Teaching Chemistry for Cultural Heritage in the Philippines: A Graduate Course for Non-Science Students

Abstract

The Philippine government advocates cultural-based education to strengthen national pride by having culture as the core and foundation of development. Chemistry can significantly contribute by educating the populace on the need to have science-oriented thinking in safeguarding the country’s tangible heritage materials. This paper describes a graduate lecture course introducing chemistry principles in studying cultural heritage materials intended for students or professionals with limited science education. Students learned to appreciate and understand the work of a chemist in providing fundamental knowledge on local materials through scientific research and inquiry. Guidelines successfully implemented in the graduate course, such as the suggested topics, learning objectives, teaching techniques, and assessment tools, are reported. Part of the goal of this paper is to revitalize discussions among chemistry educators in the Philippines on this topic and to inspire the conceptualization of similar courses in different learning institutions.