reading
Assignments
Date
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Lecture Notes
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Spring Break
The Chemistry of Nutrition. Proteins. Energy.
Psychotropic Drugs. Depression and Antidepressants.
Psychotropic Drugs. Recreational Drugs.
Nucleic Acids. Structure.
Nucleic Acids. Replication, Transcription and
Translation.
Bacteria. Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance.
Viruses and Retroviruses. Immune System. HIV and
AIDS. The Life Cycle of HIV.
HIV and AIDS. Treatments.
Cancer. Causes. Current and Future Treatments.
Poisons.
Open Lecture.
Lectures 12 to 24 (Units 4-11)
Open Lecture.
Comprehensive Make-Up Exam
Chapter 5
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Lecture Notes
Lecture Notes
4