This course is part of the undergraduate curriculum in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at George Washington University.
Course: ECE 4320, 3 Credits
Course Title: Fields and Waves II (Last offered in Spring 2026)
Instructor: Mohammad H. Tahersima [tahersima at gwu dot edu]
Room / Time: PHIL 736 / MF 09:35AM - 10:50AM
Objectives: to provide undergraduate students a solid understanding of electromagnetic waves and their applications in science and engineering.
Course Description: This course introduces the fundamentals of electromagnetism, with an emphasis on practical problem solving skills. Covered topics include vector analysis, electrostatics, magnetostatics, Maxwell’s equations, Lorentz force, electromagnetic wave propagation, boundary conditions, and interaction with materials.
[Link to University Bulletin]
Find all the lecture charts here
Lecture 01 - Introductions
Lecture 02 - Essential Math and Physics
Lecture 03 - Lorentz Force
Lecture 04 - Electrostatics
Lecture 05 - Magnetostatics and Induction
Lecture 06 - Electromagnetic Materials
Lecture 07 - Maxwell's Equations I
Lecture 08 - Maxwell's Equations II
Lecture 09 - Electromagnetic Wave Propagation
Lecture 10 - Boundary Conditions
Lecture 11 - Wave Generation
Lecture 12 - Polarization
Lecture 13 - Reflection
Lecture 14 - Scattering
Lecture 15 - Antenna
Main Textbook:
Griffiths, D.J., 2023. Introduction to electrodynamics. Cambridge University Press.
Course Repository: https://github.com/tahersima/fields_waves_II
Additional References:
Tong, D., 2025. Electromagnetism: Lectures on Theoretical Physics. Cambridge University Press.
Ulaby, F.T., 2004. Fundamentals of applied electromagnetics. Pearson.
The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Volume II
Pedrotti, F.L., Shiell, R. and McNab, I., 2025. Pedrottis' introduction to optics. Cambridge University Press.
Gerry, C.C. and Knight, P.L. (2023) Introductory Quantum Optics. 2nd edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Relevant Commercial Software:
Meep, python-based time-domain electromagnetic simulation
HFSS, electromagnetic field simulator for RF and wireless design
CST Studio, designing, analyzing and optimizing electromagnetic components and systems
COMSOL AD.DC Module, low-frequency electromagnetics and electromechanical components
Lumerical, finite difference time domain solver
Tidy3D, cloud-based multi-physics simulations