CHEM 2B Organic and Biochemistry

Fall 2008

Office Hours "Student Help Hours"

Phone: 386-6676

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS Course Text: Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry by Bettlelheim, Brown, Campbell, and Farrell 6th Edition. Lecture outlines and study guides are also available on our course webpage. Lab Manual: Introductory Organic and Biochemistry Laboratory Manual by Olsen and supplemental notes from our class webpage. Note: you must check the website weekly, prior to lab. Supplies:

COURSE RATIONALE : CHEM 2B is an introductory course directed primarily at individuals who are interested in a basic overview of organic and biochemistry. The function of this course is to give the student an opportunity to develop a solid foundation in terminology, nomenclature, reactions and integrative concepts of organic and biochemistry. The student will learn the practical applications of such knowledge in the fields of health science and technology. In addition this course can help each of us understand and appreciate the chemical nature of the world in which we live. As the instructor, I will dedicate my time and energy to guide your journey into the world of chemistry. The most important requirement for this course is your personal commitment of time and energy. ATTENDANCE and LATE POLICY Attendance is expected in every lecture and laboratory session. It is expected that you will attend all lectures. Experience has shown that those that attend all lectures and participate in class discussions have a much better chance of succeeding in the class. You must attend the first day of class. When you miss more than 3 hours of lecture I reserve the right to drop you from class according to school policy. If you must be absent, you are still responsible for the material covered in lecture. Remember you must be present to take the quizzes and tests. If you must miss a lecture, it is your responsibility to contact me and it is your responsibility to get notes from a classmate. NO make-up will be given for ANY test or quiz. Other assignments that are missed can only be made up if the instructor is contacted and arrangements are made prior to your absence. You may turn in assignments early if you anticipate an absence. LECTURE: The purpose of lecture is to familiarize the student with the basic principles involved in organic and biochemistry. It is expected that you will come to lecture having read the chapter and having attempted at least some of the homework problems. If you are having difficulties with homework problems, please ask me for assistance. All students are required to demonstrate good citizenship within the lecture class. Be considerate of your fellow classmates and the instructor. For example, there are to be no pagers, cell phones, or beepers on during class. If you must leave your cell phone or pager on for emergency reasons, then set them to the silent mode so you won’t disturb the class. If you receive a call during lecture, quietly go outside to complete your call. You also need to control side conversations during the lecture session. Our classroom is a learning environment and I encourage questions and sidelines when they are directly related to organic or biochemistry. Many of our lectures are discussion oriented and therefore require your participation in a conscientious manner. During the semester we will cover chapters 1-10, 12-15, and 17-20, some in great depth and others only in part. The pace of the lecture is fast and students are required to come to class prepared by reading ahead.

HOMEWORK: The homework is assigned to give you experience working problems similar to those that will be on the quizzes and tests. Assignments will be completed and maintained on college ruled paper with clean edges and will be turned in when requested. Additional problems from each chapter may be assigned. Homework and memorization for this course is extensive but crucial to your success. You should aim to complete as many of these assignments as you can. Experience has shown that the more homework problems that YOU can work correctly, the better your grade will be in the course. Homework will be collected at the end of a section on test day. Study groups are encouraged but you must be able to do the problems yourself. Do not copy your classmates’ homework!

ORAL PRESENTATION: A five minute oral presentation on a current topic in biochemistry is required for this course. In the event you miss your scheduled presentation for any reason you will be assessed a 10 point deduction, or 20 percent. The only way to prevent this is by giving me immediate notification of legitimate and serious excuse along with documentation. Serious excuses include: hospitalization, incarceration, and death. If your computer or printer malfunctions I do not consider that to be a legitimate excuse. Please plan ahead and be prepared.

LABS: You are responsible for all of the lab assignments. You must come to lab prepared, by reading and outlining lab instructions as necessary. Working nicely with others is a requirement for lab. Critical thinking, careful attention to instructions, and a positive attitude, will help students be successful in the lab. Lab reports turned in late will be assessed a late penalty of 10%. Lab reports will be due within one week of completing an experiment or when the teacher requests them. Extremely late reports (more than one week from posted deadline) will not be accepted for grading and you will receive a zero. You can only make up a lab in the week it is scheduled. For example if you are enrolled in the Tuesday lab and miss lab you must come to lab Thursday the same week. Students must earn a minimum of 55% in lab in order to pass the course. It is difficult if not impossible to succeed in this class when you are absent more than twice.

ACADEMIC HONESTY: It is expected that each student will submit only the work that they have actually performed. Our policy for students that cheat is very simple. If you are caught cheating on a homework assignment, a test, a quiz or a lab report you will receive a zero for that assignment and the assignment in question will be used in determining your grade. This may result in a decrease in your final grade. If there is a second instance of cheating, the student will be reported to the administration for appropriate additional disciplining. According to our academic honesty policy cheating includes but is not limited to: copying work for any assignment or allowing someone to copy from you, talking during a quiz or test, or using unauthorized notes during a test. We will cover this in detail in class. Test days are highly regulated. DO NOT BRING UNNECESSARY ITEMS ON TEST DAY. You will be asked to leave anything other than a pencil, eraser, calculator, Scantron and periodic table at the front of the class. If you do not feel comfortable leaving your personal items at the front then remember to leave them at home or in your car on test days.

**EITHER AN EXAM OR A QUIZ WILL BE GIVEN MOST WEEKS IN LECTURE.