Course Schedule and Catalog
Course Schedule - Fall Semester 2021
Meeting location information can now be found on student schedules in ESTHER (for students) or on the Course Roster in ESTHER (for faculty and instructors).Additional information available here.
Meeting location information can now be found on student schedules in ESTHER (for students) or on the Course Roster in ESTHER (for faculty and instructors).Additional information available here.
COLL 106 001 (CRN: 14383)
DISSECTING PHYSICS POP SCIENCE
Long Title: DISSECTING PHYSICS POP SCIENCE, FROM BLACK HOLES TO QUANTUM PHYSICS (MCMURTRY)
Department: College Courses
Instructor: Khek, Brandon N.
Meeting: 7:00PM - 8:00PM R (23-AUG-2021 - 3-DEC-2021)
Part of Term: Full Term - No WL Purge
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Language of Instruction: Taught in English
Method of Instruction: Face to Face
Credit Hours: 1
Course Syllabus:
Course Materials: Rice Campus Store
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Undergraduate Professional
Visiting Undergraduate
Undergraduate
Section Max Enrollment: 19
Section Enrolled: 9
Waitlisted: 0 (Max 99)
Current members of the waitlist have priority for available seats.
Enrollment data as of: 19-APR-2024 7:15PM
Final Exam: No Final Exam
Final Exam Time:
11-DEC-2021
7:00PM - 10:00PM S
Description: Popular science is the communication of scientific knowledge intended for a general audience. This genre of media is accessible to almost everyone and consequently evokes widespread interest in physical phenomena, from the mysterious environments of black holes to the paradoxical observations in quantum physics. However, the information conveyed is almost always qualitative. The oversaturation of textually descriptive information in pop-physics can set expectations that differ from the type of work actually being done. What is the role of qualitative and quantitative information in the strengths and weaknesses of pop-physics? We will assess the positive and negative implications of the inclusion and exemption of math in physics popular science, such as how math’s prevalence and accessibility shapes its public image. We will also evaluate how well are we representing physics and educating the public through the omission of numbers. Here we probe the quantitative side of popular physics topics and use this understanding to concurrently reason whether or not the current norms for science communication should be modified.