Course Content:

The lectures, the book, and the problems are complementary learning tools.  You are responsible for all of them.  The level of the lectures will be set assuming that you have done and understand the problems and the readings.  Everything on exams will at least have been touched on in lectures, but greater depth in a particular area may come from problems and readings.  Some homework problems will be placed directly on exams and others will be modified slightly.  This is intended to serve as a way to raise the grades of  those who have kept up and understood the homework.  You are encouraged to see me privately if  you begin having trouble with any of the material.  The best way to arrange this is to see me after class so we can talk or set up a conference.  I can be reached at my voice mail at my Altoona Campus office (814) 949-5752.  Sending e-mail to csr4@psu.edu is also possible but my email may not be checked everyday.

Text :

• McMurry, J., Organic Chemistry, 6th ed., 2004, Brooks/Cole Publisher (REQUIRED). ISBN 0-534-38999-6
• McMurry, S., Study Guide and Solutions Manual for McMurry's Organic Chemistry, 6th ed., 2004, Brooks/Cole Publisher (REQUIRED).  ISBN 0-534-40934-2
• Traynham, J.G., Organic Nomenclature: A Programmed Introduction, 5th ed, 1997, Prentice Hall Publisher (STRONGLY RECOMMENDED).  ISBN 0-13-270752-7

Models:  A molecular model set is REQUIRED.

Attendance:

University regulations state that a student should attend every scheduled class (Policies and Rules for Students section 42-27).  Frequent absence from class in unacceptable.  If you miss a class it is your responsibility to determine what material, announcements, handouts, graded papers, etc., were missed due to your absence.  There will be no make-ups for missed lectures.  You should arrange for one of your classmates to hold returned papers in the event you are absent when papers are returned.  I do not assume responsibility for holding papers if you are not there to pick them up, or have not made arrangements for someone else to pick them up.  I will, of course, try to hold unclaimed papers for a few days.

Office Hours:  Will be announced in class and posted outside my office door.

Homework:

Homework assignments are given in the schedule.  You will be expected to work ALL problems possible in the book no matter if assigned or not.  You are not required to turn in the assignment and consequently a homework score does not contribute directly to the course grade.  You should work out the suggested problems and exercises, since they are typical of what you are expected to master and handle with ease.  Also, problems form the homework assignments are regularly selected for inclusion on the exams.  If you have questions about the homework, you should raise questions in class or see me outside of class and seek help.

Grading for the course will be based on three evening examinations, a final examination, and a maximum of 10 quiz grades.  There will be NO extra credit assignments and NO CURVE.  The exact procedure for computing the final course grade is described later.

There will be three examinations and a final examination.  The dates of these examinations are given in the attached assignment schedule.  The topics covered on the exams will be announced in advanced.  Make-up examinations will be given only if I have prior notice with a justifiable and documented cause (illness or family emergency).  A single make-up examination will be provided near the end of the semester and will cover the material of all three examinations and will NOT have any multiple choice questions.  Individual make-up examinations following each examination will not be provided.  Rules for deferred grades are determined by the Registrar.

Quizzes:

You must SIGN AND PRINT your name on the first page with your ID number in order to get credit for taking the quiz.

Computing the Course Grade:

The three examinations will average as 50% and the final examination will count as 30% of your final grade for a total of 80%.  The average quiz grade will count as 20% of  your final grade.  The grade scale is as follows.

               Percentage  Grade
                     90 or more     A
                     85 or more     A-
                     83 or more     B+
                     80 or more     B
                     77 or more     B-
                     75 or more     C+
                     70 or more     C
                     60 or more     D
                     Less than 60  F

Dropping the Course:

Contact the Office of the Registrar.  No course can be dropped after the end of the drop period.  This date, and your final exam time and date, as well as other useful information is  always appended to the copy of course offerings for any semester.  This usually occurs just before or just after the THIRD scheduled examination in this course (This semester, the third exam is scheduled before the last day to drop).  Caution! in dropping courses is advised because of a maximum (during your entire PSU tenure) allowed number of credits you may drop between the end of the "free" drop period until the end of the allowed drop period (when you have to pay to drop).

Academic Integrity:

Instructors are asked (Senate Rule 49-20) to provide at the beginning of the course a statement to "clarify the application of academic integrity to that course."  The Senate Rule includes the following:  "Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating. plagiarizing, fabrication of information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tempering with the academic work of other students."

Consequences of Academic Dishonesty:

 You should also be aware of the extensive parts of the Rule that describe procedures for handling alleged instanced of academic dishonesty.  Specific instances of academic dishonesty in this course would include (but not be limited to) copying or helping someone else copy during an examination, using unauthorized materials during an examination, stealing or destroying course materials or another student's examination for you, and attempting to do any of the above.  The decision concerning the severity of an infraction of academic dishonesty is made by the instructor.  The penalty for academic dishonesty in less serious cases consists of a failing grade for the work or test where this misconduct occurred.  The penalties for more serious cases of dishonesty (including automatic failure for the course, probation, suspension or expulsion from the University), and formal due process procedures are available for the student and faculty involved.

Scheduled Classes Not Met:

In Extraordinary circumstances (which have occurred from time to time in the past, and which will occur from time to time in the future), when classes are missed due to reasons  other than instructor illness, power failures, weather, and the like, in which the missed classes  are not made up), missed classes will be rescheduled if possible, in conjunction with the Office of the Registrar.  Any such rearranging and rescheduling would be announced in class so that appropriate arrangement could be made by all.

Links you may find useful in your studies

• Penn State UP Chem 38 homepage - Has some useful information and sample quizzes and exams.
• Chem TV
• MSDS - Material Safety Data Sheets - Fisher Scientific.
• ChemFinder.com - Chemical and Physical properties, MSDS, and other information.
• SDBS - Integrated Spectral Data Base System for Organic Compounds.

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Copyright © 2000, Last modified: 5/17/05
Carey S. Reed, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
127C Smith Building, 3000 Ivyside Park, Altoona, PA 16601
Phone: (814) 949-5752; E-mail: csr4@psu.edu