“Chemistry and Public Policy”: An Interdisciplinary Chemistry Course for Nonscience Majors

Abstract

We describe a half-semester lab science course, "Chemistry and Public Policy", for nonscience majors. In this course, students learned about several cases where chemical innovation has been or could be regulated, and they learned the chemical concepts necessary to evaluate each case. They also practiced scientific inquiry and executed lab procedures safely. Throughout, students learned to evaluate scientific articles, legislation, and media reports, explain how knowledge of chemistry concepts informs policy, and vice versa. The course ended with a final project through which the students practiced the advocacy that they studied.