Three hours lecture per week. This course will explore the underlying causes of the current environmental sustainability crises, using lectures, case studies and recitation to explore and to understand the human impact on the Earths environment and the sustainability of human culture. The student will comprehend the causes and the extent of the unsustainable use of earths resources and the danger of the collapse of the planets environmental support systems. Topics will include: the exponential function as it applies to human population growth and resource use; the economic and political causes of the sustainability crisis; resource use and depletion; human population dynamics; the transition from fossil fuel energy to renewable energy; feeding a hungry world; climate disturbance (causes, mitigation and adaptation); denial of human impacts on the environment; and steps towards an environmentally sustainable human society. Prerequisite: 101 or BIOL 160 and 161.

Courses on topics of interest to chemistry students offered on the basis of need, interest, or timeliness. Prerequisites as determined by the instructor. Restricted to students with junior standing or higher. May be repeated for credit. For specific section description, click to the Section Details in VitNet.

Non-classroom experiences in the field of chemistry. Placements are off-campus, and may be full- or part-time, and with or without pay. Credit for experiences must be sought prior to occurance, and learning contracts must be submitted before the end of the first week of the semester. See the experiential learning: internship section of this catalog for more details. Restricted to students with junior standing or higher. Graded CR/NC.

Independent reading and/or research under the guidance of a chemistry faculty member. Refer to the academic policy section for independent study policy. Independent study contract is required. May be repeated for credit.

Three hours of lecture/four hours of lab per week. This course will explore the roles of essential biological molecules and seeks to analyze the structures, properties, and functions of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids while providing a biological application of general and organic chemistry principles. Students will explore the structure of proteins, their function, their binding properties and the methodologies for the purification and characterization of proteins. Enzymes and their kinetics will also be investigated and placed into a metabolic pathway context where thermodynamic and regulatory perspectives will be studied. This course provides the linkage between the inanimate world of chemistry and the living world of biology. Restricted to chemistry majors. Prerequisites: grade of C or higher in 240 and BIOL 160. (Equal to BIOL 370)

Three hours lecture per week. Fundamental chemical processes of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and anthrosphere. Topics include biogeochemical cycles, smog formation, global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, air pollution, acid rain, groundwater and soil pollution, deforestation, wastewater treatment, genetically modified crops, and other social environmental concerns. Prerequisite: 240.

Four hours lab per week. This laboratory component to CHEM 372 will reinforce and enhance certain lecture topics, including air, water, soil, and computer modeling studies. Spectroscopic and chromatographic analyses will be performed. Must be taken concurrently with CHEM 372.

Three lecture/discussion per week. The major goal of the course is to write and present a research proposal by identifying a problem, completing a literature review of that topic, and designing an experiment. The student will also learn the methods and expectations for appropriate behavior in the conduct of scientific research: developing a question, conducting a literature search, developing a bibliography, understanding the fundamentals of safety in a research setting, ethical behavior, plagiarism, and writing and presenting a research proposal. Prerequisite: C or higher in 240. (Equal to BIOL 397) IL

In the field of science, objectivity, facts, and data are core to our identity as scientists. However, in our current cultural context there is a growing claim that all knowledge is biased and influenced by a myriad of overt and covert agendas. While a minority of people in our current culture maliciously use information as means to change or control others (with no regard for what actually is true), many have long in good faith questioned whether true objectivity is even possible. Therefore, if subjectivity and bias does enter the way we think, the way we create our experiments, the way we process our data, and the implications of our conclusions, it is important to reflect on how we can become more aware of our own tendencies and make choices that limit the impact of those biases. This seminar-styled course will explore this issue through various readings, case studies and structured reflections. We will also engage with the Tan Science Symposium as part of this course as a place to learn more about these issues, apply our learning and work to have science contribute to the common good. Prerequisite: 210.

Three hours of lecture per week. Topics relating to the chemistry of metabolic processes in living organisms. Emphasis on analysis of key concepts in the field with reference to classical papers and recent literature. Prerequisite: 370.