SYLLABUS GUIDE
Department of Philosophy and Program in Religious Studies
College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Florida
This guide, constructed by the department faculty, has several purposes.




Correctness and Consistency: to insure that all syllabi include the items they must.
Promotion of Departmental Common Practices: to insure that all courses meet the
department's mission, goals, outcomes, and general common practices.
Promotion of Rigor: to insure that all courses meet the same high standards in terms of
student learning outcomes.
Promotion of Pedagogical Excellence: to insure that instruction is provided to the same
high standard.
Policy on Syllabi. The UNF Faculty Handbook states
(http://www.unf.edu/facstaff/uff/finalcontract0606.pdf)
Although uniformity in style is not required, syllabi must contain
information about the goals and requirements of each course,
the nature of the course content, and the methods of evaluation
to be employed.
Academic Freedom. Article 10 of the UNF Faculty Handbook describes Academic Freedom in
the following way (http://www.unf.edu/facstaff/uff/finalcontract0606.pdf):
The University of North Florida strongly supports the principles of
academic freedom and responsibility as adopted by and
promulgated by the State University System.
a) It is the policy of the Board and the UFF to maintain and
encourage full academic freedom. Academic freedom and
responsibility are essential to the full development of a true
university and apply to teaching, research, and creative
activities. An employee engaged in such activities shall be free to
cultivate a spirit of inquiry and scholarly criticism and to examine
ideas in an atmosphere of freedom and confidence.
b) Consistent with the exercise of academic responsibility,
employees shall have freedom to present and discuss their own
academic subjects, frankly and forthrightly, without fear of
censorship, and to select instructional materials and determine
grades in accordance with University and Board policies.
Objective and skillful exposition of such subject matter, including
the acknowledgment of a variety of scholarly opinions, is the duty
of every such employee. Employees shall also be free to engage
in scholarly and creative activity and publish the results in a
manner consistent with their professional obligations.
c) Academic freedom is accompanied by the corresponding
responsibility to:
(1) be forthright and honest in the pursuit and communication of
scientific and scholarly knowledge;
(2) respect students as individuals and avoid any exploitation of
students for private advantage; and
(3) indicate when appropriate that one is not an institutional
representative unless specifically authorized as such.
This guide is envisioned as a means of achieving a balance between full respect for academic
freedom and meeting the goals listed above.
The Office of Faculty Enhancement (OFE) and the Center for Instructional Research and
Technology (CIRT): http://www.unf.edu/dept/ofe/ and
http://www.unf.edu/dept/cirt/mainpage.html. The Office of Faculty Enhancement (OFE) at UNF is
charged to support full and part time faculty in teaching, research, and service so as to advance
UNF's quest for excellence as a comprehensive university. OFE promotes sound pedagogy
through workshops, demonstrations, seminars, and confidential consultation by faculty initiative,
classroom observations, organization of informal discussion groups, support of technological
applications, and information dissemination on items such as teaching, learning, scholarship and
tenure. OFE's "A Syllabus Guidebook": http://www.unf.edu/dept/cirt/teaching/syllabus.htm
The Basics
Form
Every syllabus in our department should have the following items. These are basic, and
syllabi without them are incomplete.





At the top of the first page of the syllabus, instructors need to have the following
information:
o The name of the course as it is listed in the UNF schedule:
http://www.unf.edu/unfinfo/course-schedules/
o The course number: prefix, four-digit number, whatever suffix there may be, and
section number.
o The semester and the year.
o Class meeting days, times and location (this is optional, but sometimes handy).
o The name of the instructor.
Basic instructor contact information, such as the instructor's e-mail address and
personal office phone number, department phone number (620-1330), and instructor's
home-page URL.
Office Hours and Location. The instructor's office hours and the location of where those
office hours are held. Full-time faculty - tenured, tenure-track, and visitors - are
encouraged to keep five office hours each week (per Article 14.6 of the Faculty
Handbook on office hours: http://www.unf.edu/facstaff/uff/finalcontract0606.pdf). Adjunct
faculty are expected to keep some office hours, consonant with the number of courses
one is offering. Ideally, office hours are held in the instructor's office, but sometimes other
locations are preferable; where office hours are held needs to be on the syllabus.
Course Description. The course description on the syllabus need not be the course
description in the UNF catalog, but the two should cohere. UNF Catalog:
http://www.unf.edu/unfinfo/catalogs/undergrad/
Course Goals. This is a necessary addition. If this is a General Education course (PHI
2010, PHI 2100, PHI 2630 or REL 2300), then the General Education Outcome
Statements which are met by this course must be included. These are at:
http://www.unf.edu/coas/gened/geoutcomes.html. The instructor should include the
Outcome Statements that are relevant to her or his course, and, if possible, should
evidence how those GE goals are met by explicitly referring to the course's content.




Course Prerequisites. Syllabi should list course prerequisites, including permissions
(this is not required, but it is handy for students who claim that if they knew that the
course required prior knowledge of philosophy, they never would have signed up). Prereqs are listed in the catalog: http://www.unf.edu/unfinfo/catalogs/undergrad/
Required Texts. If the instructor has recommended texts or other resources, these
should be listed in proximity to the list of required texts.
Course Requirements and Expectations. The instructor should list everything
necessary for successful completion of the course. This will include writing assignments
and may include examinations, field trips, class participation, etc. Some instructors will
include more detailed direction regarding writing assignments, some less, but it is
important to provide some.
Attendance Policy. While the policy is entirely up to the instructor, the syllabus should
include a statement of it. This includes whether attendance is required, and if and how
attendance and/or tardiness will affect the student's grade. Some instructors will tie this
into class participation; if so, it should be noted on the syllabus. The Faculty Handbook
states:
UNF has no policy regarding the number of classes a student must
attend in order to receive full academic credit for a course. Class
attendance and participation is a responsibility shared jointly by the
instructor and student. While it is the obligation of the instructor to inform
the student of the academic requirements in a course, it is the student's
joint responsibility to fulfill these requirements. Certain courses may
require the presence of students at class meetings, laboratory meetings,
music sessions, etc.




Grading Policy and Procedures. While the policies and procedures dealing with
grading, evaluation, and assessment are entirely up to the instructor, the syllabus must
include them. Statements on grading should include both grade weights (percentages of
how strongly individual assignments will affect the grade) and letter grade assignment
system (what counts as an A, a B, etc.; for example, 90-100 is an A, etc.). Statements on
grading should also include policies on late and missed assignments.
Statement on Plagiarism, Cheating, and Multiple Submissions. University policies,
and potential penalties for infractions, are on page 40 of the Student Handbook:
http://www.unf.edu/studentaffairs/pdf/Student%20Handbook%202006-07%20web.pdf
Additional Policy Statements. Some instructors provide directions for student
participation, classroom behavior, punctuality, dealing with cell phones and beepers,
safety issues, and the like. While these policies are entirely up to the instructor, they
should be included in the syllabus. University policies concerning final exams, posting of
grades, religious observance, and so forth, are on page 52-58 of the Student Handbook:
http://www.unf.edu/studentaffairs/pdf/Student%20Handbook%202006-07%20web.pdf
Daily or Weekly Schedule. Instructors should include a schedule of class meetings
which explicitly notes the dates of class meetings, relevant class topics (including
scheduled exams) for those days where possible, and what assignments - including
reading assignments - are due on those days.
Content
For all courses:

Department Mission, Goals, and Outcomes. All philosophy program and religious
studies program courses should contribute to meeting the department's mission and
goals. The mission and goals should be considered in the design of every course, and

each course should explicitly contribute to fulfilling a departmental outcome statement.
http://www.unf.edu/coas/philosophy/mission.htm
Technology Focus. All courses should, to some degree, encourage student skills in the
use of technology. Instructors are encouraged to use UNF's course management system
"Blackboard," to maintain personal web pages, and to encourage their students to use
internet and other on-line resources. Blackboard is at: http://blackboard.unf.edu/
For General Education Philosophy Courses (PHI 2010, Introduction to Philosophy; PHI
2630, Contemporary Ethical Issues; and PHI 2100, Reasoning and Critical Thinking), it is
important to include in the course design and in the syllabus the following:

Gordon Rule Writing Requirement. Each of our GE philosophy courses is a "3000-word
Gordon Rule" course, which means that each students should write at least 3000 words
in course assignments. These assignments can include papers, essay exams, and
journal entries, but since the intent of the Gordon Rule legislation is to encourage the
development of writing skills, the instructor should keep this in mind when creating
assignments. The department wrote the following:
Gordon Rule Writing Aims and Expectations
Introduction to Philosophy: Writing exercises in "Introduction
to Philosophy" tend to focus on one of two strategies -- and, on
occasion, on a combination of the two. They either interpret or
they argue. In the former case, the student takes a theory and
explores its meaning, its context, its implications, and its
connections with other theories. In the latter case, the student
attacks or defends a position, either her/his own or that of
another. Interpreting, comparing, and criticizing philosophical
theories requires, and thus supports and enhances, several
basic cognitive skills: (i) grasping the essential ideas and
concepts of a theoretical essay or treatise; (ii) "translating" those
ideas into one's own language; (iii) identifying differing
viewpoints related to one subject matter; (iv) evaluating the
relative strengths and weaknesses of both perspectives; and (v)
evaluating and discussing philosophical theories against a
background of conceptual and empirical assumptions. Both
paper formats, also when used in a combined way, strongly
foster those cognitive competencies in students.
Reasoning and Critical Thinking: In "Reasoning and Critical
Thinking" students acquire powerful tools for critical analysis and
cogent articulation of their argumentative positions. They first
learn to analyze and evaluate various kinds of arguments:
ethical, legal, political, philosophical, etc. Emphasis is placed on
what all good arguments have in common regardless of subject
matter. Consideration is also given to the logical structure of
arguments, ensuring that conclusions are well-supported and
that the reasons given are plausible. Students then learn to use
these skills when they construct their own arguments, striving for
tight, logical arguments no matter the topic. Writing assignments
require close reading and analysis of a given argument, which
may be a legal opinion, a politician's speech, or a journal article.
Students must shows how the conclusion is supported by the
reasons given and then offer an evaluation of the argument's
merits. They thus learn to present their own conclusions and give
well-reasoned arguments in support of them. The writing
assignments in Reasoning and Critical Thinking enable students
to develop and defend reasoned positions, with confidence in
their ability to articulate what they think.
Contemporary Ethical Issues: "Contemporary Ethical Issues"
(CEI) accentuates writing skills central to moral argumentation,
skills particularly important for an informed citizenry in a
democratic culture. It teaches writing that identifies, analyzes,
and assesses claims according to ethical standards and logical
criteria. It trains students in how to advance and defend a
particular thesis or position, stressing (i) the difference between
argumentative writing and mere expression of opinion; (ii) the
need to countenance counter-arguments; and (iii) the importance
of advancing claims that are well-reasoned and well-supported.
CEI provides instruction in how to present normative proposals,
those recommending what is right or desirable as opposed to
what empirically or factually is the case. In addition, students are
taught how, when, and why to deploy different types of ethical
theories, just as they are instructed in applying abstract moral
principles to concrete cases. Because applied ethics commonly
deals with highly contestable issues, particular emphasis is
placed on writing skills involving persuasiveness and sensitivity
to the reader's perspective. And because writing about ethical
topics typically orders an individual's often unreflective opinions
about his/her values and beliefs, students are taught to regard its
disciplined practice as a tool with which to clarify their most
deeply held convictions.



General Education Goals. Besides listing the GE Outcome Statements on the syllabus.
instructors are encouraged, in the design of the course, to keep these GE goals in mind.
http://www.unf.edu/coas/gened/geoutcomes.html
Critical Thinking Focus. Every GE course should include developing critical thinking, in
both skill and spirit, in students.
Historical Focus. Instructors are encouraged to include some degree of focus on the
history of philosophy in each of their GE courses. The degree to which this is done, and
how this is done, is entirely up to the instructor.
For Upper-Division Courses in Philosophy and Religious Studies, it is important to include
in the course design and the syllabus the following:



Writing Emphasis. One of our departmental goals is to encourage in our students the
development of writing skills. Syllabi should include policy statements concerning
collaboration on writing assignments, among students and in some cases between
students and the instructor.
Argumentation and Use-of-Logic Focus. Each philosophy course should include some
degree of focus on the development of argumentation skills in students.
Research Focus. Each philosophy course should include some degree of focus on the
development of research skills in students.
Ideas for Enriching Your Syllabus and Your Course
The items in this section are suggestions for improving syllabi and courses. The inclusion
of any of these sorts of ideas is solely a matter left to the course instructor. An instructor
may consider including in her or his syllabi:


Research Resources, such as
o Bibliographies and Reference Lists
o Library Information: http://www.unf.edu/library/
Campus Resources, such as
o Tutorial Resources, such as the Academic Center for Excellence:
http://www.unf.edu/es/ace/
o Counseling Resources: http://www.unf.edu/studentaffairs/departments.html
o Career Counseling Resources: http://www.unf.edu/dept/cdc/
Instructors may wish to consider:


Enhanced Use of Technology, such as
o Enhanced Use of Blackboard, the UNF Course Management System:
http://blackboard.unf.edu/
o Use of Electronic Media in the Classroom, such as Power-Point, Slide,
DVD/VCR, and website presentations:
http://www.unf.edu/dept/cirt/services/media.htm
o Developing an On-line, Interactive Syllabus:
http://www.unf.edu/dept/cirt/services/inst_design.htm
Enhanced Pedagogical Training, such as
o Attending a BUILD Course Resign Workshop:
http://www.unf.edu/dept/cirt/teaching/build.htm
o Inviting an Classroom Observation by a Representative from the Office of Faculty
Enhancement: http://www.unf.edu/dept/cirt/services/class_observ.html