HONORS PS1500

PHYSICS IN THE PLAYS
OF TOM STOPPARD

 

Announcements:

  The course projects will be presented on Tuesday, April 28,
at noon in Library Room 227 (next to the Honors Center)

Poussin8_s.gif (52528 bytes)
Poussin's Et in Arcadia Ego, 1638-40
Musée du Louvre, Paris
(click here for a larger version)

|Course Outline|Office Hours|Grading|
|Schedule and Reading Assignments|Final Exam|

Course Outline - Spring Semester 2009

click here for a .pdf version of the Course Outline

(To read the .pdf versions of the on-line documents,
you will need a free plug-in of Adobe Acrobat Reader)

 

INSTRUCTOR:

Dr. Bradley W. Carroll

OFFICE:

SL 202

TELEPHONE:

626-7921

E-MAIL:

bcarroll@weber.edu

COURSE HOME PAGE:

http://physics.weber.edu/carroll/honors/

TEXTS:

Hamlet, William Shakespeare;

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, Tom Stoppard;

Tom Stoppard: Plays Five, Tom Stoppard;

Seven Ideas that Shook the Universe, Nathan Spielberg and Bryon D. Anderson

Science and math background assumed: none!

 


COURSE OUTLINE

In several of his plays, Tom Stoppard examines the paradox of free will in a deterministic Newtonian world. To what extent can individuals control their lives in a clockwork universe? We will examine the rise and fall of the Newtonian worldview in this course, and see how this provides the philosophical themes of three of Tom Stoppard's plays, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, Arcadia, and Hapgood. Classroom activities will include

bullet

discussing the ideas of the plays

bullet

performing selected readings from the plays

bullet

exploring the physics content of the plays

There will be a two-part midterm for each of Stoppard's plays (covering the storyline of each play and the physics in it), and an optional course project of your choice (with the instructor's approval).

The topics for the small-group discussions will be distributed during the previous class. Come prepared to discuss any of the topics. A Kwik-Kwiz™ will be each day the plays are discussed. The midterms on the physics content of the plays will consist of multiple-choice and short answer questions, and will be given in the Student Service Testing Center (SC 269) over a two-day period; remember to bring a picture ID and a #2 pencil for the multiple-choice. The other will be a short essay paper (3 - 5 pages) on an assigned topic from the plays. Each person is responsible for his or her own work. Academic dishonesty on any exam will result in a grade of zero being given for that examination. A second violation will constitute failure of the course.

Physics provides the fundamental description of physical reality, an exciting and sometimes startling view of the world that most people never get to see. Above all,

Ask Questions at Any Time!

If you have questions that can't be cleared up in class, drop by my office to discuss the meaning and implications of the material. Relax and enjoy this exploration of how nature really works, and remember the words of British scientist J. B. S. Haldane:

 

"Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine,

it is stranger than we can imagine!"

 


OFFICE HOURS

 11:00 - 12:00 MWF
1:00 - 2:00 TTh
and
any other time I am in my office

 


GRADING

A

An overall midterm average of at least 80% and an acceptable approved project for a total of at least 90% (midterms + project) and a satisfactory effort in group discussion

B

An overall midterm average of at least 80% and a satisfactory effort in group discussion

C

An overall midterm average of at least 70% and a satisfactory effort in group discussion

D

An overall midterm average below 70% or an unsatisfactory effort in group discussion

E

An overall midterm average below 70% and an unsatisfactory effort in group discussion

The course project is worth up to 10%. It should be something original and creative, and must be at least peripherally related to the subject matter of the course. With your project you must hand in a short written paper (1 page maximum) that describes what you did and how it is connected to the course. No last-minute projects will be approved. Your project should be something we can both be proud to share with the rest of the class!

 


SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

Click on a hyperlink for that day's handouts

 

 

 

Jan

06

Course Introduction

 

08

Seven Ideas, p. 1 - 13     Handouts:  Scientific Method, Science Definitions, True or False, Science and Pseudoscience, Plato's Cave

 

 

 

Jan 13 Seven Ideas, p. 14 - 35     Handouts:  Library    

 

15

Seven Ideas, p. 35 - 49     Handouts:  Prague clock dial, Prague clock, Tycho's Supernova, DiggesWestward from the Pole, Ghosts in the Renaissance, Hamlet Discussion:  Act 1 and Act 2, Scene 1

 

 

 

Jan

20

Hamlet Act 1, Scene 1 through Act 2, Scene 1     Handouts:   The Garden of Earthly Delights (Hell), Hamlet's Supernova, Hamlet Discussion:  Act 2, Scene 2 through Act 3, Scene 2  

 

22

Hamlet Act 2, Scene 2 through Act 3, Scene 2     Handouts Green Eggs and Hamlet, Green Eggs and Hamlet, the Movie, Hamlet Discussion:  Act 3, Scene 3 through Act 4, Scene 7    

 

 

 

Jan

27

Hamlet Act 3, Scene 3 through Act 4, Scene 7     Handout Hamlet Discussion, Act 5    

  29 Hamlet Act 5

 

 

 

Feb

03

Seven Ideas, p. 50 - 65     HandoutSymbols, Galileo's Moon       

 

05

Seven Ideas, p. 65 - 73     HandoutRene Descartes, Deductive and Inductive Logic, Review for Exam #1 (Physics)       

 

 

 

Feb

10

Seven Ideas, p. 73 - 83     Handouts Experience, R & G Discussion:  Act 1 

 

12

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, Act 1     Handouts Experience, R & G Discussion:  Act 2   
Exam #1 (Physics) - SC 269

  13 Exam #1 (Physics) - SC 269

 

 

 

Feb

17

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, Act 2     Handout Taoism, R & G Discussion:  Act 3  

  19 Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, Act 3     HandoutR & G:  The Main Themes, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead - The Original Ending

 

20

Movie: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead   

 

 

 

Feb

24

Seven Ideas, p. 84 - 105     HandoutNewcomen Engine, Newcomen Engine (Quicktime movie)
Exam #2 essay paper questions handed out    

  26 Seven Ideas, p. 106 - 124     Handout Darkness, by Lord Byron
   

 

 

 

March

03

Seven Ideas, p. 125 - 138     Handout Review for Exam #3 (Physics)
Exam #2 essay paper due at beginning of class    

 

05

Exploring Chaos: Ch. 1, p. 11 - 21
Ch. 7, p. 82 - 85
Ch. 10, p. 122 - 130
(to be handed out in class)
Handouts Arcadia Discussion:  Act 1, Scene 1

 

 

 

March 10 SPRING
  12 BREAK

 

 

 

March 17 Arcadia, Act 1, Scenes 1 and 2, p. 7 - 52     HandoutLink to Eden Prairie High School's Arcadia Web Site, Arcadia Discussion:  Act 1, Scenes 3 and 4    
 
  19 Arcadia, Act 1, Scenes 3 and 4, p. 52 - 75     Handout Arcadia Discussion:   Act 2, Scenes 5 and 6    
Exam #3 (Physics) - SC 269

 

20

Exam #3 (Physics) - SC 269

 

 

 

March

24

Arcadia, Act 2, Scenes 5 and 6, p. 76 - 102     Handout Arcadia Discussion:   Act 2, Scene 7   

  26 Arcadia, Act 2, Scene 7 , p. 102 - 137     Handout Arcadia:  The Main Themes

 

 

 

March

31

Seven Ideas, p. 139 - 183

April 02 Seven Ideas, p. 184 - 198 
Exam #4 essay paper due at beginning of class
        

 

 

 

April

07

Seven Ideas, p. 199 - 220     HandoutThree Failures of Classical PhysicsThe Character of Physical Law, Ch. 6 (to be handed out in class)      

  09 Seven Ideas, p. 220 - 224     HandoutThe Meaning of Electron Waves, Review for Exam #5, Hapgood Discussion:  Act 1, Scenes 1 - 3, Hapgood Plot Summary 

 

 

 

April

14

Hapgood, Act 1, Scenes 1 - 3, p. 489 - 516     Handout Hapgood Discussion:  Act 1, Scenes 4 and 5, Konigsberg Bridges Problem    

 

16

Hapgood, Act 1, Scenes 4 and 5, p. 516 - 547     Handouts Hapgood Discussion:  Act 2, Scenes 1 - 3    
Exam #5 (Physics) - SC 269

  17 Exam #5 (Physics) - SC 269    

 

 

 

April

21

Hapgood, Act 2, Scenes 1 - 3, p. 548 - 575     Handouts Hapgood Discussion:  Act 2, Scenes 4 - 7        

 

23

Hapgood, Act 2, Scenes 4 - 7, p. 575 - 593     Handout Hapgood:  The Main Themes    
Exam #6 essay paper due Tuesday, April 28, at the presentation of course projects  

 

 

 

 


FINAL EXAM

Tuesday, April 28, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Presentation of course projects

 


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Last modified:  Thursday, April 23, 2009 05:46 PM

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