Additional information about Rice courses is available on the Rice Academic Information page. NOTE: Course web pages are available for some SPAC courses.

SPAC   201 STARS,GALAXIES, & THE UNIVERSE           Credits 3.00  Spring 99
           * RESTRICTED DISTRIBUTION COURSE: GROUP III
An introductory course for students in academic programs. The formation,
evolution, and death of stars; the composition and evolution of
galaxies; the structure and evolution of the universe.
001 TTH     01:00PM-02:15PM HB*227   Hartigan, Patrick              *CURRENT ENR: 35
002 TTH     10:50AM-12:05PM HB*227   Smith, Ian                     *CURRENT ENR: 26

SPAC   202 EXPLORATION OF SOLAR SYSTEM              Credits 3.00  Spring 99
           * RESTRICTED DISTRIBUTION COURSE: GROUP III
An introductory course for students in academic programs, surveying
the sun, planetary motions, interplanetary fields and plasmas, the
planets, their satellites and rings, and comets. The purposes and
methods of manned and unmanned solar system exploration are also
discussed.
001 MWF     09:00AM-09:50AM HB*227   Freeman, John                  *CURRENT ENR: 38

SPAC   205 FROM SPACE AND TIME TO SPACE-TIME: UNDER Credits 3.00  Spring 99
           * DISTRIBUTION COURSE: GROUP III
Introduces non-science students to major transformation in our views of
space and time precipitated by Einstein's special theory of relativity
(SR).  We will build a space-time framework and then use it to introduce
the essential results of SR.  We will also discuss the historical
circumstances and philosophical and cultural implications surrounding
the invention of SR.
Enrollment is limited to 30.
001 TTH     09:25AM-10:40AM HB*227   Balashov, Yuri                 *CURRENT ENR: 13

SPAC   350 INTRODUCTION TO ASTROPHYSICS             Credits 3.00  Spring 99
Celestial mechanics; photometric concepts and radiation transfer;
structure and evolution of stars, including supermovae and stellar
remnants (black holes and neutron stars).  Topics such as planetary
astronomy and solar system formation may also be explored.  This course
together with Spac 360 forms a coherent survey of modern astrophysics.
It is intended for students who have had at least two semesters each of
physics and calculus.
001 TTH     10:50AM-12:05PM HB*453   Liang, Edison                  *CURRENT ENR: 4

SPAC   360 GALAXIES AND COSMOLOGY                   Credits 3.00  Spring 99
Morphology, kinematics and dynamics of galaxies; interstellar matter.
Peculiar and interacting systems, and galaxy clusters.  Active galactic
nuclei.  Large-scale structures in the universe; cosmological models.
Prereq- Spac 250 and Phys 301, or consent of instructor.
001 MWF     02:00PM-02:50PM HB*427   Dufour, Reginald               *CURRENT ENR: 3

SPAC   443 ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE                      Credits 3.00  Spring 99
This course emphasizes the science of the atmosphere.
Subjects studied include:  weather; radiation; climate;
atmospheric structure and function; water, clouds, and
precipitation; atmospheric dynamics; storms and special systems.
Also offered as Envi 443.
001 MWF     09:00AM-09:50AM SS*106   Few, Arthur                    *CURRENT ENR: 6

SPAC   480 INTRODUCTION TO PLASMA PHYSICS           Credits 3.00  Spring 99
Fundamental processes in cosmic and laboratory plasmas:  Gas dynamics,
kinetic theory, magnetohydrodynamics, waves and shocks, individual
particle drifts, collisions and electrical conductivities, geometric and
distribution instabilities.
Prereq- Phys 302 or equivalent.
001 TTH     10:50AM-12:05PM HB*423   Chan, Anthony                  *CURRENT ENR: 4

SPAC   500 GRADUATE SEMINAR                         Credits 1.00  Spring 99
A presentation of current research programs in the department.
001 M       12:00PM-12:50PM HB*227   Few, Arthur                    *CURRENT ENR: 10
001                                  Michel, F.                     *CURRENT ENR: 10

SPAC   512 IONOSPHERIC PHYSICS                      Credits 3.00  Spring 99
Planetary ionospheres: their aeronomy and structure; the aurora;
ionospheric currents and conductivities.
001 TTH     10:50AM-12:05PM HB*21    Cloutier, Paul                 *CURRENT ENR: 4

SPAC   532 CLASSICAL ELECTRODYNAMICS                Credits 3.00  Spring 99
Special relativity; covariant formulation of electrodynamics; wave
phenomena and charged-particle radiation.
Also offered as Phys 532.
001 MWF     11:00AM-11:50AM HB*427   Wolf, Richard                  *CURRENT ENR: 7

SPAC   552 ASTROPHYSICS II: GALAXIES & COSMOLOGY    Credits 3.00  Spring 99
The physics of interstellar matter; structure of the Milky Way and
other, normal galaxies; physical cosmology and high-redshift phenomena.
001 TTH     09:25AM-10:40AM HB*223   O'Dell, C.                     *CURRENT ENR: 4

SPAC   561 GENERAL RELATIVITY                       Credits 3.00  Spring 99
Einstein's theory of gravitation; gravity waves, relativistic
cosmological models.
Prereq- Spac 532.
001 TTH     01:00PM-02:15PM HB*453   Michel, F.                     *CURRENT ENR: 9

SPAC   700 TEACHING PRACTICUM                       Credits 1.00  Spring 99
001 TBA     TBA                      TBA                            *CURRENT ENR: 7

SPAC   800 GRADUATE RESEARCH                        Credits 1.00  Spring 99
001 TBA     TBA                      TBA                            *CURRENT ENR: 22

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