CONTEMPORARY PHYSICS SEMINAR  (Physics 172.203)
Fall 2011

This seminar is designed to expose physics majors and physics minors to a variety of contemporary experimental and theoretical issues in the fields of physics and astronomy.  Students read and discuss reviews from the current literature.

Prerequisites: 171.101-102, 171.103-104, or 171.105-106

Course Requirements:  Each week students will read an article on a topic of current interest in physics and astronomy. They should write a short paragraph (3 or 4 sentences) summarizing the issues raised in the article and posing one or two questions for further discussion. The summaries and questions should be sent via email to the instructor by 8 PM of the Sunday before class. (Students may skip submitting summaries of two articles during the semester.) Students should then select two of the questions that they have posed during the course of the semester and write brief response papers addressing each question. The response papers should not exceed 500 words, exluding figures when appropriate, and should make use of at least two sources beyond the assigned article. The first response paper is due by November 4, and the second is due by December 2. The course grades will be based on the summaries and questions (25%), on the response papers (50%), and on class participation (25%).

Additional information can be found in the course page in Blackboard.