THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TEACHING GENERAL AND INORGANIC CHEMISTRY TO LAW DEPARTMENT STUDENTS MAJORING IN FORENSIC ANALYSIS
Chemistry plays a major role in forensic expert training as forensic analysis is largely founded on results of chemical sciences that provide forensic expert with information on composition and physical and chemical properties of individual compounds and their mixtures. Teaching chemistry to students of the Department of Law of N.G. Chernyshevsky National Research Saratov State University has some distinctive problems. First of all, these students do not have to pass the Unified State Examination in Chemistry and, therefore, their knowledge of basic chemistry is poor; secondly, the amount of hours planned for lectures and practical lessons in chemistry is very small. Combination of classic educational techniques (lectures with demonstration experiments and laboratory courses involving experiments performed invidually by each student) with contemporary test-based tasks developed by associate professors of the Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the Institute of Chemistry of Saratov State University improves efficiency of student education as the student become actively involved in the education process. Series of practical tasks developed for all of studied chemical topics helps in formation of planned academic results compliant with skill set requirements stipulated by corresponding standard of education. Thus, knowledge and experimental skills gained by first year students as a resulf of working with various chemical agents will help them in solving various problems in their future career as well as better prepare them for more complex chemical and forensic subjects taught to them in their senior years.