PHYS 498 ART :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Activities and Assignments
The activities and assignments are designed to realize the philosophy behind this class of exploring science in and through different media of art, of using your imagination, and of bringing creations to life in ways that suit you best.
The activities include:
Participation - 
Class: 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, fluids, waves, and quantum physics; 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 once a week for a minimum of an hour 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 make four 'creative fragments' that you have made through the course of the semester inspired by what we explore. 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!
Short Presentation – Starting after the first few weeks of classes, each student will give a 10-20min presentation on any course related material of their choice and interest in consultation with the instructor.
Final project and two write-ups – 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 involve a video clip, installation, creating a book, performance, etc. Project involvement is on multiple fronts from brainstorming, to creating, to presentation. Each student will also provide two brief write-ups on the project, one during the creative process dilineating their proposed individual contribution, and another after completion describing their contribution and thoughts on the project.
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 problems with your assigned grades to the attention of your instructor immediately.
The grade breakdown for different components is as follows:
Class and project time attendance - 25%
Creative fragments (min 4 samples) - 30%
Short class presentation - 10%
Two project write-ups (two pages each) - 15%
Final project - 20%
Credit can be exchanged between assignments subject to the discretion of the instructor (e.g. combine 2 creative fragments into one bigger fragment)
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.