This course has been designed to conform to the guidelines of the Yale College Writing Requirement, and it is designated as a WR course.
What is the Yale College Writing Requirement? [source]
As part of the Yale College curriculum, the writing requirement offers courses that combine attention to writing in a particular academic subject with instruction in the kinds of analysis and argument required for good papers in any course. Students in these courses – which are indicated by “WR” in the YCPS (Blue Book) – receive additional feedback on their writing, are taught effective strategies for developing and sustaining ideas, and learn the habits and techniques of experienced writers. WR courses are not watered down to accommodate writing instruction; on the contrary, because writing about a topic enhances learning, students in these courses generally achieve a deeper engagement with the subject than if they had only completed exams.Beginning with the class of 2009, all Yale students must complete two WR courses by end of the sixth term, with one of these completed by the end of the fourth term. Where possible, we recommend taking at least one WR course in the freshman year. The listings on this site offer general guidance about WR courses that are especially appropriate to freshmen, those that allow freshmen under some circumstances, and those that are restricted to sophomores and juniors. Any one of these courses may have additional restrictions; please see the YCPS for course descriptions and additional information, and consult with your academic advisor.
What are the Yale College Guidelines for Writing Requirement (WR) courses? [source]
1. A total of 15-25 pages of graded writing required for the semester.
15-25 pages represents the range of writing that the Course of Study Committee expects for most seminars. In addition to graded assignments, many courses will also assign ungraded writing (such as reading responses, skills practice, or topic proposals), which can be highly effective in helping students improve as writers.
2. Two or more graded writing assignments.
In most cases, one paper due at the end will not give students time to learn and implement writing skills during the term. Courses that include only one graded writing assignment should be structured so that students have multiple opportunities for feedback and revision during the term.
3. Instructor feedback on writing, with opportunities to put suggestions into practice.
One way to let students put suggestions into practice is to give feedback on first drafts. An alternative (or supplement) is to give feedback on smaller assignments that lead up to a longer essay. As explained above, focusing feedback on writing means attention to how students communicate their ideas and to the quality of their ideas, their reasoning, and their analysis of evidence.
4. Time spent teaching writing in class.
Students learn a lot from feedback on their papers, and conferences (or tutorials) can be a valuable supplement to this feedback. But when we take the time to discuss writing during class, we offer powerful reinforcement to the message that writing well is important to success in the course and in the discipline. Such simple activities as discussing the expectations for an assignment, pointing to worthwhile techniques of argument and style in assigned course readings, and discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the first batch of papers can make a big difference to students’ performance. (See Five-Minute Fixes for additional suggestions.) In WR courses that are organized as a lecture with sections, it may be appropriate for more of the writing focus to occur during section, but it is still important for some of this discussion to take place during lecture to put the professor’s authority behind the message.
5. Writing assignments that count for 25% or more of the final course grade.
It seems axiomatic that we send students a mixed message if we tell them writing is important but then count it for only a negligible portion of the overall course grade.
6. WR Seminars limited to 20 students; WR sections led by TFs limited to 15 students.
Smaller class sizes allow the instructor to devote adequate time to each student’s written work. Graduate students who lead discussions sections of WR courses, or who teach their own WR seminars, must receive training from the Yale Writing Center.
See the web site of the Yale Writing Center for further information and resources.