Editing Seminar

{{Short description|Form of academic instruction}}
{{About|the form of academic instruction}}
{{distinguish|Seminary}}
[[File:Afifa Afrin Discussing - Women Involvement in Bengali Wikipedia - Bengali Wikipedia 10th Anniversary Celebration - Daffodil International University - Dhaka 2015-05-30 1629-1634.tif|thumb|300px|An instructor discussing women's involvement in [[Bengali Wikipedia]] in a seminar in [[Dhaka]] in 2015]]
A '''seminar''' is a form of [[academic]] instruction, either at an [[academic institution]] or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some particular subject, in which everyone present is requested to participate. This is often accomplished through an ongoing [[Socratic method|Socratic dialogue]]<ref>Socratic Method-Problem Method Dichotomy: The Debate Over Teaching Method Continues, CG Hawkins-Leon. ''BYU Educ. & LJ'', 1998.</ref> with a seminar leader or instructor, or through a more formal presentation of research. It is essentially a place where assigned readings are discussed, questions can be raised and [[debate]]s can be conducted.<ref>Dialogic discussion and the siddharth seminar. L Billings, J Fitzgerald. ''American Educational Research Journal'', 2002</ref>

==Etymology==
The word ''seminar'' was borrowed from German<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.lexico.com/definition/seminar |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200308201132/https://www.lexico.com/definition/seminar |url-status= dead |archive-date= March 8, 2020 |title=seminar |website=[[Lexico]]}}</ref><ref name="etymonline">{{cite web |url= https://www.etymonline.com/word/seminar#etymonline_v_23190 |title=seminar |website=Online Etymology Dictionary}}</ref> (in which it is capitalized as {{lang|de|Seminar}}), and is ultimately derived from the Latin word {{lang|la|seminarium}}, meaning 'seed plot'<ref>{{cite web|url= http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Seminary |title= Seminary definition (dictionary.com)|access-date= 2009-02-17}}</ref> (an old-fashioned term for '[[seedbed]]').<ref>{{Cite web |title=seed plot |work=Oxford English and Spanish Dictionary, Synonyms, and Spanish to English Translator: UK Dictionary |via=[[Lexico]] |url= https://www.lexico.com/definition/seed_plot |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210415020244/https://www.lexico.com/definition/seed_plot |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 15, 2021 |access-date=November 16, 2020}}</ref> Its [[Root (linguistics)|root word]] is {{lang|la|[[semen]]}} (Latin for 'seed').<ref name="etymonline" />

==Overview==
In some European universities, a ''seminar'' may be a large lecture course, especially when conducted by a renowned thinker (regardless of the size of the audience or the scope of student participation in discussion). Some non-English speaking countries in Europe use the word ''seminar'' (e.g. German ''Seminar'', Slovenian ''seminar'', Polish ''seminarium'') to refer to a university class that includes a term paper or project, as opposed to a lecture class (e.g. German ''Vorlesung'', Slovenian ''predavanje'', Polish ''wykład''). This does not correspond to the English use of the term. In some academic institutions, typically in scientific fields, the term "preceptorial" is used interchangeably with "seminar".<ref>A consideration of preceptorial medical education in the United States. WS Wiggins. ''Academic Medicine'', 1957.</ref><ref>[http://www-ssg.sr.unh.edu/preceptorial/Summaries_2001/outline8_2001.html "The Nature of Time--Cosmology Seminar" Sommers, Aaron]</ref>

In North Indian [[university|universities]], the term "seminar" refers to a course of intense study relating to the student's major. Seminars typically have significantly fewer students per professor than normal courses, and are generally more specific in topic of study. Seminars can revolve around term papers, exams, presentations, and several other assignments. Seminars are almost always required for university graduation. Normally, participants must not be beginners in the field under discussion at US and Canadian universities. Seminar classes are generally reserved for upper-class students, although at UK and Australian universities seminars are often used for all years. The idea behind the seminar system is to familiarize students more extensively with the [[methodology]] of their chosen subject and also to allow them to interact with examples of the practical problems that always occur during research work.{{cn|date=January 2022}}

==Seminar rooms==

"Seminar room" is often used as a name for a generic group study or work space at a [[library]].<ref>[https://commons.library.upenn.edu/ec-seminar-room "UPenn Seminar Room"]</ref> Some seminar rooms are more tailored to a specific topic or field, literally a space designed for a seminar course or individualized self-study to occur.

==See also==
{{Portal|Business and economics|Schools|Science}}
{{Commons category|Seminars}}
{{Wikibooks}}
* [[Academic conference]]
* [[French mathematical seminars]]
* [[Plenary session]]
* [[Poster session]]
* [[Senior seminar]], aka Capstone course or final year course
* [[Symposium (academic)]]
* [[Webinar]] (a seminar attended through the [[Internet]])
* [[Jesus Seminar]], a group of 50 biblical criticism scholars and 100 laymen 

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Academic terminology]]