While W courses are usually thought of as upper-level classes, there are a few departments and colleges offering Ws at the sophomore level. Psychology, horticulture, marine science, and the Mays Business School, for example, all currently offer 200-level Ws.

Instructors are proposing these lower-level Ws for several reasons. Some of the courses are designed to help meet the growing demand, particularly now that undergraduates are required to complete two Ws for graduation. In other cases, departments are offering a W earlier in their students’ careers to help develop writing skills needed in later courses. And sometimes a 200-level W is designed to meet both logistical and curriculum needs.

The Department of Political Science, for instance, has only one course that’s required of all majors, POLS 209: Introduction to Political Science Research Methods, so it made sense to propose that as a W. But the course also lays important groundwork for later classes.

“We’re trying to teach students fundamental scientific skills they’ll use in later classes, and at the same time, we’re sharpening their writing skills,” explains Professor Kim Quaile Hill, who teaches POLS 209.

According to Sommer Hamilton, coordinator of the Center for Effective Communication at Mays and a member of the W Course Advisory Committee, these 200-level W courses can be beneficial for students: “The sooner students become accustomed to writing in the style and language of their chosen field, the sooner they are prepared to engage with professionals in the field, and they become better communicators as a result. So, I’m pleased when I see a 200-level course come up for approval before the committee.”

Instructors may, however, have to make some small adjustments when teaching a W at the 200-level, says Hamilton: “There are a particular set of challenges in working with younger students who are still learning the technical material itself, let alone how to communicate that material.

“But in my experience and from what I’ve researched, the earlier we on the other side of the podium can integrate technical material with the proper tools to communicate it, the better prepared the student is to not only perform but also properly communicate the tasks related to the field.”