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Philosophy addresses problems and questions that arise in all areas of human thought and experience and in all disciplines. Recurring questions about the nature of value, the good life, right conduct, knowledge, truth, language, mind, and reality are central to philosophical study. Philosophy also investigates the methodologies and assumptions of the major disciplines in the university in order to deepen our understanding of the sciences, of mathematics, art, literature, and history, and of religion and morality. It leads us to address issues about the nature of these subjects, about the methods of reasoning characteristic of them, and about the contributions they make to our understanding of ourselves and our world.
Philosophy contributes to the liberal education of its students. The department emphasizes an analytic approach to philosophical questions, which trains students to understand and evaluate arguments and to think and write precisely and clearly. These skills are of immense value in a variety of careers.
The Program. The Department of Philosophy offers courses in such areas as the theory of knowledge, metaphysics, logic, ethics, and political philosophy. In addition, upper division courses are offered in moral and political philosophy, and aesthetics, and in the philosophy of religion, of mind, of language, of mathematics, of law, and of the natural, biological, and social sciences.
The problems of philosophy have important roots in past. The history of philosophy is important not only as part of the heritage of educated persons, but also because it is relevant to contemporary issues. For these reasons, the department places great emphasis on the history of philosophy, providing courses on the major figures and traditions of western philosophy.
Honors Program. The department offers an honors program, which gives qualifying majors the opportunity to work closely with faculty and graduate students.
Career Alternatives. Students of philosophy learn to understand and evaluate arguments and to think and write precisely and clearly. These analytical skills are assets in any career. Many of our majors have pursued graduate study in philosophy and have become philosophers in their own right. Others have pursued academic careers in related disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. Philosophy majors are well prepared for law, business, or other professional schools and have found careers in computer programming, government service, teaching, the ministry, and social work. Non-majors will find a number of philosophy courses listed below that will enhance their education, career and life experiences.
Preparatory Subject Matter . . . 16 units
Depth Subject Matter . . . 36 units
Total Units for the Major . . . 52
Major Adviser. G.J. Mattey.
Students wishing to minor in Philosophy may choose a general minor or a minor specializing in logic. There are no specific courses required for the general minor, so students may create a program to suit their own interests, subject to the approval of the minor adviser. The range of choice in the logic specialization is limited to the courses listed.
Philosophy--General . . . 20 units
Philosophy--Logic . . . 20 units
Minor Adviser. G.J. Mattey.
Courses for Non-Majors. The department offers both lower and upper division courses of interest and benefit to non-majors. Philosophy 1 is the introductory course for non-majors. Philosophy 5 teaches critical thinking. Students majoring in most disciplines in the university will find courses relevant to their educational or career goals. The following courses are recommended:
(i) pre-law: 12, 14, 24, 102, 104, 112, 115, 116, 118 and, especially, 119; (ii) pre-medical: 14, 104, 108, 114, 115, 116; (iii) business: 14, 102, 112, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119; (iv) social policy: 14, 24, 101, 102, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119; (v) social sciences: 12, 31, 32, 101, 102, 103, 104, 109, 118, 131; (vi) physical sciences: 12, 31, 32, 101, 102, 104, 106, 107, 112, 131; (vii) biological sciences: 31, 32, 101, 102, 104, 108, 110; (viii) humanities and the arts: 14, 21 through 24, 101, 102, 103, 105, 114, 116, 118, 123, 160 through 175; (ix) agricultural and environmental studies: 5, 14, 24, 31, 104, 114, 115, 116, 118.
Department Activities. The Philosophy department sponsors a lecture-seminar series of well-known philosophers who present papers in their fields of expertise. The department also operates ongoing faculty and graduate student colloquia. Undergraduate students are welcome to attend and join these discussions. Information can be obtained in the department office.
Graduate Study. The Department of Philosophy offers programs of study leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. In association with the Program on Economy, Justice and Society, the department also offers the Ph.D. in Philosophy with designated emphasis in Economy, Justice and Society. Detailed information may be obtained by writing to the Graduate Adviser.
Graduate Adviser. M. Jubien.
*Course not offered this academic year.
General Education (GE) credit: ArtHum = Arts and Humanities; SciEng = Science and Engineering; SocSci = Social Sciences; Div = Social-Cultural Diversity; Wrt = Writing Experience. Select this link to information on the General Education requirement.
1. Introduction to Philosophy (4) I. King; II. Friedman, III. Wedin
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Problems of philosophy through major writings from various periods. Problems are drawn from political, aesthetic, religious, metaphysical, and epistemological concerns of philosophy. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
5. Critical Reasoning (4) I. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Criteria of good reasoning in everyday life and in science. Topics to be covered may include basic principles of deduction and induction; fallacies in reasoning; techniques and aids to reasoning; principles of scientific investigation; aids to clarity. Not open to students who have completed course 6. GE credit: Wrt.
*6. Critical Reasoning and Writing (4) III. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Topics to be covered may include criteria of good reasoning in everyday life and in science; basic principles of deduction and induction; fallacies in reasoning; techniques and aids to reasoning; principles of scientific investigation; aids to clarity. Critical papers emphasized. Not open to students who have completed course 5. Offered in alternate years. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
11. Philosophy East and West (4) I. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Comparative treatment of select theories in Eastern and Western philosophy, e.g., of self, God, being, knowledge, enlightenment. Topics selected from the following philosophies: Eastern--Buddhist, Confucian, Hindu, Taoist; and Western--Platonist, Aristotelian, Medieval Christian, Modern Rationalist/Empiricist, Kantian, Hegelian, Existentialist. Offered in alternate years. (Former course 10E.) GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.
12. Introduction to Symbolic Logic (4) I. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Sentence logic syntax and semantics. Truth tables. Transcription between sentence logic and English. Logical equivalence. Validity. Proof techniques.
*13. The Person (4) III. Wollheim
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Examination of the concept of the person, that is, of our intuitions about what persons are, e.g., that persons are agents, that they have a distinct psychology, that they are rational, that they are language-users, that they are mortal. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
14. Ethical and Social Problems in Contemporary Society (4) I. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; term paper. Philosophical issues and positions involved in contemporary moral and social problems. Among possible topics are: civil disobedience and revolution, racial and sex discrimination, environment and population control, genetic engineering, technology and human values, sexual morality, freedom in society. GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.
21. History of Philosophy: Ancient (4) I. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Survey of Greek philosophy with special attention to the Pre-Socratics, Plato, and Aristotle. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
22. History of Philosophy: Seventeenth Century (4) II. Mattey
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Selections from Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz and seventeenth century scientific thinkers. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
23. History of Philosophy: Eighteenth Century (4) III. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Selections from Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
24. Introduction to Ethics and Political Philosophy (4) III. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Reading of historical and contemporary works highlighting central problems in ethical theory and political philosophy. Why should we be moral? What is moral behavior? What is justice, both for the individual and for society? Is there a right of rebellion? GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
31. Appraising Scientific Reasoning (4) III. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Introduction to scientific hypotheses and the kinds of reasoning used to justify such hypotheses. Emphasis on adequate justification, criteria, and strategies for distinguishing scientific from pseudoscientific theories. Concrete historical and contemporary cases. GE credit: ArtHum or SciEng.
32. Understanding Scientific Change (4) II. Griesemer
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Concepts of scientific change in historical and philosophical perspective. Survey of models of growth of knowledge, 17th century to present. Relationship between logic of theories and theory choice. Kuhn's revolution model. Examples from various sciences. GE credit: ArtHum or SciEng, Wrt.
*90X. Lower Division Seminar in Philosophy (1-2) I, II, III. The Staff
Seminar--1-2 hours. Prerequisite: completion of fewer than 84 quarter units; completion of at least one course in philosophy; consent of instructor. Investigation of a selected topic in philosophy through readings, discussions, and written assignments. Emphasis upon student participation. Limited enrollment.
*98. Directed Group Study (1-5) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (P/NP grading only.)
99. Special Study for Undergraduates (1-5) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (P/NP grading only.)
(Certain upper division courses may not be offered every year.)
101. Metaphysics (4) I. Jubien
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy recommended. Theories of being. Such topics as reality, substance, universals, space, time, causality, becoming, body, experience, persons, freedom, and determinism. Views of the nature and method of metaphysics. Anti-metaphysical arguments. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
102. Theory of Knowledge (4) I. Mattey
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy. Analysis of the concept of knowledge. The relation between knowledge, belief and truth. Development of foundationalist, coherentist and externalist theories of justified belief. Examination of skepticism. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
103. Philosophy of Mind (4) III. The Staff
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. The relation between mind and body, our knowledge of other minds, and the explanation of mental acts. Discussion of such concepts as action, intention, and causation. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
104. Introduction to Philosophy of Science (4) I. Teller
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or a science background recommended. Basic problems in the philosophy of science, common to the physical, biological, and social sciences. Analysis of explanation, confirmation theory, observational and theoretical terms, the nature of theories, operationalism and behaviorism, realism, reduction. GE credit: ArtHum or SciEng, Wrt.
105. Philosophy of Religion (4) II. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy recommended. Logical, metaphysical, epistemological, and existential aspects of selected religious concepts and problems. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
*106. Science and Metaphysics (4) I. The Staff
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or consent of instructor. Intensive study of topics in metaphysics to which the results of modern science are or appear to be relevant: the nature of time, causation, determinism, physicalism, realism. GE credit: ArtHum or SciEng, Wrt.
*107. Philosophy of the Physical Sciences (4) Teller
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: one philosophy course or a science background recommended. Nature of testability and confirmation of scientific hypotheses; nature of scientific laws, theories, explanations, and models. Problems of causality, determininism, induction, and probability; the structure of scientific revolutions. GE credit: ArtHum or SciEng, Wrt.
108. Philosophy of the Biological Sciences (4) II. Dietrich; III. Griesemer
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: one course in biology or one course in philosophy. Scientific method in biology. Nature of biological theories, explanations, and models. Problems of evolutionary theory, ecology, genetics, and sociobiology. Science and human values. GE credit: ArtHum or SciEng, Wrt.
109. Philosophy of the Social Sciences (4) II. Teller
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hours. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or a social science recommended. The nature of the social sciences, their subject matter and methods. Similarities to and differences from natural and life sciences. Predicting and explaining human behavior. Behaviorism. Reduction, holism, and individualism. Related moral issues. The social sciences and philosophy. Offered in alternate years. GE credit: ArtHum or SocSci, Wrt.
*110. An Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Science (4) The Staff
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy. Several general topics in the philosophy of science introduced and discussed in the context of actual episodes in the development of the natural sciences. Impact of these scientific developments on philosophical thought of the immediately following historical period. GE credit: ArtHum or SciEng, Wrt.
111. Philosophy of Space and Time (4) I. Teller
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: one upper division philosophy course. Philosophical problems of space and time. The philosophical implications of space-time theories, such as those of Newton and Einstein. Topics may include the nature of geometry, conventionalism, absolutist versus relationist views of space and time, philosophical impact of relativity theory.
112. Intermediate Symbolic Logic (4) II. Jubien
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: course 12 or consent of instructor. Predicate logic syntax and semantics. Transcription between predicate logic and English. Proof techniques. Identity, functions, and definite descriptions. Introduction to concepts of metatheory.
113. Advanced Logic (4) III. Jubien
Lecture/discussion--4 hours. Prerequisite: course 112, or Mathematics 108 or the equivalent. Topics will vary between metalogic of First-Order logic through the Completeness and Löwenheim-Skolem theorems; and Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory typically axiomatized as a First-Order theory. May be repeated once when subject area differs.
114. History of Ethics (4) II. Clark
Lecture--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: one philosophy course. Study of some classic texts from the history of philosophical writing on central problems of ethics, taking the form either of a survey or concentrated examination of selected historical figures. Readings from such philosophers as Aristotle, Butler, Hume, Kant, Mill. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
*115. Problems in Normative Ethics (4) III. Clark
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy. Moral philosophy studied through examination of moral problems and the moral principles and common sense intuitions that bear on them. Problems discussed may include: animal rights, fetal rights, euthanasia, justice and health care, war, nuclear deterrence, world hunger, environmental protection. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
116. Ethical Theories (4) II. Clark
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy; one course in ethics recommended. Study of fundamental concepts and problems in ethical theory through an examination of classical and contemporary philosophical theories of ethics. Among the theories that may be discussed are utilitarianism, virtue theory, theories of natural rights, Kantian ethical theory, and contractarianism.
*117. Foundations of Ethics (4) II. Clark
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: one of courses 114, 115, 116, 101, or 137. Advanced investigation of questions about the nature and foundations of morality. Among the topics that may be discussed are moral realism and anti-realism, cognitivism and non-cognitivism, types of relativism, moral skepticism, normative language and normative belief.
118. Political Philosophy (4) III. Clark
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy. Intensive examination of some central concepts of political thought such as the state, sovereignty, rights, obligation, freedom, law, authority, and responsibility. Offered in alternate years. General Education credit: Contemporary Societies. (Former course 117.) Not open for credit to students who have completed former course 117. GE credit: SocSci, Div, Wrt.
119. Philosophy of Law (4) III. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or consent of instructor. Philosophical theories of the nature of law, legal obligation, the relation of law and morals. Problems for law involving liberty and justice: freedom of expression, privacy, rights, discrimination and fairness, responsibility, and punishment. (Former course 116.) GE credit: SocSci, Div, Wrt.
*121. Topics in Metaphysics (4) II. Jubien
Lecture/discussion--4 hours. Prerequisite: course 101. Examination of up to three topics in metaphysics, e.g., fatalism; necessity; identity; ontological categories; minds, bodies, and persons; space and time; freedom and determinism.
122. Topics in Theory of Knowledge (4) III. Mattey
Lecture/discussion--4 hours. Prerequisite: course 102. Examination of one or more topics in theory of knowledge, such as belief, skepticism, justification.
*123. Aesthetics (4) III. Wollheim
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy recommended. Nature of art, of artistic creation, of the work of art, and of aesthetic experience; nature and validity of criticism; relations of art to its environment. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
*127. Philosophy and Economics (4) The Staff
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: one upper division course in philosophy. Study of issues at the intersection of economics and moral and political philosophy, e.g., the nature of value, the nature of justice, the nature of rationality, the measurability of human well-being. GE credit: ArtHum or SocSci, Wrt.
*131. Philosophy of Logic and Mathematics (4) Jubien
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: course 12 or one course for credit in mathematics. Nature of formal systems and mathematical theories. Selected topics include logical and semantical paradoxes; foundations of mathematics; set theory, type theory, and intuitionistic theory; philosophy of geometry; philosophical implications of Gödel's incompleteness results.
*132. History of Logic (4) The Staff
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or logic recommended. Overview of the chief developments in the history of logic.
*133. Topics in Mathematical Logic (4) III. King
Lecture/discussion--4 hours. Prerequisite: course 113 or Mathematics 125 or consent of instructor. Topics to be taken typically from the following: metalogic and model theory; axiomatic set theory and independence results; Gödel's incompleteness theorem; computability and recursion theory.
*134. Modal Logic (4) King
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: course 112 or Mathematics 108 or the equivalent. Survey of the main systems of modal logic, including Lewis systems S4 and S5. "Possible worlds" semantics and formal proofs. Applications to epistemology, ethics, or temporality. Offered in alternate years.
*135. Alternative Logics (4) Mattey
Lecture/discussion--4 hours. Prerequisite: course 12, Mathematics 108, or the equivalent. Alternatives to standard truth-functional logic, including many-valued logics, intuitionist logics, relevance logics, and non-monotonic logics.
137. Philosophy of Language (4) I. The Staff
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or linguistics. Discussion of philosophical theories of how languages work and philosophical problems arising from thinking about language. Emphasis on modern (1879present) philosophical views on language.
*143. Hellenistic Philosophy (4) The Staff
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: course 21. Focus on Greek and Roman philosophy after Aristotle, including Epicureanism, Stoicism, Skepticism, and neo-Platonism. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
*145. Medieval Philosophy (4) II. The Staff
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; written reports. Prerequisite; course 21. Study of major philosophers in the medieval period. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
*151. Philosophy of the Nineteenth Century (4) The Staff
Lecture/discussion--4 hours. Prerequisite: courses 21, 22, or 23 recommended. Idealism of Hegel, the pessimism of Schopenhauer, Marxism, the irrationalism of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Dostoevsky. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt.
*155. American Philosophy (4) The Staff
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy recommended. Study of such American thinkers as Peirce, James, Royce, Dewey, Santayana, Whitehead, and C.I. Lewis.
*156. Contemporary Analytic Philosophy (4) I. King
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy. Consideration of central issues such as meaning/reference, analytic/synthetic, reductionism, formal and ordinary language, essential properties, ontological commitment, possible world semantics; influential works by philosophers such as Russell, Moore, Wittgenstein, Austin, Carnap, Quine, Putnam, Kripke, van Fraassen.
*158. Phenomenology and Existentialism in Germany (4) The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: course 23 recommended. Twentieth-century German thinkers such as Husserl, Heidegger, Jaspers.
*159. Pheonomenology and Existentialism in France (4) The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: course 23 recommended. Twentieth-century French thinkers such as Sartre, Marcel, Merleau-Ponty.
*160. Pre-Socratics (4) The Staff
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: course 21. Study of the metaphysical views of such pre-Socratic figures as the Milesians, the Pythagoreans, Heracleitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, and the atomists.
161. Plato (4) II. The Staff
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: course 21. Examines Plato's most important contributions in metaphysics, epistemology, psychology, cosmology, ethics and political philosophy. Dialogues will be selected from Plato's middle and later writings. Offered in alternate years.
162. Aristotle (4) III. Wedin
Lecture/discussion--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: course 21. An overview of Aristotle's most central and influential writings. Topics selected from fields such as metaphysics, physics, ethics, logic, and psychology. Offered in alternate years.
*168. Descartes (4) Friedman
Lecture/discussion--4 hours. Prerequisite: course 22. Descartes' metaphysics, theory of knowledge, and philosophy of science. Readings from Meditations on First Philosophy and Principles of Philosophy. Offered in alternate years.
*169. Spinoza (4) The Staff
Lecture/discussion--4 hours. Prerequisite: course 22.
170. Leibniz (4) II. Mattey
Lecture/discussion--4 hours. Prerequisite: course 22. Survey of the the philosophical writings of G. W. Leibniz. Topics include Leibniz's logic, the existence of God, human freedom, substance, and the relation between science and metaphysics. Offered in alternate years.
*172. Locke and Berkeley (4) Mattey
Lecture--4 hours. Prerequisite: course 23. Examination of Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Berkeley's Principles of Human Knowledge and Three Dialogues. Topics include abstract ideas, existence of matter, primary and secondary qualities, the existence of God, and the nature of scientific knowledge.
174. Hume (4) I. The Staff
Lecture/discussion--4 hours. Prerequisite: course 23. Examination of David Hume's Treatise of Human Nature and related writings. Topics include space and time, necessity, induction, skepticism concerning the external world and concerning personal identity. Offered in alternate years.
175. Kant (4) III. Mattey
Lecture/discussion--4 hours. Prerequisite: course 23. Intensive examination of the Critique of Pure Reason. Topics include the extent and limitations of human cognition, space and time, substance and causality, freedom and determinism, and the existence of God. Offered in alternate years.
*177. Hegel (4) The Staff
Lecture/discussion--4 hours. Prerequisite: course 23 and 175 recommended.
*190. Special Topics in the History of Philosophy (4) The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; term paper. Intensive study of special topic, problem, or authors in the history of philosophy. May be repeated for credit.
193. Research in Philosophy (2) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Term paper/discussion--2 hours. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Individual research resulting in a paper on a specific topic in one of various fields of philosophy. May be repeated twice for credit.
194HA-194HB. Honors Research Project (4-4) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Tutoring--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: consent of instructor; open to students who are members of the honors program in Philosophy. Completion of honors research project under direction of an instructor. Consult departmental major Adviser for list of instructors available in a given quarter.
*198. Directed Group Study (1-5) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
(P/NP grading only.)
199. Special Study for Advanced Undergraduates (1-5) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (P/NP grading only.)
201. Metaphysics (4) III. King
Seminar--3 hours; term paper. Topics vary from quarter to quarter. Sample topics include modality, truth, ontology, events, and causation. May be repeated for credit.
*202. Theory of Knowledge (4) The Staff
Seminar--4 hours.
*206. Philosophical Argumentation (4) The Staff
Seminar--3 hours; short papers. Prerequisite: graduate standing. Investigation and evaluation of philosophical arguments. Critical discussion of student papers on various aspects of philosophical disputes.
*207. Philosophy of Physics (4) The Staff
Seminar--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: graduate standing in philosophy or consent of instructor. An intensive treatment of one (or more) topic(s) in the philosophy of physics, such as foundations of spacetime theories, the interpretation of quantum mechanics, foundations of statistical mechanics. May be repeated for credit with consent of instructor.
*208. Philosophy of Biology (4) Griesemer
Seminar--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: graduate standing in philosophy or consent of instructor. Intensive treatment of one or more general topics in the philosophy of biology, such as foundations of evolutionary theories, reductionism in biology, sociobiology, and cultural evolution. May be repeated for credit with consent of instructor.
*210. Philosophy of Science (4) II. Teller
Seminar--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: graduate standing in philosophy or consent of instructor. Treatment of one or more general topics of current interest in the philosophy of science, such as scientific explanation, theories of confirmation, scientific realism, reduction in physics and biology. Course may be repeated for credit with consent of instructor.
*212. Philosophy of Logic and Mathematics (4) The Staff
Seminar--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: course 112 or 113, or Mathematics 108 or 125, or the equivalent. Philosophical issues in logic and mathematics. Topics may include nature of logical and mathematical truth or knowledge; correctness of logical systems; foundations of mathematics; metaphysical and epistemological presuppositions; applications to philosophical problems and formalization of philosophical theories.
214. Ethics (4) III. Clark
Seminar--3 hours; term paper.
217. Political Philosophy (4) II. The Staff
Seminar--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: graduate student standing. Advanced study of issues in political philosophy. May be repeated for credit with consent of instructor.
*237. Philosophy of Language (4) King
Seminar--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: graduate standing in philosophy or consent of instructor. Study of philosophical issues raised by language, such as the nature of semantic content, proper semantics for verbs of propositional attitude, feasibility and limitations of formal semantics and pragmatics for natural languages. May be repeated for credit with consent of instructor when the content is sufficiently distinct.
*261. Plato (4) The Staff
Seminar--3 hours.
*262. Aristotle (4) Wedin
Seminar--3 hours.
*275. Kant (4) Mattey
Seminar--3 hours.
290. History of Philosophy (4) I. Mattey
Seminar--3 hours. Special topics in the history of philosophy.
*293. The Emotions (4) Wollheim
Seminar--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: graduate standing; open to undergraduates with consent of instructor. Considers the emotions in their full variety. Relates emotion to desire, to belief, to sensation, to behavior, and to rationality. Cultural interpretations of emotion will be reviewed. Ancient and modern writers will be read. Offered in alternate years.
*298. Group Study (1-5) I. The Staff
299. Research (1-12) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
(S/U grading only.)
From the smallest subatomic particles to atoms, molecules, stars, and galaxies, the study of physics is the study of what makes the universe tick. Information learned from high-energy particle accelerators and nuclear reactors teaches us not only what holds the nucleus and the atom together but also why stars shine and how radiation therapy fights cancer.
The Program. The Department of Physics offers three degree programs: the Bachelor of Arts in Physics, and the Bachelor of Science in Physics and in Applied Physics. The A.B. degree provides a broad coverage of classical and modern physics while permitting a broader liberal arts education than is possible with the other two programs. The B.S. degree in either Physics or Applied Physics should be followed by the student who plans to enter physics as a profession. The B.S. in Applied Physics provides the student with a solid introduction to a particular applied physics specialty. For the student who plans to enter the job market on completing a B.S. degree, the applied physics orientation would be an asset. Either B.S. program provides a solid foundation in physics for the student interested in graduate work in either pure or applied physics.
Career Alternatives. Careers in physics and applied physics include research and development, either in universities, government laboratories, or industry; teaching in high schools, junior colleges, and universities; management and administration in industrial laboratories and in government agencies; and in production and sales in industry. A major in physics also provides a strong base for graduate-level work in such interdisciplinary areas as chemical physics, biophysics and medical physics, geophysics and environmental physics, astrophysics and astronomy, computer science, and materials science.
Preparatory Subject Matter . . . 56 units
Depth Subject Matter . . . 54 units
Total Units for the Major . . . 110
Preparatory Subject Matter . . . 41 units
Depth Subject Matter . . . 39 units
Total Units for the Major . . . 80
Recommended
Chemistry 2A-2B-2C or 2AH-2BH-2CH. See also recommended elective courses following the B.S. program below.
Preparatory Subject Matter . . . 56
Depth Subject Matter . . . 54 units
Total Units for the Major . . . 110
Recommended Electives
Astronomy: Astronomy 2.
Computer and numerical analysis: Mathematics 128A or Applied Science Engineering 115.
Statistics: Statistics 131A.
Advanced mathematics: Mathematics 108, 118A-118B, 119A-119B, 121A-121B, 127A-127B-127C, 185A, 185B;
Physics 10 (history and philosophy of physics). No credit after any other physics course (except 137, 160).
Program Variance. Courses from other departments may be submitted for courses in the depth subject matter requirements by obtaining written permission from the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee chairperson, as approved by the Department.
Major Advisers. Contact Departmental Undergraduate Majors Office, 231 Physics/Geology Building, for adviser assignment.
Three distinct minors are offered, all requiring prerequisites equivalent to Mathematics 21A-21B-21C-21D and 22A-22B and Physics 9A-9B-9C-9D. Students considering the possibility of earning a Physics minor should consult with a Physics major adviser before beginning work in one of these minor programs.
Physics . . . 18-24 units
Classical Physics emphasis . . . 23 units
Quantum Physics emphasis . . . 22 units
General Physics emphasis . . . 22 units
Graduate Study. The Department of Physics offers programs of study and research leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees and the Ph.D. degree with an Applied Physics Research Specialty. Further information regarding requirements for these three degrees, graduate research, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships may be obtained by writing to the Chairperson, Department of Physics, University of California, Davis 95616.
Astronomy. There is no major program leading to a degree in Astronomy. Introductory courses are offered in general astronomy and astrophysics. Students who wish to use the observatory or the portable telescopes may do so through the Astronomy Club. The graduate program in physics provides research opportunities in radio-astronomy or microwave astrophysics.
*Course not offered this academic year.
General Education (GE) credit: ArtHum = Arts and Humanities; SciEng = Science and Engineering; SocSci = Social Sciences; Div = Social-Cultural Diversity; Wrt = Writing Experience. Select this link to information on the General Education requirement.
2. Introduction to Modern Astronomy and Astrophysics (4) I. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; laboratory/discussion--2 hours. Prerequisite: good facility in high school physics and mathematics (algebra and trigonometry). Description and interpretation of astronomical phenomena using the laws of modern physics. Modern astronomical instrumentation. Gravitation, relativity, electromagnetic radiation, atomic and nuclear processes in relation to the structure and evolution of stars, the solar system, galaxies, and the Universe. Not open to students who have received credit for course 10.
10. General Astronomy (4) III. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; laboratory/discussion--2 hours. A non-mathematical description of modern astronomy with emphasis on the structure and evolution of stars, galaxies, and the Universe. The Sun and the solar system. Optional topics include pulsars, black holes, quasars, and extra-terrestrial communications. Not open to students who have received credit for course 2 or any physics course (except 10, 137, 160). GE credit: SciEng.
*Course not offered this academic year.
General Education (GE) credit: ArtHum = Arts and Humanities; SciEng = Science and Engineering; SocSci = Social Sciences; Div = Social-Cultural Diversity; Wrt = Writing Experience. Select this link to information on the General Education requirement.
Physics 10 is primarily a concept-oriented one-quarter lecture/discussion course requiring relatively little mathematical background.
Physics 1 is a two-quarter sequence requiring some mathematics (trigonometry). Either 1A alone or both quarters may be taken. The sequence is not intended to satisfy entrance requirements of a year of physics for professional schools, but will satisfy requirements of 3 or 6 units of physics.
Physics 5 is replaced by Physics 7; Physics 5C will be offered for the last time fall quarter 1996. Physics 7 is a one-year introductory physics course with laboratory intended for students majoring in the biological sciences. It has a calculus prerequisite. Students not intending to take the entire sequence should take Physics 1.
Physics 9 is a four-quarter sequence using calculus throughout and including laboratory work as an integral part. The course is primarily for students in the physical sciences and engineering.
Note: Faculty listed for each course are well acquainted with the course, but may not teach it this year.
1A. Principles of Physics (3) I. McColm
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: trigonometry or consent of instructor. Mechanics. Introduction to general principles and analytical methods used in physics with emphasis on applications in applied agricultural and biological sciences and in physical education. Not open for credit to students who have completed course 5A or 9A.
1B. Principles of Physics (3) II. McColm
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 1A or 5A, and consent of instructor. Continuation of course 1A. Heat, optics, electricity, modern physics. Not open for credit to students who have completed course 5B, 5C, 9B, 9C, or 9D.
*5A. General Physics (4) I, II. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; laboratory--2.5 hours. Prerequisite: Mathematics 16B (may be taken concurrently). Mechanics and fluids. Introduction to general principles and analytical methods used in physics. Primarily for biological science majors. Students who have had course 9A may not receive credit for 5A. Those who have had course 1A may receive only 2 units of credit.
*5B. General Physics (4) II, III. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; laboratory--2.5 hours. Prerequisite: course 5A or 1A with consent of instructor and Mathematics 16B; or Physics 9A. Continuation of course 5A. Kinetic theory and thermodynamics, wave phenomena, optics. Students who have had course 9B may not receive credit for course 5B. Those who have had course 1B may receive only three units of credit.
5C. General Physics (4) I, III. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; laboratory--2.5 hours. Prerequisite: course 5B. Continuation of course 5B. Electricity and magnetism, modern physics. Students who have had course 9C may not receive credit for course 5C. Those who have had course 1B may receive only three units of credit.
7A. General Physics (4) I, II. Coleman, Potter
Lecture--1.5 hours; discussion/laboratory--5 hours. Prerequisite: Mathematics 16B (may be taken concurrently). Introduction to general principles and analytical methods used in physics for students majoring in a biological science. Only two units of credit allowed to students who have completed course 9B, 5B, or 1B.
7B. General Physics (4) II, III. Coleman, Potter
Lecture--1.5 hours; discussion/laboratory--5 hours. Prerequisite: course 7A. Continuation of course 7A. Only two units of credit allowed to students who have completed course 9A, 5A, or 1A.
7C. General Physics (4) III, I. Coleman, Potter
Lecture--1.5 hours; discussion/laboratory--5 hours. Prerequisite: course 7B. Continuation of course 7B. Only two units of credit allowed to students who have completed course 9C or 5C.
9A. Classical Physics (4) III. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; laboratory--2.5 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: Mathematics 21B. Mechanics. Introduction to general principles and analytical methods used in physics for physical science and engineering majors. Only two units of credit allowed for students who have completed course 1A. Only one unit of credit allowed to students who have completed course 5A.
9B. Classical Physics (4) I. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; laboratory--2.5 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: course 9A or 5A with consent of instructor; Mathematics 21C; Mathematics 21D (may be taken concurrently). Continuation of course 9A. Fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, wave phenomena, optics. Not open for credit to students who have completed Engineering 105A. Only 1 unit of credit allowed to students who have completed course 5B.
9C. Classical Physics (4) II. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; laboratory--2.5 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: course 9B; Mathematics 21D; Mathematics 22A (may be taken concurrently). Continuation of course 9B. Electricity and magnetism including circuits and Maxwell's equations. Only one unit allowed to students who have completed course 5C.
9D. Modern Physics (4) III. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1.5 hours. Prerequisite: course 9C and Mathematics 22A; Mathematics 22B recommended (may be taken concurrently). Introduction to physics concepts developed since 1900. Special relativity, quantum mechanics, atoms, molecules, condensed matter, nuclear and particle physics. Only two units of credit allowed to students who have completed course 5C.
9HA. Honors Classical Physics (4) III. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; laboratory--2.5 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: high school physics, Mathematics 21A-21B with at least a B+ average (or by recommendation of academic adviser.) Same material as in course 9A, but in greater depth. Only 2 units of credit allowed for students who have completed course 1A or 5A.
9HB. Honors Classical Physics (4) I. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; laboratory--2.5 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: course 9HA (or course 9A with recommendation of course 9A instructor or academic adviser); Mathematics 21C; Mathematics 21D (may be taken concurrently). Continuation of course 9HA. Same material as in course 9B, but in greater depth. Only 2 units of credit allowed for students who have completed course 5B.
9HC. Honors Classical Physics (4) II. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; laboratory--2.5 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: course 9HB (or course 9B with recommendation of course 9B instructor or academic adviser); Mathematics 21D; Mathematics 22A (may be taken concurrently). Continuation of course 9HB. Same material as in course 9C, but in greater depth. Only 2 units of credit allowed for students who have completed course 5C.
9HD. Honors Modern Physics (4) III. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1.5 hours. Prerequisite: course 9HC (or course 9C with recommendation of course 9C instructor or academic adviser); Mathematics 22A; Mathematics 22B (may be taken concurrently). Continuation of course 9HC. Same material as in course 9D but in greater depth. Only 3 units of credit allowed for students who have completed course 5C.
10. Topics in Physics for Nonscientists (4) I, II. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: high school algebra. Emphasis will vary: survey of basic principles or a deeper exploration of some particular branch. Past topics included black holes, space time, and relativity; physics of music; history and philosophy; energy and the environment; and natural phenomena. Check with the department office for the current emphasis. GE credit: SciEng.
90X. Lower Division Seminar (1-2) I, II, III. The Staff
Seminar--1-2 hours. Prerequisite: lower division standing and consent of instructor. Examination of a special topic in Physics through shared readings, discussions, written assignments, or special activities such as laboratory work. May not be repeated for credit. Limited enrollment.
98. Directed Group Study (1-5) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Prerequisite: consent of instructor; primarily for lower division students. (P/NP grading only.)
99. Special Study for Undergraduates (1-5) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (P/NP grading only.)
104A-104B. Introduction to Methods of Mathematical Physics (3-3) I-II. Chau
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: courses 9B, 9C, 9D and Mathematics 21D, 22A, and 22B passed with grade C or better; or consent of department; course 104A passed with a grade C or better or consent of department required for 104B. Applications of linear equations and matrices, vector spaces (finite and infinite dimensional), ordinary and partial differential equations, infinite series, functions of one complex variable, integration methods, integral transforms, and variational methods.
105A-105B. Analytical Mechanics (3-3) I-II. Rouse
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: courses 9B, 9C, 9D and Mathematics 21D, 22A, and 22B passed with grade C or better; or consent of department; course 104A and 105A passed with a grade C or better or consent of department required for 105B. Principles and applications of Newtonian mechanics; introduction to Lagrange's and Hamilton's equations.
105AL. Computational Laboratory in Mechanics (1) I. Rouse
Laboratory--3 hours. Prerequisite: Engineering 5 or the equivalent; course 105A concurrently. Introduction to the application of computers to solving physics problems. Introduction to numerical and graphical methods in mechanics. (P/NP grading only.)
105BL. Computational Laboratory in Mechanics (1) II. Rouse
Laboratory--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 105AL; course 105B concurrently. Computer application of numerical and graphical methods in mechanics. (P/NP grading only.)
105C. Continuum Mechanics (3) III. Yager
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: courses 104B and 105A passed with a grade of C or better, or consent of department. The continuum hypothesis and limitations. Tensor methods develop stress-strain relations for linear isotropic solids/fluids and field equations to study wave propagation in solids/fluids, heat flow, potential flow and ocean waves.
108. Optics (3) III. Zhu
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 9 or 5 sequence and Mathematics 21 sequence or consent of instructor. The phenomena of diffraction, interference, and polarization of light, with applications to current problems in astrophysics, material science, and atmospheric science. Study of modern optical instrumentation. Open to non-majors.
108L. Optics Laboratory (1) III. Zhu
Laboratory--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 108 concurrently. The laboratory will consist of one major project pursued throughout the quarter, based on modern applications of optical techniques.
110A-110B-110C. Electricity and Magnetism (3-3-3) I-II-III. Ko
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: courses 9B, 9C, 9D and Mathematics 21D, 22A, and 22B passed with grade C or better, or consent of department; prerequisite for 110B is courses 110A and 104A passed with a grade of C or better or consent of department; prerequisite for course 110C is courses 110B and 104B passed with a grade of C or better, or consent of department. Theory of electrostatics, electromagnetism, Maxwell's equations, electromagnetic waves.
112A-112B. Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics (3-3) I-II. Webb
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 105B or 115A or the equivalent. Introduction to statistical mechanics and thermodynamics.
115A. Foundations of Quantum Mechanics (3) III. Fong, Carlip
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: courses 104B and 105B passed with grade C or better, or consent of department. Failures of classical physics; particle wave duality, probability and quantum mechanical operators; the uncertainty principle; the Schrödinger equation; energy levels; tunneling.
115B. Applications of Quantum Mechanics (3) I. Fong, Carlip
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 115A passed with a grade of C of better, or consent of department. Angular momentum and spin; hydrogen atom and atomic spectra; perturbation theory; scattering theory.
116A. Electronic Instrumentation (4) II. Cebra
Lecture--3 hours; laboratory--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 9C, Mathematics 22B. An experimental and theoretical study of important electronic circuits commonly used in physics.
116B. Electronic Instrumentation (4) III. Pellett
Lecture--3 hours; laboratory--3 hours. Prerequisite: courses 9D, 116A. Continuation of course 116A. Introduction to the use of digital electronics and microcomputers in experimental physics.
121. Atomic Physics (4) II. McColm
Lecture--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: course 9D. The phenomena of atomic physics including contemporary work: fine-and hyperfine-structure, quantum electrodynamics, laser spectroscopy, beam foil experiments and trapped atoms.
122. Advanced Physics Laboratory (3) I, II. The Staff
Laboratory--8 hours. Prerequisite: course 9D. Experimental techniques and measurements in atomic, condensed matter, nuclear and particle physics, spectroscopy, optical pumping, magnetic resonance, superconductivity, semiconductors, ferroelectricity, gamma-ray coincidence, Mossbauer Effect, Rutherford scattering, muon lifetime. The student performs three to six experiments depending on difficulty. Individual work is stressed. May be repeated once for credit. GE credit: SciEng, Wrt.
127. Introduction to Astrophysics (3) III. Becker
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 105A. Celestial mechanics, radiation, astrophysical measurements, electromagnetic processes, the sun, binary and variable stars, stellar structure and evolution, galaxies, cosmology. Offered in alternate years.
129A. Introduction to Nuclear Physics (3) I. Brady
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 115A. Survey of basic nuclear properties and concepts requiring introductory knowledge of quantum mechanics: nuclear models and forces, radioactive decay and detecting nuclear radiation and nuclear reaction products, alpha, beta and gamma decay.
129B. Nuclear Physics, Extensions and Applications (4) II. Brady
Lecture--3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: course 129A. Continuation of course 129A. Nuclear reactions, neutrons, fission, fusion accelerators, introduction to meson and particle physics, nuclear astrophysics, and applications of nuclear physics and techniques to mass spectrometry, nuclear medicine, trace element analysis. Not offered every year.
130A-130B. Elementary Particle Physics (3-4) II-III. Lander
Lecture--3 hours; term paper required for 130B. Prerequisite: course 115A. Properties and classification of elementary particles and their interactions. Experimental techniques. Conservation laws and symmetries. Strong, electromagnetic, and weak interactions. Introduction to Feynman calculus. Not offered every year.
137. Science and Technology of Nuclear Arms Effects and Control (3) I. Jungerman, Craig (Applied Science)
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: upper division standing; one course from courses 1B, 5C, 9D, 10. Scientific and technical aspects of nuclear arms effects and nuclear arms control including nuclear physics of atomic and hydrogen bombs, blast and radiation effects, radioactivity, electromagnetic pulse, ICBM accuracy, laser weapons, verification safeguards, biological and ecological effects. Emphasis on order of magnitude calculations. (Same course as Applied Science Engineering 137.) GE credit: SciEng or SocSci.
140A-140B. Introduction to Solid State Physics (3-4) II-III. Klein
Lecture--3 hours; term paper for 140B. Prerequisite: course 115A or equivalent. Survey of fundamental ideas in the physics of solids, with selected device applications. Crystal structure, x-ray and neutron diffraction, phonons, simple metals, energy bands and Fermi surfaces, semiconductors, optical properties, magnetism, superconductivity.
160. Environmental Physics and Society (3) I. Jungerman
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 9D or 5C; or course 10 or 1B and Mathematics 16B or the equivalent. Impact of humankind on the environment will be discussed from the point of view of the physical sciences. Calculations based on physical principles will be made, and the resulting policy implications will be considered. (Same course as Engineering 160.) GE credit: SciEng or SocSci.
190X. Upper Division Seminar (1-2) I, II, III. The Staff
Seminar--1-2 hours. Prerequisite: upper division standing and consent of instructor. In-depth examination at an upper division level of a special topic in Physics. Emphasis on student participation in learning. May not be repeated for credit. Limited enrollment.
194HA-194HB. Special Study for Honors Students (4-4) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Independent study--12 hours. Prerequisite: consent of instructor required. Open only to Physics and Applied Physics majors who satisfy the College Letters and Science requirements for entrance into the Honors Program. Independent research project at a level significantly beyond that defined by the normal physics curriculum. (Deferred grading only, pending completion of sequence).
195. Senior Thesis (5) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Independent study--15 hours. Prerequisite: consent of instructor required. Open only to Physics and Applied Physics majors with senior standing. Preparation of a senior thesis on a topic selected by the student with approval of the department. May be repeated for a total of 15 units.
197T. Tutoring in Physics and Astronomy (1-5) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Prerequisite: consent of instructor and department chairperson. Tutoring of students in lower division course. Weekly meetings with instructor. (P/NP grading only.)
198. Directed Group Study (1-5) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (P/NP grading only.)
199. Special Study for Advanced Undergraduates (1-5) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
(P/NP grading only.)
200A. Theory of Mechanics and Electromagnetics (4) I. Yager
Lecture--3 hours; independent study--1 hour. Prerequisite: courses 104B, 105B, and 110C or the equivalent; course 204A concurrently. Theoretical approaches in classical mechanics including the use of generalized coordinates and virtual work; variational calculus; Lagrange equations; symmetries, conservation laws, and Noether theorem; Lagrangian density; Hamilton formalism; canonical transformations; Poisson brackets; and Hamilton-Jacobi equations.
200B-200C. Theory of Mechanics and Electromagnetics (4-4) II-III. Reid
Lecture--3 hours; independent study--1 hour. Prerequisite: course 200A, and course 204B concurrently. Theoretical approaches in electromagnetics including static electromagnetic fields; Maxwell's equations; plane waves in various media; magnetohydrodynamics; diffraction theory; radiating systems; and special relativity.
204A-204B. Methods of Mathematical Physics (4-4) I-II. Singh
Lecture--3 hours; independent study--1 hour. Prerequisite: courses 104A and 104B or the equivalent. Linear vector spaces, operators and their spectral analysis, complete sets of functions, complex variables, functional analysis, Green's functions, calculus of variations, introduction to numerical analysis.
215A-215B-215C. Quantum Mechanics (4-4-4) I-II-III. Erickson
Lecture--3 hours; independent study--1 hour. Prerequisite: course 115B or the equivalent. Formal development and interpretation of non-relativistic quantum mechanics; its application to atomic, nuclear, molecular, and solid-state problems; brief introduction to relativistic quantum mechanics and the Dirac equation.
219A-219B. Statistical Mechanics (4-4) I-II. Scalettar
Lecture--3 hours; independent study--1 hour. Prerequisite: course 215B or the equivalent. Foundations of thermodynamics and classical and quantum statistical mechanics with applications to properties of solids, real gases, nuclear matter, etc.; fluctuations about the equilibrium state; and phase transitions and critical phenomena.
221. Atomic Physics (3) III. McColm
Lecture--3 hours; seminar--1-2 hours. Prerequisite: course 215A-215B. Term structure of atoms using the angular momentum formalism; methods of computing wave functions and radial integrals; splitting in external fields; term structure in crystals; scattering and collisions. Not offered every year.
223A. Group Theoretical Methods of Physics--Condensed Matter (3) III. Fong
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: courses 215A, 215B (215C is co-requisite) or consent of instructor. Theory of groups and their representations with applications in condensed matter.
223B. Group Theoretical Methods of Physics--Elementary Particles (3) III. Kiskis
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: courses 215A, 215B (215C is co-requisite) or consent of instructor. Theory of groups and their representations with applications in elementary particle physics.
224A. Nuclear Physics (3) II. Cebra
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 215B. Comprehensive study of the nucleon-nucleon interaction including the deuteron, nucleon-nucleon scattering, polarization, determination of real parameters of S-matrix, and related topics. Not offered every year.
224B. Nuclear Physics (3) III. Cebra
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 224A. Study of nuclear models, including shell model, collective model, unified model. Energy level spectra, static momenta, and electromagnetic transition rates. Not offered every year.
224C. Nuclear Physics (3) I. Brady
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 224B. Study of nuclear scattering and reactions including the optical model and direct interactions. Beta decay and an introduction to weak interactions. Not offered every year.
229A. Advanced Nuclear Theory (3) II. Brady
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 224C. Advanced topics in nuclear theory; theory of quantum-mechanical scattering processes. Exact formal theory and models for two-body scattering. Not offered every year.
229B. Advanced Nuclear Theory (3) III. Brady
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 229A. Advanced topics in nuclear theory; theory of quantum-mechanical scattering processes. Exact formal theory and models for three-body scattering. Not offered every year.
230A. Quantum Theory of Fields (3) I. Gunion
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 215C. Relativistic quantum mechanics of particles; techniques and applications of second quantization; Feynman diagrams; renormalization.
230B. Quantum Theory of Fields (3) II. Gunion
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 230A. Continuation of 230A, with selected advanced topics, such as S-matrix theory, dispersion relations, axiomatic formulations.
240A-240B. Solid State Physics (3-3) I-II. Corruccini
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: courses 215A-215B-215C; courses 140A-140B recommended. Introduction to the phenomena and theory of the solid state. Periodic structures, lattice structures, electron states, static properties, electron-electron interaction, electron dynamics, transport properties, optical properties, the Fermi surface, magnetism, superconductivity.
240C-240D. Solid State Physics (3-3) III-I. Zimanyi
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 240A-240B or the equivalent. General introduction to many-body techniques as applied in solid state physics.
241. Advanced Topics in Magnetism (3) II. Singh
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: courses 240A-240B, 240C-240D, or consent of instructor. Topics chosen from areas of current research interest. Not offered every year.
242. Advanced Topics in Superconductivity (3) II. Scalettar
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: courses 240A-240B, 240C-240D, or consent of instructor. Topics chosen from areas of current research interest. Not offered every year.
245A. High-Energy Physics (3) II. Kiskis
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 230A. Phenomenology and systematics of strong, electromagnetic, and weak interactions of hadrons and leptons; determination of quantum numbers; quarks and quarkonia; deep inelastic scattering; the quark parton model; experiments at hadron colliders and electron-positron colliders.
245B. High-Energy Physics (3) III. Carlip
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 245A. Electroweak interactions; phenomenology of the Standard Model of SU(2)LxU(1); weak interaction experiments; properties of and experiments with W and Z vector bosons; Glashow-Weinberg-Salam model and the Higgs boson; introduction to supersymmetry and other speculations.
245C. High-Energy Physics (3) III. Han
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: course 245A. Strong interaction: quantum chromodynamics phenomenology; jets and other experimental tests; quark and gluon distribution functions; quark and gluon scattering; applications of the renormalization group. Not offered every year.
250. Special Topics in Physics (3) I, II, III. The Staff
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Topic varies from year to year. May be repeated three times for credit. Not offered every quarter.
252A. Techniques of Experimental Physics (3) III. Zhu
Lecture--3 hours. Introduction to techniques and methods of designing and executing experiments. Problems and examples from condensed matter research will be utilized. Not offered every year.
252B. Techniques of Experimental Physics (3) III. Mani
Lecture--3 hours. Introduction to techniques and methods of designing and executing experiments. Problems and examples from nuclear and particle research will be utilized. Not offered every year.
290. Seminar in Physics (1) I, II, III. The Staff
Seminar--1 hour. Prerequisite: graduate standing in Physics or consent of instructor. Presentation and discussion of topics of current research interest in physics. Topics will vary weekly and will cover a broad spectrum of the active fields of physics research at a level accessible to all physics graduate students. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.)
291. Seminar in Nuclear Physics (1) I, II, III. The Staff
Seminar--1 hour. Prerequisite: graduate standing in Physics or consent of instructor. Presentation and discussion of topics of current research interest in nuclear physics. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.)
292. Seminar in Elementary Particle Physics (1) I, II, III. The Staff
Seminar--1 hour. Prerequisite: graduate standing in Physics or consent of instructor. Presentation and discussion of topics of current research interest in elementary particle physics. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.)
293. Seminar in Condensed Matter Physics (1) I, II, III. The Staff
Seminar--1 hour. Prerequisite: graduate standing in Physics or consent of instructor. Presentation and discussion of topics of current research interest in condensed matter physics. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.)
295. Introduction to Departmental Research (1) III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Seminar--1 hour. Seminar to introduce first- and second-year physics graduate students to the fields of specialty and research of the Physics staff. (S/U grading only.)
297. Research on the Teaching and Learning of Physics (3) III. Potter
Seminar--3 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing in Physics or consent of instructor. Discussion and analysis of recent research in how students construct understanding of physics and other science concepts and the implications of this research for instruction.
298. Group Study (1-5) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (S/U grading only.)
299. Research (1-12) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
(S/U grading only.)
390. Methods of Teaching Physics (1) I, II, III. The Staff
Lecture/discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: graduate standing in Physics; consent of instructor. Practical experience in methods and problems related to teaching physics laboratories at the university level, including discussion of teaching techniques, analysis of quizzes and laboratory reports and related topics. Required of all Physics Teaching Assistants. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.)
Faculty. Consists of more than 70 faculty members drawn from 23 departments in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, the College of Letters and Science, the Division of Biological Sciences, the School of Medicine, and the School of Veterinary Medicine.
Graduate Study. The Graduate Group in Physiology offers programs of study and research leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees and participates in joint Ph.D./M.D. and Ph.D./D.V.M. programs. The programs emphasize broad training in the fundamental principles of physiology and in-depth specialization in cardiorespiratory, cellular, comparative, endocrine, reproductive, exercise, metabolic, neuro-, systemic and domestic animal physiology. For information regarding these programs, address the Program Staff Person at the above location.
Graduate Advisers. D. Gietzen (Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology), J.M. Horowitz (Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior), J. Roser (Animal Science), and W.J. Weidner (Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior).
Graduate Admissions Officer. P. Berger (Animal Science).
*Course not offered this academic year.
200L. Animal Cell Culture Laboratory (4) II. B. Wilson, R. Wu
Discussion--2 hours; laboratory--6 hours. Prerequisite: courses in undergraduate biochemistry, cell biology, or general physiology, or consent of instructor. Techniques of cell culture, with emphases on cell physiology and the actions of drugs and toxicants on cultured somatic cells. Design, performance and interpretation of experiments with animal cells in vitro.
210A-210B-210C. Advanced Physiology (6-6-6) I-II-III. Jones
Lecture--5 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: graduate student in the Physiology Graduate Group Ph.D. program, or consent of instructor. Advanced course on general principles of physiology, surveying homeostasis, cellular, neurophysiology, cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, endocrine, gastrointestinal, metabolic, reproductive, exercise, comparative, environmental and integrative physiology.
*213. Principles of Electronics for Biologists (2) III. Horowitz
Lecture--1 hour; laboratory--3 hours. Prerequisite: Physics 5A, 5B, 5C, and Mathematics 16A, 16B, 16C or the equivalent. Principles of electronics applied to biological measurements. Focuses on interconnection of laboratory instruments including filters and computers. Topics covered include: RC networks; operational amplifiers; digital gates; computer interfacing; and programming.
214. Neurophysiology (4) III. Carstens
Lecture--4 hours. Prerequisite: Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior 111B, 112; consent of instructor. Electrical activity of neurons and neuroeffector junctions; physiology of the nervous system as studied by its electrical activity.
*215. Neurophysiology Laboratory (3) III. Horowitz, Scobey
Discussion--3 hours; laboratory--9 hours. Prerequisite: course 214 (may be taken concurrently). Selected experiments based on modern concepts to illustrate in depth, surgical techniques, stimulating and recording techniques used in neurophysiology research.
216. Neurophysiology Literature (3) I. Pappone
Lecture--1 hour; discussion--2 hours. Lectures covering experimental and theoretical methods in studying cell membrane ion channels and the resulting characterization of the physiological functions and structure/function relationships of some of the most important channel types. Discussion of classical and current original papers.
217. The Vertebrate Eye (2) II. Sillman
Seminar--1 hour; lecture/discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: graduate standing and a background in biology; Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior 120F strongly recommended. Physiology, biochemistry, and biology of the vertebrate eye with emphasis on the retina, particularly photoreceptors. A comparative approach will be taken with adaptations in ocular function related to behavior and environment. May be repeated for credit with consent of instructor. Offered in alternate years.
218. Topics in Circulatory Pathophysiology (3) II. Weidner
Lecture--1 hour; discussion--2 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing. Selected topic in circulatory or cardiopulmonary physiology will be addressed each offering. Topics will include pathophysiology. Lecture and discussion based on current research literature in the field. May be repeated with consent of instructor. Offered in alternate years.
*219. Muscle Growth and Development (3) II. R. Carlsen (Human Physiology)
Lecture--2 hours; seminar--1 hour. Prerequisite: Biological Sciences 103, Biological Sciences 104 or Molecular and Cellular Biology 150, or consent of instructor. Integration of growth and development of skeletal muscle; morphology, biochemistry, neural control mechanisms, circulatory and nutritional factors. Prenatal and neonatal differentiation of fiber types. Experimental and hereditary myopathies. Offered in alternate years.
220. General and Comparative Physiology of Reproduction (3) I. Anderson (Animal Science), Lasley (Reproduction)
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior 110, 110L; Biological Sciences 101, 103. Basic phenomena of sexual and asexual reproduction and comparisons of processes in a wide variety of animals; gamete formation, structure, and metabolism; fertilization; neuroendocrine mechanisms in maturation and reproductive cycles; behavioral aspects.
222. Mammalian Gametogenesis and Fertilization (3) II. Berger
Lecture/discussion--3 hours. Prerequisite: Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior 121 or equivalent. Course will emphasize our current understanding of events in mammalian gametogenesis and the fertilization process. Published results, conclusions drawn from these results, and their contribution to our understanding will be discussed.
230. Advanced Endocrinology (2) II. Moberg
Lecture--2 hours. Prerequisite: Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior 130 or the equivalent, and graduate standing. Focus on timely topic of endrocrine research. Critical review of current literature and discussion of future research strategies in the area. May be repeated for credit when topic differs.
231. Neuroendocrinology (3) II. Woolley
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior 110 or the equivalent course in systemic physiology; Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior 130 or the equivalent course in endocrinology. Neural-endocrine interactions; neural regulation of the endocrine system, especially in relation to reproduction; the role of hormones and growth factors in sexual differentiation of the brain.
234. Neurophysiological Basis of Neurotoxicology (3) I. Woolley
Lecture--3 hours. Prerequisite: Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior 110 or the equivalent; basic understanding of neurophysiology. Mechanisms of action at the cellular and systemic level of a number of different neurotoxins and toxicants. Examples of ways toxins may act on the nervous system and techniques for study of neurotoxicology. (Same course as Environmental Toxicology 234.)
*242. Biological Rhythms (3) I. Fuller
Lecture--2 hours; lecture/discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior 110 or the equivalent. General aspects and basic mechanisms of biological rhythms; the importance of rhythm desynchronization in areas of pharmacology and space medicine; telemetry; mathematical methods; chronometry; daily, reproductive, and annual periods; shift-work, jet lag and sleep disorders. Offered in alternate years.
275. Neurohumoral Regulatory Mechanisms of Thermogenesis (3) II. Horwitz, Horowitz
Lecture--2 hours; discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: Biological Sciences 104 or the equivalent; Biological Sciences 102 or the equivalent; consent of instructor. Designed for graduate and advanced undergraduate students, this course will examine thermogenic systems in homeotherms (primarily mammals) with respect to regulation (hormonal and central nervous control) and effector mechanisms (basis of heat generation at the target cell).
290. Seminar (1) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Seminar--1 hour. Discussion and critical evaluation of advanced topics and current trends in research. (S/U grading only.)
290C. Research Conference in Physiology (1) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: graduate standing and consent of instructor. Presentation and discussion of faculty and graduate student research in physiology. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.)
291A. Selected Topics in Visual Science (2) III. Chalupa (Psychology), Johnson (Ophthalmology), Sillman (Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior)
Seminar--2 hours. Prerequisite: graduate student standing and consent of instructor; course 217 recommended. Vision from the standpoint of physiology, biochemistry, morphology and psychophysics. Consideration of all levels of the visual system from periphery to highest brain centers. Emphasis on recent research. Topics vary each year. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.)
291B. Seminar in Cellular Mechanisms of Adaptation (1) I, II, III. Horwitz
Discussion--0.5 hour; seminar--0.5 hour. Prerequisite: Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior 100B; Biological Sciences 103, consent of instructor. Review and evaluation of current literature and research in cellular adaptations to the environment. May be repeated for credit when a different topic is studied. (S/U grading only.)
291D. Research Approaches in Physiology (2) I. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Seminar--2 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing in Graduate Group in Physiology or consent of instructor. Current research in physiology. Overall design of experiments and particular research areas. (S/U grading only.)
293. Current Progress in Physiology (1) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Seminar--1 hour. Prerequisite: graduate standing and consent of instructor. Seminars presented by guest lecturers describing their current research activities. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.)
297T. Tutoring in Physiology (3) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Discussion--1 hour; tutorial--2 hours. Prerequisite: completion of course to be tutored (with a grade of A) and consent of instructor. Advanced study of systemic physiology through leading small discussion groups in upper division courses (students are required to attend lectures in the course which they are tutoring). May be repeated for credit by tutoring in different courses or in the continuation of a course (e.g., courses 112, 113, 114). (S/U grading only.)
298. Group Study (1-5) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
299. Research (1-12) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
(S/U grading only.)
300A-300B. Pedagogical Aspects of Physiology in Higher Education (3-3) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Lecture, discussion, or laboratory, or combination. Prerequisite: meet qualifications for teaching assistant in physiology. Participation as a teaching assistant for one quarter in a designated physiology course. Instruction in methods of leading discussion groups, leading laboratory sections, writing and grading quizzes, operation and use of laboratory equipment, and reading and grading laboratory reports. Course meets teaching requirements for Ph.D. program in Physiology. (S/U grading only.)
390. The Teaching of Physiology (1) I, II, III. The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Discussion--1 hour. Prerequisite: Teaching Assistant assignment to a physiology lecture course and consent of instructor. Practical experience in methods and problems of teaching physiology lecture courses. May include analyses of texts and supporting material, discussion of teaching techniques, preparing for and conducting discussion sessions, and formulation of topics and questions for examination under supervision of instructor. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.)
Courses in Physiology (PGG)
Graduate Courses
Professional Courses
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Keitha Hunter and Barbara Anderson