Student Seminar Theoretical Physics

Course manual 2025/2026

Course content

During the Student Seminar Theoretical Physics, you will learn to clearly and engagingly present scientific results to your peers. You will be asked to listen to and actively give feedback on presentations, and to present yourself. Presentations may be about articles from the scientific literature, or even results of your own. Main condition is that the topic of your talk is closely aligned with your MSc Research Project. Special attention will be paid to presentation techniques, style of presenting, the level and presentation of content, and audience participation. 

Objectives

• Students will learn to present modern scientific results to their peers.
• Students will learn to place scientific results in the wider context of the current state of the art.
• Students will learn to read, analyse, and comment on modern scientific literature.
• Students will practice giving feedback to their peers and engaging in a scientific discussion.

Teaching methods

• Seminar
• Presentation/symposium
• Self-study

Learning activities

Attendance

Additional requirements for this course:

Attendance is compulsory in this course. We can tolerate up to 25% of absences. Students who skip more seminars than that automatically fail the course.

Assessment

• giving a 20-minute presentation on topics related to your Master project
• attending the talks of your peers and actively giving feedback

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Additional information

A Canvas page will be created for this course, with more detailed information.

Contact information

Coordinator

• dr. Mikhail Isachenkov