Creating a Syllabus

General Considerations

Four Functions of a Syllabus

You need to write your syllabus carefully because it fulfills the following four important functions:

• a contract between you and the students
• a reference document which the students will scan
• an example of the planning and organization you expect of yourself (and them)
• a first contact between you and students whose nature can help create a safe, affirming, and exciting classroom environment by communicating
  • tone (open, warm, optimistic rather than suspicious, defensive, sarcastic)
  • focus (on what this class can do for the student, on what the student can learn)
  • passion (for your subject, for the student)  

Coordination with Department and University

• for a multi-section course, ask your department to identify the course elements to be standardized
• for General Education courses, include the pertinent catalog copy relating to course purpose
• for all courses, check on departmental policy about issues like attendance, attire, lateness, homework, grading criteria, etc.

Content List

A thorough syllabus should contain the following items:

• Information about you, the course, and the course texts
• Goals and objectives
• Means of assessment and grades
• Expectations for student work
• Class rules
• Daily schedule of assignments

More information on creating a syllabus is available on pdf.