A new course was offered last Spring 2020 in the Department of Chemistry and Physics called Seminar in Chemistry. Variations on this course have been taught in the past in our department – the focus on ethics, scientific writing, and the application of chemistry is so essential to our major – but it had never been taught with a theme of social justice. In fact, chemistry and social justice are two areas that have not previously been put together to any great extent in chemistry education, though some examples do exist. The students in the course, with their professor Dr. Aren Gerdon, set out to examine the connection and came up with some inspiring examples. This course and the connection between chemistry and social justice was recently described in the Journal of Chemical Education (click to read the abstract).
Connecting Chemistry to Social Justice in a Seminar Course for Chemistry Majors
This work highlights something unique about Emmanuel College and the Department of Chemistry and Physics. We can and want to use amazing and in-depth chemistry to make a difference!
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