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)

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

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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

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

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

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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