Course manual 2017/2018

Course content

The Master Seminar consists of lectures on a broad range of research topics in Algebra, Geometry and Mathematical Physics. There will be three types of lectures:

by the participating first-year students on one or two of the texts mentioned below. The choice will be discussed at the first meeting;
by staff members and PhD students in Amsterdam on topics closely related to their research, and by alumni and others on career possibilities after the masters;
midterm presentations by second-year students on their ongoing master thesis projects.

The students will have the opportunity to suggest topics and speakers to invite at the Master Seminar.

Study materials

Literature

Finite groups - an introduction by Jean-Pierre Serre
Galois Groups and Fundamental Groups by Tamás Szamuely
Differential Forms in Algebraic Topology by Raoul Bott and Loring W. Tu

Objectives

The aim of this course is to learn to read literature at a research level, organize the material for a seminar talk, and practice presentation skills for such talk, as well as to learn to constructively participate in a research seminar.

Teaching methods

Lecture
Seminar
Self-study

By giving seminar talks on material learnt through self-study and by attending talks (including questions during and discussion after the talks) the students practice their skills in presenting new material, as well as in constructively participating in a research seminar. Additional lectures by staff members and second-year students provide broader context on research in algebra and geometry.

Learning activities

Activity	Hours
Presentation	40
Additional talks	18
Self study	110
Total	168	(6 EC x 28 uur)

The precise distribution between student presentations and additional talks will depend on the number of participating students. The students are expected to study the material while the seminar progresses (not only the parts presented by the student).

Attendance

The programme does not have requirements concerning attendance (OER-B).

Additional requirements for this course:

Attendance is compulsory and will be recorded weekly. Absence needs to be communicated to the course coordinators in advance. Students who are late/absent more than 5 times will fail. Attendance will be taken into account in the partial grade for 'active participation' (see Assessment).

Assessment

Item and weight	Details
Final grade

The final grade consists of two parts:

quality of presentations (70%): this includes both form (style, clarity,...) and content (mathematical precision, originality, ...)
active participation (30%): this includes presence, asking questions, contributing to the programme, and a general constructive attitude

A re-sit is not possible.

Assignments

Onderstaande opdrachten komen aan bod in deze cursus:

Naam opdracht 1 : beschrijving 2
Naam opdracht 2 : beschrijving 1
....

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.uva.nl/plagiarism

Course structure

At the first meeting is on Sept 4, the coordinators will explain the goals of the seminar and present the literature to be considered. A joint decision will be taken on which text to follow and the first few weeks of the seminar will be planned.

The second meeting on Sept 11 will have two external presentations. Students will start presenting on Sept 18.

Timetable

The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.

Contact information

Coordinator

prof. dr. Lenny Taelman

Staff

Eric Opdam

Owner	Master Mathematics
Coordinator	prof. dr. Lenny Taelman
Part of	Master Mathematics, year 1 Master Mathematical Physics, year 1

Master Seminar in Algebra and Geometry