Chairperson: Nicole Moore
Dr. Scholl Distinguished Professor: Jeffrey Watson
Professors: D. Cleary, D. McMinn (Emeritus), K. Nakamaye (Emeritus), E. Ross, J. Shepherd, J. Watson
Associate Professors: J. Cronk, G. Gidofalvi, M. Matsumoto, S. Warren,
Assistant Professors: W. Bailey, S. Cravens, M. Mathews, L. Pazienza, T. Guasco
Senior Lecturers: G. D’Ambruoso, A. Scruggs
The Department offers three degrees, two majors and one minor:
Bachelor of Science, Chemistry major (ACS approved)
Bachelor of Science, Biochemistry major (ACS approved)
Bachelor of Arts, Chemistry major
Minor in Chemistry
Students are encouraged to visit the Departmental website to learn more about careers in chemistry and biochemistry. For those interested in teaching chemistry at the secondary level, the Department suggests the B.A. degree along with the teacher certification program in the School of Education.
Although Gonzaga University does not currently offer a program in chemical engineering, students interested in chemical engineering are encouraged to combine a B.S. degree in Chemistry with supporting courses from the School of Engineering and Applied Science. This plan of study would position students to further their education with an M.S. or Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from an additional institution.
Lower Division
This course will offer an introduction to the fundamental laws and theories of chemistry and heir applications. Topics will include atomic and molecular structure, properties of elements and molecules, chemical reactions, gases, thermochemistry, and chemical equilibrium. Designed for science and engineering majors. Taken concurrently with CHEM 101L. Fall and Spring.
Concurrent:
CHEM 101L
Equivalent:
CHEM 105 - OK if taken since Spring 2007
This laboratory course that emphasizes experimental techniques designed to accompany General Chemistry I. Taken concurrently with CHEM 101. One laboratory per week. Fall and Spring.
Concurrent:
CHEM 101
Equivalent:
CHEM 105L - OK if taken since Spring 2007
This course will offer further study and a quantitative treatment of the fundamental laws and theories of chemistry and their applications. Topics will include thermochemistry, phase transitions, kinetics, equilibrium, thermodynamics, acid-base chemistry, electrochemistry, and nuclear chemistry. Designed for science majors. Taken concurrently with CHEM 102L. Spring.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 101 Minimum Grade: C-
Concurrent:
CHEM 102L
This is a laboratory course that emphasizes experimental techniques designed to accompany General Chemistry II. Wherever appropriate, computer skills are introduced and applied to data collection and analysis. Taken concurrently with CHEM 102. One laboratory per week. Spring.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 101L Minimum Grade: C-
Concurrent:
CHEM 102
This lecture and lab course content will be determined by the instructor to meet the learning objectives of the Scientific Inquiry requirement of the University Core. Fall and Spring.
Concurrent:
CHEM 104L
Taken concurrently with CHEM 104. Fall and Spring.
Concurrent:
CHEM 104
This course will cover the fundamental principles of chemistry necessary to understand the source, transport, and fate of substances in the environment due to human activity. Additional topics will be chosen by the instructor but may include the environmental implications of various energy-generation methods; the chemistry of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere; climate change; and water quality, pollution, and treatment of water sources. Taken concurrently with CHEM 123L. Spring.
Concurrent:
CHEM 123L
See CHEM 123 course description. Taken concurrently with CHEM 123. Spring.
Concurrent:
CHEM 123
Topic to be determined by instructor.
The First-Year Seminar (FYS) introduces new Gonzaga students to the University, the Core Curriculum, and Gonzaga’s Jesuit mission and heritage. While the seminars will be taught by faculty with expertise in particular disciplines, topics will be addressed in a way that illustrates approaches and methods of different academic disciplines. The seminar format of the course highlights the participatory character of university life, emphasizing that learning is an active, collegial process.
This lecture-only course is designed for non-science majors. Different subfields of chemistry will be explored depending on the instructor. Upon sufficient demand.
CHEM 200L is designed for students who need two semesters of general or inorganic chemistry lab for specific professional programs. Spring.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 205 Minimum Grade: D
Introduction to foundational concepts in inorganic chemistry with emphasis on atomic structure, bonding, and reactivity. Topics will include nuclear chemistry, quantum mechanics, periodic trends, covalent bonding, ionic bonding, metallic bonding, coordinate covalent bonding, acid-base chemistry, electrochemistry, and thermodynamics. Three lectures per week. Fall.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 101 Minimum Grade: C-
Essential concepts in bonding and structure, acid-base chemistry, reactivity and synthesis of functional groups, nomenclature, and mechanisms of fundamental organic reactions. Three lectures and one recitation per week. Taken concurrently with CHEM 230L. Fall.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 101 Minimum Grade: C-
Concurrent:
CHEM 230L
Preparation and analysis of representative organic compounds. One laboratory per week. Taken concurrently with CHEM 230. Fall.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 101L Minimum Grade: C-
Concurrent:
CHEM 230
Continuation of CHEM 230. A significant focus of the course is on aromatic compounds and carbonyl chemistry. Other topics include organometallic chemistry, radicals, mass spectrometry and synthetic polymers. Three lectures per week. Fall.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 230 Minimum Grade: C-
Concurrent:
CHEM 231L
Preparation and analysis of representative organic compounds. One laboratory per week. Fall.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 230L Minimum Grade: C-
Concurrent:
CHEM 231
Structure and function of the major classes of biomolecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids). Fundamental concepts of protein structure and function, kinetics and enzymology, bioenergetics and thermodynamics, metabolism and regulation are discussed. Three lectures per week. Fall and Spring.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 231 Minimum Grade: D
Concurrent:
CHEM 245L
Laboratory methods and techniques relevant to biochemistry. One laboratory per week. Fall and Spring.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 231L Minimum Grade: D
Concurrent:
CHEM 245
This course introduces Chemistry and Biochemistry majors to research and career opportunities related to their major, the use of primary literature, and scientific ethics. One lecture per week. Spring.
Topic to be determined by instructor.
The Biology and Chemistry departments run a variety of outreach programs that include class visits, field trip tours, special summer programs and more. All of our programs strive to engage participants with opportunities for hands-on scientific discovery and inspiration.
Equivalent:
BIOL 295 - OK if taken since Spring 2013
Upper Division
Introduction to the methods of laboratory teaching. Emphasis on safety, time management, direct student-teacher interaction, and class presentation.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 230 Minimum Grade: D
Principles of foundational analytical techniques and methods are presented in three lectures per week. These include gravimetric, volumetric, electrochemical, spectrometric, chromatographic, and mass spectrometry topics as well as basic descriptive statistics. Spring.
Prerequisite:
(CHEM 205 Minimum Grade: C-
and CHEM 230 Minimum Grade: C-)
Concurrent:
CHEM 310L
Laboratory experiments including titrations, gravimetric analysis, molecular and atomic spectroscopy, potentiometry, and chromatography. Sample preparation, instrument calibration, data analysis, and reporting are emphasized. Two laboratory periods per week. Spring.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 230L Minimum Grade: C-
Concurrent:
CHEM 310
In-depth exploration of concepts and techniques used to study biomolecules and biomolecular systems with additional emphasis on scientific writing and communication in biochemistry. Two laboratories per week. Fall and Spring.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 245 Minimum Grade: D
and CHEM 245L Minimum Grade: D
Introduction to foundational concepts in physical chemistry with emphasis on quantum mechanics, gases, thermodynamics, and kinetics. Fall.
Pre-requisite: CHEM 310, minimum grade: C- and MATH 157, minimum grade: C- and MATH 258, minimum grade: C- and PHYS 103, minimum grade: C-
Co-requisite or Pre-requisite: PHYS 204, minimum grade: C-
Concurrent:
CHEM 355L
Experiments that emphasize synthesis and characterization of inorganic compounds, as well as physical chemistry methods ranging from spectroscopy to thermodynamics and kinetics. One laboratory period per week. Fall.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 310L Minimum Grade: C-
Concurrent:
CHEM 355
This course will focus on scientific oral presentations and scientific writing and prepare students for their senior project. This course also includes outside speakers from graduate schools and the chemistry and biochemistry industry to further provide educational opportunities about continued study and employment in the field. One lecture per week. Spring.
In-depth laboratory course featuring projects, often interdisciplinary, within the analytical, inorganic, physical, and organic sub-disciplines of chemistry. Literature engagement and scientific writing are emphasized. Two laboratory periods per week. Spring.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 355 Minimum Grade: C-
and CHEM 355L Minimum Grade: C-
Topic to be determined by instructor.
Undergraduate research assistantships are opportunities for student to earn a stipend while performing independent research in the laboratory of a Biology or Chemistry & Biochemistry faculty member.
Courses focus on reading the primary literature in a particular content area, and will emphasize in-class discussion, writing, and/or presentations. Topics determined by instructor. Two lectures per week. Fall and Spring. Pre-requisites vary depending on topic.
Topic determined by instructor. Two lectures per week. Fall and Spring. Pre-requisites vary depending on topic.
Topic determined by instructor. Two lectures per week. Fall and Spring. Pre-requisites vary depending on topic.
This course builds upon foundational topics introduced in CHEM 245 Biochemistry and CHEM 231 Organic Chemistry II to explore the biology, chemistry, and therapeutic uses of RNA. Emphasis placed on the determination of RNA structures, noncoding RNAs classes and their functions to relate gene expression in bacteria and eukaryotes, and the use of nucleic acid technology in therapeutics. The course involves the reading of primary and secondary literature and incorporates literature discussions. Two lectures per week.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 245 Minimum Grade: C-
and CHEM 231 Minimum Grade: C-
This course builds on foundational topics introduced in CHEM 205 Inorganic Chemistry and CHEM 230 Organic Chemistry I to explore the synthesis, structure, bonding, and reactivity of organometallic complexes, compounds that contain at least one bond between a carbon atom and a metal. Emphasis placed on d-block organometallic compounds and how they are used as homogeneous catalysts for current industrially important organic transformations including hydrogenations, carbonylations, hydroformylations, metathesis, and alkene polymerizations. Two lectures per week.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 205 Minimum Grade: C-
and CHEM 230 Minimum Grade: C-
This course builds upon foundational topics introduced in CHEM 245 Biochemistry and CHEM 231 Organic Chemistry II to explore the environmental and biological causes of DNA damage, the repercussions this has on disease development, and the enzymes that have evolved to maintain DNA integrity. Primary focus on the chemical mechanisms of DNA repair and intermolecular forces that imbue repair enzymes with
remarkable specificity. The course will culminate in discussions on the development of drug therapies targeting DNA repair pathways for the treatment of numerous diseases. Two lectures per week.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 231 Minimum Grade: C-
and CHEM 245 Minimum Grade: C-
The Core Integration Seminar (CIS) engages the Year Four Question: “Imagining the possible: What is our role in the world?” by offering students a culminating seminar experience in which students integrate the principles of Jesuit education, prior components of the Core, and their disciplinary expertise. Each section of the course will focus on a problem or issue raised by the contemporary world that encourages integration, collaboration, and problem solving. The topic for each section of the course will be proposed and developed by each faculty member in a way that clearly connects to the Jesuit Mission, to multiple disciplinary perspectives, and to our students’ future role in the world.
Topic determined by instructor. Fall and Spring. Additional pre-requisites may be required depending on topic.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 355 Minimum Grade: C-
Introduction to foundations of group theory including symmetry operations and elements, point groups, character tables, reducible and irreducible representations. Formal development of standard models to describe electronic structure of atoms, chemical bonding, as well as rotational and vibrational motion. Quantum mechanical treatment of selection rules and their application to electronic, vibrational, and rotational transitions. Application of group theory and standard quantum mechanical models to the interpretation of atomic and molecular spectra. Two lectures per week.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 355 Minimum Grade: C-
Required of all Chemistry and Biochemistry majors. Fall.
Literature review of special chemical problem or topic under the direction of a faculty member. Fall or Spring. By Department Chair permission only.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 370 Minimum Grade: D
Material and credit to be arranged by instructor.
Professional work experience in a chemistry-related field.
Investigation of special chemical problems and topics under the direction of a faculty member. Required for ACS approved B.S. degrees. Fall.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 370 Minimum Grade: D
Required for ACS approved B.S. degrees. Continuation of CHEM 498A. Spring.
Prerequisite:
CHEM 498A Minimum Grade: D
In addition to their major and minor areas of study, all undergraduate students follow a common program designed to complete their education in those areas that the University considers essential for a Catholic, Jesuit, liberal, and humanistic education. The University Core Curriculum consists of forty-five credits of course work, with additional designation requirements that can be met through core, major, or elective courses.
The University Core Curriculum is a four-year program, organized around one overarching question, which is progressively addressed through yearly themes and questions. Hence, core courses are best taken within the year for which they are designated. First year core courses encourage intellectual engagement and provide a broad foundation of fundamental skills. Second and third year courses examine central issues and questions in philosophy and religious studies. The fourth year course, the Core Integration Seminar, offers a culminating core experience. Taken at any time throughout the four years, broadening courses intersect with the core themes and extend students’ appreciation for the humanities, arts, and social and behavioral sciences. Finally, the designation requirements (writing enriched, global studies, and social justice) reflect important values and reinforce students’ knowledge and competencies.
Overarching Core Question: As students of a Catholic, Jesuit, and Humanistic University, how do we educate ourselves to become women and men for a more just and humane global community?
Year 1 Theme and Question: Understanding and Creating: How do we pursue knowledge and cultivate understanding?
- The First-Year Seminar (DEPT 193, 3 credits): The First-Year Seminar (FYS), taken in the fall or spring of the first year, is designed to promote an intellectual shift in students as they transition to college academic life. Each small seminar is organized around an engaging topic, which students explore from multiple perspectives. The FYS is offered by many departments across the University (click here [PDF] for list of FYS courses).
- Writing (ENGL 101, 3 credits) and Reasoning (PHIL 101, 3 credits): The Writing and Reasoning courses are designed to help students develop the foundational skills of critical reading, thinking, analysis, and writing. They may be taken as linked sections. Writing (ENGL 101) carries one of the three required writing-enriched designations (see below).
- Communication & Speech (COMM 100, 3 credits): This course introduces students to interpersonal and small group communication and requires the application of critical thinking, reasoning, and research skills necessary to organize, write, and present several speeches.
- Scientific Inquiry (BIOL 104/104L, CHEM 104/104L, or PHYS 104/104L, 3 credits): This course explores the scientific process in the natural world through evidence-based logic and includes significant laboratory experience. Students pursuing majors that require science courses will satisfy this requirement through their major.
- Mathematics (above Math 100, 3 credits): Mathematics courses promote thinking according to the modes of the discipline—abstractly, symbolically, logically, and computationally. One course in mathematics, above Math 100, including any math course required for a major or minor, will fulfill this requirement. MATH 100 (College Algebra) and courses without the MATH prefix do not fulfill this requirement.
Year 2 Theme and Question: Being and Becoming: Who are we and what does it mean to be human?
- Philosophy of Human Nature (PHIL 201, 3 credits): This course provides students with a philosophical study of key figures, theories, and intellectual traditions that contribute to understanding the human condition; the meaning and dignity of human life; and the human relationship to ultimate reality.
- Christianity and Catholic Traditions (RELI, 3 credits). Religious Studies core courses approved for this requirement explore diverse topics including Christian scriptures, history, theology, and practices as well as major contributions from the Catholic intellectual and theological traditions (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses) .
Year 3 Theme and Question: Caring and Doing: What principles characterize a well lived life?
- Ethics (PHIL 301 or RELI, 3 credits): The Ethics courses are designed to help students develop their moral imagination by exploring and explaining the reasons humans should care about the needs and interests of others. This requirement is satisfied by an approved ethics course in either Philosophy (PHIL 301) or Religious Studies (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses).
- World/Comparative Religion (RELI, 3 credits): Religious Studies courses approved for this core requirement draw attention to the diversity that exists within and among traditions and encourage students to bring critical, analytical thinking to bear on the traditions and questions considered. These courses carries one of the required two global-studies designations (see below) (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses).
Year 4 Theme and Question: Imagining the Possible: What is our role in the world?”
- Core Integration Seminar (DEPT 432, 3 credits). The Core Integration Seminar (CIS) offers students a culminating core experience in which they integrate the principles of Jesuit education, prior components of the core, and their disciplinary expertise. Some CIS courses may also count toward a student’s major or minor. The CIS is offered by several departments across the University (click here [PDF] for list of CIS courses).
The Broadening Courses
- Fine Arts & Design (VART, MUSC, THEA, 3 credits): Arts courses explore multiple ways the human experience can be expressed through creativity, including across different cultures and societies. One approved course in fine arts, music, theatre, or dance will fulfill this requirement (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses).
- History (HIST, 3 credits): History courses are intended to develop students’ awareness of the historical context of both the individual and the collective human experience. One course in History (HIST 101, HIST 102, HIST 112, HIST 201, HIST 202) will fulfill this requirement.
- Literature (3 credits): Literature courses foster reflection on how literature engages with a range of human experience. One approved course in Literature (offered by English, Classics, or Modern Languages) will fulfill this requirement (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses).
- Social & Behavioral Sciences (3 credits): Courses in the social and behavioral sciences engage students in studying human behavior, social systems, and social issues. One approved course offered by Criminal Justice, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, or Women and Gender Studies will fulfill this requirement (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses).
The Designations
Designations are embedded within already existing core, major, minor, and elective courses. Students are encouraged to meet designation requirements within elective courses as their schedule allows; however, with careful planning students should be able to complete most of the designation requirements within other core, major, or minor courses.
- Writing Enriched (WE; 3 courses meeting this designation): Courses carrying the WE designation are designed to promote the humanistic and Jesuit pedagogical ideal of clear, effective communication. In addition to the required core course, Writing (ENGL 101), which carries one of the WE designations, students must take two other WE-designated courses (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses).
- Global-Studies (GS; 2 courses meeting this designation): Courses carrying the GS designation are designed to challenge students to perceive and understand human diversity by exploring diversity within a context of constantly changing global systems. In addition to the required core course, World/Comparative Religion (RELI 300-level), which carries one of the GS designations, students must take one other GS-designated course (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses).
- Social-Justice (SJ; 1 course meeting this designation): Courses carrying the SJ designation are designed to introduce students to one or more social justice concerns. Students must take one course that meets the SJ designation (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses).
Major-specific adaptations to the University Core Curriculum
All Gonzaga students, regardless of their major, will complete the University Core Curriculum requirements. However some Gonzaga students will satisfy certain core requirements through major-specific programs or courses. Any major-specific adaptations to the core are described with the requirements for the majors to which they apply.