Sheldon Art Museum Evaluation

Sheldon Art Museum was designed and founded by Philip Johnson in 1880. There are more than 12000 artworks in diverse media. The museum's collections of American artworks includes sculptures, paintings, photographs, abstracts and so on. Last Friday was my second time to visit this museum, and some interesting artworks impressed me a lot.

The Sanctuary was one of the most distinctive artworks located in the second floor of this museum. It was built by Helen Evans Ramsaran in 1994, whose work reflects diverse cross-culture traditions. In this artwork, Ramsaran expressed her interest in African ancestral rites by creating a set of sculptural objects that look as if the could be integral to such ceremonies. 

In general, the work comprises a ring of bronze tree-like forms. As the picture suggests, there are eight thin bronze rods fixed by a circular base, and all parts of this sculpture was painted by white. Consider the forms as trees, each tree has the different distribution and number of "leaves". But the heights of each trees are approximately equal, and it seems that two "seedlings" are in the top of each tree. In my opinion, eight trees and their leaves symbolically represent a lively forest, and white means a scared and peaceful place. The work's stark, almost skeletal structure is meant to convey a silent energy that offers me a meditative experience. Thus, we can also consider there are eights distinctive heroes protecting this scared forest and standing around this land. And their spines becomes these trees finally (Actually, I thought the forms was more like bones at first). 

The Sanctuary is a sculpture between the abstract and representation. It offers some abstract meaning to me. With the light from the ceiling, we can see it represents eight shadows on the base. Image we move the sculpture in the sun, then the shadows would change by the movement of sun. Each of shadow would be longest in a certain time during a day, which represents different appearance in different time. Therefore, this artwork also suggests the passing of time and the law of nature, and we can predict that the African ancestral rites was related to some natural factors.

More Testing, More Learning

More Testing, More Learning was written by Patrick O'Malley when he was a freshman in college. The topic is about how many tests should students have for each semester. Many professors only give two tests in a semester, midterm test and final test. But Patrick believed that students should have more tests.

After reading this essay, I completely agree with the author's arguments. Study is a process that we have to continuously repeat and review what I learned before. With more tests, students would study  more regularly, perform better on tests, and enhance their cognitive functioning. In my personal experience in math, one of my professors gave us quizzes weekly and 4 midterm. In this case, I reviewed the knowledge every week and did nice performance in all quizzes and tests. Also, I found learning math becoming easily that I never worried about the exams as long as I studied regularly.

In order to prove his points, Patrick gave several bullet points. High-stakes exams do long-term damage to students' cognitive development; It improves students' study habits and learning; It also reduces their anxiety and procrastination, and increases their satisfaction with college. I really agree with the improvement of study habits. Greater frequency in test taking means greater frequency

 in study for test. Since I took math a quiz every Friday, I gradually get used to going over textbooks and notebooks at each Thursday night. Although I would probably be very busy if  all my courses gave me quizzes every week, I could develop my study and learn how to manage my time.

In the first paragraph, Patrick made an assumption for reader that what would happen if there were only two exams each semester. In the third paragraph, the author made an assumption for topic that  how to give many tests in some courses. After showing the bullet points of his arguments, Patrick started that the shortages of having more test and how to solve it. More tests take up too much time of limited class time, and make professors use much time to read and grade. So implementing a program that would improve study skills and providing frequent study questions for students to answer are two alternative ways to solve these problems. Plus, providing a sample test is can help students prepare for exam. Sample tests can reduce anxiety about learning every fact in textbooks or  note books, and clarity the courses. My math sample tests help me save much time and get better performance in exams.

Overall, I learn how to organize an essay of "proposal to solve a problem". First, I can explain how serious the problems is and state my standpoint. Then, I give some reasons and examples to prove the arguments. Finally, I give the solutions for this problems, besides, I must include the objections and questions.

Why not A Football Degree ?

Why not A Football Degree? was  written by William F. Shughart II, who is a distinguished professor at the University of Mississippi. In this essay, she disclosed the corruption of the NCAA in college sports as well as some college sport departments. She believed that athletic students in colleges were suffering from unequal treatments due to the rules and regulations of NCAA. She also mentioned these rules and regulations should be changed and improved a lot. Today, money is a serious problem for college, university teams and athletic individuals, although athletes bring wealth and welfare to their school by their considerable contribution, the compensation payable to an athlete is limited by NCAA. Thus, in order to help athletic students make success in both athletic and academic fields, Shuhart proposed three solutions: 1. Created four-year degree program in football and basketball; 2.Extend the time limit on athletic scholarships by two years; 3.Allow a competitive marketplace to determine the compensation of college athletes.

Before I read Shughart's essay, I have ever considered this problem of athletes in college. It surprises me that athletes are not able to get any other payment out of the compensation from their universities. In order to reveal the fact, Shughart's showed us two example, Troy and Rhett. Tory accepted $500 from a Buckeye booster, and Rhett earned substantially more than justified by working at a job arranged for him by a patron. They are both punished finally. As is known to all, expect working on academic subjects, college athletes have to spend much extra time and energy on exercise and practices. In this case, they may have spend more than 4 years to graduate. It is common and reasonable for athletes make some money via other ways. So I agree with the suggestion of author that creating four-year degree programs for these students. It is a good solution to help athletes students reduce academic pressure and economic burden, and we have to admit they make contribution for university as well as wealth. University have the duty to create a degree to recompense them.

NCAA requires all athletes must retain amateur status while some individuals prefer the professional status. Coaches, athletic departments and college administrators could continue to benefit financially at the expense of the player as long as keeping college athletes amateurs. However, some talent athletes would benefit if they were allowed to become professionals. They can directly gain the wealth from market-based systems. Actually, amateur status can protect college athletes indeed. Without the rules of NCAA, athletes may focus on how to make more money by marketplaces, and they may lose themselves and give up sports in this case. Therefore, we should have a balance between amateurs and professionals. On one hand, universities can transfer some money from college sport institutions to individuals, they can also allow limited compensation of college athletes from marketplaces on the other.