WINONA STATE UNIVERSITY
PROPOSALS FOR NEW COURSES
DIRECTIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT
This form, Proposal for New Courses, is to be used to submit course proposals for any new undergraduate or graduate course. Read
the directions below for information on providing course descriptions and impact of approval on other departments. The department
must include a Financial and Staffing Data Sheet and an Approval Form with this proposal. Copies of each of these forms are
attached. Refer to Regulation 3-4, Policy for Changing the Curriculum, for complete information on submitting proposals for
curricular changes.
Provide the following information when submitting a new course proposal.
A.
Provide a description of the course. This description must include the following information.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Description of the course as it will appear in the WSU catalog.
Syllabus or course outline of the major topics, themes, subtopics, etc., to be covered in the course. This outline should be,
at a minimum, a two-level outline, i.e., consisting of topics and subtopics.
Indicate the instructional delivery methods and course media codes used.
Course requirements (papers, lab work, projects, etc.) and means of evaluation.
List of course materials. This list may include textbooks, articles, monographs, software, etc.
Bibliography, including author, title, date, for a reasonable number of scholarly materials such as articles and books.
The above course description does not preclude future revisions of course content, texts used, methods of instruction and forms
of evaluation.
B.
Provide a rationale for the new course. The rationale should include the following item.
1.
2.
3.
C.
Provide a statement of the impact of this course on other departments, programs, majors, and minors.
1.
2.
3.
D.
Statement of the major focus and objectives of the course.
Statement specifying how this course will contribute to the departmental curriculum.
Courses which may be dropped, if any, if this course is implemented.
Clearly state the impact of this course on courses taught in other departments. Does this course duplicate the content of
any other course? Is there an effect on prerequisites?
Would approval of this course change the total number of credits required by any major or minor of any department? If
so, the department must indicate which departments are affected and explain carefully the effects of the course.
If this course has an impact on the major or minor of any other department or any program, it is the responsibility of the
department submitting the course proposal to send written notification to the department(s) or program(s) affected. State
clearly which other programs are affected by this proposal and whether the other departments have been notified and/or
consulted.
If this course is also being submitted for inclusion in the University Studies Program, the form Proposal for University Studies
Course and appropriate approval form must also be completed and submitted according to the instructions on that form.
Note: If any of the requested information is missing, the proposal will not be reviewed by the A2C2 Course and Program
Proposal Subcommittee or the Graduate Council but will instead be returned to the department.
[Revised 7-5-07]
WINONA STATE UNIVERSITY
PROPOSAL FOR NEW COURSES
Department ______Physics________________________________
Date ___September 16, 2011_____
Refer to Regulation 3-4, Policy for Changing the Curriculum, for complete information on submitting proposals for curricular
changes.
__231 and 232 ____
Course No.
__University Physics IB and IIB
Course Title
_____________________1 credit each_
Credits
This proposal is for a(n)
__x___ Undergraduate Course
______ Graduate Course
Applies to:
__x___ Major
__x__ Required
_____ Elective
Prerequisites
__Physics 221 is a pre/co-requisite for 231 and Physics 222 is a pre/co-requisite for Physics 232___
Grading method _x __ Grade only
______ Minor
_____ Required
_____ Elective
______ P/NC only
______ University Studies*
__x___ Not for USP
______ Grade and P/NC Option
Frequency of offering __once a year for each________
*For University Studies Program course approval, the form Proposal for University Studies Courses must also be completed and
submitted according to the instructions on that form.
Provide the following information:
A.
Course Description
1.
Catalog description.
See Appendix A
2.
Course outline of the major topics and subtopics (minimum of two-level outline).
See Appendix B
3.a Instructional delivery methods utilized: (Please check all that apply).
Lecture: Auditorium
ITV
Online
Web Enhanced
Web Supplemented
Lecture: Classroom
Service Learning
Travel Study
Laboratory
Internship/Practicum
Other: (Please indicate)
3.b. MnSCU Course media codes: (Please check all that apply).
None:
3. Internet
6. Independent Study
9. Web Enhanced
1. Satellite
4. ITV Sending
7. Taped
10. Web Supplemented
2. CD Rom
5. Broadcast TV
8. ITV Receiving
3. Course requirements (papers, lab work, projects, etc.) and means of evaluation.
The course will require homework, lab work, individual projects and collaborative group projects.
Students will be evaluated using exams, homework, lab reports, and scoring of the individual and group
projects.
B.
4.
Course materials (textbook(s), articles, etc.).
The course will not require any new textbook. It will use the text that students will also be using in Physics 221
and 222 (co-requisites for the course)
5.
Assessment of Outcomes
See Appendix C
6.
List of references.
Physics For Scientists and Engineers, 6th edition, Tipler and Mosca. W.H. Freeman and Company © 2008
Rationale
1.
Statement of the major focus and objectives of the course.
C.
2.
Specify how this new course contributes to the departmental curriculum.
This helps the program in two ways:
 Many physics programs across the nation require two, 5 credit courses for the introductory sequence.
This would align the WSU physics program with those programs. (RCTC [Phys 1127 and 1128], St
Cloud [Phys 234 and 235], Minnesota State Moorehead, and UW – Madison all do; Mankato is
actually like our sequence right now [221, 222, 223] and La Crosse and UM has two 4 credit classes)
 Currently Physics 223 is only offered in the Fall. This causes a hardship for those students who start
Physics 221 in the Spring. Why? Because these students must either take Physics 223 along with
Physics 222 in the Fall (which is not an ideal situation since Physics 222 is a prerequisite for Physics
223) or delay taking Physics 223 for a year which would delay their graduation. The proposed
courses would alleviate this problem.
3.
Indicate any course(s) which may be dropped if this course is approved.
Physics 223 would not be required any longer but would serve as a suitable substitute if situations required it.
Impact of this Course on other Departments, Programs, Majors, or Minors
1.
Does this course increase or decrease the total credits required by a major or minor of any other department? If so, which
department(s)?
This will not affect any other majors or minors in other departments. The course is meant to replace physics
223 which is not required by any other major except physics. And for the physics major, this will result in a
decrease in the number of credits.
2.
Attach letter(s) of understanding from impacted department(s).
N/A
Definitions:
01-Satellite:
02- CD Rom:
03- Internet: Predominately = where all, or nearly all, course activity occurs in an online environment. One to two activities may
occur face-to-face in a classroom, with the maximum being two activities.
04 – ITV Sending: a course in which students are in the classroom with the instructor, other students join via interactive television
technology from other geographically separate locations
05 – Broadcast TV:
06 – Independent Study: a course in which the teacher develops specialized curriculum for the student(s) based on department
guidelines in the University course catalog
07 – Taped: a course in which the teacher records the lessons for playback at a later date
08 – ITV Receiving: a course in which students are not in the classroom with the teacher, other students join via interactive television
technology from other geographically separate locations
09 – Web Enhanced- Limited Seat Time: For a course in which students are geographically separate from the teacher and other
students for a majority of required activities. However, some on-site attendance is required. The course includes synchronous and/or
asynchronous instruction.
10 – Web Supplemented- No Reduced Seat Time: For a course utilizing the web for instructional activities. Use of this code may
assist your college/university in tracking courses for “smart classrooms” and/or facility usage.
Attach a Financial and Staffing Data Sheet.
Attach an Approval Form with appropriate signatures.
Department Contact Person for this Proposal:
______________________________________________
Name (please print)
________________
Phone
_______________________________
e-mail address
[Revised 7/5/07]
Appendix A:
Catalog Description
231: A calculus-based course covering waves, sound, and geometric optics. Lecture and laboratory mix.
Co-requisite/prerequisite: PHYS 221. Offered once a year.
232: A calculus-based course covering wave interference and diffraction, thermodynamics, relativity, and
special topics in modern physics. Co-requisite/prerequisite: PHYS 222. Offered once a year
=======================================
Appendix B
Course Outline
Physics 231:
1) Properties of Light (2 week [1 of these is a lab])
a) Speed of light
b) Propagation of Light
c) Reflection and Refraction
2) Optical Images (3 weeks [1 of these is a lab])
a) Mirrors
b) Lenses
c) Aberrations
d) Optical Instruments
3) Oscillations (3 weeks [1 of these is a lab])
a) Simple Harmonic Motion
b) Energy in Oscillations
c) Oscillating Systems
d) Damped and Driven Oscillations
4) Wave Motion (3 weeks [1 of these is a lab])
a) Simple Wave Motion
b) Periodic Waves
c) Waves Encountering Boundaries
d) The Doppler Effect
5) Superposition of Waves (2 weeks [1 is a lab])
a) Superposition of Waves
b) Standing Waves
Physics 232:
1) Interference and Diffraction (3 weeks [1 is a lab])
a) Phase difference and Coherence
b) Two Slit Interference Pattern
c) Single Slit Diffraction
2)
3)
4)
5)
d) Diffraction Gratings
e) Interference in Thin Films
Temperature and Kinetic Theory of Gases (3 weeks [1 lab])
a) Thermal Equilibrium and Temperature
b) Gas Thermometers and Absolute Zero
c) Ideal Gas Law
d) Kinetic Theory of Gases
Heat the First Law of Thermodynamics (4 weeks [2 labs])
a) Heat Capacity and Specific Heat
b) Change of Phase and Latent Heat
c) Joule’s Experiment and the First Law of Thermodynamics
d) The Internal Energy of a Gas
e) Work and PV Diagrams
f) Heat Capacities of Gases and Solids
g) Quasi-Static Adiabatic Compression of a Gas
Second Law of Thermodynamics (1 week)
a) Heat engines and the 2nd Law
b) Carnot Engine
c) Irreversibility, Disorder, and Entropy
Special Relativity (4 weeks)
a) Principle of Relativity
b) Time Dilation
c) Length Contraction
d) Space-Time Transformations
e) Velocity Transformations
f) Energy and Momentum
=======================================
Appendix C
Assessment of Outcomes
Physics 231:
1) Outcome 1: Students will be able to mathematically predict the focal point of a curved lens and
curved mirror from basic principles of reflection and refraction.
a) Assessment: Exam question, homework questions, and lab reports
2) Outcome 2: Students will be able to determine the position and size of an image formed from a
system of mirrors and lenses by using ray diagrams and mathematics
a) Assessment: Exam question, homework questions, and lab reports
3) Outcome 3: Students will be able to predict the motion of an oscillating system by applying
Newton’s 2nd law and solving the equations of motion (i.e. differential equation)
a) Assessment: Exam question, homework questions, and lab reports
4) Outcome 4: Students will be able to mathematically and conceptually describe the difference
between the motion of the wave and the motion of the medium for longitudinal and transverse
waves
a) Assessment: Exam question, homework questions, and lab reports
5) Outcome 5: Students will be able to mathematically describe what happens to a wave’s trajectory,
frequency, and wavelength when it encounters a new medium. Sub-outcome: Students will make
a connection that waves behave just like light thus suggesting that light is a wave.
a) Assessment: Exam question and homework questions
6) Outcome 6: Students will be able to mathematically describe the motion of waves and how waves
combine/superimpose using trigonometric functions
a) Assessment: Exam question, homework questions, and lab reports
Physics 232:
1) Outcome 1: Students will be able to mathematically predict, using the concept of phase difference,
the wave pattern created when a wave passes through a single slit, multiple slits, and thin films.
a) Assessment: Exam question, homework questions, and lab reports
2) Outcome 2: Students will be able to predict absolute zero based on gas law data and convert
between temperature scales
a) Assessment: Exam question and homework questions
3) Outcome 3: Students will be able to relate the macroscopic and microscopic thermodynamic
descriptions of substances by (a) showing that the equipartition theorem and conservation laws are
equivalent to the ideal gas law and (b) calculating the specific heat of solids.
a) Assessment: Exam question and homework questions
4) Outcome 4: Students will be able to predict the final temperature of a system when hot substances
are mixed with cool substances including processes that undergo phase changes.
a) Assessment: Exam question, homework questions, and lab reports
5) Outcome 5: Students will be able to use the ideal gas law to mathematically predict the behavior
of a gas
a) Assessment: Exam question, homework questions, and lab reports
6) Outcome 6: Students will be able to, using calculus, calculate the work done by a gas and
represent it on a PV diagram.
a) Assessment: Exam question and homework questions
7) Outcome 7: Students will calculate the heating/cooling of a system, the work done on a system,
and relate it to the change in internal energy of a system by using principle of conservation of
energy.
a) Assessment: Exam question, homework questions, and lab reports
8) Outcome 8: Students will be able to calculate the entropy using the macroscopic relations as well
as the entropy for simple systems using multiplicity.
a) Assessment: Exam question and homework questions
9) Outcome 9: Students will be able to calculate length contraction, time dilation, and the failure of
simultaneity when switching reference frames.
a) Assessment: Exam question and homework questions
10) Outcome 10: Students will be able to calculate how the speed of an object changes from one
reference frame to another
a) Assessment: Exam question and homework questions
11) Outcome 11: Students will be able to use the energy principle and the momentum principle to
describe events that happen to particles traveling near the speed of light and in decay processes.
a) Assessment: Exam question and homework questions