Unit name | Physics World 301 |
---|---|
Unit code | PHYS38010 |
Credit points | 10 |
Level of study | H/6 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Dr. Carine Nsangu |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
120 credit points at Level 5 in single honours or joint honours Physics programmes. |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Physics |
Faculty | Faculty of Science |
To introduce students to current topics of interest to practising physicists. To practice and improve the skills of acquiring and disseminating new scientific information at a level appropriate to general public. To provide additional opportunities to improve verbal and written communication skills. Students will read and work to understand science articles, for example in the Institute of Physics magazine 'Physics World'. Each student will receive a personal copy of 'Physics World' every month together with some back numbers and will be expected to give two half-hour talks each on an article of his/her choice to a group of peers with a staff moderator.
Aims:
To give an overview of the latest developments in physics, presented in a lively and approachable way. To understand the relationships between different branches of physics and the coherence of the subject, particularly as an underpinning to science. To provide experience of interpreting material in various formats, of following up references to a variety of scientific literature, and in presenting a summary of complex material in a digestible and interesting way.
By the end of this unit students will be able to:
Group activities led by a member of academic staff.
Assessment is based on both the talks and the essays. Marks are determined from both the quality of presentation and the level of comprehension displayed. The mark for the talks is determined by the member of staff who chairs the sessions and acts as an assessor. All marks are moderated by discussions among all staff involved in the course.
A selection of “Physics World” issues leading to a literature search and further reading.