PHYS 102 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

James Scholar Assignments

Eligibility

In order to obtain James Scholars credit in PHYS 102, you must:

• Be admitted to the James Scholar program in your college.
• Complete an Honors Credit Learning Agreementand submit it to your college by your college's deadline.
• Complete the James Scholars homework assignment explained below.

Please note that the grades on these assignments DO NOT affect your overall PHYS 102 grade in any way.

James Scholar Assignment

Our James Scholar assignment for this semester:

• Select an article relevant to the subjects covered in PHYS 102 from a reputable science journal. Examples include (but are not limited to):
  • Scientific American
  • Physics Today
  • The Physics Teacher
  • Nature
• Record and then upload a 7-10 minute presentation that will explain the topic to an appropriate level for an audience of your PHYS 102 classmates.

To complete the assignment:

• You must select your article and submit a short proposal explaining your interest in the topic by Friday 31 October 2025.  
• Your final presentation will be due on Thursday 11 Dec 2025 at 5:00 PM (last day of classes).

All assignments will be turned in using GradeScope.

Due Dates:

• Friday, Oct 31 at 5pm:
  • You should upload a proposal for the article to the James Scholar page for the course on GradeScope.
  • Provide a copy of the article or a link to it if it is available online.
  • Your professor or JS grader will get back to you right away (via e-mail) to tell you if your proposal is acceptable, or how to improve it.
• Thursday, Dec 11 at 5pm (Reading Day):
  • Upload the final recorded presentation to the James Scholar page for the course on GradeScope.

Paperwork

If you are already a James Scholar, you should complete an Honors Credit Learning Agreement form, get it signed, and submit it to your college office.

• College of LAS: https://my.atlas.illinois.edu/james-scholar/
• College of AHS: http://ahs.illinois.edu/james-scholar
• College of ACES: https://academics.aces.illinois.edu/honors/james-scholars/guide
• College of Engineering: https://my.engr.illinois.edu/james-scholar/
• Division of General Studies: https://dgs.illinois.edu/james-scholar-honors

How do I get the form signed?

• College of LAS: Your instructor will be notified through the portfolio tool.
• College of AHS: http://ahs.illinois.edu/james-scholar
• College of ACES: https://academics.aces.illinois.edu/honors/james-scholars/guide
• College of Engineering: https://students.grainger.illinois.edu/jscholar/hcla/