PHYS 495 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Syllabus and Activities
The activities and assignments are designed to realize the philosophy behind this class: exploring science in and through different media of art, using your imagination, and bringing creations to life in ways that suit you best.
Artist's depiction of a neutron star. Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC8eDLpRmFg
Class Participation: Generally, each class will involve focusing on one or more scientific concept and genre of art and studying how concepts are depicted by these genres. Examples include the cosmos, quantum physics, and fluids; theater, visual arts, music, and design. The format of the class will involve a brief presentation by the instructor and guests, dialog, and short student presentations on some days. Some classes may involve field trips. Active participation may include active discussion, presenting material, initiating project ideas, etc.
Project Time: Complementing class time, we will meet weekly on Wednesdays 3-3:50pm for formulating and working on projects. This hour is to ensure that we all come together - actual project time will necessarily take longer and will count as homework.
Creative Fragments – Instead of standard homework, you will submit (as a physical or digital copy or an in-class performance) four 'creative fragments' that you have made inspired by in-class explorations. These fragments could involve a very short piece of writing, a physics derivation, a creative way of sharing any research you may be doing, a visual art piece, a video link to something you’ve created….Let your imagination flow and enjoy!
Tentatively, the first of these assignments will be due on Wednesday, September 25th.
Short Presentation – Starting after the first few weeks of classes, each student will give a 10 minute presentation on any course related material of their choice and interest in consultation with the instructor. Dates for these presentations will be assigned by the instructor and as these presentations will serve as a part of the in-class discussion please do come prepared to present on that day.
Written Assignments - Over the course of the semester, you will be required to submit one scientifc write-up and one written assignment detailing your project and the progress of your work on it. First of these assignments will be a short project proposal due on October 9th. The scientific write-up will give you the opportunity to explore physics topics agreed upon in consultation with the instructor. Guidelines and a grading rubric will be provided for these assignments and each will contribute to your final grade.
Final project – The final project will evolve throughout the semester and will culminate in a creative piece of work that depicts chosen scientific concepts through some medium of art. Typically each project is put together by a team (whose members are matched based on their interests, experiences and inclinations), and could a performance, a video clip, an installation, creating a book, etc. Project involvement is on multiple fronts from brainstorming, to creating, to writing a project update, to presentation.
All final projects will be presented at a public event in place of a final examination for the class. Each student can create a page for our Projects website detailing their work, concepts that motivated it, and the finished project that counts as a project update.
As reference, here are the link for previous years' public events/exhibits and the Quantum Voyages website:
https://publish.illinois.edu/phys498art-sp18-projects/
https://publish.illinois.edu/flowing-from-quantum-to-cosmic/
https://publish.illinois.edu/quantum-voyages/
Course Upload
Assignments can be turned in through a variety of ways, depending on the nature of the assignment. For digital files (this includes writings, audio, video, pictures, etc.) the preferred method is through the course upload found here: https://my.physics.illinois.edu/courses/upload/. You will need to sign into my.physics with your NetID and your Illinois login and select "PHYS 495" from the drop-down menu. From there you will see options for upcoming and recent assignments. Any file format is accepted but please try to use something universal (e.g. .pdf for writing, .mp3 for music, etc.) for the TAs' sake.
If course upload is not feasible (e.g. you want to turn in a physical piece of art) there are a couple of options. There is a "495" homework box on the second floor where you can turn in assignments. If that is not an option either, please email either a TA or an instructor to turn in the assignment directly.
Grading
The web-based gradebook will show, for all aspects of the class, exactly how you are progressing. At the end of the course, all components will be put together to obtain the final grade. During the term, you should regularly check that the homework and discussion grades are correctly entered in the gradebook. It is your responsibility to bring any extension requests to the attention of your instructor immediately.
Credit can be exchanged between assignments subject to the discretion of the instructor (e.g. combine 2 creative fragments into one bigger fragment).
Regular grading criteria applies.
| Assignment | Percent Grade |
| Attendance | 20% |
| Creative Fragments | 20% |
| Presentations | 15% |
| Write-Ups | 20% |
| Final Project | 25% |
Academic Integrity
All activities in this course, including documentation submitted for petition for an excused absence, are subject to the Academic Integrity rules as described in Article 1, Part 4, Academic Integrity, of the Student Code.
Student final presentations Spring 2017
