Syllabus, Spring 2008

  (PDF Version)

Chemical Literature
Course Number: CHM 513 (1 credit)
Instructor: Professors Bartow Culp and Jeremy Garritano
Graduate Assistant: Nicole Becker

Class Meetings: Thurs. 12:30-1:20 PM
Location: BRWN 3102
Office: Bartow: WTHR 310; Jeremy: WTHR 309
Office Hours: Immediately after lecture or by appointment
Email: Bartow: bculp@purdue.edu ; Jeremy: jgarrita@purdue.edu
Phone: Bartow: 494.2865; Jeremy: 496.7279

Web site: http://www.lib.purdue.edu/chem/inst/chem513/index.html

COURSE OBJECTIVES

As a result of this course, you should be able to:

• Demonstrate your familiarity with the Purdue University Libraries' resources and be able to use them effectively
• Understand the structure of chemical information and be able to relate specific information needs to that structure
• Demonstrate your familiarity with the major chemical information reference tools SciFinder Scholar ( Chemical Abstracts ), Web of Science ( Science Citation Index ), Beilstein, Gmelin , et al. )
• Understand the utility, arrangement, and purpose of patent information as it relates to the chemical literature
• Distinguish and evaluate the various types of chemical information sources, including online databases and the Internet, in terms of their content, currency, and application
• Have an advanced expertise in searching online databases
• Develop an organized plan for gathering information on a topic , including specific searching strategies and presentation of results

COURSE POLICIES

Academic Integrity:
Scholastic dishonesty is not tolerated at Purdue University , and especially not in this class.

Please refer to "Academic Integrity: A Guide for Students" at http://www.purdue.edu/usp/acad_policies/student_code.shtml for more information.

Attendance:
Attendance is highly encouraged. Since this is a one-credit course and many assignments and activities will be explained during class time, it is important to attend each class meeting. If you are sick or have an emergency, please e-mail or call Bartow or Jeremy BEFORE class.

Grades:
The course will be graded as A (90% or higher), B (80-89%), C (70-79%), D (60-69%), and F (less than 60%).

Your grade will be determined based on the following:

35% - Homework Assignments
25% - Midterm Exam (take home)
40% - Final Group Project and Poster
*There is no final exam for this course.

ASSIGNMENTS

There will be eleven homework assignments given throughout the semester. Homework will be graded as much for effort as for accuracy. Please explain your search strategies and thought processes when answering each question (sources consulted, keywords used, pages where information was found, etc.). This will help us to better grade your homework and to steer you in the proper direction if you need help.

If on your homework you show a good faith effort to understand and accomplish the assignment, you will earn full credit. Full credit will be designated by a check mark on your assignment. If you turn in a partial assignment or have failed to grasp the fundamental concepts of the assignment, you may be asked to resubmit the assignment with corrections. Answer keys for each homework assignment will be posted on the course web site.

FINAL PROJECT: Group Project and Poster

The final project will be to create a poster displaying two chemistry faculty profiles regarding their research as reflected in the chemical literature.

Work group memberships and faculty members to be profiled will be assigned after spring break and several group assignments will be given to help you gather the information needed for your poster.

Besides giving credit for each group homework assignment, the instructors will assign the poster a final grade as well. Also, there will be a peer evaluation for each group member to evaluate their group members' efforts, and during the poster session all students will have the opportunity to rate each poster based on certain criteria discussed in class.

Your final poster must be up for display by the beginning of class, April 24th, 2008. Specific instructions for the poster will be discussed during class after spring break.

CLASS SCHEDULE