A Generalist Chemistry Major for Liberal Arts and Science Degrees Richard J. Bearman and Richard A. Russell University of New South Wales, University College, Australian Defence Force Academy. Campbell'ACT 2600. Australia The purpose of this article is to describe a novel chemistry major developed by this department. As a preliminary, i t is necessary to describe the institution to which we belong. University College is located in the national capital of Canberra at the Australian Defence Force Academy as a remote branchof the Sydney-based University of New South Wales. Opened in 1986,i t is a university campus whose uudergraduates are almost entirely Officer Cadets of the three armed services, about 1,000 in numher, hut with normal graduate programs and research facilities. At the undergraduate level, our brief is to provide a "halanced and liberal" education to the Officer Cadets. In America, a liberal education a t a university is not uncommon, but in Australia degree programs tend to be specialized from the outset, perhaps because the normal arts or science degree is of three years duration.' It therefore was an interesting problem to adapt Australian academic structures to a liberal course. A common set of rules was established for theBA and BSc degrees. T o achieve a degree, a student must accumulate a minimum of 66 credit points, which are obtained by passing subjects (for example, an ordinary year-long general chemistry suhject is worth 6 credit points), which may be subdivided into units. T o obtain 66 points over three years, a typical student completes a major in a discipline within his degree ~ t r e a m , ~ two suhmajors in any two disciplines (hut not in the major discipline), and two miscellaneous subjects. A major consists of a first-year subject, a second-year suhject and a third-year suhject. The suhmajors each consist of a first-year subject and a second-year subject. Thus this typical student studies to third-year level in one discipline and to second-year level in two others, achieving both breadth and depth of knowledge. Less typically, students can major and suhmajor in the same discipline (a majorlsuhmajor). Such specialization is discouraged, however, through the requirement of heavier loads. In constructing the rules, therefore, depth and breadth of study were both emphasized, hut i t was felt that breadth is more important to a liberal degree than intensive concentration in a single area. T o implement the rules, most disciplines offer a t least two distinct majors, an A major and a B major, usually with common first years. Within chemistry, the table gives the organization by year of subjects in terms of credit points and hours per week. Chemistry 1,Chemistry 2A, and Chemistry 3A compose the Amajor stream. Chemistry 1,Chemistry 2B, Chemistry 3B make up the alternative B major stream. All five subjects produce a major/submajor in chemistry. In constructing the two major streams, we have reconsidered the rationale behind the ordinary chemistry course. The ordinary chemistry major, Australian or American, consists of one year of general chemistry followed mostly by study in the subdisciplines of analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry. I t is certainly true that studying along these usual lines is good preparation for the intense specialization demanded of professional chemists hy the information explosion of recent decades. I t glves a systematic introduction to the fundamental areas of chemistry and provides insight into the widely varying modes of thought of different kinds of specialists. However, the usual curriculum
Subject Organlzatlon for Chemistry Subjects by Year Chemlrhv 1
Credit Points Hours Per Week
Chemishv 3.
6
8
12
3 4
4 4 51
5 6 52
Lecture
Laboratory Tutorial
Chemistw 2*
in rnistablechemi~try 2 referstoslmer Chemistry 2A arzsardChemisby3refsnto
slwr Chemistry 3 A a 38.
tends to compartmentalize thinking at a time when historical, and often artificial, barriers are breaking down between discivlines. There is need for chemistry graduates who are gene;&rs, not wedded to the old wa),sof rhinking. Such eeneralistsrould contriute rationally tocurrent dehatesconcerning chemical matters, and yet need not be employed in the chemical profession. They could help ameliorate the problem that chemical understanding is thinly spread in the community, which is detrimental t o the subject, the profession. and even . ..~, .~ - -societv ~ ~itself. There are cogent arguments, therefore, for both the tradit,ionnlmaior a new~ kindof eeneralist maior. With two .-.--~ - and ~for~ ~ , ~ major streams at our disposal, we can have each type. Hence, we set out to develon for the A maior stream a new generalist major, especially designed for d e n t s in a liberal education oroeram who will not become ~rofessionalchemists or prackciig scientists. The B majorstream would remain a traditional major for those students who prefer the usual approach for any reason. ~
~
~~
~
The New Generalld Chemistry Currlculum
In developing the generalist curriculum, we felt hound by several constraints. Firstly, the content of the first-year subject has to be standard in order to accommodate the relatively large number of students transferring into and out of the college during the first year. Secondly, some effort has to be made to provide the generalist student with a background
'
Until recently. most high school students did not proceed past 10th grade, and the 11th and 12th grades were spent in intensive preparation for university. This preparation, coupled with enrollment in only a narrow range of subjects, enabled the completion of three year university chemistry majors comparable to those of four-year American degrees. Social and economic changes have now demanded that more high school students complete 12th grade, as "preparation for life" as well as for tertiary studies. This is undoubtedly weakening degree standards. Eligibility for entrance into graduate studies is attained by better students through completion of a fourth year, which leads to an honor's degree. Hence. for these purposes. the duration of the Australian and American degrees are the same. These considerations relate to course details, but do not affect the thrust of the present paper. For the BSc the disciplines are chemistry, oceanography, and physics. For the BA the disciplines are English, economics and management, history, and politics. The disciplines computer science, geography, and mathematics belong in both degree streams.
Volume 64
Number 8 August 1987
703
that might prove useful in his employment in the armed services, but care has to be taken not to compromise the academic integrity and the educational validity of the course. Thirdly, even thouah they are not presented in a cwnpartmentaii7ed rontext, the contributio& of analytiral, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry should he weighted roughly equally to reflect actual divisions uf approach to rhemicnl thinkmy and reasoning. Fourthly, students have to he of Iearnine the subiect matter. the staff has to be - - rnoahle ~-~ capable of actually teaching it, and no cokpulsory topic can denend solelv on the exnertise of a oarticular individual. ~ i k h lthe ~ ,generalist co&e must he iroad in scope, educationallv sound. and as intellectuallv demandina as the traditional rourse A grnerali3t graduate should have a different barkenund. but should be no less chemicnllv. aualified than . the tradionalist graduate. Keeping these constraints in mind, the department sought out principles that every chemistry major should know, and a context for them, within the world about us, which our students would find understandable and useful, and we could teach. \Ye decided that students who really mastered a first-year sul~iectwould have sut'iirient knowledge of the systematirs a~~-~~~ n d loeical develonment of chemistrv. Given the constraint that the content o> the first-year general chemistry suhject must be traditional. we looked for a teachine avoroach that .. grade implied considerable mastery. assured that a T o this end, we adopted a self-paced teaching approach for first year in which 40-minute tests must he passed in each of 27 modules to pass the suhject. This demands a uniformity of knowledge of the first-year material not ordinarily attained in the process of studying for only a few important examinations during the year: For the second and third years, we decided on a curriculum that emphasizes the chemistry of natural substances and artificial materials, and the chemistry of phenomena relating to these substances and materials. In other words, we reversed the usual approach in which principles are developed and examples are chosen to illustrate them. In our approach, the principles arise in the context of explaining chemical materials and nhenomena. It cannot be too stronaIy stressed, however, that the applications are only vehicles for civine a hroad educational barkcround in chemistry. I n this, our approach differs from that of applied chemistry courses where the focus of attention is on narrow applications as a means of training technicians or professional staff. The final topics chosen are the core units Biological Chemistry, Chemistry of Combustion and Explosives, Chemistry of the Earth, Electroanalytical Chemistry, Electrochemical Processes and Devices, Fuel Chemistry, Metals, Polymers, Purification and Separation, Radiochemistry, and Snectrometric Methods of Structure Determination. togethe; with two short topics that reflect special interests of departmental staff. Marine Chemistry 2, also taught as a n option of the Oceanography course, can be substituted for Chemistrv of the Earth 2. T h e units on Purification and Separation and on Spectrometric Methods have been included because the importance of these laboratory techniques suggests that students need a n overview not provided in the other topics. Our choice of topics is not unique, but it is certainly of sufficient breadth, and meets all of the constraints imposed on the course. The emphasis on analytical chemistry,-fuel chemistry, and polym&s is in conformity with the results of discussions held in visitations to military establishments. It is entirely possible, however, that we would have evolved the same course without those discussions. T h e unit on combustion and exolosives was our own idea. I t contains some very worthwhile chemistry, and students are always attracted by the thought of loud bangs. We believe that our curriculum could be used in any institution3 which wished to use our a . ~.v r o a c hand , we aive the syllabus in the next sectiom4 L~~~~~~~
~
~
~~
-~~
"
~
.
~~
- -
704
Journal of Chemical Education
Syllabus for the Generallsl Course Chemistry 2A (Prerequisite: Chemistry 1) Biolo~irulChcmidr) YrLectures 15 hours]. I n thisunit, meulbolic proce,ae&in lir ing urganisms are examined at the molecular level. Aspects of mechanisticand structural organic and inorganic chemistry are developed and extended to biological reactions. A study of the structure, stereochemistry, and reactivity of biomolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids precedes a discussion of the chemistry of selected enzymes, including the role of metal ions in activating coordinated organic molecules toward highly specific reactions. The synthesis of proteins in living cells provides a forum to unite aspects of enzyme and nucleie acid chemistry and permits insight into the action of same antibiotics. The role of phosphates such as ATP and ADP crucial to biological processes like respiration are examined and rationalized in terms of chemical mechanisms. Chemistry of Combustion ond Explosives (Lectures 14 hours). Flames and explosions are treated as ehemieal reactions that supply energy for industrial and military applications. A historical survey summarizes events from the early Chinese discovery of gunpowder to the more recent creation of chemical exnlosives followine " studies of the chemistry of comhustion Fast reactions are runsidered rhnmgh cxtensimr of t h fundnmrntal ~ kinetic principles of chain reamonsand the Arrhemu~equntwn.The temperature dependence of the Arrhenius rate constant, heat of reaction, and heat capacity are used to develop the mechanism of auto-catalytic reactions in relation to explosions. Chemical thermodynamicprinciples are used to calculate flame temperatures,which relate to energy availability. Detonation is described and a simplified hydrodynamic theory of detonation is given. The classification of explosives into detonants, high explosives, and propellants is discussed. The manufacture, properties, and applications of representatives of the three groups are described. These include detonants such as lead azide, high explosives such as TNT and ANFO, and propellants based onnitrocellulose. Recent approaches to the synthesis of new high explosives and other energetic materials are discussed and conclusions are drawn about the predictability of explosiveproperties from moleeular structure and composition. Chemistry of the Earth 2 (Lectures20 hours). An introduction is eiven to the chemical orieins of the Earth. The influence of solar radiation on the temneratk balance of the Earth is discussed with reference to absorption and re-emission by carbon dioxide, water vapor, and the Earth's surface. Its effect on the chemical composition of the atmosphere is described in terms of photochemical reactions with oxygen, ozone, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides. Some chemical processes by which solar energy may be collected and stored are described. Chemical phenomena in natural waters are studied with reference to equilibrium constants and the laws of gas saluhilitv. These include oxwen ,.. concentration and demand. eeiditv and alkalinq, pll, huifer nrrron ofaqueuus carhm dimide, dfectu uf iuliur oxides, and depmimn and solution 01 carbl,nat~sand sulfides. The unit concludes uith descriptims uf some large-scale purification processes (distillation, freezing, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis) and analytical procedures applicable to domestic, agricultural, and industrial use. Fuel Chemistry 2 (Lectures 15 hours). Fossil fuel materials, principally coal,petroleum, and natural gas, are considered as a source of energy for society. These fuels are studied in the contexts of the organic geochemistry of their formation, their chemical campositians and structures. and their combustion orooerties. Fuel technology inrolvlng the modlfi~~tim uf fllels 10 ~ u l particular t engmes is discussed in wrma olrhrmiral pnces*ex.Included are brief dewriptimi of the operatlun and fuel requirements of some important engines (gas turbine, steam turbine, rocket, and internal combustion piston). ~~~~
~~~
~
~
~
~
~~
.~~~
~~~~
~~~
~
~~~
~~~~
. .
The extension to a four-year American-style degree would require the inclusion of other topics, which are not hard to find, or perhaps the introduction of aspects of our more traditional B stream. The syllabus and textbooks provide the only constraints on instructors, who are expected to devise lectures and problems according to their individual capabilities in the usual way. We would be happy to provide interested readers with a textbook list and a resume of laboratory experiments.
Our syllahus may he analyzed in terms of the usual four branches of chemistw. Analvtical chemistw. ,. used throuehout the course, appears explicitly in the unit Wecrroanalytical Chemistry and features imi)ortantlv in Chemistrv of the ~roc&.esa n d ~ e v i c e sa, n d ~ a r i n e Earth 2, ~lecirochemical Chemistry. Inorganic and descriptive chemistry appear in Chemistry of the Earth 2 and 3, in Metals, and in Radiochemistry. Organic chemistry is covered in Biological Chemistry, Chemistry of Combustion and Explosives, Fuel Chemistry 2 and 3, and Polymers 2. Physical chemistry is stressed in Chemistry of Combustion and Explosives, Electrochemical Processes and Devices, Fuel Chemistry 2, and Polymers 3. Although i t is possible to analyze the course syllahus according to traditional divisions, the virtue of the generalist course lies in its novel approach. By reorganizing courses, chemistry can he made more appropriate for students receiving a liberal education without losing intellectural content or breadth of coverage. What is lost in the generalist A major stream is the systematic derivation of chemical principles past first year. This is provided in the traditional B major stream for students who prefer the traditional aDproach. We anticipate that most students who har,e profe'isional interests in chemistry will enroll in the maior suhmajor program (A stream B stream5), which wifi provide a rich chemical background combining the advantages of both the traditional and new approaches. For these students, the
+
1
706
Journal of Chemical Education
A stream provides examples t o reinforce understanding of principles developed systematically in the B stream. The development of an imaginative laboratory syllabus to match the novelty of the generalist course content is another story to he told elsewhere.6 Acknowledgment The developments described in this paper are entirely the result of group effort, and it is essential that due acknowledgment he given. Special thanks are owed to N. D. Hamer, who pushed for the self-paced first-year course, travelled the country in search of ideas, and lobbied extensively for the generalist course structure, to W. G. Jackson, who chaired ;he first-yearcommitree, COD.J. McHugh, whoseremarksat the Academic I'lnnning Committee led to the development of rhe degree rules which made the generalist major pussiMe, to J. W. Tardif, who has a knack for knowing when to question the obviuus. and to J. C . Collins. S. 1'. Lee. E. A. Maenusson, and E. P: Serjeant for contrib"ting syllabi, and to ail for sittine throueh interminable meetines. We are also erateful to B. i)emps& for assisting in the preparation of s o k e of the syllabi. Some duplication in laboratory work is eliminated by giving special oroiects to students enrolled in the maiorlsubmaior orooram. A detailed laboratory course is currant'y bemg preparedand wdl be pdblfshedmdependently
