tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post1430391721026232799..comments2023-10-15T04:23:50.187-04:00Comments on College Misery: What Did Your Syllabus Look Like in 1989 (Or Any Other Year), and How Badly Does it Make You Want to Kill Yourself When You Compare It to the Shitstorm of Policies You Send Around Now?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-28279757682474730572016-02-07T21:04:04.957-05:002016-02-07T21:04:04.957-05:00Cassandra,
I feel for you.
I've taken to ...Cassandra, <br /> I feel for you.<br /><br />I've taken to writing my prompts for my (few!) writing assignments with sections and subsection. The very first section is "The Core Assignment" and it has no subsections explicitly so that it is easy to find and short.<br /><br />Subsequent sections—each with a big, bold heading—detail timing, formatting, hints and suggestions, when dmckeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18052641757203089416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-13408671664085134932016-02-07T19:51:23.658-05:002016-02-07T19:51:23.658-05:00I think I may have lost a few brain cells to that ...I think I may have lost a few brain cells to that stuff, especially when I was trying to squeeze out a last few copies (which of course turned out fuzzy, and wet). And I'm pretty sure that a few of my more adventurous classmates lost a few more (it was either that or sniff the markers, which were still sniffable in those days). Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-75019186390888686322016-02-07T13:20:16.371-05:002016-02-07T13:20:16.371-05:00I didn't start teaching until the 90s, but the...I didn't start teaching until the 90s, but then my syllabi were usually three or four pages. Now they're close to thirty. I've started including a table of contents. It's absolutely stupid. I had a grad class where the syllabus was a half a page, roughly something like this: "I determine grades based on your performance. If you're not willing to accept the grade I Professor Chiltepinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10087270705989845484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-83190767293820406232016-02-07T13:01:25.520-05:002016-02-07T13:01:25.520-05:00I was in undergrad in 89, but from what I remember...I was in undergrad in 89, but from what I remember, most syllabi were, at most, 4 pages, and we all survived. I find it disturbing that in these days of routinely 10+ pages and the customary assignment sheets longer than the assignment will be, at my school our lowest-scored eval. question is always related to the specificity of assignments. Always. drAmeliahttp://dramelia.ameliarox.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-51225613327254914822016-02-07T11:19:19.746-05:002016-02-07T11:19:19.746-05:00That disclaimer should cover an immense amount of ...That disclaimer should cover an immense amount of what does go into the syllabus, but it's just not enough: if faculty across the university could actually agree on some of the cultural standards it would help, but trying to get some of our colleagues to see beyond the minimal expectations of their own vocations is a challenge almost as great as getting our students actively thinking Jonathan Dresnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04356112719229675996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-36852057068840213542016-02-07T10:14:08.853-05:002016-02-07T10:14:08.853-05:00I'm a kind of "pod captain" who is c...I'm a kind of "pod captain" who is charged (by the overlords of curriculum) with reviewing syllabi for a major. I don't see my job as "approving" things for courses I've never taught, as if I know better. However, I am pretty good at pattern recognition -- when I start to see enough faculty with similar concepts in their syllabi, I go to the others and ask if they Ogre Proctor Hephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17428431147495287413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-73792648810586401812016-02-06T19:45:03.649-05:002016-02-06T19:45:03.649-05:00Bless you for knowing what those were!
The rhythm!...Bless you for knowing what those were!<br />The rhythm!<br />The smell?? I could never figure out if I hated it or loved it!<br />(I just Googled that for me. Apparently the smell was from "highly volatile methyl alcohol," if I believe what I read on the internet: http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2007/01/ditto_machines_.html)Ego in Arcadianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-37333799700601455352016-02-06T18:49:12.970-05:002016-02-06T18:49:12.970-05:00the person who approves them is one of the under-D...the person who approves them is one of the under-Deans. they're very nice about it, and generally the only thing I have to change is to update the boilerplate, or maybe fix a date. But we all have to do it, even the full profs nearing retirement. And it's not every school at my university. In others schools only the chairs have to see them. And no, no one is paid extra. What we used to Middle-Aged and Morosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046076243513948921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-2859649946775129552016-02-06T17:39:47.135-05:002016-02-06T17:39:47.135-05:00I got by with three-page syllabi all through grad ...I got by with three-page syllabi all through grad school, which wasn't <i>that</i> long ago (2000-2007), although it should be noted that 1) I didn't include all the assignments on the syllabus, which I do now; and 2) we were only allowed 500 photocopies per semester, which is an excellent incentive for keeping things short. If you were teaching a comp AND a lit that semester, that was Fretful Porpentinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11165078003123517013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-75887944814383158292016-02-06T15:28:38.499-05:002016-02-06T15:28:38.499-05:00My first syllabus would date to 85. Thank god it i...My first syllabus would date to 85. Thank god it is lost to time. <br /><br />LyleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-16308808358907377162016-02-06T15:20:16.888-05:002016-02-06T15:20:16.888-05:00I can run a mimeograph machine. I learned to do it...I can run a mimeograph machine. I learned to do it in 8th grade, to create flyers for a birdseed sale. <br /><br />And I last ran one c. 1987, at a girls' school in England where I was interning. <br /><br />I've never produced a syllabus that way, however. (Hey, I get to feel like a youngun for once!) Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-81037445471403561932016-02-06T15:17:09.442-05:002016-02-06T15:17:09.442-05:00Oh, yes. In fact, you could probably find at leas...Oh, yes. In fact, you could probably find at least one or two comments to that effect on my page over at TSTSNBN. <br /><br />I've also had instructional designers suggest more bullet points (even though I'm trying to teach the little dears to write paragraphs, preferably ones that are longer than 2 sentences and shorter than 2 pages, to which extremes they tend) and various other ways Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-4087342005368179792016-02-06T15:11:24.369-05:002016-02-06T15:11:24.369-05:00No. I think the program director checks syllabi wr...No. I think the program director checks syllabi written by new faculty pretty carefully, and of course is willing to consult with any of us any time, but mostly it's an archiving operation for accreditation purposes. We also hand in syllabi at the other end of the year, with our annual review materials. <br /><br />We do get semesterly emails from various assistant provosts and such, Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-34273856289334585622016-02-06T15:01:58.997-05:002016-02-06T15:01:58.997-05:00Actually, 1989 is the date on my first syllabus. I...Actually, 1989 is the date on my first syllabus. I don't have it handy (though if I could find the floppy disk, and de-virus it -- not that 20th-century viruses are probably very dangerous anymore -- I think Word actually opens Wordstar files, after a fashion). It's probably a bit wordier than the ones I received in college (which were very minimal), because I was teaching for a writing Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-72150074873837622352016-02-06T14:52:36.412-05:002016-02-06T14:52:36.412-05:00I always got them, but they were short, such as a ...I always got them, but they were short, such as a page or two. I used to have a daily planner and I would immediately write down there the important dates, such as the tests and assignment due dates. I would update them during the semester if necessary. My work schedule (posted at work every week) and any appointments or other important activities (with the address or room number) also appeared Monicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08103879727877816655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-43760531429722715502016-02-06T13:41:28.956-05:002016-02-06T13:41:28.956-05:00Oh, whenever one of my overlords wants to see my s...Oh, whenever one of my overlords wants to see my syllabus, I let them HAVE it, all 22 pages. That holds the little bastards.Froderick Frankenstien from Fresnohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11653942918068535424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-19796059638715601332016-02-06T13:31:01.232-05:002016-02-06T13:31:01.232-05:00When I started teaching I prided myself on the one...When I started teaching I prided myself on the one-page syllabus -- partly because syllabus meant "course schedule," and partly because I had to mimeograph them and there were just so many ways that could, and did, go wrong. Some of my undergraduate professors had handed course schedules out; others adjusted the assignment for the next class based on where we were at the end of a Ego in Arcadianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-70794888288553423642016-02-06T10:34:01.888-05:002016-02-06T10:34:01.888-05:00I just did a word count on my current essay assign...I just did a word count on my current essay assignment. It is indeed longer than the paper that is required. I'm officially part of the problem. Wisconsin Willnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-11348445536769556132016-02-06T10:25:46.925-05:002016-02-06T10:25:46.925-05:00In my entire undergraduate degree I don't reme...In my entire undergraduate degree I don't remember ONE class where a syllabus was handed out (there were no websites back then...). The 1st lecture involved the prof introducing the course, saying what material would be covered, what the final grade would be composed of, and... that was that. On with the course.Prof Poopieheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00997969128824319914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-38421203710944501202016-02-06T10:01:07.540-05:002016-02-06T10:01:07.540-05:00I tried joking that my department should consider ...I tried joking that my department should consider a section of policies and guidelines for parents--and my colleagues discussed the probable need for such a thing for nearly twenty minutes. <br /><br />My assignment sheets for essays now are usually longer than the essays. Is that true for any one else?<br /><br />TubaPlayingProfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06524484569241433720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-21957979472721405642016-02-06T09:32:04.016-05:002016-02-06T09:32:04.016-05:00No, but for the love of God, don't give my dea...No, but for the love of God, don't give my dean any ideas!Perplexed Peternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-30576101934312508272016-02-06T08:52:40.227-05:002016-02-06T08:52:40.227-05:00Does anyone else here have a school where your syl...Does anyone else here have a school where your syllabus has to be approved every semester by someone above the Dept Chair? Middle-Aged and Morosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046076243513948921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-76094910788708124872016-02-06T08:45:52.764-05:002016-02-06T08:45:52.764-05:00This has been pretty much my experience as well. T...This has been pretty much my experience as well. The amount of contingencies we have to spell out has become ridiculous. It's reduced the effectiveness of the syllabus completely as a tool. I know my students don't read it. I don't want to read it.<br /><br />But the one above is all that's necessary for those policies. Or it could just say: "College: you get what you put Eating Low Saltnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-41368771731547845682016-02-06T02:12:28.401-05:002016-02-06T02:12:28.401-05:001989, you say? I look at my syllabus from 1999 and...1989, you say? I look at my syllabus from 1999 and marvel at how short and yet, at the time, adequate it was. What's REALLY painful is comparing it to my syllabus now (22 pages and counting!), since at every new clause, I remember whichever peckerhead whose stupidity caused me to insert that clause. <br /><br />"Oh, here's the bit about having to write on just the front side of the Froderick Frankenstien from Fresnohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11653942918068535424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-74192857928343898052016-02-06T00:32:33.449-05:002016-02-06T00:32:33.449-05:00I found a few of my grad school syllabi, and they ...I found a few of my grad school syllabi, and they were... short, yes. But they also weren't written for my students...Jonathan Dresnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04356112719229675996noreply@blogger.com