Carefully read the student papers distributed to you.
Write a peer review of each paper in the form of a letter written to the author of the paper, and signed by you.
Critically review the paper as a work of exposition, giving constructive criticism as well as indicating
what you liked and did not like about the paper. Be specific and detailed. Write at least 2 pages.
Be sure to address questions such as whether the author told a good story, explicated the proofs well enough, accomplished the stated goal, and so on.
After I have read them, copies of these reviews will be given to the authors.
For you, this will be graded as another essay, so give these letters some thought.
We'll meet at LHL, and spend the entire class period 4:00-5:15 pm in the Rare Book Room.
Write and type a minimum of 4 pages (double-spaced, 1 inch margins, 12 pt. font, as usual.)
Describe 2-3 of the books you examine and your reaction to these books. Include specific quotations, mathematical observations, and/or comments.
For instance, look for mathematics you know to see how it was presented then; compare the same theorem from book to book; look for definitions of familiar concepts for their historical variation; etc. Explore!
Usually only 1-2 students choose this talk option, but it's open to more.
Date, Time, Place (for both talks):
This is scheduled late in the semester as part of the department series of Expository Talks.
The talk will be on a subject we will choose together, often the topic of one of your papers.
We will then arrange times for us to discuss the talk, and you to practice it for several weeks.
You will be graded on a handout you produce and on your performance.