The Chemistry of Sustainability (CH 199/CH 113)

Credits: 4 credits (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2-4 pm)
CRN: 35498
Pending approval as a general education satisfying course (March 2008)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will cover sustainability from a chemical perspective. Sustainable development is defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This course will introduce students to the process of scientific reasoning by studying the central role chemists play in developing the knowledge and tools for society to not only meet our basic needs for energy, clean water, and food but to address the grand challenges of protecting human health and the environment. This course will illustrate how basic chemical concepts including atomic structure, bonding, molecular shape, intermolecular forces and reactivity are being applied to address important issues such as renewable energy and global warming and to create innovative materials and chemical processes important for the development of consumer products. Sustainable development is an interdisciplinary activity and this course will address how life cycle assessment and the principles of green chemistry are being used to provide a platform for a collaborative approach to sustainability.

If you are majoring in liberal arts, education, finance, pre-law or any other non-science area, this course will help you to become a more informed citizen, consumer, and policy maker. You will gain the knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to analyze technical challenges facing you today and in the future.

This course is appropriate for non-science majors and requires that students have had a previous exposure to chemistry (high school chemistry recommended) and have a solid understanding of intermediate algebra (Math 095 or equivalent).

This four-credit course will carry a permanent course number, CH 113, is not repeatable and will be offered annually.


INSTRUCTORS:
Dr. Julie Haack (coordinating instructor- http://www.uoregon.edu/~chem/haack.html)
Dr. Andy Berglund ( http://www.uoregon.edu/~chem/berglund.html)
Dr. Mark Lonergan ( http://www.uoregon.edu/~chem/lonergan.html)
Dr. Jim Hutchison ( http://www.uoregon.edu/~chem/hutchison.html)
Dr. Darren Johnson (http://www.uoregon.edu/~chem/dwjohnson.html)
Dr. David Tyler (http://www.uoregon.edu/~chem/tyler.html)                                        
                                              
TEXT:  Chemistry for Changing Times, 11th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2006. 
Supplemental readings will be available on E-Reserves.

WEBMASTER
lynde@uoregon.edu