Course Web Page Quick Link: probability.ca/sta2111
Instructor: Professor Jeffrey S. Rosenthal, Department of Statistics, University of Toronto. Email j.rosenthal@math.toronto.edu; web http://probability.ca/jsr Office OPG (Hydro) (UY) room 9070.
Lectures:
Thursdays 2:10 - 5:00:
[NEW: MOVED TO
Teefy Hall (TF) room 101,
at 57 Queen's Park Crescent East.]
First class Sept 5.
Last class Nov 28.
No class Oct 31 (Reading Week).
Lectures will be interactive; please
stop talking,
and pay close attention to the material being presented,
and answer the instructor's questions in class
(which will count towards your Class Participation grade).
Textbook: A First Look at Rigorous Probability Theory, 2nd ed, by J.S. Rosenthal, available from e.g. UofT Bookstore/digital or amazon/kindle or the publisher or UofT Libraries. (If you purchase the book for this class, and show me a receipt in class on Sept 19, then I will refund you $2 which is my approximate royalty.) This course will roughly follow Chapters 1-6 and 9-10. See also the solutions manual. Similar material is also covered in e.g. Chapters 1-2 and Appendix of Probability: Theory and Examples, 5th ed, by R. Durrett.
Prerequisites: Students should be familiar with undergraduate-level probability theory at the level of STA347, and should also have a strong background in undergraduate-level Real Analysis at the level of MAT337 (including calculus, sequences and series, elementary set theory, and epsilon-delta proofs). For preparation, please review Appendix A of the textbook. However, the course does not assume previous knowledge of Measure Theory; students with very extensive knowledge of Measure Theory might instead consider MAT1600.
Students: This course is intended primarily for Statistics Department graduate students. Interested graduate students from other UofT departments should email the instructor about your relevant background (including transcript); if admitted then you are then responsible for making up any missing background knowledge and sorting out any necessary forms/paperwork (which I will sign when needed). Graduate student requests to audit this class should be emailed to the instructor. Unfortunately, undergraduate students may not attend nor audit this class, though you are still welcome to work through the course material on your own.
Office Hours:
You are welcome to talk to the instructor after class,
or email him
to ask questions or arrange a time to talk.
Special office hours
will be arranged before the homework due dates and midterm and exam,
including in the
Ontario Power Generation (OPG) building:
* Before HW#1 is due:
Mon Sept 23 at 2:00-3:00 in OPG 9171/9173 (TA)
and Tues Sept 24 at 1:30-3:00 in OPG 9040 (prof).
* Before Midterm:
Mon Oct 7 at 3:00-4:00 in OPG 9171/9173 (TA)
and Tues Oct 8 at 1:00-2:00 in OPG 9171/9173 (prof).
* Before HW#2 is due:
Mon Nov 11 at 2:00-3:00 in OPG 9171/9173 (TA)
and Tues Nov 12 at 1:00-2:00 in OPG 9171/9173 (prof).
* Before Exam:
Mon Dec 2 at 3:00-4:00 in OPG 9171/9173 (TA)
and Tues Dec 3 at 1:00-2:00 in OPG 9171/9173 (prof).
Discussion Pages: There is a STA2111 "Piazza" discussion page where students can post and answer questions about the course. You should be able to access it from the course's quercus page; let me know of any difficulties. Also, feel free to create recognized study groups, or join a drop-in study space.
Evaluation:
• 10% Class Participation (your attendance / punctuality / preparation / attention / questions / responses during lectures);
• 10%
Homework #1
(assigned by Sept 12, due at start of class on Thurs Sept 26)
• 30% Midterm (140 mins; during class time on Thurs Oct 10)
• 10%
Homework #2
(assigned by Oct 24, due at start of class
on Thurs Nov 14)
• 40% Final Exam (165 mins;
in the usual time and classroom on Thurs Dec 5)
Regrading policy: Regrading requests should only be made for genuine grading errors, and should be initiated within one week of when the graded item was first available. Warning: your mark may end up going down rather than up. For details and instructions click here.
Challenges? If you encounter challenges during your studies, then please see these support options or visit Academic Success or the Health & Wellness Centre or Graduate Wellness Services or the SGS Wellness Portal or Navi for assistance and support.