CH1CP1: Contemporary Problems in Chemistry

Module code: CH1CP1

Module provider: Chemistry; School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy

Credits: 20

Level: Level 1 (Certificate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Jessica Gusthart, email: j.s.gusthart@reading.ac.uk

Additional teaching staff 1: Dr Adam Bromley, email: a.p.bromley@reading.ac.uk

Additional teaching staff 2: Dr Silvia Baldanza, email: s.baldanza@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Explore solutions for societal and environmental issues to equip the chemist of the future. The first part of this module aims to explore the role of green chemistry and how its guiding principles help reduce the environmental impact of chemistry, both in industry and research. The second part of the module will explore wider societal issues and how these apply to the chemistry context.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Describe the principles of green chemistry
2. Evaluate the application of green chemistry principles in a real-life context
3. Illustrate contemporary societal issues in the context of the chemistry community

Module content

In the first part of the semester, the module will focus on green chemistry. The 12 principles will be explored and then case studies from industry and research will be critically evaluated. The second part of the semester will cover wider societal issues such as the gender balance in STEM and the current discussions around decolonising the curriculum. These will be discussed in the context of how these manifest within the chemistry community and what steps we might be able to take to lessen the impact of these issues in the future. Students will also be supported by relevant skills training to help them best prepare for the associated assessments.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will consist of 1 or 2 hour lectures supported by guided self-study utilising multiple online resources, e.g. videos, blogs, articles etc. Longer lectures will be designed for high student interactivity, such as group and class discussions. For each summative assessment, there will be a related formative task, and a formative feedback session to help students prepare for the assessments. Skills sessions will also be provided to ensure students are well supported in preparing for their assessments, e.g. how to make a poster etc. 

Study hours

At least 26 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Formative tasks will be designed to support or contribute towards the summative assessments. Feedback on these can then be applied to the summative assessments.

Reassessment

Additional costs