CHEMWrite list:
(1) Dorothy Sayers, The Documents in the Case, Harper-Collins.
(2) Felix Franks, Polywater, MIT Press. Irving Langmuir, Pathological Science, (reprint from Physics Today v. 42) *
(3) Frank Close, Too Hot to Handle: The Race for Cold Fusion, Princeton.
(4) Primo Levi, The Periodic Table, Schoken Books.
(5) William Poundstone, The Prisoner's Dilemma, Doubleday Publishers.
(6) Daniel Keveles, The Baltimore Case, University of California Press.

* Polywater and Pathological Science must be read together.

1) Read one of the above titles, which are available at the Columbia University Book Store. The exception is Polywater and Pathological Science which are available free (while copies are available) from 318 Havemeyer.

2) Write a 500-600 word essay according to these guidelines:

• In your first section, you will discuss the book as a whole. Identify the topic of the book and summarize the book's argument or, if fiction, the plot.
• For the rest of the essay, focus on one specific aspect of the book that you can connect to methods or principles that you have learned in C1404. Explain both the use of and the importance of these ideas in your book. Be sure to make specific reference to what you have learned in your chemistry class. (Your reader should be convinced that the story the book tells would have been impossible if not for the application of ideas you have learned in C1404.)

In the first section of the essay you will prove that you have read the entire book thoughtfully; in the second section you will demonstrate that some of the ideas and techniques you've learned in C1404 have been the means of human striving--and perhaps success.

3) Write a one-paragraph abstract of 100 words or less in which you summarize your essay.

4) Provide a title page with your essay's title, the book's title, your name, your section, your e-mail address and your instructor's name. Assemble your work in this order: title page, abstract, essay. Please submit your papers in unsealed envelopes provided in class.

     The first version of your essay is due by 5pm on March 10 in 318 Havemeyer Hall. Your work must be typed and double-spaced. You must also submit an electronic version to the Course Website. By the week of April 5, you will receive your paper back with comments and suggestions for revision.
     The final version of your essay is due by 5pm on April 22 in 318 Havemeyer Hall. An electronic version of the final draft must be submitted to the Course Website.

NOTE 1: To receive full credit, you MUST turn in BOTH drafts on time. Also, you must include your first draft (with comments) with your final draft.
NOTE 2: The electronic posting is NOT a substitute for turning in a paper copy. You must do both.

This assignment is worth 16% of your C1404 grade.