Welcome to our class! I’m looking forward to working with all of you this semester.

For our exercises today, please see the following instructions:

Syllabus Analysis and Review

1. Please find a new partner (someone other than the person you paired up with for our introductions)
2. Discuss: What is the purpose of a syllabus and of class policies? (Please write down some notes for us to return to later)
3. Brainstorm a list of items that you’d expect to find on a syllabus and where you would expect to find them.
4. Find the syllabus on our course website
5. Create a reverse outline of the syllabus: rearrange it into the order you think the items might appear. Why should it be organized in this way? What do my organizational choices say about what I value in this course?
6. A syllabus is a rhetorical object (i.e. an object designed to communicate a message to an intended audience). What am I trying to communicate to you and/or to persuade you of? What message am I sending with each of these sections, and how do you know?
   1. My tone / word choice throughout the syllabus
   2. The course description: what does it promise?
   3. My policy on inclusivity
   4. My policy on the Writing Collaboratory
   5. Our major assignments

And now, some writing:

If you could design the class of your dreams, what would be on the syllabus? Describe what you would do in the class, how you would complete assignments, what you would want to study or learn more about, when / where you would take it, and how (or if!) your learning would be assessed. You have about 10 minutes to complete this writing assignment, and I’m going to take it up at the end of the 10 minutes, so keep this in mind.

• Class Work 1/23/17

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