Syntactic theory (originating from Noam Chomsky's 1957 book 
Syntactic Structures) has several objectives:  the first is to
 develop precise descriptions of aspects of the syntax of various
 languages, the ways in which specific languages combine words to
 form sentences.  The second is to develop a general theory of 
syntax, specifying what languages have in common in a given area 
and how they can vary.  This is called the theory of Universal 
Grammar.
The third objective is to provide a thorough introduction to
the Minimalist Program which is the most recent outgrowth of 
the theory of generative grammar.  The Minimalist Program first
 identifies, through careful and insightful analyses, potentially 
problematic aspects of the GB theory and explores alternative
 conceptions of grammar involving more natural and less 
stipulative constraints.

The choice and sequence of topics will vary from instructor to 
instructor and semester to semester.  The choice of topics will
 depend on the textbook used and the selected
 readings.  Syntactic theory being in constant evolution, the
choice of supplementary readings is not likely to be the same 
from one semester to the next.
A possible series of topics and assignments might resemble this:

Merge and Move, the Minimal Link Condition, LF movement, head-to-
head movement, DP movement, wh-movement, Raising, Control and 
Empty Categories.

Students in this course are expected to be familiar with and 
adhere to the University of Georgia policy on academic honesty,
 according to which all violations of academic honesty will be
 handled. Students may participate in graded group projects
at the instructor's discretion.