Possibilities for an Anti-Authoritarian Syllabus

Syllabi are a ubiquitous—yet often under-scrutinized—part of the professional writing of academics. Syllabus language often veers into authoritarianism, with the assumption of compliance and harsh punishment for any transgression. Syllabi are also used as tools of the university and/or state with expectations of compliance and mandates crowding out the teacher's own voice. This article challenges the authoritarian position of the syllabus by offering five possible ways of thinking and creating syllabi to reflect the teaching philosophy of its author—a syllabus as teaching philosophy; a syllabus as public intellectualism; a fugitive syllabus; a popular syllabus; and a democratic syllabus. While not prescriptive, the article offers an opportunity for faculty to think more critically about the language they use and messages they send through their teaching documents and consider how to better align their syllabus with their values as educators.