Self-Assessment

The Grade (based on the Assessment and Grade Distribution sections of the course syllabus):
   

Assuming that the Preparation and Participation portion of the grade is determined by attendance, reading the assigned texts for class and engaged participation in class discussion, I would argue that I have a perfect score of 30 points in that section. [30]
   

Predicting B worthy take-home essays. [32]
    

And assuming that our blogs form the majority (if not entirety) of the Projects and Presentations portion of the grade I would give myself a little less than half credit (since I only completed half of the blogs and surely they aren’t perfect). [17]
   

That adds up to 79 points or C- on a 7 point scale and a C+ on a 10 point scale.

Evidence:   
    

The strongest piece of evidence for my success is the fact that I came to class prepared (having read and taken notes on the assigned text) and was involved in class discussion daily.  I think this fact clearly demonstrates my personal fulfillment of a large portion of the course goals and objectives as outlined in the course syllabus.  How can a person be actively involved in discussion if they do not have knowledge and understanding of the discussion topics?  They cannot.  I accept that the strength of this evidence is dependent upon your opinions as witnesses and argue that because the majority (if not all) members of our class came prepared.  Therefore, if one member were to come to class ill-equipped, their state of unpreparedness would quickly be made known in utter dissimilarity.
    

My competency of the course goals and objectives can also be seen through my blogs.  There is a clear development between my earlier blogs, such as the Rome blog consisting mainly of my opinions and descriptions of the sights, the Florence blog about the Galileo Museum and the Basilica di Santa Croce which is purely descriptive and my later blogs.  For example: the Assisi blog; while the Assisi blog is also descriptive it is a better reflection of my understanding of the course material.  The sentence “This fresco is thought to have been painted by Giotto and, unlike its downstairs counterpart incorporates detail, three dimensional elements like shading and perspective, human likeness and movement.” (Assisi Blog) illustrates my ability to appreciate and criticize a visual work – not a course goal clearly stated in the syllabus however I do believe it was a key concept for our class to at least have experience in criticism and analysis of a musical, visual or written piece.  Additionally, “…this growth and dramatic change occurred over a period of just 35 years.  This is what the Renaissance was about:  A great leap towards humanism including the desire to expand and appreciate the human capacity for knowledge, wisdom, learning, creativity and art, in addition to the pre-existing dedication to the church and papacy.  These two frescos are an appropriate portrayal of the major shift that occurred during the Renaissance.” (Assisi Blog) demonstrates my ability to examine, analyze and interpret the ways that texts illustrate the key concepts of the Renaissance.
    

The Anamorphic Art and Plato blog is an excellent example of my ability to analyze, evaluate and discuss the significance of the Renaissance in its own time and its relevance for contemporary life.  In this blog I associated a technique of art that emerged in the Renaissance with Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and continued to include modern anamorphic art.
    

The Giovanni Pico della Mirandola blog is a marvelous example of an analysis, evaluation and discussion of the similarities and differences between my Worldview and that of a Renaissance figure.  In this blog I summarize what I thing Pico was saying, defend his position and then offer my much less important opinion.

However, the obvious lack of blogs is a strong indicator of the effort I should’ve put into the class that I didn’t.  It is also the direct cause of my incomplete set of positive evidence.  Although it does not suggest a lack of comprehension or inability to fulfill the goals and objectives, it is the reason that I believe I deserve a C-.  How are you, as my professors, going to monitor and measure my growth in this course without adequate representation through my blogs?
     

Another sign of inadequacy would be my personal struggle with the philosophies and philosophers.  Having not had any previous experience with philosophy I would often have to read a text two or three times and after finishing would still not have a clear understanding of what they might be trying to say.  My lack of background knowledge in this area made it easy for me to be confused and discouraged me from blogging about the philosophy and led to me defaulting back to the more comfortable topic of art.  This is evidenced by the scarcity of blogs about philosophers as compared to the abundance of blogs about art (only four blogs reference and/or discuss philosophies).  However, I do attempt to write about the philosophers in my blogs.  A couple blogs beautifully combine art of the Renaissance with specific philosophies or concepts of the Italian Renaissance.  For example: the Lorenzo Ghiberti and the Baptistery Doors Blog describes my opinion of why the doors are a fantastic example of Renaissance art and draws a tie to Neoplutonic ideas and other Renaissance artwork.
   

“Before the Renaissance, 3D art was not allowed to be associated with the church for the fear that it would be considered an idol.  The only art in churches were frescoes and icons.  At this time, when artists were commissioned for a 3D piece for the church by the church, the church and art were moving forward hand in hand.  This is a very Renaissance idea; the idea that we as humans can expand ourselves not only upward (celebrating and working towards our eternally lives) but also outward (celebrating humanity and our current lives on earth).  This great expression of skill is also celebrating the human capability and accepting the Neoplutonic  idea that the arts are a pure reflection of the forms, as opposed to being an imitation of an imitation of the forms (Plutonic view).  In my opinion, the baptistery doors are an expression of “ideal art” as we learned about in class.  The doors have fantastic balance, no one panel surpasses another and each panel is balanced with order and proportion.  The panels are precise and the perspective is correct and aesthetically pleasing; just as the School of Athens by Raphael in the Vatican has columns, arches and lines that are symmetrical and visually appealing, so are the Ghiberti doors.  Each panel tells a story and the meaning is clearly communicated.  The Ghiberti doors are a fantastic representation of Renaissance art, how the art grew with the artists, how the church and the people expanded their minds as well as their abilities.” (Lorenzo Ghiberti Blog).
    

My blogs do not reflect my understanding of third section of the course goals and objectives.  Although I hope to reflect my competency in these areas with my final essays, the blogs do not provide substantial evidence.  However, as I have stated above, your bore witness to my competence in these areas during our class discussions.  This is another significant reason I believe I deserve a C; but, inevitably that is for you to decide.

Thinking? That’s Dangerous:
   

Educationally speaking I would give myself a C- however; from the perspective of life (which thankfully doesn’t give grades) I would say this class has been an incalculable experience.  It has been well worth the difficulty of attempting to balance a crash course version of the Italian language and an overwhelming tsunami of Italian Renaissance.  Coming face to face with the philosophers and Arts leading up to and forming the Italian Renaissance has been an absolute blast!  Being blessed enough to go to a University that can fund this kind of trip and making it possible for someone like me.  It has given me an irreplaceable opportunity to expand my education in a way that could not be possible within the boundaries of Boiling Springs, or even America.  It has exposed me to a culture completely diverse from mine, allowing me to see some of the greatest works ever created by man (which are surely not imitations of imitations, but rather reflections of the true forms) – works that most of the human population will die without seeing!  Providing the opportunity to have an interdisciplinary class filled with a fantastic array of students with diverse majors and backgrounds led by none other than the Associate Provost for Arts & Sciences of Gardner-Webb University and his wife (two fantastically amazing individuals that are an enriching joy in and out of the classroom – teachers that genuinely care for the wellbeing and edification of their students).  This class was more than a class; it truly was the opportunity of a lifetime and it genuinely changed my life and the way that I see the world.
     

For that reason I am disappointed in myself.  I feel that my performance in this class is in no way a reflection of my capabilities or typical effort as a student.  My performance is a rude and disrespectful repayment for the effort and funds that went into this class and experience.  I am sincerely sorry.
      

I’m really glad that this blog was due after we left Italy, partially because I’m a procrastinator, because the changes didn’t sink in (and still haven’t finished), changes within myself, in my worldview and my life goals.  I’ve realized that I have a lot more patience, I don’t exactly know how that can be attributed to the trip yet… but it is there.  I have become more flexible with a more optimistic outlook of “things are going to work out” and “the little things really, really don’t matter.”  Living in a city that is thousands of miles away from home, thousands of miles away from the comfort, stability and structure of regularity helped to instill within me the reality of anti-ethnocentricity (not that I believed the American way was best, but living in another country for a little over a month and becoming acquainted with another culture gives me basis in which to compare the two.  What is different?  What is better? Etc.).  Trying to absorb yourself into another culture takes a lot of effort and flexibility to give way for the new.  For example: public transportation and our adventure to Ancona.  After missing the initial train we caught another 30 minutes later.  We waited at that station for two-and-a-half hours for a bus that would take us on an hour-and-a-half beyond nauseating ride through the mountainside to another train station where we would immediately catch a train to Ancona.  After seven-and-a-half hours of traveling we arrived at Ancona for a two hour stay before embarking on another four-and-a-half hour traveling adventure.  Well, I enjoyed it!  You may think I’m kidding, but successfully orchestrating travel westward through a country in which you barely speak the language and actually making it to your final destination was reward enough.  Experiences outside of the classroom like this were the key to a life-changing experience.  In class our views were challenged and our minds were fed new, exciting and testing information which we were given the opportunity to discuss with a diverse set of peers – this formed the foot in the door for the real world experiences to really drive the ideas home.  The Renaissance was a fantastic time of change; it was a rebirth into human knowledge and ability.  What better topic could be found to cover during this great time of change within ourselves?
        

My views on education have favored Liberal Arts Education for a few years and this class has certainly strengthened those views.  Now that I know some of the greatest minds in history would agree with me, why should I change my opinion? J  The men of the Renaissance and the geniuses they studied were often virtuous and versatile; they studied the humanities and focused on the Trivium and Quadrivium along with being proficient in many other fields such as performance and athletics.  I would argue these are the same concepts and characteristics that we, as students at a liberal arts university, should strive to produce within ourselves.  I have also grown to have a deep appreciation for interdisciplinary classes as they offer the opportunity open your mind to the diversity of opinions other than your own or opinions similar to your own.  When a class consists of a Communications major with a background in Dance, four Psychology majors, a Nursing major, two students with Arts majors or minors, a student athlete and three Philosophy & Theology majors it is certain to offer extremely diverse opinions.  I have begun to learn the intellectual wealth and wisdom that diversity offers.  Typically in life we are surrounded by people who are similar to us which makes us unintentionally (and sometimes intentionally) closed-minded.  When we are subject to diversity it shakes our poor perception of the world and offers a bit of reality.  I believe that open-mindedness is required on the path to wisdom.  I certainly don’t have it all figured out, but I whole-heartedly hope that I’m at least on my way to understanding (which I of course will never reach).  I have no doubt that the FOTIR Perugian experience has enriched my life journey and I will be forever grateful to all involved.