Humanities Syllabi Guidelines

Humanities faculty should refer to this page for assistance in preparing course syllabi.  The various elements below reflect the information students and their instructors need to create a successful course experience.

Contact Information: Provide full name, title, office, office hours, email address, phone number both at site and possibly home, and your web page URL.

Course Description: Provide the title and catalog description exactly. You may then add other material as appropriate.

Course Objectives: If teaching a Gen Ed required course, you should use the following headings--goals and challenges; writing outcomes; critical thinking outcomes; speaking and listening outcomes; information acquisition outcomes, computing and related technologies outcomes, and numeracy and quantitative reasoning outcomes. However, if  teaching an upper level course, such outcomes may not be required. In either case, name the course specific objectives appropriate for your course.

Required Texts: If your department requires a specific text for use in the course, please ask the division chair or site director for that current information. In all cases, provide the full name of the author(s), complete title, and publishing information for each text.  If you intend on using course packets, make clear the title and purchase information. Supplemental texts such as dictionaries, thesauri, and websites should be clearly identified.

Requirements/Classroom Rules: State your policies on attendance, tardiness, entering and leaving the classroom, behavior toward fellow students, food and drink, student preparation, conferences/meetings, and any other requirements particular to your course. You may refer to the Wesleyan Catalog, pp. 73-74 for attendance policies.

Plagiarism: You may simply want to refer to the Wesleyan Catalog, pp. 76-77. Also, tell students to be accountable for all their notes and drafts.

Assignments: State all your assignments for which students will receive grades.

Format/Evaluation Rubrics: Explain the paper format for all written assignments, and provide a copy of or reference to the various evaluative rubrics you will provide during the course. Formats for digital projects should also be included.

Grading Policy: State your procedures for grading, the weights of each grade, and the standards for which grades can be understood. Remember Wesleyan issues letter grades for course completion, check Catalog pp. 70-71.

Accommodations/Disabilities: Let students who may need course accommodations due to a disability know that they should make you aware of such concerns.

Writing Lab: All disciplines should find the Writing lab a useful site for assistance with course work. Refer students also to the Online Writing Lab at http://annex.ncwc.edu/writing_lab

Schedule: Provide a specific daily schedule describing class activities and homework, etc.  Allow for some flexibility, but schedules lacking specifics seem less helpful.