Seminar Definition: We explain what a seminar is, the origin of the term and its characteristics. In addition, what its objectives and types are.
What is a seminar?
A seminar is commonly understood as a meeting for academic purposes in which a finite number of specialists and those interested in the subject meet to exchange, comment, present and debate about it during one or more days of continuous activity. It is an event similar to congresses or meetings, but of a more intensive and prolonged nature.
The word seminar comes from the Latin seminarius (“place of sowing knowledge”), a word linked to the Latin term for “seed”, which is seminis, and the suffix –arium, which expresses a place for things to live or grow. So, the original idea of a seminar was that of a place where ideas, like seeds, could grow and bear new fruit. You must read about Spanish colonization once!
In this sense, the word seminary was used from the European Middle Ages onwards to refer to houses of clerical and religious training for priests, administered by those who were then the bearers of truth and knowledge: the Christian churches, especially the Catholic Church. Today, however, we distinguish between a religious seminary (place) and an academic seminary (activity).
Finally, seminars are very common activities in professional societies and collegiate bodies, as well as among practitioners of some specialized knowledge. They usually take place in academic facilities, in conference rooms or any place that allows for meeting and the exchange of ideas.
Characteristics of a seminary
In general, seminars are characterized by the following:
- They are intensive and prolonged in time, and may meet periodically for a certain time, for example, weekly throughout a year, or several consecutive days, or an entire weekend.
- Attendees at a seminar always have a topic or a set of topics of common interest, and usually have a relatively similar academic or informational level, so as to participate in a discussion among peers or at least at a very high technical level.
- The objective of the seminar is to delve deeper into the chosen topic by drawing on very diverse sources. To do so, various activities are carried out, which will have been planned and announced by the organizers from the beginning.
- The results of a seminar belong to the participating group and are their responsibility. They are usually recorded in written minutes that bear witness to the progress made.
- The work of debate and discussion can take place in different ways, some of them in a general group presentation format, others through work in small focused groups.
Maybe you should definitely read about Hierarchy once!
Objectives of a seminar
Seminars, in general, meet three fundamental objectives:
- Cognitive objective: seminars must function as laboratories for generating knowledge and putting academic knowledge into practice, incorporating students and interested parties as an active part of the process, and not as mere listeners or recipients of information.
- Educational objective: seminars form educational spaces that are different and complementary to the classroom, in which debate, original and individual ideas are encouraged and recognized, collectivism and critical spirit are put to the test, allowing a freer exchange between seminar participants.
- Documentary objective: seminars produce a set of documentation in minutes, and different essays, presentations, articles and other materials emerge that increase the documentary heritage of the subject studied, that is, they produce specialized bibliography.
Types of seminar
Seminars can be done in the way their organizers prefer, and there is no universal classification for the available options. However, the following seminar formats are known:
Socratic seminar
Inspired by the stories of the great Greek philosopher Socrates (470-399 BC), these seminars use dialogue or questioning as the main mechanism for exchanging knowledge and debate, through a selection of questions that must be answered critically. They are very common among law academies, where the interpretation of the law is encouraged.
Presentation seminar
This method is similar to the notion of a symposium, in the sense that participants must prepare presentations with their ideas that, once read to the public, will be subject to questions, comments and criticism to generate new ideas around what has been said. To do this, someone must act as a moderator.
Small group seminar
As its name suggests, it is focused on the exchange of a few participants, so, after one or several presentations or talks, the participants are grouped into small discussion groups, in which they critically address the topic just presented. Then the groups join the general debate, to share their newly obtained ideas with the rest.
Concentric circle seminar
In this case, a method is applied that distributes the seminar participants into two groups, each one sitting in a circle, with a minority group acting as the inner circle and a larger one, around it, as the outer circle. The members of the inner circle must make presentations, take notes and critically debate, while those of the outer circle simply take notes and witness the exchange. Later, the two groups will change their locations and their respective roles, giving each other the opportunity to be both audience and protagonists of the seminar.
