Personalized Syllabus

Daniel Goleman, writing about his father Irving Goleman, philologist and professor:

Irving’s signature course, “World Literature: Autobiography of Civilization,” extended beyond the standard cannon to include myths, folk ballads, and oral works from ancient to modern times. The first paper he assigned was an autobiography, with the prompt “Who Am I?” Based on this assignment, he would design a personalized reading list for each student. He chose books that spoke to the issues they faced in life.

There’s a lot that can be said about treating each student differently instead of insisting that everyone should conform to the same mold. More important, this does not apply only to school or college, but also to other situations in life. It’s a kind of empathy that helps us consider the person in front of us as unique and original.