In addition to the content of the syllabus, research shows that the rhetorical tone of the syllabus can also shape students’ perceptions of the instructor. For example, when exposed to a syllabus that is written in a friendly tone — as opposed to a cold tone — students interpret the instructor as more approachable and motivated to teach the course (Harnish and Bridges 2011).
While there is not one right tone for a syllabus — and finding the right tone for your syllabus might involve some trial and error — there are some questions you might consider when crafting or revising your syllabus tone:
What is the overarching message that the syllabus communicates about and to students?
Generally speaking, does your tone signal that you expect students to show up wanting to learn and that it is your job to help create the conditions for that learning, or does it generally signal that you expect students to mess up and that it is your job to disincentivize those errors by making them painful?
What is the overarching message that the syllabus communicates about your teaching philosophy?
Does the syllabus reflect your core pedagogical values and commitments? Could a colleague or a student review your syllabus and then more-or-less describe what you believe about how students learn and your responsibilities as an educator?
To what extent do you conform with students’ socialized expectations of a professor?
How readily are students likely to recognize your authority as an instructor? Faculty who belong to historically minoritized groups, faculty who are read as young, and international faculty can experience more pushback from students and sometimes find that a more authoritative syllabus tone helps develop appropriate student-faculty relationships. Faculty who more closely align with students’ expectations of who a professor is might want to lean into a more collaborative syllabus tone in order to encourage students to ask questions or push back during scholarly discussions.
Of course, students often compare faculty to one another and the decisions you make about your own syllabus tone can have implications for your colleagues. For example, you may be inclined to take a more informal and collaborative tone with your students. However, if you know that another faculty member teaching a different section of the course has to take a more formal and authoritative tone in order to set the stage for productive relationships, you might choose to match your colleague’s tone, so that your colleague isn’t at risk of detrimental comparisons.
Does the rhetoric or tone obfuscate any expectations?
Take a moment to edit any linguistic choices that elide what is your responsibility, what are the students’ responsibilities, and what is the institution’s responsibility. For example, you might decide to use “we” language frequently throughout the syllabus to communicate that you view the course as a community of learners. However, make sure that you haven’t used a “we” if a “you” or an “I” is more appropriate. For example, “I will finalize our class attendance policy after our discussion” is more appropriate than “We will finalize our class attendance policy after our discussion,” if you believe you have the ultimate say in how that policy is crafted.