Proseminar II: Spring
During the fall and the first part of the spring semester (Proseminar II), students will be working on the individual topics chosen for the Senior Comprehensive Project. Each student will give two talks on the preliminary results of her study (or more, if the advisor and seminar instructor consider this necessary) and write up these results for the final paper. The process will culminate in the Senior Comprehensive Examination: a formal paper and an oral presentation followed by questions from a faculty committee.
During the spring semester, each student will have her own topic for study (the topic of her senior comprehensive) she will present two lectures in the seminar (two to five weeks apart) on the preliminary results of her study, which should provide the background for the other students to understand her final presentation in the formal talk of the Senior Comprehensive Examination. (A student on an early schedule will have presented one or more of these talks in the Fall.) Each student attends, participates in, and critiques the lectures given by her classmates and attends the formal senior comprehensive presentations.
The Senior Comprehensive paper must be submitted to the advisor by Week 7 (earlier for students on early schedules) of the semester. Three clean copies are required by week 10. The Senior Comprehensive presentations take place during the latter part of the semester (weeks 10-12). There is more detail on the Senior Comprehjensive here.
Work in the Proseminar will be graded using the standard (A through F) grading system. Grades will be based on the preliminary work for the comprehensive which is presented in the seminar (including first talks, even if these occurred during the first semester), on participation, and on work with the advisor as reported by the advisor. The senior comprehensive paper and talk do not form part of this grade, but failure to meet deadlines in preparing or submitting the work may lower the seminar grade. The breakdown for grading will be:
1. Mastery of the material -30%Correctness completeness; extension - including ability to answer questions, demonstration of connections to other ideas in mathematics; interpretation. The difficulty of the topic is also considered.
2 Preparation and presentation - 30%
Coherence; intelligibility; organization; clarity; selection of level of presentation; explanation of meanings, implications, relations to other topics; use of examples; mechanics (use of materials, voice, board/handouts/overhead projector, etc.
3. Participation - 20%
Questions, comments, and attention to presentations of other students; meeting of deadlines; attendance, completion of critiques of presentations
4. Work with advisor - 20%
Reliability; independence; appropriate seeking of help; degree of integration of materials.
Important dates during the Spring semester (For actual dates, see the current syllabus)
Week 1: Second (seminar) talks on comprehensive topic Second group
Week 2: First (seminar) talks on comprhensive topic Third group: [Beginning] Second group papers due to readers
Week 4:Monday - Final paper due to readers ( First group) Friday - Complete draft of paper due to advisor (Second group)
Weeks 5-6: Final presentations for First group, Second (seminar) talks by Second group
Week 7: Monday - Final paper due to readers (Second group) Friday - Complete draft of paper due to advisor (Third group)
Week 8: Final presentations by Second group
Week10: Monday - Final paper due to readers (Third group)
Student Guide Table of Contents
Maintained by cpeltier@saintmarys.eduLast revision 8/24/2007