Foundations Matter
Toward an Understanding of Matter and Matter Within
The educational foundation of INFORM — a panoramic course bridging physics and philosophy to explore what matter is, how we come to know it, and what that knowledge means for human understanding and formation.
Planned as a microcredential, opening to wider audiences.
Stay tuned.
Course Overview
A panoramic inquiry into matter
Foundations Matter is offered for senior undergraduate and graduate students. It introduces the nature and origins of matter, drawing on physics, materials science, and philosophy to connect scientific understanding with questions of meaning and human life.
Planned as a microcredential, opening to wider audiences.
Stay tuned.
The course is the educational foundation of INFORM. It introduces the questions and interdisciplinary methods that the broader program continues to develop.
Major Themes
Questions the course explores
What is matter? — From fundamental particles to complex material systems, examining how science defines and models the physical world.
How did matter originate? — Cosmological, geological, and biological perspectives on the emergence and evolution of material structures.
How are material structures related? — Connections across scales, from atomic arrangements to living systems and engineered materials.
How do scientific models shape understanding? — The role of theory, measurement, and interpretation in forming knowledge of matter.
How does knowledge of matter influence meaning and human formation? — Ethical, philosophical, and humanistic reflection on what material science reveals about ourselves.
Delivery
Lectures and tutorials
The course is delivered through a combination of lectures and tutorial-style sessions, designed to engage students in both scientific content and philosophical reflection. Readings, discussions, and structured inquiry guide participants through the panoramic scope of the material.
Format
- Lectures spanning physics and philosophy
- Tutorial sessions for discussion and guided inquiry
- Interdisciplinary readings across STEM and humanities
- Senior undergraduate & graduate students
- Planned as a microcredential, opening to wider audiences. Stay tuned.
