Seminar
A seminar can be at least two things: a format of a course (e.g. Pro Gradu Seminar i.e. thesis seminar) and presentation session at the end or in the middle of the course. Many times a course consists of several lectures, a final seminar and a final examination. The lectures then are composed of teaching and seminar of the presentation of group or individual works. Sometimes the presentations can replace the exam. Usually no registration is needed for this type of seminar but there are some exceptions. You should always check whether registration is needed or not.
A seminar can also be a small group meeting instead of lectures such as the Pro Gradu Seminar. This thesis seminar is usually obligatory for all who are to graduate. There students get teaching about research, research skills and academic writing skills/conventions, which are all indispensable for thesis writing purposes. This type of seminar usually always requires registration and sometimes informing the professors about the research interests.
Although the seminars have usually much less attendants than the lectures the format of the teaching might still be that of a lecture, i.e. the teacher lecturing for the session and students listening and taking notes. |