Graduate Probability II

STA2211, Winter 2024

Tuesday 2:00pm-5:00pm, LOCATION: Emmanuel College, Room 302
Instructor Office Hours: You are welcome to talk to the instructor after class, or you can email her to ask questions or arrange a time to talk. Extra office hours will be scheduled before exams.
TA Office Hours: Robert will hold office hours every Thursday 1:00 -2:00 pm in statistic department or by email appointment.

COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS: Masks are highly recommended in the classroom. The policies set forth in this course are subject to change as we try to determine how best to keep you safe from the COVID-19 coronavirus while we provide the education we promised you.

Instructor: Xiaofei Shi xf.shi[at]utoronto(dot)ca

TA: Robert Zimmerman robert.zimmerman[at]mail(dot)utoronto(dot)ca

Course Description: This is a follow-up course to STA 2111 Graduate Probability I, designed for Master’s and PhD level students in statistics, mathematics, and other departments, who are interested in a rigorous, mathematical treatment of probability theory using measure theory. This course is intended primarily for Statistics Department graduate students.

Course Prerequisites: STA2111 Graduate Probability I

Recommended Readings:

A First Look at Rigorous Probability Theory, Jeffrey S. Rosenthal.
Probability: Theory and Examples, Rick Durrett.
Probability with Martingales, David Williams.

Evaluation:

10% Homework 1: posted and submitted on Quercus, due on February 6th
40% Midterm: February 27th, in class, 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
10% Homework 2: posted and submitted on Quercus, due on March 19th
40% Final Exam: April 9th, in class, 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

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 grade may end up going down rather than up. Academic Integrity: People caught cheating generally tell a story about being unable to keep up with the material. Remember that if there is something going on in your life that makes it hard for you to keep up, please let me know. That brings me to the following point.

Take Care of Yourself: It is easy for me to say and hard for all of us, including me, to do, but taking care of your physical and mental health is essential, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Life is a marathon, and you need to pace yourself. Do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating well, exercising, avoiding drugs and alcohol, getting enough sleep and taking some time to relax. This will help you achieve your goals and cope with stress. If you or anyone you know experiences extreme academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings of anxiety or depression, I strongly encourage you to seek support. Counseling and Psychological Services is here to help 24/7, and everything will be confidential: https://mentalhealth.utoronto.ca/
In addition, consider reaching out to a friend, faculty or family member you trust for help getting connected to the support. Keep in mind that for serious psychological issues, the first counselor you meet with may not be the right one for you, but this does not mean you should give up on counseling. Keep looking for someone who can help you.

If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal or in danger of self-harm, call immediately, day or night:
Non-urgent campus police: 416-978-2323
If the situation is life threatening, call the police:
Urgent campus police: 416-978-2222
Off campus: 911

If you have questions about this advice, your coursework, or anything else about which I might be helpful, please let me know.