• increasing one's understanding and appreciation for the remarkable progress made by science in understanding deep aspects of reality
• bringing some of the radical ideas of modern physics to those who might not otherwise be exposed.
• become aware of the wide-ranging and significant contributions of Einstein to modern physics

Class Work & Participation: Everyone starts with 90% participation grade. Subtractions are made for being disruptive (excessive talking, ringing phones, being late, loud yawns, etc) as well as excessive absences. Additions are made for contributing (questions or answers) to class discussions. You also need to keep current with the assigned readings.

Tests: The class will have two tests as scheduled on the syllabus during classtime.

Final: The final will be held during the time dictated by the Registrar during Exam Week.

Project: A project, generally consisting of a paper and an oral presentation, will be due during the last week of classes. A mid-course report on the progress of the project is due as indicated on the syllabus.

Syllabus: Below is the anticipated schedule of what we'll cover. The dates of the tests are fixed; on principle I do not change them so that students can plan for them. Near the end of the semester, I generally have flexibility in what we cover. If you have a preference for what we might cover, please feel free to provide feedback.