What to Include in a Syllabus

Ø    Information about you, especially office hours and how/when to contact you (and when not to contact you).

Ø    General information about the course.

Ø    Goals and Objectives.

Ø    Required texts and other readings.

Ø    Dates and brief description of major assignments including all exams, quizzes, and papers.

Ø    Grading Policy including a statement regarding how Oberlin College's honor code applies to your course assignments.

Ø    Calendar of topics, reading assignments, and other outside classroom assignments (you may want to include exams, papers, and holidays on your calendar).

Ø    Other important information (e.g., attendance policy, will you accept late assignments, will there be a penalty for late assignments, do you have a policy regarding classroom conduct).

Think of your syllabus as a contract between you and your students.  After reading your syllabus your students should know exactly what your goals are for the course, the activities that will help them to achieve those goals, how they will be graded, when assignments including readings must be completed, and your expectations for their behavior in your course.  If a student decides to take your course they are implicitly accepting the terms of the contract.  A well written, thorough syllabus avoids many of the problems that arise because of misunderstandings.  Further, if a problem should arise at the end of the semester, you can always point to your syllabus as evidence that you fully informed the class or your expectations.