To fully enter into the definition of syllabus, it is necessary that, first of all, we can know what its etymological origin is. In this sense, it must be stated that it derives from the Latin “thema” and this, in turn, emanates from the Greek “thema”, which can be translated as “main issue”.
The series of topics that are planned to be addressed in a colloquium , a talk or a meeting is called an agenda . The concept can also refer to the topics discussed in a publication .
For example: “According to what I could see in the agenda, a good part of the congress will revolve around accessible tourism” , “I have read the agenda of this new edition of the magazine and honestly I did not find many notes of interest to me” , “The conference at the cultural center will be next week and we have not yet defined the agenda.”
The syllabus works as a guide or orientation . For people who will attend a certain event, knowing the agenda allows them to know in advance what issues will be discussed. Those who must participate as speakers, for their part, can structure their interventions according to what is stipulated by the agenda.
Suppose that, in a museum , a colloquium on the history of art in Latin America will take place. The organizers of the event, after holding meetings with the invited experts, define an agenda that includes pre-Columbian artistic manifestations, art in times of conquest, the first works of independent America and autonomous artistic development on the continent, among other topics. . Once the agenda is agreed, it is published on the museum's website and sent to the media for dissemination. Simultaneously, posters are printed and installed in the institution so that potential attendees know what the meeting will be about.
Where syllabuses are most frequently discussed is in the field of oppositions. And the thing is that the people who, once they meet the requirements demanded in the relevant call, wish to take an exam of this type to obtain a place and become civil servants need to know what questions they are going to be asked about. Therefore, what they do is resort to knowing the official syllabus and, from there, start looking for the most complete one and studying it to achieve the set objective.
In that case, it must be taken into account that a syllabus in this sense is considered good as long as it meets the following identifying characteristics:
-It is very complete and gives all the basic and most important information.
-It must be written in a coherent way.
-It must have a clear and perfectly defined structure, because that, among other things, will allow the opponent to learn clearly each and every one of the parts it deals with.
-It is recommended that, at the beginning, you have a schematized script that allows you to know this structure.
-It must have a bibliography that supports everything that is explained and detailed.