At its heart, the syllabus is an agreement.  It not only describes the rules, expectations, policies, and demands of the course but assumes that, since you are registered for this course, you implicitly agree to the policies set forth in this document.  Please read the syllabus carefully and refer to it frequently so that you are certain you understand the class' parameters and my expectations.  Additionally, there is a detailed schedule at the end of the syllabus that you can use to plan and anticipate your workload/important due dates.