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Fall 2011
Chem 98
2 Unit(s)

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About the Course:

This is a course on the basic science behind food and cooking. We will study food-related processes from the molecular scale up through the eyes of a scientist. However, all necessary technical background will be introduced in the course, so all majors are welcome. NB: Those with strong background (at the level of Chem 3A/112A) are urged to consider the sister class, Chem 198: Advanced Chemistry of Cooking.

The course will meet each Wednesday night from 6 to 7:30 for lectures and demonstrations. In our lectures, we will focus on elucidating basic principles involving energy transfer, important classes of molecules, and chemical differences between different food groups. Unlike the upper-division course, we will not focus on the reactions which underlie cooking, or the biochemistry of food production.

To solidify material taught, a weekly edible cooking lab will be assigned to be completed by the following week's lecture. Labs will be designed to relate to the material taught in lecture for that week and will require about 3 hours of cooking to be done in groups of 3 to 4 people. 

There will be no final examination. Instead, there will be a group project with presentations during the last regular class period. Accompanying the presentations will be a potluck prepared by both students and instructors to showcase what each has learned during the semester. Further details on the final project will be given out in class.

There is no required or recommended text for this course. Instead, the instructors will point out relevant reading for each lecture as they progress. In most cases, the reading will come from the internet and will be secondary to the course itself; it is the hope of the instructors that the lectures will be self-contained. Hence, a strict attendance policy will be enforced.

Grading will be on a P/F system based on attendance, completion of laboratory exercises and quizzes, and the final projct.

How to Enroll:

Enrollment will be handled by lottery with some priority given to graduating seniors and graduate students. Those with background in organic chemistry will be deferred to Chem 198. In order to be eligible for enrollment, we ask that you please attend the first lecture on WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31ST at 6 PM in 121 Wheeler Hall.