University of Virginia Library

Consulting Syllabi

Amid all the pre-registration confusion
and exasperation of declaring majors, seeing
advisors, obtaining signatures from deans
and choosing courses, we came across a
welcome practice in the English department.

Some thinking person in the department
compiled a complete collection of syllabi
and put them in a clipboard on a table in
front of the office. This enables the student
to survey a course and know the reading,
paper, and test requirements. It also saves
the instructors and advisors from having to
answer questions which the student can
find out on his own initiative.

We would like to see all the departments
compile a similar list of syllabi. It would
be even more helpful if more than one
copy were available to the many students
lined up to consult the list.

C.L.W.