Infusing the Liberal Arts Mission Across Chemistry ... - ACS Publications

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Infusing the Liberal Arts Mission Across Chemistry Curricula and Beyond Demetra A. C. Czegan,*,1 Diane M. Miller,2 and James Kabrhel3 1Seton

Hill University, 1 Seton Hill Drive, Box 226K, Greensburg, Pennsylvania 15601, United States 2Seton Hill University, 1 Seton Hill Drive, Box 372F, Greensburg, Pennsylvania 15601, United States 3University of Wisconsin - Sheboygan, 1 University Drive, Sheboygan, Wisconsin 53081, United States *E-mail: [email protected].

In an effort to develop scientists with critical thinking skills, character, and an interdisciplinary perspective, liberal arts ideals have been incorporated into the chemistry major curricula at Seton Hill University and University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan. In particular, real world applications have been used to expand the scope of traditionally covered content and connect with institutional missions. Examples from both introductory and upper-level courses are discussed, as well as activities extending beyond the chemistry curriculum. The course assignments incorporate a wide variety of liberal arts learning objectives, including information literacy, creativity, communication, interpersonal skills, and ethics.

Introduction The mission of a liberal arts institution coincides with a goal shared by many science educators: a desire to develop scholars who, upon matriculation, are ready to communicate effectively and think critically as members of a healthy society. We want scientists who understand why knowing some history or philosophy or art makes them better scientists. We want scientists who not only comprehend scientific principles but also have the capacity to read, write, and speak about them. To achieve this, we need to help students learn how to make connections © 2017 American Chemical Society Kloepper and Crawford; Liberal Arts Strategies for the Chemistry Classroom ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


between science and other disciplines. Moreover, if we do not incorporate liberal arts experiences into our science courses, we may inadvertently imply to students that the subjects are segregated; modeling the joining of the two sends a message to students that it is important. Chemistry coursework needs to provide ample opportunities for students to hone their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, and assignments should incorporate an appropriate level of interdisciplinary context. Scientific concepts routinely have real-world applications, and those applications can have significant consequences on the environment, on people, and on large economies. Due to these consequences, students cannot simply analyze the science but also must think about the ethical, economical, and environmental implications of enacting those concepts in practical ways. Adding another dynamic to chemistry courses can be challenging because the courses tend to be content heavy; however, chemistry’s many real-world applications provide a natural and easy way to expand the focus of course assignments, allowing for the exploration of interdisciplinary themes. Some aspects of the liberal arts mission are a seamless fit with the goals of the chemistry curriculum. For example, there are numerous examples of information literacy assignments being used in major-level courses (1). Other aspects, such as ethics, seem to be included less routinely; yet, there are meaningful and manageable ways in which this material has been incorporated (2–5). Here, we describe how we have integrated the liberal arts and institutional missions into the chemistry coursework at all levels within the major at Seton Hill University and University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan. This comprehensive approach to merging mission with chemical education also extends to activities that engage and support the community. The presented assignments (both adapted and novel) and activities emphasize real-world applications and context, such as religious ethics or the impact of pseudoscience on society. This provides students with interdisciplinary connections and a deeper, more meaningful perspective and understanding of chemistry.

Seton Hill University Background on the Institution and Mission Seton Hill University is a small, private Catholic liberal arts university, located in southwestern Pennsylvania. The number of graduating chemistry/biochemistry majors fluctuates, averaging approximately four to six students per year in the past ten years. The college has the following mission statement: “Seton Hill is a Catholic university rooted in Judeo-Christian values. In the tradition of Elizabeth Ann Seton, we educate students to think and act critically, creatively, and ethically as productive members of society committed to transforming the world.” As noted in the mission, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is an influential force on the culture of the institution, and she is often quoted. Particularly pervasive is her belief that educators should look to the future and dedicate their work with students “to fit them for the world in which [they are] destined to live” (6). 28 Kloepper and Crawford; Liberal Arts Strategies for the Chemistry Classroom ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


Introductory Coursework Information literacy—and, more specifically, science literacy—is critical to success in the world of science. Thus, we introduce these concepts as soon as students begin coursework within the major. In General Chemistry I, this is done with a three-part series of assignments that has been described in detail elsewhere (7). The first assignment provides students with experience in finding and critically evaluating sources of information, and the second involves reading an instructor-selected journal article and identifying its strengths and weaknesses. For the final portion, students are asked to make and communicate a decision in response to a real-world scenario. In one of the scenarios, for example, students are asked to serve as a scientific writer for a women’s magazine and write an article addressing an e-mail rumor that antiperspirant deodorant causes breast cancer and is unsafe to use. To inform their decision, they are provided with a closed pool of information from various sources, such as news articles, web resources, pamphlets, and primary literature. In the co-requisite laboratory course, in addition to introducing students to lab report writing, we emphasize the technical skills that students are gaining; supporting our Setonian mission to “fit [our students] for the world” (6). For each experiment, new lab techniques are highlighted in the handout and in pre-lab lecture, and students are required to identify these learning objectives in their lab notebooks. These skills are showcased in a video tutorial assignment. Each student creates an instructional video that illustrates his or her ability to perform an assigned technique. Examples of topics include how to use a buret, how to make a boiling water bath, and how to filter by suction filtration. The videos are graded for clarity, accuracy, and creativity. Then, as a final project in the first semester lab course, students give a presentation to the class on a possible career with a science degree. The focus on building skills from a career perspective continues in the second semester lab as well. In culmination, each student completes a lab practical as a final exam and creates a “resume,” in which he or she compiles an organized list of the methods, techniques, and instruments used in the two courses. Physical Chemistry Both the Thermodynamics and Quantum Mechanics lecture courses have been recently revised to utilize flipped-classroom approaches; content is provided through videos watched outside of class, and students spend class time working in small groups. Thermodynamics is completely flipped. In Quantum Mechanics, half of the class meetings are flipped, and lecture is used for the other half. One of the motivations for moving to this approach was that the small-group setting would promote the development of students’ soft skills (8). Teamwork is an important component of many careers, and one of Seton Hill’s liberal arts learning objectives is to “demonstrate leadership, negotiation, relational, and consensus skills,” but the lecture classroom does not typically provide much time for the practice of these skills. Thus, the switch was made toward collaborative learning, and a Team-Based Learning (9) approach was taken, in which students focus on solving problems in groups. As an instructor, this has been a powerful experience 29 Kloepper and Crawford; Liberal Arts Strategies for the Chemistry Classroom ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


to witness; in addition to learning content, students have demonstrated noticeable improvement in their soft skills over the course of the semester, and they have gained an increased awareness of their strengths and weaknesses in interacting with others. In addition to revising the format of the Quantum Mechanics course, the scope of the content was broadened. Quantum Mechanics is highly mathematical in nature, which can make the course quite challenging for students and obscure the concepts. Consequently, a reading and a paired series of reflection essays, as described by Comeford (10), were adopted in an effort to provide a stronger connection between the math and its conceptual applications. The book, In Search of Schrodinger’s Cat by John Gribbin, provides students with a historical, human perspective of the theory and development of quantum mechanics. It highlights the struggle in the scientific community that gave birth to quantum mechanics, and it provides broad connections to many science-fiction concepts. The essays were assessed for deep reflection and insightful personalization of the theories and concepts, clarity, and written quality. Students have been receptive to this approach, and it has provided the instructor with a gauge of where, conceptually, students are having difficulty with the material. Moreover, students have written some excellent reflections, and it has been gratifying to see them make broad, interdisciplinary connections. For example, one student drew a parallel between the hard-to-reconcile concept of wave-particle duality and language, pointing out that there are some words in other languages that have no adequate translation in English. Another compared the difference in observing a quantum experiment versus a biology experiment to the difference in viewing an Elizabethan-era play versus a television show. Both of the co-requisite lab courses use process-oriented guided-inquiry learning physical chemistry laboratory (POGIL-PCL) experiments (11). These experiments are inquiry driven, and each begins with a conceptual question. Students, working in small groups, are guided through a series of questions that accompany the data collection and analysis. POGIL-PCL experiments are designed to foster process skills in students, and they give students experience in experimental design, applying models, and critical thinking. In addition, many of the POGIL-PCL experiments include a connection to a real-world application, such as the optimization of a food-soaking method (12) and the evaluation of a phase change material for use in drywall (13). The important role of creative and critical thought in the POGIL-PCL experiments ties well with Seton Hill’s mission, and these experiments aid in preparing students to do independent research, a potential next step in their undergraduate or graduate careers. Instrumental Analysis The instrumental analysis course provides further opportunities for students to make connections to real-world applications and to develop oral communication skills. Students are asked to write a paper and give a presentation on an area in which an instrumental method is currently used (e.g., the use of LCMS for forensics). This assignment requires a literature search; students must include at least three recent examples from the primary literature. At the end of the semester, 30 Kloepper and Crawford; Liberal Arts Strategies for the Chemistry Classroom ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


each student presents on his or her topic, so the whole class is then exposed to numerous examples of how instrumental analysis methods are being used in the modern research field. The papers describe the instrumental method in addition to the applications and are assessed for understanding of scientific concepts, clarity, thoroughness, organization, and grammar. The presentations, which focus primarily on the applications, are assessed for accuracy, clarity, thorough succinctness (i.e., the ability to identify the most important aspects and present them in a compact manner without diluting the information), visual appeal, and presentation style components (e.g., pace, confidence, volume, etc.). This course also requires a semester-long instrument maintenance project. In particular, this assignment fosters stewardship, a quality that we, as a Catholic institution, wish to instill in our students. Each student is assigned to an instrument, and he or she then performs regular maintenance tasks (such as instrument self-check procedures and the testing of standards) and records the results in a log book. This project provides students an opportunity to become more advanced users of an instrument and the potential to troubleshoot problems that may arise. In addition, each student creates a video tutorial that covers the theory of the instrumental method and basic instructions for the operation of the instrument. Completion of the maintenance is assessed for thorough and correct implementation and documentation; the videos are assessed for accuracy, clarity, quality, and creativity. Inorganic Chemistry Seton Hill University’s mission statement not only addresses an identity as a liberal arts institution but also as a Catholic institution. At Catholic universities, the principles of Catholic social justice can be used as a mode for faculty members to incorporate the religious aspect of mission into their courses (14). A biannual workshop, sponsored by Seton Hill’s committee for mission and faculty, guides participating faculty members through a syllabus revision process directed at integrating Catholic social teaching (CST) into the course content. The basic principles of CST include the following (15): • • • • • • •

Dignity of Life and the Human Person Call to Family, Community, and Participation (Constructive Role of Government) Personal Rights and Responsibilities for Others Preferential Option for the Poor Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers Solidarity (The Common Good) Care for God’s Creation (Stewardship)

CST, which is rooted in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, provides a framework for students to think critically and ethically about topics related to the content of a course. It is important to note that this is not designed to be a tool for faith conversion; rather, all varieties of religious backgrounds are valued for their perspective and dialogue on related issues. The Inorganic Chemistry course was 31 Kloepper and Crawford; Liberal Arts Strategies for the Chemistry Classroom ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


modified to incorporate CST, providing an opportunity for students to think about how chemical principles connect with social justice topics, as well as diffusing liberal arts objectives into the course. Why study science? This question lies at the heart of why an ethical framework, such as CST, is relevant to any area of knowledge, even to a content-heavy course such as Inorganic Chemistry. Most scientists and students of the sciences will probably admit that one of the primary reasons they study science is because, of course, they find it interesting. However, many of them would also agree that, on a deeper level, it is so they can use science to make a difference in some way. Whether it is searching for a cure for cancer as a medical researcher, working as a doctor or dentist to keep people healthy, developing products such as better paints or laundry detergents to make our lives easier, or designing more efficient solar cell technology to reduce carbon footprints; scientists seek to make the world a better place through their work. Humanity uses science to understand how the world works, how to make it work better, and what could harm it. There is no doubt that for all the ways science and technology can make the world better, it could also destroy it; thus, it should be essential that students of science begin to develop an ethical awareness. The importance and necessity of expanding chemical education to include humanities, such as philosophy, ethics, history, and social sciences has been reported (16). The inorganic chemistry course discussed here is a junior/senior-level descriptive course with a prerequisite of two semesters of both general and organic chemistry. To incorporate CST, the intersection between metals and metallic compounds with life and society, both past and present, was brought into expanded focus. Additional learning objectives and assignments were added to address historical scenarios in which science has impacted society, the use of inorganic chemistry to support the common good, and the role of government regulation and funding in chemistry. In an institution without a religious affiliation, a “science, technology & society” (STS) perspective might be taken instead. STS is an interdisciplinary field that examines how science and society impact one another. STS is often integrated into liberal arts science courses for nonmajors and can be a useful tool for bringing mission and liberal arts goals into major-level science courses (14). Since Seton Hill has an institutionally directed effort to use CST for integrating mission, the junior/senior-level students in this course have already been taught CST principles in previous courses. However, time during the first course meeting is used to review the principles and begin to think about and discuss how they relate to chemistry. The first topic covered in the course is nuclear chemistry, which provides a relatively obvious link between chemistry and ethics: the atomic bomb. Two documentary films from PBS are assigned to students to be viewed outside of class time. The first, The Bomb (17), focuses on the historical development and use of the atomic bomb through the cold war. The second, Uranium: Twisting the Dragon’s Tail (18), presents a variety of ways uranium and its daughter isotopes have impacted the world, including nuclear weapons, nuclear power, and nuclear medicine. After viewing each documentary, students write a reflection paper on the content of film and how CST principles provide a lens for interpretation and communication of the moral 32 Kloepper and Crawford; Liberal Arts Strategies for the Chemistry Classroom ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


and ethical concerns brought to light. The reflection papers are assessed for depth of reflection, including thinking beyond obvious links and demonstrating original thought, clear communication, and written quality. After both films have been viewed, class time is used for discussion. Later in the semester, a third PBS documentary film, The Poisoner’s Handbook (19), is assigned to students to view. This documentary follows the careers of Charles Norris, New York City’s first scientifically trained medical examiner, and his chief toxicologist, Alexander Gettler, from 1918 through 1959. It provides a historical context from which many modern day government regulations arose, and some of the scenarios also involve inorganic chemistry. Again, students write a reflection paper and participate in class discussions on the content. For the class discussions, students are broken into smaller groups of three to five, and each group is given a set of questions. The students select questions one at a time and are required to answer only the question(s) they pick up; however, they are also welcome to add thoughts and input on other questions if they wish. The instructor spends some time with each group, probing students to think more deeply about their answers. During the last ten minutes of discussion time, the groups share the most interesting ideas/concepts from their discussions with the class. Below is a sampling of some of the questions used: •

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The Manhattan Project was a massive scientific undertaking; the best scientists from all over the country and the world were brought together and given an essentially limitless budget to reach one specific goal. If we could replicate this effort today, what would you want the scientific goal to be? Why? How does this impact the “common good?” The same scientist who originally advocated that the US should be working to develop a nuclear weapon before Nazi Germany did, later repealed his stance when he realized that Germany was not making progress on it. Are there any scientific topics you feel strongly enough about to advocate for politically? Are there any scientific topics you’ve changed your opinion on once you learned more? President Coolidge felt strongly that too much government regulation and involvement in business was bad, which helped pave the path for leaded gasoline to remain in production for decades longer than it should have. In politics today, government regulation remains a current issue. How do you feel about this topic? Has the historical framework presented in the film caused you to think about the topic in a different way? What would CST principles suggest the role of government should be? Throughout this semester, we have looked at a variety of ways that science intertwines with principles of CST. How has your own awareness of the role of science in upholding and applying these principles grown? Have you been surprised by the connections you have made?

During the class discussion times, the role of government in regulation and funding of sciences is reviewed, leading into the next assignment, a political letter. In groups of two ro three, students write a letter to a local or national politician of their choice to voice support or concern for a scientifically related issue that 33 Kloepper and Crawford; Liberal Arts Strategies for the Chemistry Classroom ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


correlates to inorganic chemistry in some way. Regard for the principles of CST must be demonstrated; they do not need to be explicitly referenced in the letter, however, evidence of their influence on rationale should be present. The letters are assessed for clearly articulating the issue, why it is important, and what action they wish to see taken, in addition to grammar and written quality. To date, these letters have not actually been mailed; however, it is planned for future course offerings to highlight real world application and encourage civic engagement. A Nobel Prize Poster Presentation assignment was developed to have students explore ways chemical research can support the common good, since Nobel Laureates have often been awarded for scientific developments that have improved our lives. In this assignment, students select a winner of the Nobel Prize in inorganic, nuclear, or physical chemistry and prepare a poster presentation covering the science behind the prize, bibliography of the scientist, and relevant CST principles. A template is not provided; the only requirement is the size (42” square), and students are encouraged to be creative with the visual presentation. The posters are assessed based on the following criteria: thorough bibliography of the laureate, accurate portrayal of scientific contribution, well-developed description of the correlation to the common good (or other CST principles), visual appeal, good written quality, and correct grammar. The best posters are printed and displayed in October during Nobel Prize week. This assignment ties into the university’s liberal arts learning objective “to use expressive arts as a mode of expression.” In addition to the assignments that have been specifically designed to integrate CST principles into the inorganic course, students also do a set of element presentations to provide the class with an overview of a variety of elements. Two series of presentations are done, main group elements and transition metals; each student gives two presentations, one from each category. The content of the presentations varies depending on the element and how extensively it is used and may contain information such as: basic properties (mass, isotopic distribution, relative abundance, appearance, etc.), reactivity, common compounds, historical and modern uses, notable concerns (toxicity, environmental, shortages, etc.), and a current research application. The last item is required; all presentations must contain an example of how the element plays a role in current research work and should cite a minimum of one recent peer-reviewed journal article. These presentations help students develop scientific literacy and communication skills. Students also write a summary paper (one to two pages) discussing interesting facts learned through the presentations and highlighting evidence of periodic trends. Although a great deal of additional work was added into the course, students generally seem to enjoy these assignments and it leads to increased student engagement and enthusiasm about the material. As part of an upper-level course, the CST additions provide the opportunity for students to combine their foundational chemistry knowledge with the liberal arts in a culminating experience.

34 Kloepper and Crawford; Liberal Arts Strategies for the Chemistry Classroom ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


Outreach Activities In addition to coursework, majors are encouraged to participate in our ACS Student Affiliates chapter, especially in the capacity of community outreach. The chapter’s activities include various opportunities for civic engagement, such as using demonstrations to teach children chemistry concepts at local chemistry fairs, expanding the education of home-schooled middle school students through an oncampus workshop, and encouraging environmental responsibility by cleaning up litter through Adopt-A-Highway. Students also hold various on-campus events to promote science and educate Seton Hill students on scientific concepts, such as the mole.

Senior Capstone Several other institutions have shared their versions of a chemistry capstone requirement; however, the majority of these capstones are courses that focus on a specific chemistry topic, such as culinary chemistry (20), nanotechnology (21), chemical research (22, 23), and supramolecular chemistry (24). Only a few have shared examples of capstone courses that incorporate broader themes, by including the history and philosophy of science (25) and considering a moral and societal context (25, 26). At Seton Hill, the capstone integrates both chemistry and the liberal arts. Graduating seniors complete the capstone in their final semester; it includes an exam, a portfolio, a reflection paper, and an oral presentation. The exam focuses on chemistry concepts, and an emphasis is placed on real-world applications. In the first portion, students are tasked with a structure elucidation from data (1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, GC-MS, IR, and elemental analysis), and in the second portion, students are asked to provide a synthesis for the determined compound. In the third portion, students are given application questions (27) that utilize concepts covered in upper-level courses. The remainder of the capstone requires students to reflect on their personal growth at Seton Hill, and how courses, particular assignments, and extracurricular activities have transformed them. Students are tasked with using the portfolio, reflection paper, and presentation to demonstrate to the chemistry faculty how they have both satisfied and integrated Seton Hill’s chemistry and liberal arts learning objectives. Taken together, the portfolio, paper, and presentation provide our program with an overview of how well we are fulfilling our chemistry and liberal arts missions, and the capstone provides us with a chance to reflect on how we can make improvements to our assignments toward the achievement of this goal. Over the years, our observation of student capstones has shown that although we are hoping students make the connections between major and liberal arts objectives, many students are inclined to compartmentalize. If we expect students to see how the liberal arts are relevant to chemistry and how chemistry is a small slice of the liberal arts, we need to model this through our course expectations. This has been a driving force for many of the assignments presented in the chapter. 35 Kloepper and Crawford; Liberal Arts Strategies for the Chemistry Classroom ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.

University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan


Background on the Institution and Mission The University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan is one of the UW-Colleges, which are two-year transfer institutions within the University of Wisconsin System. The UW-Colleges provide general education courses along with the first two years of most majors. The UW-Colleges, with its liberal arts mission, embraces critical thinking as an essential part of the curriculum, not only with the breadth of courses, but the depth of courses as well. The total enrollment in the UW-Colleges is about 9000 students, with 750 students at the UW-Sheboygan campus. The mission statement is: “The University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan, as the local campus of the University of Wisconsin Colleges, provides a challenging and supportive Liberal Arts environment that offers individual attention to students of diverse backgrounds and abilities. As an institution dedicated to critical thought and exploration, UW-Sheboygan fosters lifelong learning, leadership, civic engagement, and intellectual growth among its students, faculty, and staff. Our campus is committed to sharing these ideals with our city and surrounding regions so that together we form one learning community.”

Pseudoscience in General Chemistry Project Video projects have been used in the General Chemistry sequence to promote information literacy and critical thinking skills, which have been described previously (28). The aim of the assignment is for students to compare sources of information, gauge the quality, and connect them to a particular concept or consumer product. The video project and supporting assignments charged students with finding some topic or consumer product supported by pseudoscience, debunking the pseudoscience presented therein, and describing the real science related to it. In the video project, one method students were required to use was the PseudoBS Meter (28), shown in Figure 1. Preceding assignments to the video project focused on training students to acquire the appropriate information to complete the project. In particular, students were shown where to find primary literature via the appropriate search engines. This qualitative metric forced students to consider the quality of information sources before using it in their project. Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG) (29) surveys were used to gauge how the students felt they were helped by the video project and related assignments. The SALG website provides basic surveys, and specific questions about the video project were added. The results of the SALG surveys show that students did appreciate the pseudoscience video project and found that it, and related assignments (28), helped their learning (greater than half the respondents of those surveyed).



Figure 1. PseudoBS Meter. Reproduced from reference (28). Copyright 2016 American Chemical Society.

Organic Chemistry Assignments and Projects The UW-Colleges do not offer Organic Chemistry as an in-person class on every one of the thirteen UW-College campuses. The enrollments on some campuses (typically less than ten) are too low to warrant an instructor dedicated to the campus for the course, so distance education is used to make sure that all thirteen campuses have the courses. The UW-Manitowoc and UW-Sheboygan Organic Chemistry sections are taught via Point-to-Point (P2P) compressed video as one course, with the instructor present at each campus once a week. Each campus has between 4 and 8 students each semester.

First-Semester Literature Assignment In the first semester of the two-semester Organic Chemistry sequence at UWSheboygan, a literary research project has been included to help train chemistry students to compare the results of simple web searches (traditionally Google) and the results of a search at a scholarly journal website. A goal of this assignment is to make sure that students analyze the type of information that they are being presented with. A website that is designed to encourage the purchase of a drug will be designed differently and present the science in a different way than a peer-reviewed journal article. The UW-Colleges have access to the American Chemistry Society (ACS) website, so that is where the students are required to 37 Kloepper and Crawford; Liberal Arts Strategies for the Chemistry Classroom ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


search for journal articles. (The colleges do have access to other journals via interlibrary campus loan if the students need an article from a non-ACS journal.) The students are tasked with taking an FDA-approved drug molecule and searching for any information about that molecule, writing down the first three results of each search. For drug molecules, the websites typically displayed first in the Google search are Drugs.com (30), WebMD.com (31), Wikipedia (32), and the websites for a marketed form of the drug. Some time is spent in class providing example searches and making sure the students understand the difference between a journal article, a book chapter, any revisions of errors, and other possible search results. Students are encouraged to explore the websites and several journals after their search is complete. The final part of this assignment is a written summary and comparison of the two search results. Students comment on what kind of websites they find in the Google search and the scientific quality of the information they find on those websites. The comparison between information geared towards marketing a drug (from the manufacturer’s website for instance) and that of a peer-reviewed scientific journal should encourage the student to do some critical thinking about the general quality of peer-reviewed scientific information as compared to scientific information filtered through a corporation looking for profit. A brief discussion in class occurs after the assignment is completed to highlight the differences between the two types of searches. At this point in the first semester, the class does not have enough experience to be able to truly analyze the chemical reactions in a peer-review synthesis paper. For this reason, the full video project that is based on a peer-review synthesis paper is saved for the second semester. However, the students are told about the second-semester video project, and that they can use the molecules for this literature assignment for their second-semester project.

Second Semester Video Project Many real-world examples are already included in Organic Chemistry (thalidomide, taxol, various polymers, depending on the concept discussed), but these are often covered briefly due to the large amount of conceptual material in the course. This project is designed to provide a more significant foray into real world connections. It is worth noting that most of the students taking Organic Chemistry at UW-Sheboygan have taken General Chemistry on campus, which includes the previously mentioned group video project about pseudoscience and chemistry. Thus, they already have experience with creating a video and the necessity of incorporating interdisciplinary material. The project is assigned to the class on the first day of the semester, with the instructions and rubric included in the course syllabus. Each group consists of three or four students (though groups of two have been allowed in low-enrollment semesters), and the length of the video produced must be between four and seven minutes. This time frame allows for a brief introduction of the pharmaceutical molecule, what it treats, how it is marketed, and a quick explanation of the synthesis. The synthesis is required to include a reaction already covered in 38 Kloepper and Crawford; Liberal Arts Strategies for the Chemistry Classroom ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


the course, and students provide a more in-depth discussion of that reaction. The groups have seven weeks to identify a molecule they wish to study and get instructor approval. An outline of the information to be presented in the video, including the focus synthesis reaction, is due at the beginning of April. The project and summary are due during the last week of the semester in May. Assessment of the video project focuses on the synthesis content and the analysis of the marketing of the drug, with the synthetic content of the project comprising the most points on the rubric. Frequently, the reactions profiled in depth are substitutions, Diels-Alder reactions, or simple reductions. The students are encouraged to describe the mechanism of the reaction if it has been covered in class. Some points are awarded for having all students pictured in the video, because in years past, some students were hesitant to be on screen and resorted to “editing” or narrating the video. Since part of the goal of these video projects is to help students gain presentation skills, presenting on camera is a requirement. There still is some imbalance in the amount of screen time for all the participants, but adjustments will be made for future iterations of the assignment. The summary paper must include all the information presented in the video, including background, the focal point reaction, and all the references. One of the references is the primary synthetic paper, but students are encouraged to look at other peer-reviewed sources, including medical journals and secondary syntheses. The remainder of the sources are the drug company websites, WebMD (31), Drugs.com (30), and other similar websites that offer medical information. Project topics have included acetaminophen, aspirin, salbutamol, haloperidol, doxylamine succinate, and naproxen. Most groups perform a “chalk-talk” when presenting the full synthesis, and then show the full mechanism of the reaction for which they go into more detail. Discussions of the way the drug is marketed are sometimes presented in the format of a “commercial” within the video, allowing the students an area for creativity. The marketing analysis focuses on what particular media are used for that particular drug, whether mostly internet articles and websites, television and streaming commercials, magazines and newspapers, etc. The amount of time in the videos given to this aspect of the project varies for each group but does not typically last more than a minute—most of the video is typically reserved for the synthesis. In future semesters, a SALG survey or surveys will be incorporated to provide insight into how much the students feel they are gaining from the synthesis aspect of the project, as well as from the connection of organic chemistry to the way the drugs are presented in the media. Guest Lectures in Philosophy With the liberal arts philosophy at the UW-Colleges, instructors are encouraged to create interdisciplinary courses. These courses are developed with one of two major benchmarks. The first benchmark is to have two instructors from different departments, each leading the course at least 20 percent of the time. The other benchmark is to include at least 20 percent of the instruction time filled with guest lecturers from outside the main instructor’s department. 39 Kloepper and Crawford; Liberal Arts Strategies for the Chemistry Classroom ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


Over the past several years, chemistry lectures have been given at the beginning of PHI210, Thinking Critically: Science and Pseudoscience. These lectures have been titled, “The Myth and Meaning of Chemical Free,” “Vaccines: A Discussion of Skepticism and Peer-Review,” “The Truth and Lies of GMOs,” and “Cool to be Gluten Free.” Each lecture has a basis in the debunking of pseudoscience topics, before going into more specifics related to the topic. The “chemical free” lecture first described the misused term “chemical-free,” along with related terms “natural” and “organic.” Discussions of the usage of these terms were made in concert with several examples of dietary supplements, and the proliferation of organic foods. The vaccine lecture included a lengthy discussion of the nature and use of vaccines, and then changed to highlight Andrew Wakefield and his fraudulent studies and how this led to the anti-vax movement. The GMO (genetically modified organisms) lecture provided background on how GMOs are made, several specific GMO crops, and the vast arguments on safety and efficacy. The most recent lecture addressed gluten, celiac disease, other celiac issues, along with the gluten-free industry. Each of these lectures has also been presented as part of a community seminar series on the UW-Sheboygan campus (33–36). This series highlights the research of various faculty members, not only those from the UW-Sheboygan campus. Students from all chemistry courses (General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Introductory Chemistry, and Biochemistry) are encouraged to attend, and are often given extra credit by their instructors. The lectures are also recorded by the local cable-access TV station which is on the campus, and videos are kept in an online catalog for later viewing. The campus also has a regular TV program called “Thinking Out Loud,” hosted by the campus dean and highlighting the scholarly work of faculty on campus. The lecture titled “Chemical Free” was one of the first episodes of “Thinking Out Loud.” These lectures and TV episodes will be continued in the future, perhaps with different topics that provoke discussions about the nature of the understanding of science, and the prevalence of pseudoscience.

Conclusion At Seton Hill and UW-Sheboygan, the incorporation of interdisciplinary topics, writing and video assignments, and discussions of ethics has provided a more well-rounded science education for students in the chemistry major. These assignments infuse the liberal arts mission into a discipline that is often very concept-centric, adding depth to courses and supporting the goals of the campuses to provide an education that invites students to think critically about the world and communities in which they live. Incorporation of Catholic social teaching into an advanced course like Inorganic Chemistry has allowed students to view important innovations in chemistry with an ethical eye and has provided a perspective into how chemistry played a role in significant historical events. Similar discussions in Organic Chemistry—centered on how drugs are marketed, or how GMOs impact society, or how gluten is used as part of fad diets—also provide more deep and varied discussions of science in concept-heavy classes. The benefit for 40 Kloepper and Crawford; Liberal Arts Strategies for the Chemistry Classroom ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.

the students of our institutions is a deep foundation that goes beyond conceptual understanding of chemistry and allows our students to, as both citizens and scientists, apply critical thinking and ethical analysis to real world issues.

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Infusing the Liberal Arts Mission Across Chemistry ... - ACS Publications

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