Conrad N. Trumbore University of Delaware Newark, Delaware 1971 I
A Chemistry Course for Nonscience Majors Based upon Student Concerns
In recent years, many faculty members have altered the traditional format of the nonscience majors' chemistry course by adding "relevent" problems, subject material, and laboratory exercises to their courses (1-4). Many have abandoned certain underlying assumptions of the standard pedagogical approach in teaching chemistry and have urged the adoption of approaches which emphasize the exposure to the scientific method, to thought patterns of the scientist, and to the relationships between chemistry and the real world as the student views it (5-10). New texts written for the nonscience major (11-21). in addition to emphasizing the relationship between environmental issues and chemistry (11, 13, 14, 171, are beginning to take a more philosophical and interdisciplinary approach (15, 16, 18-21). Paperbacks are also becoming available to supplement these new approaches (22, 23). One of the complaints of the nonscience major in college is that he or she is forced to fulfill a science requirement. It should be of great concern to the science teaching profession if, after the student has taken such a required course, the rationale still has not been made clear by the instructor. In an attempt to prevent this by combining very early student input with consideration of subjects of real concern to the students in this particular course, the following general objectives were formulated for C100, "Chemistry and the Human Environment," a three credit, one semester experimental course for freshman and sophomore nonscieuce majors. 1) To provide a better understanding of the helpful roles which the discipline of chemistry has played and can play in human
affairs in the future. 2) To demonstrate the difference between chemical technology
and the science of chemistry. 3) To demonstrate some of the costs and the benefits of chemical technology, applied and fundamental chemical research. 4) To show that the science of chemistry is or should be as much a part of man's culture as is art or the theater, and that it provides an added dimension, rather than alternative view of the world. 5) To develop an understanding and appreciation for the methods, rational and nonrational, of the chemist and to show the which the chemist builds into his prae. checks and tice of science because of his human nature. 6 ) T~ put in perspective that chemical knowledgewhich ap. pears to be on truly sound foundations (and that which is not!) and to show how close some of the forefronts of research
450 / Journalof ChemicalEducation
are to the student's area of knowledge. I ) To demonstrate and discuss some of the moral and ethical problems which arise in connection with chemical discoveries. Having set these goals, the author requested that the
ClOO students themselves decide on the vehicles for attaining these goals. Since the major motivating force for most students appears to be relating subject matter to their everyday life experiences, it was decided to ask each student entering ClOO to list those five areas which he thought were the most important problem areas facing himself either as an individual or as a member of a larger human community. Based upon the written replies to this survey, ClOO was taught as a challenge to the instructor a s well as the class to demonstrate the ways in which chemistry is related to a number of the problem areas chosen most frequently by the class. The areas chosen by the students (as classified and interpreted by the instructor) were, in order of preference: airlwater pollution; world population problems; poverty, crime, and drugs; war and peace. The author, through experience gained in a previous course, had prepared for this experiment by anticipating most of the above areas and had already assembled chemically related background material (241 for himself and the class prior to the commencement of the course. Since the majority of the students had not had college chemistry, the first order of business was to find an appropriate vehicle to introduce the fundamental concepts of chemistry. According to the ground rules, fundamental principles would be introduced in class only on a "need to know" basis and only in as much detail as would allow a reasonably intelligent grasp of chemistry's role in the social problem. Since air pollution had been the most oftenmentioned topic, a detailed discussion of it was initiated in which the concepts of atoms, molecules, chemical bonding, structure, and reactivity were introduced as they applied to the problems of air pollution. While these chemicallv based air and. subseauentlv. .. water pollution discussions continued, the class of about students was split into the three remaining interest groups. In each of these groups, there was a deliberate effort to state (carefully) the sociological problem and then move toward the chemistry related to that area. In these groups, free use was made of faculty colleagues, who were almost unanimous in their eagerness to participate.
In the Population Problems group, for example, liberal use was made of a socioloeist collearme who had written position papers for a national political candidate on this subject. Natural subiects for this n o u p were the chemical foundations of the-genetics which -made possible the "green revolution" as well as chemistry of the pill and related topics. These subjects offered the opportunity to introduce certain aspects of biochemistry and organic chemistry. In the War and Peace group, a political scientist related the role chemistry, among other sciences; played in the making of foreign policy. A former systems analyst for a defense and aerospace industry demonstrated the systems approach to chemistry and military matters. The nuclear and radiochemistry associated with thermonuclear weapons and chemical and bioloeical weapons also were discussed. The most successful~groupwas the Poverty, Crime, and Drugs moup in which a political scientist doing work in a nearbyghetto area reviewed the social and economic bases of poverty. The Chairman of the Sociology Department save. - . amone other subiects. a survev of recent develooments in the nmtroverry over the chromosome theorv of rriminal~tv.His discountine of chemlcal effects of air pollution on inner city residents led to a vigorous exchange of ideas on the effects of heavy metals on behavior. An M.D. toxicologist from the State Medical Examiner's office gave a chemically oriented talk on drugs, their chemical detection, and on synergistic reactions between drugs. A high point for the students was a talk by a psychology colleague on the role of chemicals such, as adrenalin and noradrenalin in aggressive animal behavior. In all of the groups, the author's role was to fill in the gaps, provide transitional material, and tie up the lectures into a unified package. During the last eight weeks of class, each student was expected to take up a special topic of his own choosing relating an urgent social problem quite specifically to detailed chemistry. The instructor, previous class consultants and speakers, and an undergraduate senior biochemical major helped guide students, through personal conferences and frequent progress reports, to the chemical and sociological literature (25). The three subjects chosen most often for these papers were: Chemistry of Aggression, Chemistry and the Pill; and Solid Waste Disposal. In addition to the grade for the special project, the students were given a test on quantitative and qualitative aspects of the material covered in the air pollution section of the course. Students who did poorly on the test or were marginal participants were encouraged either to drop the course or do extra work on the special project. While students were working on these projects, the author gave a series of lectures and led discussions on chemical origin of life theories which led to the showing of a popular film on the assembly of proteins 1261, labeled as an excellent example of chemistry's contribution to modern dance. Some other subjects covered in this section of the course included: entropy and the energy crisis; the amoralitv of chemical science versus the possible immorality of chemical technology; the funding of, importance of, and differences between fundamental and applied chemical research. The major problems encountered with the course format were: not as much class participation in the smaller group sessions as anticipated; lack of time to go into as much chemical detail as desired by the instructor and into as much depth as desired in any single social problem; students' schedules were too full to go into great depth in any of the class activities-participation was the minimum to achieve the desired grade. Some advantages of the format were: the obvious interest level attained by remaining close to the students' interests; the special project allowing individuals to get a guided exploration into an area which they could not or would not have in-
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vestigated by themselves; the enthusiasm of students and faculty for the interdisciplinary lectures; the overcoming of inherent feelines of iniecuritv of manv students reeardl ing their ability to understand chemistry (or science in eeneral): far more personal contact hv the instructor with students; conducting the class in a manner which personalizes rather than depersonalizes the educational process. The course was vdry well received by all who participated in the entire experiment. This type of format is timeconsuming in terms of background ¶tion as well as administrative details of scheduling lectures, counseling students, etc. However, the rewards-of the higher interest level weregreater than thesacrificesoftime. Some chemistry colleagues worried that scientific rigor was lost in such an approach. The author was far more concerned with the students gaining an understanding of the structure and relationship of chemistry uis a uis the students' world than with chemical training per se. However, it remains to be seen whether or not the Dercentaee - retention of the smaller amount of chemical material covered was higher than in the standard format because of the more familiar context of the learning process. It is the belief of the author that the chemist (or scientist) must take the initiative in courses of this type and develop stronger teaching ties with his academic colleagues in the social sciences and the humanities so that the traditional academic disciplinary walls are broken down. as thev must be.. to prepare students to live in a . modern, inte;disciplinary world. The same type of reasoning.applies to the academiclindustrial interface. .. It is unfortunate that it is as late as a student's senior year when he or she begins to comprehend dimly the interrelationships between his many rigid disciplinary courses. In the opinion of the author, more experiments of this nature need to be carried out a t the freshman level.
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Lllerature Cited
lis. 1972. (121 Jones, M. M.. Nettewille. J. T.. Johnston. D.
0.. and Wmd, J. L.. "Chemilry, ManandSaicfy." W.B. SaundersCo..Philadelphia. 1972. I131 Giddings. J. C.. "Chemistry, Man and Environmental Change," Canhld Press. San Franeiro. 1973. (14) Pryde. L. T.."Environmental Chemistry.ll Cumminpr. Menlo Park, California. so,.?
115) MacDonald. M. M.. and R. E. Davis. "Chemistry and Society." Willard Grant Press. Barton. 1972. (16) khubert. L. S.. and Veeuilla-Bcrdmia. L. A,, 'Chemisrry snd Sociely,"Allyn end Bacon. Boston. 1972. (171 Stoker. H. S., and Spagar. S. L., "Enuimnmontal Chemistry: Air and Water Pallution." kott-Foreman & Co.. Glonville. Illinair, 1972. (18) Staker. S. L., and Seager. S. L.. "Chemistry: A Scienea for Today." Scott-Foresman and Co.. Glenview, Illinois, 1973. 1191 and Imolication." Academic Pren. Inc.. . . Sehwanz. A. T.. "Chemistrv: - Imaeination . NWY& i i 3 . (201 Andrew. A. H.. "Chomirtrv: A Humanistic View," MeGraw-Hill Baok Co.. New York. 1971. ?PI) Kiefte,. W. F.. ."Chemistry: A Cultursl Appmsch." Harper & Row. New York. ~~
1971.
L.. McClurc. W. 0.. and Bmvn. T. L.. "Wednesday Night at the Lab." H a w r and Row, New York. 1973. science;'~ r m t i e e - ~~~n ~g ~i s,w , d cliffs. In] ~ ~ i ~ dM. i w.. ~ ~" mde ~conduct ~ . New J e r w , 1912. (241 Most of tho materials w r e "tearout r h e t s " mllected over a period of years fmm Seimce, Charniraf ond Engineering Newr, and C h ~ r n ~ r tmagazines, m as well as pamphlets, newspaper clippings, efe.. arranged according ta s o b k t in folderr madeavailableto studenfa. (251 A great deal of help in this part of the couxre -re: la) the yearly bibliography. "Science hr Society," AAAS Commission an Science Education, AAAS. Ib) science Reprints, AAAS reprints. Oepsnment RA. 1515 Mass. Avenue. N.W., Warhin@m. DC.. 2WOS (cl Collections of readings fmm Snmtiiir Amencan entitled "Gonerai ChemieUy" and 'Fhemistry in the Envuonment." W . Fman & Co.. San Frsnciseo. 1974. (dl "Environmental Ronource Packets." available Depanmenf af Physics and ~ s t r o n o m y ,University of Maryland. Colleze Park. Maryland 20740. (261 "A Pmtein Primer." The Scnms Bureau. University of Californis, San Diego I221 Rinehart. K.
1-M-993191.
Volume 52, Number 7, July 1975 / 451
