Boston University Arts & Sciences

Also in Faculty & Staff

• Committees & MeetingsFind agendas, meeting minutes, and committee membership applications.
  • Chairs' Calendar
  • 2008/2009 Chairs & Faculty Meetings
• Procedures & FormsFind information on academic planning, curriculum development, and budget requests.
  • Memo from the Dean
  • Academic Planning Self-study Reports
  • Curriculum Guidelines
  • Consultation on Class Scheduling
  • Faculty Expectations
  • Faculty Appointments
  • Teaching Award Nominations
  • Faculty Payroll
  • Staff Payroll
  • Student Payroll
  • Graduate Students Teaching Stand-Alone Courses
  • Performance Review Process Due Dates
• CAS Newsletter ArchiveAn e-newsletter for Arts & Sciences faculty and staff.
• Chairs’ GuideLearn about the role and responsibilities of a department chair.
  • Courses & Curriculum
    • Planning Course Offerings
    • Scheduling Classes & Assigning Instructors
    • Reviewing and Revising the Department’s Curriculum
    • Proposing New Academic Programs
    • Proposing New Courses & Revising Existing Courses
    • Syllabi
    • Grading System
  • Faculty Issues
    • Tenure-Track Faculty & Faculty Promotions
    • Non-tenure-track Faculty & Research Staff Reappointments
    • Faculty Searches
    • Sabbaticals & Other Leaves of Absence
    • Teaching Awards
  • Student Issues
  • Graduate School Issues
    • Grant Principal Investigator Status
    • Grant Cost Sharing Guidelines
    • Guidelines for Teaching Buyouts
    • Dean’s Awards
    • Termination of a Student’s Graduate Status
    • GRS Guidelines for Traveling Scholars
    • Travel Support
  • External Funding
• Instructors’ GuideFind resources to assist with teaching and administrative responsibilities.
  • Academic Conduct
  • Adding/Dropping a Student (Deadlines)
  • Class Management
  • Evaluations
  • Final Exam
  • Grading
  • Holidays
  • Library Materials
  • Office Hours
  • Reading Period
  • Students with Disabilities
  • Syllabi
  • Textbooks
  • Teaching Resources
• Administrative Offices & Roles Learn the roles of each administrative office, along with contact information.
  • Dean of Arts & Sciences
  • Undergraduate Education
  • The Graduate School
  • Faculty Actions
  • Finance and Administration
  • Student Academic Life
  • Student Programs & Leadership
  • CAS Connections
  • Boston University Humanities Foundation

Related Links

• Provost Website
• Faculty Link

Syllabi

The syllabus of a course is the primary written document that contains vital information concerning the content and procedures of the class. It has even been treated as a legally binding document in a number of court cases involving other U.S. universities. The syllabus should therefore be as complete and accurate as possible. As department chair, it is your responsibility to review the syllabi for all the courses offered by your department each semester and to insist that instructors whose syllabi are incomplete revise them accordingly.

Sample syllabi and a syllabus checklist are provided by the University’s Center for Excellence in Teaching. While not all items may be relevant to every course, it is important to include all those that are.