CHEM 215, GENERAL CHEMISTRY I: ATOMIC STRUCTURE AND CHEMICAL BONDING: This course covers stoichiometry, atomic and molecular structure, chemical bonding, states of matter and solutions. The course is designed primarily for the student majoring in the biological or physical sciences. Materials were submitted for the two sections of the course taught by different instructors in the fall quarter. The Chair's questionnaire stated that the content of the two lecture sections is coordinated among the two instructors. Text and lab manuals were the same, while course coverage and examinations were very similar. The Chair's questionnaire further stated that mathematics, writing and analytical thinking are emphasized in lecture and laboratory. This is corroborated by the content of the examinations and the lab manual assignments. From the materials submitted, the Committee believes that this course is consistently presented across sections, fulfills the requirements of its category, and should be recertified as a G.E. course.

GEOG 103, PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY: This course is designed to integrate fundamental knowledge of the sciences such as geology, climatology, meteorology, botany, chemistry, physics, etc., in order to understand their impact on human activity. The department provided a comprehensive packet of supportive information (e.g., lecture notes, syllabi, workbooks, etc.) which demonstrated the consistency between various sections of the course. Information provided to the student appeared to provide the fundamental information on course content, but did not state objectives that address its relationship to general education and learning outcomes. The complete nature and type of data provided clearly support the recertification of the course as part of the G.E. curriculum.

GEOL 101, PHYSICAL GEOLOGY: This course is designed to assist students in understanding the tools and methodologies of natural sciences, to provide the student with the most important results of scientific inquiry, and to assist the student in becoming conversant with major consequences of scientific and technological developments. Documentation provided by the department supported that the course topic and content are appropriate. Although the departmental questionnaire provided objectives and outcome assessment measures, the syllabus did not specify these goals or objectives. Information provided to the student appeared to provide the fundamental information on course content, but failed to address its relationship to general education and learning outcomes. These aspects of the syllabus materials should be addressed. From the materials submitted, the course meets the general requirement for its category and should be recertified as a G.E. course.

PHYS 100, PHYSICS IN THE MODERN WORLD: This is an introductory course geared toward non-science majors. The syllabus gives a detailed list of topics, indicating that a wide variety of topics within physics are introduced. The instructor points out that an effort is made to discuss social implications of scientific ideas and discoveries, and that a new text has been adopted that emphasizes the connection between the theory and modern life. The laboratory is integrated with the lecture, and provides reinforcement of the ideas presented in lecture. Instruction is provided in the use of the scientific method, primarily through the laboratory component. The lab manual provides basic instruction about hypothesis testing and experimentation, as well as providing the student with the materials for the weekly labs. While computation is kept to a minimum in this course, basic mathematical skills are reinforced in the laboratory component. Critical thinking skills are reinforced through homework problems that require the student to apply physics concepts to new situations, and through the labs, which require the student to analyze the results of their experiments. Additionally, written communication skills are sharpened through the writing of lab reports, and oral communication skills are reinforced in discussions with lab partners. From the materials submitted, the committee believes that this course meets the category requirements and should be recertified as a G.E. course.