1. Special Relativity
Textbooks: Norton, Einstein, Poincare.
| Wk | Date | Topic | Reading Due | Coursework Due |
| 1.1 | Aug 28 | Introduction to Einstein's revolution | Norton Chapter 1 | - |
| 1.2 | Aug 30 | Introduction to Special Relativity | Norton Chapter 2, Einstein Chapter 5 and Chapter 7, Poincare Chapter 6-7. For fun: TED Video. | - |
| 2.1 | Sep 4 | A revolution in speed | Norton Chapter 3, Einstein Chapter 8 and Chapter 13 | Reading Questions 1 |
| 2.2 | Sep 6 | Puzzles about the relativity of simultaneity | Norton Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 | Reading Questions 2 |
| 3.1 | Sep 11 | E = mc2 | Norton Chapter 6, Einstein Chapter 15 | - |
| 3.2 | Sep 13 | Space, time and spacetime | Norton Chapter 9, 7 steps to a better philosophy paper | Reading Questions 3 |
| 4.1 | Sep 18 |
Spacetime and the relativity of simultaneity | Norton Chapter 10, Einstein Chapter 9-10 | - |
| 4.2 | Sep 20 | Tachyons, twins and other "paradoxes" | Norton Chapter 11 | Reading Questions 4 |
| 5.1 | Sep 25 | Philosophical significance of special relativity | Norton Chapter 13 | - |
| 5.2 | Sep 27 | What is 4-dimensional spacetime like? | Norton Chapter 12. For fun: A rotating hypercube Also see: Sample Philosophy Essay. | Reading Questions 5 |
2. General Relativity
Textbooks: Norton, Einstein, Poincare, Euclid.
| Wk | Date | Topic | Reading Due | Coursework Due |
| 6.1 | Oct 2 | Euclidean geometry: the first great science | Norton Chapter 14, Euclid Book I | Essay #1 Outline Due |
| 6.2 | Oct 4 | Non-Euclidean geometry | Norton Chapter 15, Einstein Chapter 1-4, Poincare Chapter 3-5 | Reading Questions 6 |
| 7.1 | Oct 9 | Curvature of space | Norton Chapter 16 | Essay #1 Due |
| 7.2 | Oct 11 | Intrinsically curved spaces | Norton Chapter 17 | Reading Questions 7 |
| 8.1 | Oct 16 | Midterm Exam | Midterm Exam | Midterm Exam |
| 8.2 | Oct 18 | General Relativity | Norton Chapter 18, Einstein Chapter 18-20 | Reading Questions 8 |
| 9.1 | Oct 23 | Gravity near a massive body | Norton Chapter 19, Einstein Chapter 22 | - |
| 9.2 | Oct 25 | Cosmology: a book of universes | Norton Chapter 21, Einstein Chapter 30-31 | Reading Questions 9 |
| 10.1 | Oct 30 | The beginning of time | Norton Chapter 22 | - |
| 10.2 | Nov 1 | Time travel | Maudlin & Artzenius, SEP: Time Travel in Modern Physics. Supplementary Notes on Time Travel. For fun, but more difficult reading: On Time Machines | Reading Questions 10 |
| 11.1 | Nov 6 | Substantivalism and the hole argument | Norton, SEP: The Hole Argument | - |
3. Time travel and other puzzles
Textbooks: Norton, Einstein, Poincare.
| Wk | Date | Topic | Reading Due | Coursework Due |
| 11.2 | Nov 8 | Black holes and the end of time | Norton Chapter 23 | Reading Questions 11 |
| 12.1 | Nov 13 | A revolutionary picture of black holes | Norton Chapter 24 | - |
| 12.2 | Nov 15 | Class cancelled | Class cancelled | Class cancelled |
| 13.1 | Nov 20 | Can we ever truly know the structure of the universe? | Norton, Observationally Indistinguishable Spacetimes. See also Bryan's supplementary Notes on Observationally Indistinguishability. | Reading Questions 12 |
| 13.2 | Nov 22 |  |
Thanksgiving break | Thanksgiving break |
| 14.1 | Nov 27 | Special relativity: Discovery versus justification | Norton Chapter 8 | - |
| 14.2 | Nov 29 | General relativity: Discovery versus justification | Norton Chapter 20 | Reading Questions 13 |
| 15.1 | Dec 4 | Holes in space and time | Roberts, Notes on Holes (for an easier guide, see my supplementary Notes on Notes on Holes) | Essay #2 Outline Due |
| 15.2 | Dec 6 | Term paper workshop, final exam review | 7 steps to a better philosophy paper | Reading Questions 14 |
| 16 | Dec 13 (Thu) | Final Exam 2-4pm | Final Exam 2-4pm | Essay #2 Due before 2pm, Final Exam 2-4pm |