This judgement of the Native American community underlies the hypocritical nature that formed this institution. Jefferson felt that education was the only means to foster “order and love and virtue,” leading him to believe that the indigenous people of America lacked any sense of love and virtue. After taking a psychology course, the development of morality is so much more complex than simply receiving an education as it heavily relies on relationships and the level of socialization that a community promotes. Jefferson’s views of Native Americans as barbaric and wretched appears to be such a blatantly offensive and narrow-minded view of a population. It seems to me that people like Jefferson who want to distinguish an entire community are the ones who actually lack morality.

While anatomy seems like a fairly typical course to take nowadays, this was actually quite groundbreaking during the founding of the University as it marks a deviation from standard college courses in the 1800s. One of Jefferson’s notable contributions to the University was its establishment independent of religion, and in an average college of this time, religion courses would be the norm; however, Jefferson combatted this by introducing more scientific classes to his curriculum. The courses presented by Jefferson mark an important shift in the educational system of America and demonstrate the church’s loss of power over some realms. This transition could have triggered the rise in the belief that truth lies in science rather than in the church. Interestingly, public primary educations today are not affiliated with the church either, and I believe that Jefferson’s founding of the University of Virginia had a profound influence on the idea that there needs to be a separation between the church and the classroom.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_University_of_Virginia

The practicality behind the initial design of the lawn and the dormitories surrounding it really fascinates me. When I think about the lawn, Jefferson’s desire to connect faculty to students in a living community is what first comes to mind, but it interesting to go beyond the ideals of the lawn and think on a more basic level. The advantages of building a structure that allows security from fire and infection highlights the main concerns of the time. Today, we have technology that allows fire safety and healthcare systems as well as sanitary systems that make these issues very little concerns, but around 1819 when UVA was being constructed, these were major issues that had to be addressed in the actual architecture of the buildings. There were no fire departments back in the 1800s or modern hospitals so it is really interesting to see how these factors played a major role in the design of the original structures on UVA grounds.

The model for UVA states that each professor should be able to teach every subject. Professors nowadays are typically highly trained in their field and their field alone; however, this document suggests that a professor should have a good grasp of a multitude of subjects. I cannot tell you how many instances throughout my career in the classroom that a student has asked a teacher a question slightly outside of their subject, and the teacher has simply responded, “that’s completely out of my realm.” The foundations for UVA demanded differently from their professors, and interestingly, I believe that UVA’s new curriculum brings back the original intentions stated in this document as it encompasses a great deal of interdisciplinary skills. Through my Thinking Like a Scientist Course, Professor Morris, a member of the psychology department, incorporates psychological ideals with writing exercises, demonstrating the interdisciplinary ideals of the Engagement programs at play.