Work on the syllabus for a course is an extensive process with many steps. The planning should start early, preferably one semester prior to the start of the course.
The course coordinator will submit a draft syllabus in time to the student adviser for it to be discussed in the programme council. After the reading lists have been reviewed by the programme council, the syllabus coordinator in the administration takes over and makes sure the syllabus is ordered and ready at the start of the semester.
How many pages?
A 10-credit course at the bachelor's or master's level should have a syllabus of 700-1000 pages, depending on the degree of difficulty (there may be some variation from programme to programme). Certain courses have supplementary literature.
Syllabus deadlines for course coordinators
Middle of March (for the autumn semester) and middle of September (for the spring semester)
Books
The adopted reading list shall be sent by the student adviser to the syllabus coordinator at the Department with specification of any books that are to be on the syllabus. The syllabus coordinator will prepare an order for the book store Akademika and the University Library.
Compendia
The Department would like to reduce the use of compendia as long as there are good digital solutions. It is recommended that the syllabus is available electronically whenever possible, for example through the University Library's database for journals. Compendia are time-consuming, costly to produce and pass through many bureaucratic levels. We risk refusal from the publishing houses, and the processes take a long time.
NB: If the reading lists and copy of literature are not submitted on time, we risk that the compendia are not ready by the start of the semester.
How to order?
No changes in the compendia from last time they were used? Give the syllabus coordinator notice of this.
Changes to the compendium?
- If the contribution(s) have not been used in any compendia earlier, you must submit the original contribution(s) to the syllabus coordinator / copier for copying. If a book is submitted for copying, it is important to specify the number of pages that are to be copied, and to whom the book is to be returned.
- If the contribution(s) have been used in compendia earlier, the publishing house will find this in their database.
Kopinor agreement
What can be printed without having to apply for permission?
- 15% of works in sale
- An article from a scientific journal
Free materials
- Examination papers
- Works that have not been published for over 70 years
- Materials legally published on open websites
- Law texts and public publications
- Periodical publications, such as newspapers, magazines, cultural and academic journals, etc.
For extracts beyond the above scope, permission must be obtained from the publishing house or author. This is carried out through Bolk, a subsidiary of Kopinor. Copyright clearance can take quite some time, it will be more expensive, and we can also receive a refusal, particularly for large excerpts. If the contribution represents more than 15%, it is important to specify this in the reading list, so that the application process can start as quickly as possible.
Reuse of remaining inventory
The Department is invoiced for compendia that can no longer be used in a course. Ordering the correct number is challenging. The number of students varies from year to year, some students purchase used compendia, and it is unfortunate to print too few copies, as it often takes time to get new ones.
We try to sell the remaining inventory by adding supplemental compendia when there are new contributions. Contributions that are no longer on the syllabus are deducted from the price which the students pay for the compendium. The Department must nevertheless cover the costs of the contributions that are no longer used.
Syllabus and compendiums during the Covid-19 pandemic
All compendiums are available for purchase at Akademika. Students living in Norway but not able to come to campus can order the compendiums directly from Akademika at kopiutsalget@akademika.no , the compendius would then be sent on regular mail.
For international master students abroad: compendiums will be available upon request as pdf-files, since Akademika does not do international delivery. It is the respective program/department that requests pdf-files from kompendier@admin.uio.no, and distribute them among international students.