Undergraduate Curricula in Physics: A Report on the Princeton Conference on Curriculum S

Abstract

Starting with the recommendations of the Second Ann Arbor Conference for two distinct undergraduate physics major programs, R and S, the Princeton Conference on Curriculum S continued the consideration of the conceptual and practical problems of providing appropriate instruction in physics to undergraduate majors having a variety of educational goals. Major discussion was concerned with the nature of the S curriculum and its relation to R, with the desirability of providing more open curricular structures, and with the problems of obtaining an optimum mixture of the elements of analysis and synthesis in intellectually vigorous courses. Several sample skeleton outlines of possible major curricula were produced by Conference working groups, and it is expected that progress in developing the working materials for the S Curriculum will be continued.