The Waltham Circle

There are better and worse ways to write a syllabus. Hilde Hein's is by far the finest syllabus I've seen since I've been in the syllabus reading business:

https://moodle.brandeis.edu/syllabi/101PHIL-121A-1_1259771298.doc

The syllabus is a window into the instructor's soul. Even if you don't care for the material or agree with her position, Hein evinces a rare clarity of purpose in putting forth a serious argument in the first paragraph and sustaining the argument throughout the entire piece. There is an uncompromising aspect to her approach to syllabus writing that I find thrilling. I even love the verbs she uses.

I am not taking her class. I don't have room in my schedule, but after appreciating the severity with which she writes her syllabus, I am going to find a way to audit her class for no other reason than after reading this syllabus, I want to be acquainted with her mind.