By the way
To my Art History professor:
I know that it’s convenient to give sensible names to the image files you use on your tests, but are you aware that a test-taker can pull up those names by right-clicking on the images? When you write a question, for instance, that asks “Whose archaeological dig is this?” and the picture is titled Schliemann.jpg, that question becomes somewhat less difficult. I only found this technique helpful on four questions out of fifty, though, so it’s no crisis or anything, just funny.
You do seem to be in the habit of giving forehead-slapping hints* to most of your test and quiz questions, though, dragging students to the right answers by force, so maybe this was intentional.
While we’re (imaginarily) chatting, I’d like to apologize for being such a crap student in your class. I do read the sections in the book**, and I do find them interesting, but I dislike the tedious, scavenger-hunt style of the quizzes, and I half-assed that peer discussion project. The thing is that I’m not here for an engaging art history experience, or even for the grade (it won’t transfer)—all I want is the credit. I’m sorry. I think, if I were a professor, I would scorn*** students like me. Less so than I’d scorn the plagiarizers and the slackers who begged me at the end of the semester to give them extra credit, but still a considerable amount.
P.S. The sculpted figures of standing young men from the Archaic Period of Greek art are called kouroi. “Kouros” is singular.*^
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* Not-altogether-untypical example: In what medium is [Sculpture Name]? HINT: Go to the figure on page 236 and look in the caption.
** To Sam, because I retain more that way. He’s gonna be one well-rounded puppy.
*** I know there’s a better word than this. I changed it from “hate” and “dislike,” but it still doesn’t fit.
*^ Petty? Pedantic? Yes and yes. But I was tempted to actually email the prof, which would have made me a petty, pedantic bitch. Which is totally different than sticking it at the end of an eye-rollingly snotty post on my blog. Somehow.
Tags: school