• Purpose: The aim of this paper is to identify the repertoires that the teachers draw from when writing a course syllabus.

• Design/Methodology: To achieve this a syllabus of a course is scrutinised by using discourse analysis, namely interpretative repertoires.

• Results: Two distinct repertoires are identified which the teacher draw from. By employing these repertoires the opposing demands from the students and regulatory bodies as well as the traditional role of the teacher, the teachers maintain their position. By using language the teachers are able to maintain the traditional roles of teacher and student, thus reinforce the existing system.

• Limitations: The study uses only one syllabus as its data, thus limiting the potential generalizability of the findings.

• Research/Practical Implications: Results show how the teachers use rather paradoxical repertoires to maintain their position and reinforce the existing system.

• Originality/Value: The results show that even on a syllabus the teachers have to maintain their position when confronted with demands from students and regulatory bodies, and employ paradoxical repertoires to do so.