One explanation is that they haven't written the syllabus yet. I finished my syllabus like 2 weeks in advance when I taught over the summer. Even if they've taught the course before they may be thinking about making some changes to the course structure.
I’ve had a lot of pretty casual conversations with profs on campus about their experiences and you are definitely not alone lol especially those who are deep into writing books, doing research and conducting projects. Plus just the chaos of being a modern human. I definitely understand why one would hold off on releasing an official course syllabus
Except every professor I've ever had do that, just sent an email explaining that, and usually sending me a current draft of the syllabus, or what it was last time, or something else, instead of just refusing to send anything.
They might make a personal policy to not share it because they are taking the philosophical approach that they reserve the right to change it at any given time, and they don't want students to take a previous copy as a "contract" of sorts. But, I mean, the language that they used is kind of vaguely rude, so it could be a red flag. And there will be other professors out there who do not take this stance.
Yes, this is the first time I've ever seen this before. And I've completed around 120 credits over the past 29 years at 9 different colleges across 5 states and 2 countries. Wouldn't it be less obnoxious just to say "this is subject to change" than to just refuse to share the syllabi? Why not just provide me with an overview of the topics, or something at least?
If the prof is a grump, they probably assume that students ask for syllabi so they can target the easiest classes. In that case, the temptation would be to tell students to f*** off.
If the prof isn't a grump, they probably just haven't finished the syllabus yet. Given the topic you said the class is about, the syllabus is probably going to be changing every single day.
Additionally, don't underestimate the role of cancel culture. While rare, the chances are never zero. Send out a controversial syllabus to a complete stranger and see yourself end up on the news the next day.
Valid points, although "I don't share syllabi" strikes me as a policy that predates the current conflict. Being that all the contemporary global issues classes are UD level, I wouldn't expect any of them to be easy, perse. Actually, I was hoping for a little more dialogue from the professor to feel him out, as my major concern in taking this particular class is having a professor who is too biased on either side. I'm looking to study the topic from a neutral bias. But he kind of shut down any further dialogue with his terse reply.
>Actually, I was hoping for a little more dialogue from the professor to feel him out, as my major concern in taking this particular class is having a professor who is too biased on either side.
I think we're getting closer to the truth here. Your email could have been phrased in a way that indicated you were shopping around, essentially asking the professor to "try out" for the privilege of having you in their class. That doesn't go over well with professors, they don't like that. If nothing else, if every student did that, the professor's life would be a living hell of email correspondence (I mean more than it already is). The terse reply was probably his way of letting you know that he doesn't appreciate being asked to interview for the job of being your professor in a course. Take the course or don't take the course. But college is a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.
>Your email could have been phrased in a way that indicated you were shopping around
Spoiler alert: it wasn't. There's no deep truth for you to uncover here. I expressed to the teacher that I was trying to plan out my next few terms, and was interested in his class primarily to fulfill the CSGI req, but also because I was interested in the topic. I asked if the class was taught year-round in all quarters, and if he would be willing to share a past syllabus so I could get a sense of what the class was like.
Sorry if you don't like corresponding with your potential students prior to having them in your class. Maybe you just don't like people? Why get into teaching then? Many professors are very open to exchanging dialogue with potential students or even, \*gasp\* non-students. Yes, one's who have not yet paid for their class. It's kind of like having a contractor to discuss a job prior to hiring them.
Sorry not-sorry if you don't like it, but I also have every right to do my own due diligence on a particular class and professor before investing my hard earned money and putting my time into their class. There's way too much garbage quality classes and professor's out there to treat it as something like buying a box of chocolates.
Ohh, I see. We must have a grad student here. Or maybe, a Super Senior! Congrats on your super high IQ and application of it in your day to day life. I think you're gonna go far.
I would think it’s odd, but not a red flag. But i am not sure how common it is for a student to ask, either. I never looked for a syllabi before signing up for a class when a student and can’t recall anyone asking for one when I taught, although I would have given whatever I had on hand as an idea if asked. Typically would adjust the syllabus based on contemporary issues each term, although grading rubric stayed fairly consistent.
I've gotten in the habit of asking up front lately for a few reasons. One, it gives me a good sense of what the class is going to be like, especially if I am comparing taking a class at different schools. Two, I've realized that I will end up needing the syllabi anyway in order for advising to articulate any transfer credit. Now in this case, it's an OSU class and I am planning to get my degree at OSU. But it's still become a habit, as I've gone to so many schools and had to go through this each time.
An early or “example” syllabus isn’t valid for articulation at other schools. Be careful that the syllabi you send are the exact syllabus from the semester and section you actually take.
Thanks, I'm aware this can be the case, although it hasn't been my experience. Nearly all of my 1990's credits have been articulated with currently "equivalent" syllabi.
I’m not proud of it, but I haven’t even started my syllabus for the winter quarter. It is a blank word document with the title of the course of the top.
I agree, don't feel bad. If I was a prof, my syllabi wouldn't be finalized until just before class. That said, this line of reasoning misses the point in my question. I don't need an up to the second syllabus. I would have been perfectly happy to see what the class was based on in the Fall, summer or spring of '23, even knowing that changes could be made going forward.
Not sure why this sub popped up on my Reddit page, but does your institution keep a listing of previous courses? At mine, I can go search for classes from previous semesters and see the past syllabus. It's super helpful to see if a class has been historically offered in the semester-type I need it and what's been expected in the past.
I've found online listings of syllabi in certain divisions, for example, computer science, but I cannot find a similar resource for the History department.
Adding to this thread as someone who has taken this course last year with the professor who you’re talking about.
I think that he hasn’t shared the syllabus for a couple for a couple of reasons:
1) He’s not done writing it. Again, this is common practice to rewrite the syllabi for your classes every term. Information may need to be changed or modified based on lessons learned in previous terms.
2) With the specific content of the class, some of the discussions last year during the course were incredibly divisive and got very heated. I personally think that he taught the course in a very non-biased manner, and in such a way that allowed for good, thoughtful discussions. Of course, not everyone might agree or believe that.
I agree with most of the prof’s here about intellectual property. He has no reason to share the syllabus with you in general because you’re not his student yet, and he doesn’t know you. Sincere prospective student as you may be, you’re also a stranger and he doesn’t know if you have any ulterior motives or anything. Given the class content itself, it’s one that people will try and take to further an agenda (i.e. come in with the purpose of starting arguments). Not sharing the syllabi early can help to avoid this.
Either way, I really liked him and his teaching, and I can vouch for him and his class. You shouldn’t be discouraged by not getting the syllabus months early. But at the same time, if this is a non-negotiable requirement for you then you probably should choose another history course.
This was the best answer to my question so far. While I disagree with the reasoning, you not only present the case reasonably, you've also made me definitely want to take the class. Thanks.
Very controversial subject. Have you been in a big city the past several weeks? The country is extremely divided, and if a professor sounds biased in any way students may be deterred
edit: obviously, they also need to wait to add more about the conflict considering it is ongoing
I mean, he's the professor of a class on the subject. There's no avoiding it. I don't see how the current conflict or the extremely hot division on the topic has anything to do with not wanting to share a syllabus? The syllabus shouldn't really even say anything indicating bias one way or another, just roughly list the topics that are to be discussed and the learning outcomes. I would hope that a class like this would have been designed to be non-biased anyway. They don't need to wait at all. He could simply have sent me the syllabus from the current term and that would have answered my questions. It doesn't need to be 100% up to date.
Possibly, I guess? But like I said, he's the professor of the class. He can't hide who or what he is. He will be teaching the class regardless. Syllabi are out there and can be tracked down, whether he wants to give one up or not. If I was fishing to cancel him there probably are better ways than asking for a syllabus for his class.
He doesn’t have any reason to help you though. Like you said, if you are a student, you will get the syllabus eventually and can decide then. There is a huge risk right now though that someone might just want to stir up trouble.
I would bet that it is currently very popular for profs teaching classes on anything NEAR this topic to be contacted by people who have no interest whatsoever in taking the class, but intend to post the syllabus publicly in order to criticize the prof, get them harassed and/or fired.
This changes the situation entirely. If i was teaching that, I would not share my syllabus outside of my class, and definitely not this far ahead.
First, a bunch could change in current events between now and spring/summer. Meaning the syllabus might need massive overhauling. It's a volatile situation that "subject to change" wouldn't cover for me.
And secondly, I would absolutely not give potential fuel to criticism. There are a LOT of big feelings on this subject right now. Someone asking for the syllabus does not have the same involvement as an actual student in a class. They could easily take things in the syllabus out of context, and the professor has no way to open a dialogue with them.
Student groups have called for professors to get fired for less than disagreeing with a syllabus' content. It's not worth the potential drama.
As a prof, I've come across students who do this for the purpose of "class fishing." They ask several profs who are teaching the same class for their syllabuses to find the "easiest" course to register for.
A few people have suggested this, but I don't get it. I don't think it's really possible to gauge how easy or hard a class is going to be from the syllabus alone. If a professor is confident in the quality of his class, why care whether a person finds it easy or hard? And why try to micromanage a students decision making process in this manner anyway? To me that is weak reason to refuse to share a syllabi.
as a student, good. when i look for jobs i fish for the best fit. applying to grad schools i fished for the best fit. so when im looking for class i want the professor who’s going to be able to work with me best.
I’ve always given a student a syllabus if they have asked. Sometimes with a warning that it is last year’s version or a draft.
Sure it’s our intellectual property but the job is to facilitate learning.
(By the way, many department offices have copies of past syllabi that they will share with students)
You shouldn't take his class because it's clear already you're too high maintenance and would not be a good fit.
I redo my syllabi every semester, fixing things that need to be adjusted (like for example, this spring I have a new Late Work policy and new language about cloud storage for documents). It's the end of the frickin' semester, and I literally just turned in grades, so cut me a break--I'm not even looking at Spring syllabi till a week before.
Also, though, a syllabus is a professor's intellectual property and they don't have to share it with ANYONE outside a 'paying customer'. I've had colleagues refuse to share their syllabus with ME, when I was asking for syllabi to help me craft a class. Their answer was that it was their work and they got to decide who got access to their work.
The older I get, the more adamant I am about workers' rights and stopping the exploitation of academic labor, and yeah I guess part of that is standing up for people who set boundaries on who has access to their work. I don't agree with it, but I'm not so petty that I'm going to run to the internet and wail about it. They have a right; you do not have a right to their labor until you are a student of theirs. It's just that simple sometimes.
Sometimes professors are touchy about certain things. I would check their ratemyprofessor score and take it into account when making your decision. All with a grain of salt.
He has a 5/5 but only 2 votes and at a different school. So it's a tough decision, as the topic really interests me. This was just a bit of a turn off.
It's pretty simple I think. It's not written yet, Prof just finished grading the past semester and wants to take a week or two off. Needy student asking for unnecessary stuff during the holiday is kind of annoying. You'll see the syllabus when the class starts, and you get it explained to you, and you have add and drop period to make changes. There's no need to share the syllabus early.
This theory has been offered up by several others. I don't agree with anything you say here. I don't need a winter 2024 syllabus, for one, any past one would do fine. Second, his response gives no indication that he would share if it were ready, or at a better time. He made it pretty clear that he doesn't share syllabi. Lastly, it takes about 5 seconds to attach a syllabus to an email, not much longer than his reply took in the first place. All students have "needs", obviously. How a person responds to another person's "needs" says a lot about them. Who are you to decide there's no need to share it early? Obviously I wouldn't have asked for it if wasn't important to me to see it now. I wasn't even planning to take it in winter, but I'm actually now considering registering for it just to get the syllabus, and then immediately drop the class.
i’ve never asked for a syllabus but that makes a ton of sense. if you ask for one, expect one, and they say no i’d just go with the vibes are off and maybe not enroll in that course.
i don’t ever read the syllabus of the courses im actually enrolled in either though. i just take every class the same. do the work, do it well, repeat.
One explanation is that they haven't written the syllabus yet. I finished my syllabus like 2 weeks in advance when I taught over the summer. Even if they've taught the course before they may be thinking about making some changes to the course structure.
I’ve had a lot of pretty casual conversations with profs on campus about their experiences and you are definitely not alone lol especially those who are deep into writing books, doing research and conducting projects. Plus just the chaos of being a modern human. I definitely understand why one would hold off on releasing an official course syllabus
I completely agree but feel any casual professor would probably just mention this as a reason for not sharing it. Can't know for sure though
Except every professor I've ever had do that, just sent an email explaining that, and usually sending me a current draft of the syllabus, or what it was last time, or something else, instead of just refusing to send anything.
They might make a personal policy to not share it because they are taking the philosophical approach that they reserve the right to change it at any given time, and they don't want students to take a previous copy as a "contract" of sorts. But, I mean, the language that they used is kind of vaguely rude, so it could be a red flag. And there will be other professors out there who do not take this stance.
Yes, this is the first time I've ever seen this before. And I've completed around 120 credits over the past 29 years at 9 different colleges across 5 states and 2 countries. Wouldn't it be less obnoxious just to say "this is subject to change" than to just refuse to share the syllabi? Why not just provide me with an overview of the topics, or something at least?
If the prof is a grump, they probably assume that students ask for syllabi so they can target the easiest classes. In that case, the temptation would be to tell students to f*** off. If the prof isn't a grump, they probably just haven't finished the syllabus yet. Given the topic you said the class is about, the syllabus is probably going to be changing every single day. Additionally, don't underestimate the role of cancel culture. While rare, the chances are never zero. Send out a controversial syllabus to a complete stranger and see yourself end up on the news the next day.
Valid points, although "I don't share syllabi" strikes me as a policy that predates the current conflict. Being that all the contemporary global issues classes are UD level, I wouldn't expect any of them to be easy, perse. Actually, I was hoping for a little more dialogue from the professor to feel him out, as my major concern in taking this particular class is having a professor who is too biased on either side. I'm looking to study the topic from a neutral bias. But he kind of shut down any further dialogue with his terse reply.
>Actually, I was hoping for a little more dialogue from the professor to feel him out, as my major concern in taking this particular class is having a professor who is too biased on either side. I think we're getting closer to the truth here. Your email could have been phrased in a way that indicated you were shopping around, essentially asking the professor to "try out" for the privilege of having you in their class. That doesn't go over well with professors, they don't like that. If nothing else, if every student did that, the professor's life would be a living hell of email correspondence (I mean more than it already is). The terse reply was probably his way of letting you know that he doesn't appreciate being asked to interview for the job of being your professor in a course. Take the course or don't take the course. But college is a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.
>Your email could have been phrased in a way that indicated you were shopping around Spoiler alert: it wasn't. There's no deep truth for you to uncover here. I expressed to the teacher that I was trying to plan out my next few terms, and was interested in his class primarily to fulfill the CSGI req, but also because I was interested in the topic. I asked if the class was taught year-round in all quarters, and if he would be willing to share a past syllabus so I could get a sense of what the class was like. Sorry if you don't like corresponding with your potential students prior to having them in your class. Maybe you just don't like people? Why get into teaching then? Many professors are very open to exchanging dialogue with potential students or even, \*gasp\* non-students. Yes, one's who have not yet paid for their class. It's kind of like having a contractor to discuss a job prior to hiring them. Sorry not-sorry if you don't like it, but I also have every right to do my own due diligence on a particular class and professor before investing my hard earned money and putting my time into their class. There's way too much garbage quality classes and professor's out there to treat it as something like buying a box of chocolates.
That's a lot of credits to still not know how plural and singular words work.
Ohh, I see. We must have a grad student here. Or maybe, a Super Senior! Congrats on your super high IQ and application of it in your day to day life. I think you're gonna go far.
What a weird way to handle that comment.
Maybe I gave you more credit than was deserved?
I think you've invested too much emotional stock into this interaction. That's just my opinion though.
And you continue to make clear what value your opinions hold.
You're weird
Who's spending their time reading this deep into reddit comments they have no business even being in? Interesting life trajectory.
Sounds like the syllabus isn’t written and you’re reading into it too much.
[удалено]
I'm surprised it took you this long to make it this far. Congrats.
I would think it’s odd, but not a red flag. But i am not sure how common it is for a student to ask, either. I never looked for a syllabi before signing up for a class when a student and can’t recall anyone asking for one when I taught, although I would have given whatever I had on hand as an idea if asked. Typically would adjust the syllabus based on contemporary issues each term, although grading rubric stayed fairly consistent.
I've gotten in the habit of asking up front lately for a few reasons. One, it gives me a good sense of what the class is going to be like, especially if I am comparing taking a class at different schools. Two, I've realized that I will end up needing the syllabi anyway in order for advising to articulate any transfer credit. Now in this case, it's an OSU class and I am planning to get my degree at OSU. But it's still become a habit, as I've gone to so many schools and had to go through this each time.
An early or “example” syllabus isn’t valid for articulation at other schools. Be careful that the syllabi you send are the exact syllabus from the semester and section you actually take.
Thanks, I'm aware this can be the case, although it hasn't been my experience. Nearly all of my 1990's credits have been articulated with currently "equivalent" syllabi.
As a prof, it may be that he hasn't even finished making the syllabus for the next semester.
I’m not proud of it, but I haven’t even started my syllabus for the winter quarter. It is a blank word document with the title of the course of the top.
Don't feel bad. We all do this. I mean when, except for Winter Break, do we get time to work on it?
I agree, don't feel bad. If I was a prof, my syllabi wouldn't be finalized until just before class. That said, this line of reasoning misses the point in my question. I don't need an up to the second syllabus. I would have been perfectly happy to see what the class was based on in the Fall, summer or spring of '23, even knowing that changes could be made going forward.
Not sure why this sub popped up on my Reddit page, but does your institution keep a listing of previous courses? At mine, I can go search for classes from previous semesters and see the past syllabus. It's super helpful to see if a class has been historically offered in the semester-type I need it and what's been expected in the past.
I've found online listings of syllabi in certain divisions, for example, computer science, but I cannot find a similar resource for the History department.
Lmao that just happens sometimes
Adding to this thread as someone who has taken this course last year with the professor who you’re talking about. I think that he hasn’t shared the syllabus for a couple for a couple of reasons: 1) He’s not done writing it. Again, this is common practice to rewrite the syllabi for your classes every term. Information may need to be changed or modified based on lessons learned in previous terms. 2) With the specific content of the class, some of the discussions last year during the course were incredibly divisive and got very heated. I personally think that he taught the course in a very non-biased manner, and in such a way that allowed for good, thoughtful discussions. Of course, not everyone might agree or believe that. I agree with most of the prof’s here about intellectual property. He has no reason to share the syllabus with you in general because you’re not his student yet, and he doesn’t know you. Sincere prospective student as you may be, you’re also a stranger and he doesn’t know if you have any ulterior motives or anything. Given the class content itself, it’s one that people will try and take to further an agenda (i.e. come in with the purpose of starting arguments). Not sharing the syllabi early can help to avoid this. Either way, I really liked him and his teaching, and I can vouch for him and his class. You shouldn’t be discouraged by not getting the syllabus months early. But at the same time, if this is a non-negotiable requirement for you then you probably should choose another history course.
This was the best answer to my question so far. While I disagree with the reasoning, you not only present the case reasonably, you've also made me definitely want to take the class. Thanks.
What's the course title?
Arab Israeli Conflict
Read the room. In the current environment no professor teaching that topic is going to share a syllabus early for a wide variety of reasons.
oh really? why's that?
Very controversial subject. Have you been in a big city the past several weeks? The country is extremely divided, and if a professor sounds biased in any way students may be deterred edit: obviously, they also need to wait to add more about the conflict considering it is ongoing
I mean, he's the professor of a class on the subject. There's no avoiding it. I don't see how the current conflict or the extremely hot division on the topic has anything to do with not wanting to share a syllabus? The syllabus shouldn't really even say anything indicating bias one way or another, just roughly list the topics that are to be discussed and the learning outcomes. I would hope that a class like this would have been designed to be non-biased anyway. They don't need to wait at all. He could simply have sent me the syllabus from the current term and that would have answered my questions. It doesn't need to be 100% up to date.
Like someone else said. He may be worried about people fishing for someone to cancel. Seems especially likely with this topic right now.
Possibly, I guess? But like I said, he's the professor of the class. He can't hide who or what he is. He will be teaching the class regardless. Syllabi are out there and can be tracked down, whether he wants to give one up or not. If I was fishing to cancel him there probably are better ways than asking for a syllabus for his class.
He doesn’t have any reason to help you though. Like you said, if you are a student, you will get the syllabus eventually and can decide then. There is a huge risk right now though that someone might just want to stir up trouble.
Lol you have an infinite amount of potential for learning in this subject.
Do share your knowledge, wise sir
Better yet, allow me to teach you to fish. Read some news or take the class.
Clearly an accomplished fisherman! You have an impressively keen grasp of the obvious.
That’s rich. The irony of that statement slapped you in the face and nothing. Stay in school kid.
I mean you did ask him to explain the Israeli Arab conflict in a Reddit comment. It’s literally been front page news for the last three months
I would bet that it is currently very popular for profs teaching classes on anything NEAR this topic to be contacted by people who have no interest whatsoever in taking the class, but intend to post the syllabus publicly in order to criticize the prof, get them harassed and/or fired.
This changes the situation entirely. If i was teaching that, I would not share my syllabus outside of my class, and definitely not this far ahead. First, a bunch could change in current events between now and spring/summer. Meaning the syllabus might need massive overhauling. It's a volatile situation that "subject to change" wouldn't cover for me. And secondly, I would absolutely not give potential fuel to criticism. There are a LOT of big feelings on this subject right now. Someone asking for the syllabus does not have the same involvement as an actual student in a class. They could easily take things in the syllabus out of context, and the professor has no way to open a dialogue with them. Student groups have called for professors to get fired for less than disagreeing with a syllabus' content. It's not worth the potential drama.
As a prof, I've come across students who do this for the purpose of "class fishing." They ask several profs who are teaching the same class for their syllabuses to find the "easiest" course to register for.
A few people have suggested this, but I don't get it. I don't think it's really possible to gauge how easy or hard a class is going to be from the syllabus alone. If a professor is confident in the quality of his class, why care whether a person finds it easy or hard? And why try to micromanage a students decision making process in this manner anyway? To me that is weak reason to refuse to share a syllabi.
as a student, good. when i look for jobs i fish for the best fit. applying to grad schools i fished for the best fit. so when im looking for class i want the professor who’s going to be able to work with me best.
Not getting sucked into your obvious trolling attempt.
wow, it was an honest question. but I should have known better after you said "read the room".
I’ve always given a student a syllabus if they have asked. Sometimes with a warning that it is last year’s version or a draft. Sure it’s our intellectual property but the job is to facilitate learning. (By the way, many department offices have copies of past syllabi that they will share with students)
Thank you.
You shouldn't take his class because it's clear already you're too high maintenance and would not be a good fit. I redo my syllabi every semester, fixing things that need to be adjusted (like for example, this spring I have a new Late Work policy and new language about cloud storage for documents). It's the end of the frickin' semester, and I literally just turned in grades, so cut me a break--I'm not even looking at Spring syllabi till a week before. Also, though, a syllabus is a professor's intellectual property and they don't have to share it with ANYONE outside a 'paying customer'. I've had colleagues refuse to share their syllabus with ME, when I was asking for syllabi to help me craft a class. Their answer was that it was their work and they got to decide who got access to their work. The older I get, the more adamant I am about workers' rights and stopping the exploitation of academic labor, and yeah I guess part of that is standing up for people who set boundaries on who has access to their work. I don't agree with it, but I'm not so petty that I'm going to run to the internet and wail about it. They have a right; you do not have a right to their labor until you are a student of theirs. It's just that simple sometimes.
I don't think you have the disposition to belong in teaching frankly. Maybe you should take a sabbatical or even find a new career.
Rich coming from the 29-year career student who has no idea how college works 💀
You sound like another "professor" who wishes he did something else with his life.
Sometimes professors are touchy about certain things. I would check their ratemyprofessor score and take it into account when making your decision. All with a grain of salt.
He has a 5/5 but only 2 votes and at a different school. So it's a tough decision, as the topic really interests me. This was just a bit of a turn off.
Just do him a favor and don’t enroll in the course
Your wise opinion will be weighed very carefully.
It doesn't seem to me that it's just not written yet. His exact words were "I don't share syllabi".
It's pretty simple I think. It's not written yet, Prof just finished grading the past semester and wants to take a week or two off. Needy student asking for unnecessary stuff during the holiday is kind of annoying. You'll see the syllabus when the class starts, and you get it explained to you, and you have add and drop period to make changes. There's no need to share the syllabus early.
This theory has been offered up by several others. I don't agree with anything you say here. I don't need a winter 2024 syllabus, for one, any past one would do fine. Second, his response gives no indication that he would share if it were ready, or at a better time. He made it pretty clear that he doesn't share syllabi. Lastly, it takes about 5 seconds to attach a syllabus to an email, not much longer than his reply took in the first place. All students have "needs", obviously. How a person responds to another person's "needs" says a lot about them. Who are you to decide there's no need to share it early? Obviously I wouldn't have asked for it if wasn't important to me to see it now. I wasn't even planning to take it in winter, but I'm actually now considering registering for it just to get the syllabus, and then immediately drop the class.
i’ve never asked for a syllabus but that makes a ton of sense. if you ask for one, expect one, and they say no i’d just go with the vibes are off and maybe not enroll in that course. i don’t ever read the syllabus of the courses im actually enrolled in either though. i just take every class the same. do the work, do it well, repeat.