Program Overview

University Program: Physics & Law, Technology and Culture (Optical Science & Engineering Option) - B.S.

The Physics & Law, Technology and Culture (Optical Science & Engineering Option) program is a comprehensive undergraduate degree that combines the principles of physics with the study of law, technology, and culture. This program is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of the physical world and the legal, technological, and cultural contexts in which it operates.

Program Requirements

The program requires a minimum of 135 credits, which are distributed across several categories, including:

• General Education Requirements (GER)
• Physics and Optical Science courses
• Law, Technology, and Culture (LTC) courses
• Technical Electives
• Legal Foundations Electives

Course of Study

The course of study for this program is outlined below:

First Year

• 1st Semester:
  • ENGL 101: English Composition: Introduction to Academic Writing (3 credits)
  • PHYS 111: Physics I (3 credits)
  • PHYS 111A: Physics I Lab (1 credit)
  • MATH 111: Calculus I (4 credits)
  • CS 113 or CS 115: Introduction to Computer Science I or Introduction to Computer Science I in C++ (3 credits)
  • CHEM 121 or CHEM 125: Fundamentals of Chemical Principles I or General Chemistry I (3 credits)
  • FYS SEM: First-Year Student Seminar (0 credits)
• 2nd Semester:
  • PHYS 114: Introduction to Data Reduction with Applications (3 credits)
  • PHYS 121: Physics II (3 credits)
  • PHYS 121A: Physics II Lab (1 credit)
  • MATH 112: Calculus II (4 credits)
  • CHEM 122 or CHEM 126: Fundamentals of Chemical Principles II or General Chemistry II (3 credits)
  • CHEM 125A: General Chemistry Lab I (1 credit)

Second Year

• 1st Semester:
  • MATH 213: Calculus III B (4 credits)
  • MATH 225: Survey of Probability and Statistics 1 (1 credit)
  • PHYS 234: Physics III (3 credits)
  • PHYS 231A: Physics III Lab (1 credit)
  • ENGL 102: English Composition: Introduction to Writing for Research (3 credits)
  • History and Humanities GER 200 level (3 credits)
• 2nd Semester:
  • MATH 222: Differential Equations (4 credits)
  • MATH 328: Mathematical Methods for Scientists and Engineers (3 credits)
  • PHYS 335 or R750 315: Introductory Thermodynamics or Intro Thermodynamics (3 credits)
  • Legal Foundations Elective 2 (3 credits)
  • LTC Core Elective (3 credits)

Third Year

• 1st Semester:
  • OPSE 301: Introduction to Optical Science and Engineering (3 credits)
  • OPSE 310: Virtual Instrumentation (3 credits)
  • PHYS 430: Classical Mechanics I (3 credits)
  • PHYS 432: Electromagnetism I (3 credits)
  • Legal Foundations Elective 2 (3 credits)
• 2nd Semester:
  • OPSE 402: High Power Laser and Photonics Applications (3 credits)
  • PHYS 433: Electromagnetism II (3 credits)
  • PHYS 446: Solid State Physics (3 credits)
  • PHYS 418: Fundamentals of Optical Imaging (3 credits)
  • Elective (Physics/OPSE) 3 (3 credits)

Fourth Year

• 1st Semester:
  • PHYS 442 or R750 404: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics or Quantum Mechanics (3 credits)
  • Elective (Physics/OPSE/EE) 4 (3 credits)
  • Technical Elective 5 (3 credits)
  • LTC Core Elective (3 credits)
  • Legal Foundations Elective (3 credits)
• 2nd Semester:
  • PHYS 450: Advanced Physics Lab (3 credits)
  • Elective (Physics/EE) 6 (3 credits)
  • Technical Elective 5 (3 credits)
  • LTC Core Elective (3 credits)
  • HSS 404: Humanities, History and Social Sciences Senior Seminar 7 (3 credits)

Fifth Year

• 1st Semester:
  • HIST 310 or HIST 490 or R510 490: Co-op in Law, Technology, Culture and History I or Seminar - Research or Seminar:Research (3 credits)
  • Social Science GER (3 credits)
  • LTC Core Elective (3 credits)
  • Technical Elective 5 (3 credits)

Electives

The program offers several electives that allow students to tailor their course of study to their interests and career goals. These include:

• Legal Foundations Electives:
  • HIST 342: Civil Rights Revolution and Law (3 credits)
  • HIST 361: The Founding of the American Nation (3 credits)
  • HIST 362: Sex, Gender, and the Law in American History (3 credits)
  • HIST 364: American Law in the World (3 credits)
  • HIST 369: Law and Society in History (3 credits)
  • HIST 395: Research Methods in Law and Society (3 credits)
  • MGMT 290: Business Law I (3 credits)
  • STS 300: Legal Reasoning, Writing, and Technology (3 credits)
  • R790 304: Intro Law And Legal Res (3 credits)
• LTC Core Electives:
  • EVSC 335: Environmental Law (3 credits)
  • HIST 320: Law and Evidence (3 credits)
  • HIST 338: Environmental Justice and Climate Change in America (3 credits)
  • HIST 370: Legal issues in the History of Media (3 credits)
  • HIST 375: Legal Issues in Environmental History (3 credits)
  • HIST 378: Medicine and Health Law in Modern America (3 credits)
  • HIST 384: Invention and Regulation (3 credits)
  • IE 447: Legal Aspects of Engineering (3 credits)
  • IT 331: Privacy and Information Technology (3 credits)
  • IT 332: Digital Crime (3 credits)
  • IT 400: Information Technology and the Law (3 credits)
  • R790 382: Environm Pol & Policy (3 credits)

Notes

• Math 333 is an acceptable alternative to Math 225.
• The first two Legal Foundations Electives must satisfy the History and Humanities 300 Level GER.
• Physics/OPSE Electives: Consult the Physics Department for information about qualifying courses.
• Physics/OPSE/EE Electives: Consult the Physics Department for information about qualifying courses.
• Technical Electives: Consult the Physics Department for information about qualifying courses.
• Physics/EE Electives: Consult the Physics Department for information about qualifying courses.
• Must be a law-related HSS 404 History Seminar approved by LTC Advisor.
• Students may take a History Research Seminar (HIST 490 or R510 490) instead of HIST 310 with the approval of the LTC advisor. Student projects in the history research seminar must be law-related.