Criteria of Evaluations

The one topic on the list that I know anything about is the Navajo rugs. I am no where near an expert, but I do enjoy looking at them and have researched them before for a Native American class back in High School.

Being able to distinguish between excellence and mediocrity in the area of rug making is a very difficult task for one who has never made a rug before. The task is very time consuming, tedious, and troublesome. So, in my opinion, the time spent of making the rug could be a criteria for evaluation. In order to make an excellent rug, one must spend a large amount of time on the project, making sure it has a nice design and fine quality; quality defined as a smooth transition between color, even weave rows, and not many lumps of material in one area. If someone wove a rug in under a day, I do not believe it could be considered fine quality; more than likely the weave would be uneven and lumpy.

Another criteria for evaluation of excellence would be the knots tied and the pattern portrayed. An excellent rug must have intricate knots and patters with a wide variety of rich, bold colors. Navajo rugs are prided on their rich colors and patterns, using geometry to portray pictures and mythical legends. Intricate can be defined as a unique pattern with difficult figures. Rugs of poor quality usually host simple designs that are easy to make and fail to capture a viewer’s eye.

Finally, I believe the most important quality in defining excellence in a Navajo rug is its ability to stand time. A rug of excellent quality should withstand wear and tear, and retain its natural beauty. Often times I will see on the Antiques Road show (yes, I’m guilty of watching sometimes) a Navajo rug that is hundreds of years old, but still looks new. It still has the radiant color, intricate geometric patterns, and smooth weave discussed above that hold up for an excellent standard of a Navajo rug.

On another note, I know absolutely nothing about NFL quarterbacks. Chalk it up to my dislike of watching sports, but I honestly do not even know what a quarterback does in football. So, this topic would be great for a new research subject.

To start off I would probably just do a general search about the NFL to get some background on what it was and the different areas it encompasses. Then, I would go into positions, researching what a quarterback does and how he holds up the team. After that I believe the way to go would be to look at various quarterbacks throughout time and judge the reaction of other people thinking they were “good” or not.

With this topic, a person’s opinion would figure greatly and the facts would have to be there to back it up. I think to establish a criteria of excellence I would look at several different quarterbacks who have been well-noticed by media and fans, then compile what each of them has in common. If several different men show the same characteristics, and each of them was regarded as a “great quarterback,” then my criteria for excellence should hold.