CHM 195 SeminarLecture Mondays 7- 9 PM (this time will need to be shortened to one hour)

Voskuyl Library, Room 204Table of ContentsA. Instructor & Office hours InformationB. Course descriptionC. Instructional & student goals & objectivesD. Educational philosophy and teaching proceduresE. Textbooks & other materialsF. Method of GradingG. Writing AssignmentsH. AttendanceI. Other Course policiesJ. Disclaimer K. Tentative scheduleL. Final paper writing guidelines

A. Instructor & office hours information: Instructor:Stephen M. Contakes, Department of ChemistryOffice: Whittier Science 218Phone/Voicemail: (805) 565-7153Cell phone: (626) 676-5084 (8 AM – 9 PM or emergencies only)Fax: (805) 815-7066E-mail: scontakes@westmont.edu

Office hours: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 9:30 – 10:30 AM, Thursdays 10 AM - Noon, and by appointment.

B. Course Description (from the University Catalogue): (existing description) Chm 195 Seminar (2): Prerequisite: Chemistry major and junior standing. Weekly reading and writing assignments, with discussion, on topics involving the nature of scientific knowledge, science and religion, the environment and stewardship, and ethics in science. A major research paper and oral presentation are given at the end of the course.

(proposed revision) Chm 195 Seminar (1): Prerequisite: Chemistry major and junior standing. Examination of the relationship between chemistry and Christianity with special emphasis given to the role of matter and matter theory in Christian thought, practice, and aspiration; chemical creativity as an expression of the Imago Dei; and the development of philosophies of ministry that support Christian chemists responsible lifelong engagement with the church and their profession. Weekly reading assignments will address the historical interplay between natural philosophy and religion, the doctrines of creation and the imago die, the nature of scientific knowledge, environmental stewardship, scientific responsibility, and the nature of scientific vocation.

C. Instructional goals & objectives:Student Learning Outcomes:

1. You will have thought about the present and historical relationship between Christian faith, matter, and matter theory, from the time of the early Church until now.

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2. You will consider the relationship between the creative aspects of chemistry and what it means to live a fulfilled life in this world.

3. You will consider how Christians in chemistry might responsibly participate in the culture-shaping chemical enterprise.

4. You will have thought about the major issues Christian face as they live out their vocation as Christians in the chemical community and scientifically-trained chemists in the church.

Chemistry department program learning outcomes (how the student learning outcomes connect with what the Chemistry department expects of its majors):

1. Core Knowledge. Students will demonstrate a breadth and depth of knowledge in chemistry. This course is not designed to directly address this learning goal. However, through this course you will become exposed to several fields of chemistry not treated elsewhere in our curriculum, including origin of life chemistry, neurochemistry, environmental chemistry, and industrial chemistry. You will also develop an awareness of issues and approaches to the industrial handling, marketing, and regulation of chemicals.

2. Experimental Design. Students will be skilled in working in the laboratory and will be competent in experiment design and problem solving by the time of graduation. This too will not be goal of this course. Instead, upper division laboratory courses and undergraduate research are designed to advance your skills in this area.

3. Christian Connection. Our students will be experienced at reconciling Christian and scientific world views. They will have a perspective that integrates their scientific and theological beliefs into a seamless whole. This course is the flagship course for advancing this goal, so much so that every course reading, topic, and assignment is designed to advance it in some way.

D. Educational goals and teaching procedures1. Weekly readings will be used to acquaint you with the course topics as well as provide a

starting point for in-class discussion.2. Moderated discussions will be used to help you explore how chemistry impacts society and to

help you think about the relationship of chemistry to the Christian faith. 3. Three writing assignments and a final paper will be used to improve your writing skills and to

help you to think about course topics.4. An oral presentation will be used to improve your oral presentation skills as well as provide a

forum for the class to discuss faith-science issues of interest to you.

E. Textbooks, Materials, and Resources: We will be reading many books in this course, many of which can be obtained in the bookstore or quite cheaply online:

Required Books: Copan, P.; Longman III, T.; Reese, C. L.; Strauss, M., Dictionary of Christianity and Science,

Zondervan, 2017. Hoffman, R. The Same and Not the Same, Cornell University Press, 1997. ISBN-13: 978-

0231101394. Stump, J. B. Science and Christianity: An Introduction to the Issues Wiley, 2016. ISBN-13:

978-1118625248

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Online Resources: The course’s Canvas page will be used to store course documents including a copy of the syllabus and tentative course schedule. As we progress through the course material it may be updated with additional materials such as articles, readers, etc…

F. Method of Grading:

The evaluation segments are weighted as follows:Weekly worksheets (1 drop) 44% (12 x 4% each, 1 drop)Weekly attendance & discussion participation 33% (12 x 3% each, 1 drop)Science & religion seminar attendance 8%Short essay on the relationship between faith & science 15% ___________________ Total 100%

Letter grades are assigned based on the collected final point percentage where A equals an exceptional, B a superior, C an average, and D a poor result. An F indicates the student has not mastered the material sufficiently to receive any credit for the course. I reserve the right to curve individual and final grades but guarantee the following letter grades or better if you achieve the following pre-curve percentages:

Letter grades are assigned based on the collected final point percentage where A equals an exceptional, B a superior, C an average, and D a poor result. An F indicates the student has not mastered the material sufficiently to receive any credit for the course. I reserve the right to curve individual and final grades but guarantee the following letter grades or better if you achieve the following pre-curve percentages:

A 92.5-100% C 72.5-77.4%A- 90.0-92.4% C- 70.0-72.4%B+ 87.5-89.9% D+ 67.5-69.9%B 82.5-87.4% D 62.5-67.4%B- 80.0-82.4% D- 60.0-62.5%C+ 77.5-79.9% F <60.0%

Incomplete grades will only be considered for medical reasons or significant personal reasons ( i.e. death in the family, etc…). Which personal reasons are significant will be determined by the instructor.

Incomplete grades will only be considered for medical reasons or significant personal reasons ( i.e. death in the family, etc…). Which personal reasons are significant will be determined by the instructor

G. Seminar attendance: As part of this course you will be required to attend all science and religion-relevant seminars and related events on campus this semester. Please notify me if you need to be excused from another class at least three days in advance. In the event you are required to miss a seminar due to illness, a death in the family, athletic participation, or other reasons please see me as soon as possible to arrange a makeup assignment.

H. Other Course PoliciesGeneral Conduct: As far as possibly, I expect you to conduct yourselves with courtesy, dignity, honesty, and discretion as befitting Christian men and women. This includes but is not limited to honesty in completion of course assignments, prompt class attendance, not repeatedly going in and out of class, not talking while others are speaking, and treating others with courtesy, humility,

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and Christian love. Students violating course conduct policies may be asked to leave the room at the discretion of the instructor. Repeated violations may result in more serious sanctions at the discretion of the instructor and/or other members of the Westmont college faculty and staff as appropriate. Harassment of others based on sex, race, national origin, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law will not be tolerated and can result in serious sanctions both in this course and with the college.

Assignments: These are due at the start of class on the appropriate due date. The paper should be submitted as a hardcopy as well as uploaded to Eureka as a Word document.

Late work policy: Late assignments will only be accepted in the event work cannot be turned in on time due to severe sudden illness or significant personal reasons – as determined by the instructor. Please see the instructor ASAP in such cases to make alternate arrangements. The reasons given for the late/absent work must be documented within one week of the completion of the illness/personal event.

Electronic equipment (cell phones, laptops, calculators, etc...): The instructor reserves the right to revoke usage of particular types of electronic equipment at any time if he deems its use to be detrimental to the class or individual students. Please leave the room to conduct or receive phone calls.

Academic Dishonesty: Evidence of academic dishonesty, including but not limited to plagiarism, will result in a zero for the particular assignment. A second offence will result in withdrawal from the course with a grade of F. All instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the provost’s office for possible further action at their discretion.

Disability/Medical: Exceptions to the course policies will only be considered for disability reasons or serious sudden medical or personal emergencies. Students who have been diagnosed with a disability (learning, physical or psychological) are strongly encouraged to contact the Disability Services office (Please contact the Director of Disability Services, Sheri Noble (snoble@westmont.edu) as early as possible to discuss appropriate accommodations for this course. Formal accommodations will only be granted for students whose disabilities have been verified by the Disability Services office. These accommodations may be necessary to ensure your full participation and the successful completion of this course. Serious sudden emergencies must be documented and discussed with the instructor within one week of the student’s return to campus.

J. Disclaimer:The course schedule, topics, and assignments presented in this syllabus are offered in good faith. However, these may be changed at the instructor’s discretion with the caveat that additional assignments, tests, and quizzes will not be capriciously imposed on the students.

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K. Tentative Course Schedule (based on the Spring 2017 schedule)Note that this schedule is tentative.

January 9 1. Can plastic spoons tell us anything about what the relationship between chemistry and Christianity?

January 17 2. Should matter matter to Christians? What about chemistry’s scientific approach to (Tues) the study of matter?

January 23 3. What does chemistry have to do with the doctrine of creation? Is there meaningful consonance between chemistry’s atomic-molecular theory and & Biblical ideas about creation as ordering?

January 30 4. What does chemistry have to do with the doctrine of creation? How should we think about the role of chance and law in chemistry? Might the history of Christianity’s engagement with atomism hold any clues?

February 6 5. Can we discern God’s wisdom through chemistry’s picture of reality? If so, how? And what should we think about the anthropic principle and the apparent fitness of Earth’s environment for life?

February 13 6. What should we think about the contemporary Intelligent Design Movement and its role in American Evangelicalism? Is contemporary biochemistry useful for Christian apologetics? And does it really present a challenge to evolutionary accounts of the history of life? Why is this topic in the evangelical consciousness right now?

February 20 President’s Holiday – enjoy the break.

February 27 7. What should we think about difficult questions at the interface between science & religion? Can Quantum uncertainty offer a scientifically and theologically coherent explanation for how God acts in the world? Does the success of chemistry’s impersonal explanations render belief in God obsolete? Even when it reveals a world capable of giving rise to so-called natural evils? Can we learn anything from the Gas Law chemist Robert Boyle’s studies on prayer, molecular orbital theory pioneer Charles Coulson’s warnings about Gods of the Gaps, and the attempts by the early physical chemist and proto-New Atheist Wilhelm Ostwald to create a materialist new world order?

March 6 8. What should we think about chemists’ efforts to provide “better things for better living through chemistry”? Does the culture mandate of Genesis provide an opportunity for a theology of chemistry?

March 13 Spring Recess – enjoy the break

March 20 9. What does it mean for frail humans to practice chemistry responsibly in a fallen cosmos? Can Christian approaches to medicine and war be adapted into guidelines for responsible chemical practice?

March 27 10. What opportunities and dangers attend the use of chemistry to minister in a fallen world? Might any useful lessons be derived from 13th Century Western Christianity’s engagement with element-based matter theories?

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April 3 11. Is it worthwhile for Christians to address the metanarratives surrounding chemistry? What should we think about those who think of chemistry a technological messiah? How about those who portray it as a poisoned chalice? or a greedy prideful sociopath?

April 10 12. What does it mean to live out a good life in chemistry? What might Christians in chemistry contribute to the church? And how might they contribute well?

April 17 Easter Recess

April 24 13. What does it mean to live out a whole life in chemistry? What might Christians in chemistry contribute to the chemical community and how might they do that well?Course evaluations

May 17-9 PM 14. Final Exam Period: Scholarly and informed essay on the relationship between

science and Christian faith

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