Role within Program and connections to other courses: Optics is of immense practical importance. Optical phenomena provide a direct connection between the macroscopic world and the microphysics behind it. Includes application of theoretical concepts introduced in electromagnetic theory and quantum mechanics. Serves as the foundation for later courses in the Optical Engineering stream of the Engineering Physics program. Content: Models of microscopic behaviour relevant to understanding optical phenomena: geometric optics, physical optics, electromagnetic theory, quantum mechanics. Topics may include radiometry, imaging, colour and spectra, polarization, coherence, interference, diffraction, the scattering/wavelet model, and the formalisms explaining them. Lectures may also include demonstrations and experiments to support the material.