It's not because the course is an innovative utopia of brilliant instructors and passionately engaged students: it's not. There are enough glimpses to keep me thirsty for what's coming next. But what I really appreciate, and which is not like any other program I have participated in, is that it's a place that gets me to grapple with what I think it could be or should be or might be if we did things differently, or even for that matter what it is now. I see something that thrills me or frustrates me, and I get to think about why I liked or disliked it. I get the opportunity and responsibility to understand my own values. (Examples in my other posts today, I hope.) I think a few features conspire to make this the case:
- The course is seriously different than other courses I've been involved in, so there's a built-in contrast.
- The instructors really value transparency. They constantly strive to examine their assumptions together and put their motives out in the open.
- The instructors don't always agree with one another or understand each other immediately. There is no default intellectual position in effect (or if there is, it gets called out).
- It's my job to document, interpret, and reflect on the course - not teach it. So I actually have time to think thoughts about what it's adding up to and what I think about it.
It's pretty great.
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