Course Number: CHEM 121
Course Title: General Chemistry I
Sections: C & D Spring 2006

Instructor: George Farrant, Ph.D
Office: D-I05-B
Office Phone: (410) 455-4120
Office Hours: MW 9-11:45 AM, 4:30-5:30 PM, Th 9-10:30AM, 1:00-2:00 PM, F 9-11
and other hours by appointment
E-mail: gfarrant@ccbcmd.edu (I generally check my e-mail several times a day.)

Classes: Lectures: MWF 12:05-1:00 PM (in D002) Conference: M 12:05-1:00 PM (in E-209) W1:05-2:05PM in E-209)

Course Purpose & Objectives: CHEM 121 is the first semester course for students who intend to major in chemistry or a field that requires a minimum of one year of general college chemistry. Student learning objectives and homework problems for each chapter will be distributed at the time the topic is discussed in lecture. The lecture will follow the text topics closely and place emphasis on the most important concepts in each chapter.
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, CCBC is committed to providing an environment that is conducive to learning for all students. Any student who is disabled and requires special accommodation should contact the Office of Special Services at (410) 455-4382.

Required Material: CHEMISTRY: The Molecular Nature of matter and Change Silberberg 4th ed. Mc Graw Hill ISBN0-07-255820
Scientific calculator (it must be able to handle exponential notation, logarithms). It does NOT need to be a "graphics" calculator. Each student must bring his/her own calculator to all class meetings.

Highly Recommended: GENERAL CHEMISTRY Interactive CD-ROM (Included with the text).

Grading System: Your course grade is based on the following:

Exams: Exams consist of mainly numerical problems and questions requiring short answers, although they may contain some multiple choice, T/F, fill-in-the-blank & definition questions requiring complete sentences. The exact topics covered on each exam will be announced in lecture.

I will replace your lowest exam grade with your final exam grade (scaled to 100 pts total), should that be to your advantage. If you miss an exam, Your final exam grade will be scaled to replace the missing grade. There will be no other way to make up an exam, no matter what your reason might be for missing it. If you know ahead of time that you will be missing an exam for an acceptable reason, you may possibly arrange to take that exam early.

Final Exam: The final exam will be comprehensive. It is written by the American Chemical Society and has 70 multiple-choice questions. The questions will be similar to some of those found on the quizzes and exams given throughout the semester. The time limit is 2.0 hours.
You are required to take the Final Exam regardless of how you did on the semester exams. It will cover material discussed in the whole semester and will be all multiple-choice questions. There will be NO makeups unless the college is officially closed, in which case a makeup date will be announced. If you are unable to make it to the Final Exam due to dire emergency, contact me within 24 hours of the exam time, through the Division of Math and Science, or you will receive a grade of F for the Final Exam and your course grade will be computed accordingly.

Exam Dates:
Exam I Friday February 24, 2006
Exam II Friday March 24, 2006
Exam III Friday April 29, 2006
Exam IV Friday May 5, 2006
Final Exam Wed May 17, 2006 12:-200 PM

Homework: Reading assignments and questions in the back of the chapter will be given each week to help you keep up with the material. They will be collected in the conference sessions. You are strongly urged to do the assignments before the next class meeting in order for you to understand the ongoing discussions in the lectures. Keeping up with the assigned homework is of utmost importance in this class. You are sternly urged to start working on your homework early so that you have time to get help from me or a tutor when necessary. Being absent on the day that the assignment is made does not excuse you from turning in the homework on time. You should check with fellow classmates for announcements of homework and quizzes.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Attendance at each class and lab is essential. Please be on time. Students with a legitimate problem about attendance should discuss the situation with their instructor.

NOTE: The deadline for withdrawing from a course or changing to an audit for the Spring 2006 semester is April 19, 2006. Failure to officially withdraw from a class you have stopped attending may result in an "F" grade.

COURSE REPEAT POLICY

Policy on Repeated Courses, page 194 of the 2004-2006 CCBC catalog states, "Students may repeat a course only once without permission. When a student repeats a course, only the higher grade is computed into the Quality Point Average (QPA). All grades will remain on the student's transcript. Before a student is permitted to register for the course for a third time, the student must have the permission of the academic dean responsible for the course. Before a student may repeat a developmental course that he or she has failed twice, the student's record must be reviewed by a support team which will make recommendations regarding enrollment." Please note: The instructor does not have the authority to grant permission to register for a third attempt at the course.

DISABLED STUDENTS

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, CCBC is committed to providing an environment that is conducive to learning for all students. Any student who is disabled and requires special accommodation should contact the appropriate campus as follows:

Campus: Office: Room: Phone:
Catonsville Office of Disabilities Support Services K-200 410-455-4382
Dundalk Office of Career and Life Planning A-100 410-285-9774
Essex Office of Special Services A-210 410-780-6878

CODE OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

For the College to make its maximum contribution as an institution of high learning, the entire college community must uphold high standards of integrity, honesty, and ethical behavior. In seeking the truth, in learning to think critically, and in preparing for a life of constructive service, honesty is imperative. Each student has a responsibility to submit work that is uniquely his or her own, or to provide clear and complete acknowledgment of the use of work attributable to others. To these ends, the following actions are expected of students:

· Complete all work on exams without assistance.
· Follow the professor's instructions when completing all class assignments.
· Ask for clarification when instructions are not clear.
· Report to the instructor any unauthorized information related to an exam.
· Provide proper credit when quoting or paraphrasing.
· Submit only one's own work.

Students who do not accept responsibility for the integrity of their own work will experience sanctions, including a written reprimand, failure of the assignment, failure of the course, and/or dismissal from the program. For repeat and extreme offenses, the College reserves the right to suspend or expel students.

WRITING POLICY

The College recognizes that clear, correct, and concise use of language is characteristic of an educated person. Therefore, whenever possible, faculty members in all disciplines should require written assignments in their courses in order to encourage effective writing by their students. Also, instructors should consider the quality of writing in determining a grade for a written assignment. Poor writing can be a sufficient cause for a failing grade on a paper and, in extreme cases, a failing grade in a course.

INCLEMENT WEATHER/EMERGENCY CLOSING POLICY

In the event that the college (or a specific campus) opens late due to weather-related or other emergency conditions, classes will commence at the announced opening time and resume the normal schedule thereafter for the remainder of the day. Faculty, students, and classified staff should report to wherever they would normally have been at the announced opening time. **

Students and faculty engaged in field placement programs (such as internships, clinical placements, etc.) should discuss the handling of emergency situations at the beginning of the placement period. Both the requirements of the program and the safety of persons involved should be considered in planning a course of action in those cases where students are expected to report to off-campus locations.

** For example, if you had a class that began at 9:35 and the college opened at 10:00 because of snow, you would report to your 9:35 class at 10:00.

When the college closes because of severe weather or emergency conditions, announcements of class cancellations are made on local radio and television stations and the college website (www.ccbcmd.edu). Closings and delays will also be recorded on the campus weather lines:

Catonsville 410-455-4567
Dundalk 410-282-6700
Essex 410-780-6711

TUTORING SERVICES

Students are encouraged to seek help from their instructors whenever they encounter academic difficulty (either during scheduled office hours or by appointment). In addition, each campus offers free academic support services. For more information, contact:

Campus: Office: Room: Phone:
Catonsville Tutoring Services F-200 410-455-4420
Dundalk Tutoring Services CAR-530 410-285-9877
Essex Student Success Center A-307 410-780-6820

CIVILITY AND COMMUNITY BUILDING EXPECTATIONS
Creating a Culture of CARE©
(Compassion, Appreciation, Respect, Empowerment)

As members of the CCBC community of learners, we are expected to act with respect, honesty, responsibility and accountability. Each of us is expected to be aware of the impact our behavior has on the community. CCBC wishes to each learner to commit to the following actions:

o Become an active and engaged learner
o Celebrate the richness of our diversity
o Respect the campus and its code of conduct
o Practice empathy and compassion
o Promote the empowerment of others

MAJOR RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY POLICY

Students not attending class because they are observing major religious holidays shall be given the opportunity, to the maximum extent possible, to make up, within a reasonable amount of time, any academic work or tests they miss. Arrangements between the student and the faculty member(s) for the student to make up missed assignments or tests must be made in advance of the religious holiday, at the initiation of the student.

STUDENT E-MAIL ACCOUNTS

CCBC has joined the ranks of the very few community colleges in Maryland who provide email accounts to all credit students. Each student who is registered in credit classes now has an email account and up to 5 Mb of storage in their mail box. This account will not be deleted even if the student graduates or leaves CCBC for any reason.

For information about the system and how students can determine their email address, go the CCBC Home Page and click on "Student Email". From here students can find their email address, get to an on-line user manual and access instructions on how to forward the CCBC email to the system of choice (AOL, Comcast, Hot Mail, etc.)

How to Study: STUDY the assigned pages in your text! You are held responsible for all material within the assigned pages even if I don't go over it in the lecture. It is also important to read it before coming to lecture; otherwise you may find the lecture to be going too fast for you. Attend ALL lectures. Take notes in class. As soon as possible. Review your lecture notes and reread the appropriate pages in the text. Go over examples in the book yourself to see whether you can do them without help. Do the assigned homework before the next class meeting. Do NOT wait until the day before the exam. Just reading over examples and the solutions manual are of little value if you don't practice doing these problems yourself. Do related even-numbered problems from the text. Answers are provided at the back of the text. Make use of the Interactive CD that comes with your text if purchased new. The more problems you do, the better prepared you will be for your exams. After each exam has been graded and returned to you, go over it immediately and get help if necessary. Do NOT wait until the end of the semester. We will! L!! 1. Have time to review in class for the Final. Make use of e-mail to ask me questions. Most of the time you will get an answer within the same day or evening.
How to Get Help: You should catch me before or after class. If I feel you need more help than can be provided in a few minutes, we can arrange for a time to discuss it in my office. You do not need to call me every time you miss a lecture. Be sure to bring documented proof, such as a doctor's note, if you feel it necessary for you to be properly excused. Refer to page 1 of this syllabus on how to reach me by phone or bye-mail. If I receive a request for help via e-mail before 8 PM, it is possible that I can either e-mail you back or call you by phone within the same day. If you want me to call you, be sure to give me your phone number and a time when you can be reached.
If you miss a lecture, you should try to copy the notes from a classmate as soon as possible. If you need help understanding the lecture notes, arrange to see me and I will gladly help you with them. HOWEVER, your friend's notes are no substitute for your attendance in class!
Besides getting help from me, you can also make use of the tutors provided by CCBC. Students also find it useful to form "study groups" and help each other, but how useful this is depends on how honest you are to yourself It would be counterproductive if you are there only to copy answers.

Classroom Behavior: The goal of classroom activities is to provide the greatest educational benefit to all students. Class participants should expect and provide mutual respect and consideration in words and actions. Student behavior in class should not interfere with the rights of others or with the educational process. An instructor has the right to dismiss a student from class for behavior that he judges to be disruptive to the teaching and learning process.

Examples of proper behavior

• Students should arrive on time for class and remain in class for the entire session.
• Students should not engage in non-instructionally related conversations with other students during class.
• Students discussing class topics with another student during class should speak in a low
  volume, so that other students and the instructor are not distracted. Students should deactivate beepers and radios during class
• Students should not bring food into the lecture hall.
• Students should refrain from making loud noises such as yawning loudly
  

Cheating Policy: Any student observed to be cheating on an exam or quiz (obtaining aid from or providing aid to another student, possessing a "crib sheet," operating a programmable calculator in the program mode, etc.) will receive a grade of zero for that exam or quiz. There will be no warnings or "second chances." Any student observed cheating a second time will automatically receive a failing grade for the course.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE