If you are contemplating what kind of course to take during your time at Taft, either as an overambitious Lower Mid or as a slightly more stressed Upper Mid or Senior, this article, which will weigh the benefits of semester and yearlong courses, is for you.
Oftentimes, semester courses are electives, and therefore enrollment is mostly restricted to Taft upperclassmen. Initially, one might think that semester courses, which take up half the time and often cover niche topics more than yearlong and required courses, would be less in-depth, perhaps less valuable, and less rigorous. However, the time allotted for yearlong courses is often not used to delve deeply into the content, but rather to provide students with extensive comprehension. On the other hand, semester courses are designed with the expectation that students will be immersed in the content, with discussions on a single topic spanning class periods. This contrasts with the compact discussions in yearlong courses, where, even when attempting to go in depth, they remain fairly superficial. How would a shorter class provide more opportunities for content exploration? How can doubling the class time still leave students with limited information memorized for assessments, only to promptly forget it when the bell rings? It is important to consider these questions while also recognizing that having both enhances academic experiences and knowledge.
Relying solely on semester courses, which do provide more time to interact with a variety of peers and explore more interests, can make it hard to see the bigger picture. Taking electives focused on one area and not taking a year-long class on the same subject, which would offer a broader, more comprehensive curriculum, leaves the student with a strong grasp of detailed sections and topics but risks eliminating cumulative and broader analytical thinking. The argument for taking only yearlong courses can be expanded from that, with the idea that having a year to build and grow learning skills in a single subject increases development and preparedness for further academic endeavours.
Despite cases supporting semester and yearlong classes individually, like most things, a balance of the two is often what contributes most to a rich and fulfilling course load. On Taft’s offer of both semester and yearlong courses, Mr. LaCasse says, “I think it is a wonderful way to experience the breadth of the curriculum and to focus on a specific component of a subject, in part because yearlong courses are more of the breadth, and semester courses are the depth.”
So, to answer a question you will ask yourself at some point during your Taft career…should you take a semester or yearlong course? The answer is do both. If you have a particular interest in one area, try to pair a yearlong class with a semester one to best experience the breadth and depth each one is designed to provide.
