seminá

Seminá is the Slovak plural of seminár, referring to seminars. A seminar is a form of instruction that emphasizes active participation and discussion among a small group of participants, usually under the guidance of an instructor or moderator. Compared with a lecture, which is more expository, seminars concentrate on analysis, interpretation, and the exchange of ideas. Sessions may include reading assignments, presentations by participants, case studies, and group discussions. Assessments commonly involve a presentation, a paper, or participation credits, and may require preparation of a talk or report on a topic.

Seminá are used in educational settings—universities and colleges—as part of degree programs, often at the advanced undergraduate or graduate level. They are also common in professional development, teacher training, and corporate learning, where structured discussion and knowledge sharing are valued.

Historically, the concept of the seminar emerged in European universities as a more intimate complement to lectures. The Slovak term seminár and its plural seminá reflect this tradition and are part of the broader international vocabulary of seminars, workshops, and conferences. In different languages, the plural and exact form varies, for example semináře in Czech and seminars in English.

Examples of types include research seminars, where participants present findings; reading seminars, focused on close textual analysis; and topic seminars, organized around a specific issue or field.