The founders of the University outlined that the young men attending their institution should pay close attention to their physical well being, outside from any classroom physical education requirements. It seems as if they wanted their boys to be resilient, to be the perfect specimen of a man. The pressure to exceed expectations to be a well-rounded, perfect person is palpable in this quote. How does physical fitness relate or attribute to academic excellence? With regard to Mortality and Morality, how might physical fitness appear to make one’s life more complete or well rounded? How big of an impact does a person’s physique have in death?

This is very straightforward as it confronts the idea of manhood and masculinity. In this section, the founders of the University are highlighting physical strength, along with using "tools" in the "manual arts". Though they later mention the visual and dramatic arts, by starting with the emphasis on the more typically "manly" activities concerning physical strength and capacity, it is evident which is valued on a higher scale. It's interesting to see how the ideal man has changed throughout history. Were the founders thinking of what it meant to be a man while creating the University? In terms of the Mortality and Morality Engagement, none of it really matters in the end since we are all the same in death. Does the fear of death push us to strive for greatness and excellence within our lifetime?

This is an interesting quote as it made me question how education generates habits of application? Is this implying that students of the University of Virginia will provide structure for future generations? “Habits of application” connotes that students will become ambitious, rather than waiting around for change, they will implement it themself. This task can often seem impossibly challenging in today’s times, however it is interesting to see how UVA’s mission was to generate powerful students since it’s creation. The “order and love of virtue” mentioned in this quote shows that education must be driven by passion. Jefferson’s entire perspective of his University was for it to be a center for lifelong learners as education should not have a limit. To lack passion is to be ignorant as there is no point to be informed without any desire or intent supporting it. Another question I had was whether the “moral organization” of society is pointing to the idea/conclusion that everyone should think in the same way? It is important to have a wide range of varying opinions; changes within societal culture and norms do not change without this element. How can there be “habits of application” if everyone is under one “moral organization”? This statement seems to contradict itself as they are developing students who will potentially change and challenge the moral organization of our society. Perhaps this was the point all along. My Doing Fieldwork engagement has taught me to look at each person as their own system, so it is interesting to see how each of our individual systems are supposed to conform to a single ideal and organization within our American society (not even considering all of the standards from the rest of the world).

This passage clearly exhibits the desire of human growth and expansion generated by the University. Again, there is this ambition to continue to be better than before; adding to the prestige of the University of Virginia. This quote discusses “qualities of virtue and social worth,” however, they do not outline their virtues and social worths - it is to be implied by the times of it’s creation. From my Doing Fieldwork Engagement, I have learned that social virtues and worths are extremely varied depending on the perspective. It is not fair to assume that everyone follows and conforms to one’s own expectations and values; in fact, this makes one ignorant and biased when collecting viable and strong data.

In this quote, there is this all or nothing mentality; many of the founders seem to take different stances. The question: is the teaching and education of "learned sciences" beneficial? Universities in the 21st century seem to promote goals aimed at developing deeper thinkers, people with a desire and curiosity to continue learning, even after college. The fact that there was such a debate over whether "learned sciences" were an important factor of the UVA curriculum is shocking to me since the University seems to be so centered around creating "informed citizens" nowadays. I have a hard time understanding how learned sciences are useless since I believe they do "better the conditions of men." Learned sciences promote engagement throughout all disciplines and create better students and sharper thinkers as they have stronger abilities to collaborate with others. I think they included this statement to avoid criticism; they decided to ultimately leave the decision of whether or not to include learned sciences to the “private and individual effort,” exhibiting that this decision would be less contested if left to the specific individuals (i.e. professors and students). This surprised me to read because it’s easy to see how much values have changed to bring us to today’s version of the University of Virginia. From my “Doing Fieldwork” engagement, it is easy to see how much other people influence our own perceptions and ideas, so I think that Learned Sciences are an essential part of a college education.