Chemistry 232

Section 02

Spring 2008

 


S. Murphree (smurphre@allegheny.edu)
C.215 Doane Hall of Chemistry
332-5358

Office Hours: MTuThF 11 am - noon, W 1 - 2 pm, Th 8:30 - 9:30 pm and by appt

 

 

 



Assignments

Text: Organic Chemistry, Vollhardt & Schore, 5th ed. (2007)

The Honor Code is in effect for all assignments, quizzes, and exams.

 

 

 

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory for all classes, workshops, quizzes, and exams. Please be on time. The only absences which will be excused are in the case of: a) personal or family emergency, b) serious illness, or c) direct conflict with sports participation on a varsity team. For such absences not to count against your attendance record, please arrange for the proper documentation (memo or e-mail) to be delivered to me by a) the Dean of Students Office, b) the Health Center or your personal physician, or c) your coach, respectively. Please keep in mind that it is your responsibility to provide documentation, and that only the abovementioned sources will suffice. Please do not submit documentation by e-mail.

A record of attendance is kept using the PRS system at the beginning of class, or with a sign-in sheet passed around at the beginning of class. In either event, make sure you are properly registered each day.
 

Readings

Your text is a valuable resource. You are responsible for all the material in the readings, even the details that might not show up in the lecture or workshops. If you don’t understand something in the assigned reading, then it is your responsibility to clear up the confusion, either by raising the question in class or stopping in during office hours. You should do the reading before the lecture covering it.
 

Homework

All homework problems must be kept in a sewn-bound journal (no spiral-bound, no three-ring binder, no loose leaf). No other notes are to be kept in this journal (you may keep workshop notes separately by whatever method you prefer). Each problem set should be completed as the topic is covered in lecture. Bring the journals to all lectures and workshop sessions, as they will be called in on occasion—they are due at that time. If any of these guidelines are not kept, please expect the grade to reflect it.
 

Exams

Exams and quizzes will be administered at the announced times; no make-ups will be given; no delays will be granted. Extenuating circumstances may warrant taking an exam early, but this requires sufficient substantiation. If you miss a test due to serious illness, it is your responsibility to provide documentation from your physician or the Health Center. Without documentation, a grade of zero will be recorded. Please clear up any questions about the corrected exams directly after they are returned-the reading period is not the time to review Exam 1 for the first time!
 

Workshops

The workshops are designed to develop problem-solving skills necessary in any scientific discipline. They are also excellent opportunities to prepare for the exams and the final. Open-minded, active participation is expected. These workshops are integral to the course, and your contribution will be factored into the overall grade (vide infra). For proper credit, you must attend the workshop group to which you have been assigned.
 

Withdrawal

The last day to withdraw from the class without penalty is Tuesday, 19 February. After that deadline, dropping the class will result in a failing grade. Please take this to heart.
 

Credit/No Credit

Please be aware that declaring the class credit/no credit confers no benefits in grading—a failing grade is a failing grade. In other words, an overall average of 59.4% will still receive a grade of NC.
 

Grading

The final grade will be computed on the following basis (no curves!):
30%                Two hourly exams @ 15% each
10%                Average of two 15-minute quizzes
20%                Take-home spectroscopy exam + in-class quiz
15%                (incl. Journal, Workshop, and PRS)
25%                Final Exam

 

A

A-

B+

B

B-

C+

C

C-

D+

D

F

 

100-93

92-90

89-87

86-83

82-80

79-77

76-73

72-70

69-67

66-60

< 60