A Comparison of the Chinese and American Graduate Syllabi in Regard to Their Content and Style

Abstract

This paper aims to compare the Chinese and American syllabi for graduates in regard to their content and style. 36 syllabi of various majors in different universities were collected and compared. It was found that in both Chinese and American syllabi there are 12 common components, including, the heading, overview, course objectives, target students, prerequisites, textbook and reading list, course requirements, homework, course grading, lecture schedule, teaching method and evaluation. The special components for American syllabi are academic integrity and office hour. As for style, American syllabi are more demanding in reading than their counterparts. Their teaching methods are more flexible and interactive. Their homework is assigned in higher quantity and quality. Their assessments are various and are evenly distributed through the whole semester while Chinese syllabi depend more on the final exams.