FAQs - Fall 2020 Courses
Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty energetically plan for great courses for Fall 2020
1. Are there any courses scheduled for Fall 2020 that will NOT be offered?
Chem 122: The Cornell Visiting Professor probably will not be able to participate in this course as planned. However, the course will still be offered, taught solely by Professor Rablen if the Cornell Visiting Professor can't be involved.
All other scheduled courses will be offered.
2. Will a particular course be taught remotely, in-person, or in some hybrid manner?
Please check the following list, as the presentation of each course varies somewhat:
Chem 10 Lecture: All sections of Chemistry 10 will be taught in remote format. Some synchronous instruction will take place during scheduled class periods via Zoom, supplemented with on-line activities and instruction. When circumstances permit, there will be opportunities for in-person office hours and problem sessions.
Chem 10HN Lecture: Chemistry 10HN will be taught in remote format. The current plan is for instruction to take place during scheduled class periods via Zoom; on-line group work will also occur during class periods. Office hours will be conducted remotely, though in-person office hours may occur if circumstances permit.
Chem 10/10HN Lab: All sections of Chemistry 10/10HN laboratory will be taught in remote format. Lab sections will meet synchronously during their scheduled times. Students will be expected to prepare pre-lab assignments, and during lab periods will engage in virtual experimentation with their peers and instructors. Data analysis will be completed outside of the lab period and/or in lab workshops; the latter will take place during some of the scheduled lab periods and will be guided by the lab instructional staff.
Chem 32: Video recordings of lectures and pre-lab lectures will replace in-person classes. Experimental laboratory exercises will also be pre-recorded. Computational laboratory exercises will be conducted live, but remotely (via Zoom). Office hours and recitations will be conducted live, via Zoom.
Chem 44: Chem 44 lecture and lab will be taught in a remote format. Course material will be self scheduled (asynchronous) due to students being in different time zones. Lecture material will be presented as a series of short videos complemented by interactive activities. The laboratory portion of Chem 44 translates well to online since most of the labs primarily involve data analysis and/or computational work. Students will meet in groups with the professor during their scheduled lab afternoon. When circumstances permit, there will be opportunities for in-person office hours for those students have been approved by the college to be on campus
Chem 48: This course will be taught in a remote format. Lectures will be asynchronous with opportunities for synchronous discussions over Zoom or other formats that are inclusive of students across different time zones. The lecture time will be used to discuss course materials, work on assignments, discuss current biochemistry literature, and student presentations. Office hours will be conducted remotely, however, when circumstances permit, there will be an opportunity for in-person office hours and discussions.
Chem 56: Only junior and senior students are enrolled in Chem 56, thus this course will have to be taught in a remote format. Large amount of course material will be self scheduled (asynchronous) to accommodate students in different time zones. Specifically, all important concepts will be presented as a series of short videos complemented by interactive activities. The class time will be filled by short lectures (to either cover the material with which students had difficulty or to summarize the most important concepts) and group activities. Specifically, students will be working on problem sets, paper discussion, individual and group presentations, etc. Students will meet in groups with the professor for office hours. When circumstances permit, there will be opportunities for in-person office hours for those students who have been approved by the college to be on campus.
Chem 58B: This course will be taught in a remote format. This course will be synchronous, with some asynchronous elements (watching videos of laboratory work, etc.). Lab work will mainly focus on data analysis, with some opportunities for computational work utilizing PyMol and other software. Office hours will be conducted remotely, however, when circumstances permit, there will be an opportunity for in-person office hours and discussions.
Chem 122: Remote format.
Chem 94, 96, 180: For thesis students taking Chem 96 or 180, two full credits over the academic year are required, and those credits can be taken during two of the three terms. Email chemistry@swarthmore.edu to register.
3. Will any changes be made to the course schedule; for example, will a course offered in the fall be also offered in the spring?
Though we recognize the sequential nature of our curriculum, it is not possible for the department to offer courses (or to repeat courses) in an "off" semester.
4. Do courses in the department retain their prerequisites?
Yes.
5. Is the department offering any courses in the January term?
Chem 122A (Topics in Physical Organic Chem: Attachment on Computational Chemistry): Remote format.
Chem 94, 96, 180: For thesis students taking Chem 96 or 180, two full credits over the academic year are required, and those credits can be taken during two of the three terms. Email chemistry@swarthmore.edu to register.
6. Will it still be possible to carry out research in the department?
Please contact individual faculty members. Limited opportunities may exist.
7. What if I am taking a semester or a year off and planning to transfer credits to Swarthmore?
Swarthmore students on leaves of absence during the 2020-2021 academic year are limited to applying no more than 2.0 approved Swarthmore credits for work done elsewhere toward their Swarthmore degree (taken either in-person or remotely) while on leave. These courses can be taken either as Swarthmore enrolled students participating in our study abroad program (due to Covid-19, Swarthmore is allowing students to "study abroad" in their own country/city); or by enrolling independently at another school. Students cannot take courses at Swarthmore and the other institution at the same time and all courses need to be pre-approved through the OCS portal. Additional important information relevant to Chemistry/Biochemistry course approval is found at the following link:
https://www.swarthmore.edu/
