[PHYS 0101]
Physics and Reality

Rate This Class

Professor: Dunham J

Value of Course / Overall Score

Not Much (50%
Average (50%)
Valuable (0%)

Material

Friendly (66.7%)
Average (33.3%)
Competitive (0%)

Class Atmosphere

Boring (66.7%)
Average (33.3%)
Fascinating (0%)

Prep Time Needed

1-2hr (33.3%)
3-5hr (66.7%)
6-8hr (0%)
9-11hr (0%)
12+ hr (0%)

Grade Weighting

Harder (0%)
Average (0%)
Easier (100%)

Adequate Assistance

Yes (100%)
No (0%)

Would Recommend Class

Yes (33.3%)
No (66.7%)

Evaluation Comments for Dunham J

  1. No Comment
  2. This is a highly mathematical course, with very little discussion of the whole "human thought" part of the course and a complete focus on random facts about physical reality that don't really lead up to any larger point other than "isn't this neat?" I found little to no correlation between what we prepared for homework, what we read, what we heard in lectures and what we were tested on. Grades seemed to be based on nothing at all, and feedback and criticism beyond simple letter or number grades was virtually nonexistent. This class was the biggest waste of time I've ever encountered.
  3. Although Professor Dunham is a passionate, genuine, altogether likeable individual, I would not recommend this highly disappointing course. It assumes a mathematical and scientific background which not every student possesses, and contains lectures so dense, dry and circular that I often had to struggle to stay awake. The material is presented in a disjointed manner utterly inappropriate for an introductory physics course, and there is little correlation between lectures, discussion sections, readings (which were virtually never discussed), and problem sets. The course is a relatively ?easy? way of fulfilling a distribution requirement, and had its fair share of entertaining demonstrations and genuinely humorous moments. Otherwise, however, it was not worthwhile.
  4. The class material was boring. While the course description states the concepts learned will be conceptually based, problem sets and exams are almost eclusively math based. The topics covered were uninteresting; there were a lot of ambiguous looking graphs and charts in every lecture. However, Professor Dunham is incredibly endearing and a wonderful human being. He's also pretty funny and if you don't fall asleep in lecture those moments when he is makes the class almost worthwhile.
  5. Here's to you, "Physics for Poets"! If you have no inclination to major in science, it's a life-saving SCI credit. I would still suggest at least a year of high school physics. Even though Dunham goes pretty easy on you, the class has the capacity to lull you into a false sense of security. Reading the textbook is encouraged, although not necessary. Yes, Dunham's lectures and handouts can be disjointed at times, and you may find the class a tad boring. A good class for people interested in physics who will never in a million years become physicists!
  6. This course was exactly what I expected it to be: an easy way to fulfill a DED or SCI requirement. The lectures are pointless since most of the topics on the problem sets he either helps you with in Discussion or you can easily look up. He is a very friendly professor but sometimes is so intensely fascinated in what he's teaching us that he forgets to make sure that we have any idea about what he's talking about.

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