Overview

“Topics" courses are a type of course that gives the department the ability to assign section-level titles. These courses allowing for a range of specific, narrower topic sections to be taught under one more general course. 

They are intended to give departments curricular flexibility, such as

• to pilot and refine an idea for a new course

• to address a timely issue of special interest

• to offer a one-time or limited-time course

Department Responsibilities for Offering Topic Titles

Departments are responsible for ensuring topics courses are used correctly, and should have guidelines or process to ensure that:  

• the content and syllabus for each offered topic titles meets the department’s expectations.

• each term, all topic titles that are scheduled meet the criteria for the level and breadth designations on the course through which it is offered.

• new courses are created when appropriate. Topics should not be taught more than three times in five years. This flexibility should not be abused as a way to avoid the campus process to create new courses.

• the instructor is qualified, per the department’s determination, to teach the course.

When creating new topics courses, department should consider: 

• having a variety of topics courses to match curricular offerings. For example, a course dedicated to introductory topics (elementary level) and another one for more advanced (intermediate or advanced level) topics. 

• whether to include breadth designations on the course. If every topic title taught there will meet the criteria, this may make good sense. However in some cases it may reduce flexibility too much, and the department would be better served by having no breadth designation on the course

• including some variability in credits (e.g., 1-4, or 3-4 credits), to provide scheduling flexibility

Please contact Sara Stephenson at sara.stephenson@wisc.edu if you have more questions about topics courses.