Syllabus Prewriting

Syllabus Prewriting:
Some Questions to Consider in Constructing a Policy Statement and Syllabus

Updated: 06.08.08

How do you plan to use office hours?
What will you do for students who can't make it to class? come underprepared to class?
How will you determine if students are successful in the class? How will you reflect this in your grading policy?
How do you envision English 100i/100/200, and how will you present this vision to your students?
What role does this course play in the students' personal, academic, and professional lives?
What final exam or culminating activity do you plan for your class?
How will you encourage your students to avail themselves of the Writing Center and other support services?
What is your role as an English 100i/100/200 instructor, and how will your policy statement reflect that role?
What kind of layout do you envision for your course calendar/syllabus (chart, list, etc.)?
How will you use the handbook (in and out of class)?
If you plan to use a reader, how do you want to connect the reader to other course assignments?
How many drafts of each paper do you plan to collect? How often? How important are those drafts, and how will you respond to and weight them?
How often will you provide your students with a schedule of course assignments/deadlines?
How will you accommodate writing conferences?
Do you plan to use fishbowls and/or peer response groups? How or why not?
What does critical thinking mean to you? How will you promote critical thinking in your class?

Composed by Jolien Olsen and Tracy Duckart, Humboldt State University English Department.