tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006360582862319640.post8699800980129218447..comments2023-10-22T09:51:13.361-04:00Comments on The YU Vent: Required Thinking for Requirement ThinkingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006360582862319640.post-79102797049031553482007-12-23T10:35:00.000-05:002007-12-23T10:35:00.000-05:00For the record, even Harvard does not go so far as...For the record, even Harvard does not go so far as requiring a thesis of every student - only those in the self-selected honors track (really a choice made in senior year).<BR/><BR/>But they certainly do have far more expansive homework assignments than the typical YU class. A frequent 7-10 page paper is not uncommon, and more challenging science/math classes can have 15+ hours of work a week. The question is whether any of this is viable in YU's "double curriculum" setting, or if it will create uncomfortable choices instead.<BR/><BR/>Do we want to create more intense options, with the risk of forcing some talented students to make painful choices between high level secular classes (or even Judaic Studies ones) and their limudei kodesh, due to time constraints. Obviously, this already is an issue today, but do you want to run the risk of exacerbating it to the point of forcing all these students out of the top secular classes (all now too intense), or out of night seder?<BR/><BR/>Every attempt to up the level of YU courses and/or ambition of workload (including a thesis or more expansive projects) must tackle this question.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com