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Because the syllabus is usually the first piece of formal communication between students and instructor, it sets the tone for the rest of the term. Too informal a syllabus (one with very little information or that is too light in demeanor) might make an instructor seem like he or she is not serious about the course; too formal or legalistic a syllabus may make the teacher seem rigid or inflexible or distant. Pay careful attention to how you write your material, using the model syllabus as your template. Adopt language and a style that is representative of your sense of authority as a teacher and that effectively conveys your teaching philosophy, the goals of the course, and its requirements (we do not recommend sarcasm). Remember that your audience is primarily your students (who might be overwhelmed and intimidated readers), and that you will also need to turn in a copy of your syllabus to the Assistant Directors at the beginning of each semester. First year instructors are required to use the standard syllabus (or a very similar version of it) during the first semester they teach English 100.
All sections of English 100 must fulfill the objectives of the UW-Madison Communications A ("Comm-A") General Education Requirement:
Frequent assignments in writing and speaking totaling 25-30 pages of clear, revised prose
At least one researched essay
Several prepared oral presentations, including one researched speech
Completion of the information component developed in conjunction with the campus library user education program.
More information about the Comm-A requirement is available here.
Every syllabus must contain the following:
A clear description of the required English 100 features, or
at least your version of those requirements.
Information about ways to contact you. This information includes
the course and section number, classroom information, meeting times,
instructor’s name, office number, office hours, and email address.
We do not recommend that you include your home number.
A statement of objectives and requirements for the course. This
statement should indicate a teaching philosophy gained from careful
thought and consideration; from this statement, students should be able
to get a sense of what motivates you as the instructor. Feel free to
borrow language from your colleagues and/or the handbook as you describe
what is required and why.
Due dates for major assignments (including drafts), along with
brief descriptions of what the assignments will be.
A statement on plagiarism that describes what it is, as well
as what disciplinary actions and academic penalties it carries, including
being reported to the Director of English 100. For more guidelines,
see the University’s plagiarism pamphlet, which can be found in
the English 100 Resource Room.
A statement on working with students with disabilities and what
those students’ rights and resources are.
A clearly defined attendance policy. Regular student attendance in English 100 is crucial. This is a low-enrollment, writing-intensive course: class meetings, peer review sessions, instructor-student conferences, and other course activities are vitally important both for giving students regular opportunities to write and receive feedback on their writing and for building the intellectual community needed to support growth in academic literacy. The best way to ensure regular attendance is to plan and conduct classes that students want and need to attend. But a well-defined policy on attendance, connected to course goals, and clearly establishing consequences for missing class, can help set basic expectations for the course.
The English 100 program stipulates that attendance in this course be required, that the policy be reasonable and spelled out in advance, and that it be applied fairly and humanely. The program strongly recommends the policy below; please do not adopt a stricter one.
Attendance. Regular attendance in English 100 is required. This course is designed to provide you with frequent opportunities to practice academic reading, writing, speaking, and listening - activities that are complex and difficult and require time and feedback to do well. Regular attendance means that you are writing regularly, and it means that your instructor and classmates can give that writing the attention it deserves. Attendance is also required so that a strong intellectual community can form in the class: reading and writing are, after all, fundamentally social acts.
For these reasons, you need to be in class, on time, prepared, every meeting. If you miss more than one week total of this course (more than 3 absences in a MWF class, 2 in a TR one), your final grade will be lowered half a letter grade for each absence over three. If you miss more than two weeks total of this course (more than 6 absences in a MWF class, 4 in a TR one), you will not pass the course. Missing a conference with me, if it is held in lieu of class, showing up without a draft for a conference or a peer workshop, or coming to class excessively or frequently late will also count as absences.
Obviously, there are times when nearly everyone must miss class for some ordinary reason: a cold or headache, a pressing deadline in another class, an interview for a summer job, a missed flight back to campus after Thanksgiving. The policy above allows for three such absences without penalty. (You should do your best, however, not to miss class even once!) If you need to be absent for some extraordinary reason: because of a severe accident or illness, a family emergency or death, a religious holiday (see http://www.secfac.wisc.edu/governance/ReligiousObservancesMemo.htm), or jury duty, please let me know, and we will try to work out some accommodations. For such absences, either prior notification or subsequent documentation is required.
Be aware that too many absences for whatever reason may prevent you from completing the required work of the course: in some cases, the best solution is to drop the class. Finally, if you do miss class, it is your responsibility to find out from a classmate what you missed and what is due and to make up any work as soon as possible. It is not my responsibility to do any of this for you.
No policy should be applied unthinkingly. Even if you adopt the above language, be aware that your students' lives are complex and unpredictable. The recommended policy allows for a reasonable number of "ordinary" absences (minor illnesses, over-sleeping, returning to campus late from a trip, job interviews, etc.); but TAs need to be flexible and accommodating when faced with "extraordinary" ones: severe accidents or illnesses, deaths in the family, religious holidays, etc. It is up to you how you certify such absences, though in most cases you should accept at face value students' explanations for missing class and be compassionate when they are experiencing crises. Of course, too many absences even for a good reason is sometimes best dealt with by the student dropping the class or taking an incomplete.
Adding the class late does not exempt students from these policies. The first two weeks of a course are, in a way, the most important of the semester, and it is at the TA's discretion whether a student will be allowed into a class after missing the first two weeks. For students who add late, missed classes may be counted as absences, though, again, there may be good reason to be more accommodating.
The method by which grades will be determined (i.e., what is
being counted towards the grade, and how different assignments are weighted).
You’ll have fewer complaints the clearer your method is.
In the course calendar you should outline at least the first four
weeks of the semester, and the entire semester if possible. Though
some instructors like the option of responding to student needs and
don’t like to be restricted by a day-to-day syllabus, not providing
one restricts student choice by limiting the information available to
them. At the same time, if you deviate dramatically from a detailed
syllabus provided at the beginning of the semester, you should be prepared
to read student evaluations that report disorganization. If you plan
on using student work to point out strengths and weaknesses, the syllabus
should include a note that such use will be standard practice and
what means will be used to maintain student confidentiality.
We recommend that you include your assignments (at least thumbnail sketches of major papers) along with your syllabus. Students can gain important information about a course by seeing the assignments and can make knowledgeable enrollment decisions based on this information. If at all possible, we recommend that students receive an outline of the entire semester with the syllabus in lieu of a day-by-day schedule. Once you have gained some experience teaching the course, you may prefer to provide your students with both.
Some instructors include information about themselves (their research
interests, teaching experience, etc.), more detailed statements of teaching
philosophy, excerpts from student evaluations, and the like on their
syllabi. Such information may be helpful to students, but is by no means
necessary.