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The proportions of the total grade to be
assigned to respective aspects of the course
are given in the table on the right. The total number
of points for the semester will be 500.
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| 80% | Four Mid-Term Exams (100 points each; 400 points total) |
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| 20% | Final Examination (100 points total) |
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| Notice that there is no homework in this course. (It's an experiment I'm trying. In the end I will compare the overall performance of this class to the class I taught last year to determine whether this was a good idea or not.) I will put problem sets on the web, and I will post answers to these problem sets outside my office. There will be evening sessions where these problem sets will be discussed, and I hope you will stop by my office and discuss them with me as well. But you will not turn them in; they will not be graded. |
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What I don't expect
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What I do expect
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You'll remember everything you learned in first-year chemistry.
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You'll learn everything on your own reading the book without my help.
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You're an artistic genious.
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You'll work on the aspects of first-year chemistry that you don't
feel comfortable with yet.
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You'll come prepared each day having at least looked over the material
in the chapter, ready to ask a question.
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You'll work through the problem sets even though they will not be collected.
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You'll make an effort to express yourself in pictures that represent
three-dimensional structures.
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What YOU should expect
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Organic chemistry is going to be a lot different from first-year
chemistry, focusing as it does on structure and reactivity
much more so than on quantitative calculation.
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Organic chemistry will build on first-year chemistry, especially
in the areas of energy and bonding. You might
want to look over your notes from last year relating to molecular orbitals
and how molecules absorb energy. We'll start right up with discussions
of enthalpy, entropy, and free energy.
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The subjects dealt with in organic chemistry are very strongly connected
logically and should make sense.
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A certain amount of memorization, especially at the beginning, is
unavoidable. When was the last time you used flash cards? Computer drills?
Played Brain Quest with your roommate?
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Do you play a musical instrument or sing? The best way to learn organic chemistry is precisely the same as the best way to learn how to sing or play an instrument: practice, practice,
practice. Don't expect to learn this stuff all at the last minute!
Take it piece by piece. See if you can build your own puzzle.
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I'll help you all I can. This is the only course I'm teaching; take
advantage of the fact that you are at St. Olaf and not the University
of Minnesota! My door is (almost) always open. Stop by. Introduce yourself.
I only ask that you not call me by phone at home; I'm usually online in the evening -- so email is better.
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