- What am
I doing here?
You are probably here because you are curious about the world around
you, and are either thinking of, or already planning on, a career in
physics or engineering (for which graduate school in either might be the
next stepping stone for you). In this class, you should learn a little
more about what “physics” is, and a little bit about how to succeed in
physics. Hopefully, you will get to know your fellow classmates, the
physics upperclassmen, and the physics faculty better, too.
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- Am I
really going to get a grade for this?
Sort of. This class is a “pass/fail” class, meaning that at the end of
the semester, your grade will merely be “satisfactory”, or
“unsatisfactory”. This class is listed as “hybrid”, meaning that we’ll
do some stuff in person, and some stuff online. Your grade will be
determined by your participation, and by a few short assignments.
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- One of
your assignments is a requirement to participate in at least two of the
department’s weekly colloquia. Colloquia are “gatherings” of the physics
students and faculty to hear about topics related to physics, often by
speakers from outside of campus (typically representing graduate
schools, or industries employing physicists). Colloquia are expected to
be conducted via Zoom this semester, starting at 4:00pm on Thursdays.
While it is rare for anyone (including faculty!) to understand
everything presented in a colloquium, they are a great way to broaden
your perspectives about what you might do after completing your degree.
To learn about upcoming topics, visit:
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https://www.geneseo.edu/physics/physics-colloquium
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- So what’s really going to happen?
Most of the time, we will investigate a particular topic in class.
Sometimes, the topic will just be about being a student. Other weeks,
the topic will be about succeeding in physics specifically. Other weeks,
the topic will simply be a topic in physics. Sometimes we will join in a
Zoom discussion with the students in the other two sections of this
course, and a different faculty member may be involved. You may have to
do some independent investigation, and you may have to make a few
presentations in class.
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- At the end
of this course, you should have strengthened your connection to the
physics community at SUNY Geneseo, you should have gained a broader
perspective about what physics is, you should have improved in
communication skills specific to physics students (including writing,
plotting, and presenting quantitative solutions), and you should have
learned some interesting science, too.
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- What’s
the exam schedule?
There are no exams… just in-class discussions, and a few out-of-class
assignments. Even though we generally meet on Wednesday afternoons from
September 2 through December 16, there is no class on either September
30 or November 25. Also, because of the way these breaks (and others)
have been scheduled, the college has declared that Monday November 23
will be treated as if it is a Wednesday for purposes of class meetings.
So, we are meeting on that day, too!
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