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Re: Physics curriculum - first advanced course



Dr. Orth:

I agree with the idea of an introductory modern physics course. If
the majority of your students have majors in biology & chemistry,
wouldn't it be a good idea to have an applied physics course with topics
in biophysics and/or physical-chemistry? It is my humble opinion that a
course like this will be more meaningful to the majority of your
students? I just don't know if there are other courses in those majors
that will cover biophysics and physical-chemistry topics.

On Wed, 27 Oct 1999, Dale Orth wrote:

As are many of you, I am the only physics professor at our school, and I
teach chemistry, too! Our current physics curriculum is the standard two
semester calculus based sequence. Its population is chiefly biology,
chemistry, and mathematics majors. It appears likely that next year I will
be introducing two more courses: a concepts of physics general degree type
course and an advanced course.
I'll actually be adding two advanced courses to the curriculum and offering
each every other year. Now the question: which two courses do you, the
list, think I should offer? They will most likely be 3 credit, lecture
only courses. My first inclination is to add Introductory Modern Physics
(some quantum and relativity) and a junior level classical mechanics
course. What would you do, and why?
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Dale L. Orth
Assistant Prof. of Chemistry & Physics
Wisconsin Lutheran College
8800 W. Bluemound Rd.
Milwaukee, WI 53226
dale_orth@wlc.edu


Wilson J. Gonzalez-Espada
Science Education Department
University of Georgia
wge@arches.uga.edu