Chemistry at Amherst Robert 8. Whitney Amherst College
Amherst, Mossochusetts
A l i b e r a l arts curriculum b a s e d on r e q u i r e d physics and calculus
For 18 sears Amherst College has had a chemistry program in ahich physics and c~lculushave been a prerequisite for the first college course in &emistry; freshmen have not taken any chemistry (with rare exceptions). Beginning in the fall of 1966 &emistry will he open to freshmen, but the idea of a &emistry program based upon the immediate utilization of physics and calculus be preserved. Reasons for and results of this situation are the main object of this discussion. Liberal and not professional education is the concern of the Amherst faculty. BYthe end of the second world war this faculty had become very much dissatisfied with the diffuseness of both high school and college education and with the anti-intellectual quality of prewar student life. As a result of 10% and searching studies, the 1947 "core curriculum" for freshmen and was adopted' This required l2 courses, four in each of the major divisio-humanities, social studies, and sciences.' Faculty and departmental cooperation ensured the success of the program. The idea that mathematics and physics are basic to most other sciences for the first time brought science in a significant way into the consciousness of all students. By 1962 vast changes had occurred in the high school preparation of students and in the general public attitude toward education. Establishment of the Educational Testing Service in 1946, as well as the approach of the space age, had stimulated much advanced high school work and our students were increasingly restive under the rigid requirements. Another long and earnest in the ado^tion of aprogram (to begin in 1966) in which the "coreJ' ide' was abandoned s' far as subject matter was 'Oncerned, and replaced by the notion of studying the modes of thought which are characteristic of the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. These are called "Problems of Inquiry" courses. The older coouerative courses which had been successful are being retained as elective^.^ Based upon a. paper presented as part of the Symposium on the Changing Chemistry Curriculum before the Division of Chemical Education at the 150th Meeting of the ACS, Atlantic City, N. J., September 1965.
KENNEDY, GAIL, "Education at Amherst," Harper and Brothers, New York, 1955. ' "Amherst Reports: The 1966 Curriculum," available irom the Ofice of the Secretary, Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002. 1 16
/ Journd of Chemical Education
Chemistry Program Under the 1947 Curriculum
While the chemistry department approved (and helped design) the 1947 curriculum, it faced a real probwith no chemistry in lem in designing its own the freshman year, However the freshman calculusphysics program was no ordinary course of the 1947 vintage, It was designed by group of scientists from fields, in part by non-physicists and nonmathematicians; after short time it was managed by a single physicist but with the continuing participation of many teachers, The physics course used calculus methods from the start, spent one semester on the of mechanics, then selected in electricity, optics and wave motion leading to alogical development of concepts of the structure of matter,3 a course turned out to be an ideal background for the development of college chemistry, and it immediately became apparent that one semester was enough for the general chemistry course, using a text such as Pauling's. A much more quautitative laboratory was of experimental possible, and familiarity with science made it much easier to The program shown below evolved and became relaa series of tively stable until about six ago, changes began with a view toward making the program more challenging for good students, By 1950 the results of the program were apparent, and were very different from early predictions, There was an increase in the number of chemistry majors (average honors, rite per year, 1953-62); an increase in non-major enrollment in organic and physical chemistry; an increase in the number becoming PhD candidates (average 4 per year, 1953-62) ; an increase in the number going into teaching (helped by an apanded program of undergraduate teaching assistants); an increase in publishable undergraduate theses, The freshman year apparently weeded out a few intended majors, but there is some evidence that it attracted a few others better qualified, Chemistry Program Under the 1966 Curriculum
In order to meet the challenge of the new knowledge in chemist,ry as well as of the new generation of more and more demanding a decision was made four years ago to make chemical thermodynamics, accompanied by a quantitative laboratory program, the point of departure for all work in the ARONS,A. B., Amer. J . of Physies, 27,658 (1959).
department. A recently formulated outline of the scientific structure of chemistry4helps to make clear the reasoning behind this decision. The Science of Chemistry
Theoretical principles
.
Thermodvnamics-urinciules of chemical eouilihrium .
Atomistic~quantumchemistry, statistics Structure of molecules Classical chemical methods Modern physical methods Chemical dynamic-reaction mechanisms Synthesis-the art of molecular architecture
College chemistry could obviously start in several ways. Most of our students come reasonably well prepared in descriptive chemistry; furthermore the beginning physics course gives an introduction to atomistics. Thermodynamics was chosen for the beginning because accuracy in thermodynamic thinking and vocabulary is important in all branches of chemistry, because our experience showed that i t could be taught right after the Calculus-Physics course, and because adequate background for a good quantum chemistry course is otherwise not available until the junior year. The sequence then becomes: General Chemistry *(optional for well prepared students), Thermodynamics, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic and Modem Physical Chemistry (two semesters of each with integrated laboratory for those taking them togethe? prepared substances will be subjected to studies by modern physical methods to determine structure and reaction mechanisms), Principles of Instrumentation, Advanced Chemistry, Seminar, and Honors (two or 4 ROEEETS,J. D., discussion of ACS Minimum Requirements in a meeting of the ACS Committee on Professional Training, 150th Meeting of the ACS, Atlantic City, N. J., September 1965.
more semesters). It will be possible for individual student research projects (interest in and demand for these has been increasing) to commence much earlier for able students with good high school backgrounds. This program will not begin in the freshman year until 1966, but a two year trial has indicated that in round numbers, 100 students take General Chemistry, 50 students take Thermodynamics without General Chemistry, and 50 of the 100 who took General Chemistry go on to take Thermodynamics. The failure rate in each semester of Thermodynamics was about 5%. In summarv Amherst Colleee bas found in 18 vears of experience that a chemistry curriculum based on a p r e requisite of physics and calculus can be handled by students, can allow time for a good major program, produces gratifying results, and shows promise of being adaptable to the new climate in chemistry and in education. It is too early to evaluate the change to a Thermodynamics prerequisite but preliminary results are encouraging. Interested readers mav obtained further detailed information by corresponding with the author.
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Amhersf Chemistry Progrorn, 1947-64 Year
Freshman Sophomore
Co~nriiess
Phvsics General Chemistry Qualitative Analysis Quantitative Analvsisb
Calculus Ph sics ~aEulus
laboratory, one wkhout) Honors Thesis (two semesters)
'Courses are one semester unless otherwise noted.
'As more and more quantitative laboratory wes introduced into the first two semesters of chemistry, the enrollment in Quantitative Analysis dropped to include only those who wanted ti meet the ACS recomm&dstions. ' Only the best students were advised to take Organic and Physical Chemistry taget,her.
Volume 43, Number 3, Morch 1966
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