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confused or lost students. An extremely explicit syllabus also minimizes disputes over
confusion regarding course goals and standards. Second, and more importantly, the syllabus
allows students to be prepared. As a result, their confidence increases—always an important
The following list offers suggestions as to what should be included in your syllabus. Bear in
mind that your syllabus should contain the following items at a minimum. You may decide that
other pertinent information should be included. You will also want to check with your course
Course Name, Number, and Credit Hours: This information sounds basic, but it allows students
Instructor’s Name: This is obvious, but including your name is essential in multi-section
courses, especially since the course content and instructional methods might vary depending on
the teacher. You should include how you want to be addressed. (You will want to consider
How to Reach You: This information is one of the most crucial items you will communicate to
your students. You should include specific office hours, noting when and where they are held.
Your office number should always be on the syllabus. If you do not have voice mail, leave the
departmental phone number as well. That way you know that someone will be able to take
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied, or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
accessible website, in whole or in part.
In our high-tech era, email can be an excellent way for students to ask detailed questions and
receive in-depth answers without it being intrusive for anyone. Using email has an added
dividend of encouraging computer literacy in an age where that skill might be necessary for
workplace survival. (Many professors now require students to submit their outlines and written
assignments on email.)
(Hint: No matter how you want your students to contact you, it’s always a good idea to let
them know how long it will reasonably take you to get back to them. Some students need to be
reminded that you aren’t on your computer at all hours of the day and night. Many instructors
tell their students to allow them a minimum of 24 working hours for a response to email or
voice mail messages.)
Overall, here is the type of information you should include to tell how you can be reached:
• Office Location
• Office Hours
need the help). By encouraging students to come in for help and use the time to their
advantage, you may be helping them set far more productive, proactive, and assertive academic
behaviors. Students who do improve with your personal assistance will remember the
experience in positive terms. These conferences can make teaching much more fulfilling and
invariably lead to more positive teaching evaluations.
Full Listing of All Texts and Other Instructional Materials: Listing all the instructional
materials students must buy is a practical matter. Since most trips to the bookstore will be
made the first week of classes, your syllabus provides the official shopping list. You will help
students avoid confusion and delays by listing the complete citations of all books. As an added
Course Objectives: At most institutions, course goals or objectives are required to be listed in
detail on every syllabus. The rationale is that this allows students to immediately grasp the
purpose of the course and to comprehend the general goals the instructor and program have
delineated for the individual student. (You may want to refer back to the earlier section on
"Teaching Philosophy" and utilize that list as a model for developing your own distinct course
(either of which might be on campus) might be especially relevant. Your course objectives,
therefore, reflect how this course is designed to meet the specific needs of the students you teach.
How the Objectives Will Be Achieved: Briefly explain the types of activities that will enable
students to accomplish the objectives. This course always includes "platform" speeches, which
are relatively formal addresses by one person to an audience. Aside from the major speeches,
what other tools will be used to develop skills in oral communication? Beyond the concerns of
students can help instructors and students reach beyond minimum competencies and toward
excellence. Here are the types of qualities you may wish to list on your syllabi:
• demonstrating curiosity about intellectual issues by raising thoughtful,
Attendance Policy: Although the attendance policy you use will be to a large extent the product
of your institution's guidelines, attendance assumes special importance in this course. Public
speaking is a transactional process. It requires speakers and listeners. The only way a speaker can
improve presentational skills is through the presence of an engaged, attentive audience willing to
offer constructive feedback. Since listening is one of the skills emphasized in the text, it is
logical that students must be present to listen.
There is a lot of disagreement about how to encourage attendance. Some instructors reward
good attendance by giving extra points if students attend. Some education codes, however,
prohibit the grading of attendance. Rather than giving points for attendance or deducting points
Behavioral Expectations: It is no longer viable in any higher education context to assume
automatically that students know what civil behavior entails. Being proactive by explaining
what does or does not constitute appropriate classroom behavior on your syllabus is a good
Honor Violations: It is extremely important to summarize or include in full your institution's
policies regarding honor violations. This information might seem redundant, but it proves vital
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied, or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
accessible website, in whole or in part.
The most common honor violation is plagiarism, where a student will employ the words or
ideas of someone else without proper acknowledgment. While this sometimes occurs out of
ignorance, in many cases it is done deliberately and is becoming perhaps more pervasive given
the ease of instant access to Internet sources. This Fifth Edition of Hamilton’s text expressly
addresses plagiarism on pages 17-18. This issue should be discussed and defined in class
during the first weeks of class. A concise and helpful discussion of plagiarism is also included
in: Joseph Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. Seventh ed. New York:
Modern Language Association of America, 2009, pp. 52-61. Similar discussion can be located
in: The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Sixth ed. Washington
D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 170. Most dictionary definitions of
plagiarism are also sufficient, providing you take time to explain them in class. Many
incoming freshmen may have no concept of the process of footnoting or sourcing and why it is
important. You want to be certain that they are clear as to how they should cite their sources
and that they understand that ignorance of the procedural requirements is not an excuse. You
may wish to determine what style manual is endorsed by your department and refer your
students to that source. You will want to cover citation style and bibliographies in class, and
many instructors find it helpful to provide a Modern Language Association (MLA) or
American Psychological Association (APA) “cheat sheet” handout for more common forms of
bibliographical entries, such as books, periodicals and journals, interviews and on-line sources.
(Note: in communication, most journals now specify APA style).
Be aware that plagiarism applies to oral presentations as well as written material. (Although
usually a "canned" speech composed by a previous student and pulled from a file is easy to
spot. Such students rarely take the time to update their bibliography and sources.) To deter
plagiarism and to allow documentation of charges in a case where you detect plagi arism, you
might want to collect the speaker's notes immediately after the speech, and then return the
notes with the speech grade. That way you have firsthand knowledge of whether the speech
was original. If you do suspect plagiarism, a meeting in office hours might be useful. Having a
third party present at this informal meeting, during which you may wish to ask the student
questions about their research to determine whether or not they actually did the research, can
be helpful. As with all honor code violations, generally students are "innocent until proven
guilty," so it is important to proceed with caution and avoid dramatic accusations unless you
possess iron-clad proof. In any event, you should know in advance what your institution’s
policies and standards are regarding such matters.
Missed Assignments, Late Assignments, and Make-Ups: You need to develop a consistent
policy on make-up work and late assignments. If you are new to teaching this course, consult
with your department chair and senior faculty members to find out what the customary policies
are in your department. The important thing to remember is that your policy should be
enforced uniformly to assure fairness to all students.
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied, or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
accessible website, in whole or in part.
emergency (death or serious illness in the immediate family), religious holidays, official school
activities, such as debate, athletics, or academic conferences (make sure you are notified of
these schedules at the beginning of the term).
You want to note that religious holidays generally have to be excused by law or by institutional
policy. You want to be careful and discreet in handling these situations. Even in legitimate
situations it is still the student's responsibility to apprise you of their situation and to make up
all missing work at a time that the instructor finds mutually convenient or viable. In situations
involving long-term illness that prevents the student from attaining enough equity in the class
to be graded, you will wish to consult your supervisor for policy advice on an arrangement for
an "incomplete" grade or other options.
In all cases, to separate potential "pinnochios" from those with legitimate reasons for absence,
you will want to require reasonable documentation for absence, such as doctor's excuses,
funeral announcements, etc. This policy guarantees fairness.
Special Needs: To accommodate any special needs students have, it is helpful to have your
students fill out confidential "personal data" sheets on the first day of classes. These forms can
provide you with useful information about the student's class standing, background, and initial
goals. Adding a section that asks if they have any particular learning challenges, medical
Written Work Copies: It is a good idea to require students to retain hard copies of written work
they perform for the class. This avoids problems if the instructor's briefcase is stolen or a paper
Sample Course Syllabus
(Please note that this syllabus is offered only as a suggestion; your own syllabus and calendar
will reflect your own institutional needs and teaching style. The following syllabus is for an 18-
week term with class meeting twice a week for one hour and twenty minutes each.)
COM 103: Public Speaking
Instructor: Elizabeth Atwood Nelson
Phone: 919-513-4340
Assignments:
• There will be five speaking assignments: introductory speech, demonstration speech,
informative speech, persuasive speech, and a final speech as well as two impromptu
speeches. Students must speak at their assigned time or receive a zero for the speech. The
only exceptions will be in cases of true emergencies.
• A typed outline of the demonstration, informative, and persuasive speeches are due on the
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
31
Final Speech 50 points
Impromptu Speeches 25 points
Critiques 25 points
Quizzes 50 points
Other assignments 25 points
Total: 500 points
Mastery Level:
90-100% A
80-89% B
70-79% C
60-69% D
59% and lower F
Requirements:
Attendance/Make-Up Policy/Late Assignments: Each student must attend class unless excused
by the instructor. An excused absence consists of a documented illness, family or work
emergency, or school-related activity (but does not include studying for another course or
If a student's behavior is disruptive to the classroom learning environment, he or she will be
asked to leave the classroom. Such action will be counted as an unexcused absence. If a student
is asked to leave the room again, a meeting will be scheduled with the Dean of Instruction. The
following are examples of disruptive behavior:
• Talking while the instructor is talking.
• Excessive tardiness (three late arrivals equal one absence).
• Leaving class early without prior notification (talk to the instructor before class). Three
*If your phone does ring, turn it off immediately. Do NOT answer it! Repeated incidents of
electronic device disruptions may result in any of the following measures: confiscation of the
offending item, dismissal from the class, and/or a pop quiz for the entire class. If you must have
your phone on for emergency or work reasons, talk with me about this outside of class.
Students are responsible for dropping courses they no longer wish to be enrolled in. Do not
assume the instructor will drop you if you simply stop attending class. If you do drop a course,
print the page as verification of having executed the drop.
Academic Dishonesty Policy: Anyone caught passing off someone else’s work, words, or ideas
as his or her own can be failed. Additionally, students working together on assignments, quizzes,
or examinations when they are expected to work independently (this includes work done on
BlackBoard) are also violating academic honesty policies. (See the catalog and student handbook
for more information.)
Academic Accommodation: If you have a verified need for an academic accommodation or
materials in alternate media (i.e.: Braille, large print, electronic text, etc.) per the Americans with
Disabilities Act or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, please contact your instructor as soon
as possible.
Course Outline
Chapters are to be read prior to coming to class the first day of the week they are assigned.
Week One Chapter 1
Monday, January 14 Overview and Introduction
Wednesday, January 16 Public Speaking Basics
Week Two Chapters 2 & 3 Quiz #1
Monday, January 21 NO CLASS—Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Wednesday, January 23 Assign Introductory Speech
Week Five Chapters 7 & 8 Quiz #4
Monday, February 11 Demonstration Speech Due/Assign Informative
speech
Wednesday, February 13 Impromptu Informative Speech
Friday, February 15 Lincoln’s Birthday—NO CLASSES
Week Six Chapter 11 Quiz #5
Monday, February 18 President’s Day—NO CLASSES
Wednesday, February 20 Work on Informative Speech
Week Seven Chapter 9 Quiz #6
Week Eleven Chapter 13 Quiz #8
Monday, March 24 Work on Persuasive Speech
Wednesday, March 26 Impromptu Persuasive Speech
Week Twelve
Monday, March 31 Work on Persuasive Speech
Wednesday, April 2 Work on Persuasive Speech
Week Thirteen Quiz #9
Monday, April 5 Work on Persuasive Speech
Wednesday, April 7 Critique of Outside Speaker Due
Week Fourteen
Monday, April 14 Work on Persuasive Speech
