M 397S (57755) Geometry/Topology Literature
Time: MWF 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Room: 11.176
Instructor: David Ben-Zvi
Course Description:
Students in this class will read and give talks about classic papers in geometry. The focus is as much on the process of reading the literature and giving talks as it is about the material in the papers. This class is modeled on the famous "Kan seminar" at MIT. One major difference: the Kan seminar deals exclusively with algebraic topology whereas in this class the papers encompass the entire spectrum of geometry: geometric analysis, differential geometry, algebraic geometry, topology, representation theory etc.
I will compile a list of papers in advance of the class. Each student will choose, study, and present to the class three of these papers. The first paper will be short with a single well-defined result. Subsequent papers will have more extended structure and scope. As the semester progresses and the level of the papers rises, a major challenge is to extract a mathematical "story" from the papers and to then express the authors' ideas and vision. I will work with each student before and after the talks. Students in the class will also work with each other to practice talks and discuss the material; they will also do evaluations of each talk in the class.
Enrollment is limited to eight graduate students. Students should be roughly on the cusp of doing thesis research. That is, they should be essentially done with prelim exams but not more than a year or so past the qualifying exam. I expect most students to be in the second or third year.
Students need not be working in geometry to participate in this class.
If you are interested in this class you must come talk to me about it.
For more information see the course web page from last time it was taught by Dan Freed: