Syllabus Template
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🚧 Syllabus updated: April 04 2026. This is the current version. 🚧
🗺️ Objectives
This class aims to empower students to …
∴ Course Philosophy
In designing this course, I proceed from several premises:
- Open source is better than proprietary
- Sharing is good
🏛️ Learning Environment
Learning from each other is only possible if we show the respect due to our fellow citizens of this class.
To realize this goal, I expect us to respect our colleagues and cultivate inclusive discussions. This means that we must be careful not to mislead, degrade, interrupt someone who does not speak as much, or enforce hierarchies based on race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender expression, sexual orientation, or ability.
Ford School Inclusivity Statement: Members of the Ford School community represent a rich variety of backgrounds and perspectives. We are committed to providing an atmosphere for learning that respects these differences. While working together to build this community we ask all members to:
- share their unique experiences, values and beliefs
- be open to the views of others
- honor the uniqueness of their colleagues
- appreciate the opportunity that we have to learn from each other in this community
- value one another’s opinions and communicate in a respectful manner
- keep confidential discussions that the community has of a personal (or professional) nature
- use this opportunity together to discuss ways in which we can create an inclusive environment in Ford classes and across the UM community
Student Mental Health and Wellbeing: The University of Michigan is committed to advancing the mental health and wellbeing of its students. We acknowledge that a variety of issues can directly impact students’ academic performance and overall wellbeing. If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed, depressed, and/or in need of support, services are available.
You may access the Ford School’s embedded counselor Paige Ziegler (pziegler@umich.edu) and/or counselors and urgent services at Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and/or University Health Service (UHS). Students may also use the Crisis Text Line (text ‘4UMICH’ to 741741) to be connected to a trained crisis volunteer.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: The University of Michigan is committed to creating as accessible educational environment for students with disabilities as possible.
If you anticipate or are experiencing barriers based on disability or temporary injuries, Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) (ssd.umich.edu) is the office that students work with to explore reasonable accommodations, tools, and resources.
- If you are already connected with SSD and have approved accommodations, please share your letter through Accommodate as soon as possible so that we can discuss how your accommodations will be implemented in this course. The sooner I know about your disability access-needs, the more equipped I can be to facilitate accommodations. You should reach out to me and/or your Disability Access Coordinator if you have any questions or concerns about your accommodations.
- If you have not connected with SSD and anticipate or are experiencing a disability-related barrier, and would like to discuss accommodations and/or resources, please contact SSD by completing their initial information form (https://ssd.umich.edu/)
- If you have a temporary medical injury/condition, such as a broken arm, I may be able to assist in minimizing classroom barriers. In situations where additional assistance is needed, you should contact the SSD as noted above.
Academic Integrity: The Ford School academic community, like all communities, functions best when its members treat one another with honesty, fairness, respect, and trust. We hold all members of our community to high standards of scholarship and integrity. To accomplish its mission of providing an optimal educational environment and developing leaders of society, the Ford School promotes the assumption of personal responsibility and integrity and prohibits all forms of academic dishonesty, plagiarism and misconduct. Academic dishonesty may be understood as any action or attempted action that may result in creating an unfair academic advantage for oneself or an unfair academic advantage or disadvantage for any other member or members of the academic community. Plagiarism involves representing the words, ideas, or work of others as one’s own in writing or presentations, and failing to give full and proper credit to the original source. Conduct, without regard to motive, that violates the academic integrity and ethical standards will result in serious consequences and disciplinary action. The Ford School’s policy of academic integrity can be found in the BA, MPP, and PhD Program handbooks. Additional information regarding academic dishonesty, plagiarism and misconduct and their consequences is available on the Rackham website.
If you require accommodations from SSD, please start that process quickly because it takes time.
📵 Technology in Class
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️ Tools That Generate Text
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🛠️ Tools That Generate Images
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🪶 Assignments
Credit hours will be earned by attending two classes of \(1.3\bar{3}\) hours each, reading and preparing written work outside of class for 6 to 9 hours per week, and a series of assignments.
📅 Due Dates
Below is the schedule of due dates.
Late Submissions
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🗣 Participation
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⎌ Make-up policy
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📚 Required Reading
- Quarto (2026e)
Additional Reading
ℹ Resources
Accessibility
Formatting
- Quarto (2026c)
Publishing
Slides
- Quarto (2026d)
📖 Reading by Week
Each week’s required readings are indented and marked with a grey sidebar. I also often note “resources” or “further readings” with bullets—these are not required readings.
Week 1: Orientation
Tuesday: Introductions and Syllabus Review
Please read the entire syllabus before class — this is your chance to ask questions about the assignments and readings.
Thursday
- What are you hoping to get out of this semester?
- What aspects of the class environment will help achieve these goals?