Hey all! I'm Batu. I'm a '26 from Istanbul, Turkey, and I am passionate about the cognitive science of design, developmental psychology, aesthetics research, postcolonial literature, and social media marketing! Be sure to reach out with questions about exploring the liberal arts, learning a new language at Dartmouth, cafes in town (one of my favorite blog series dare I say), study abroad programs, and research on campus!
Writing 5 is one of the courses that count towards the first-year writing requirement. The course covered content relating to the self, transformation, and social dynamics relating to majority and minority. Dr. Godley is simply phenomenal. Her instruction was extremely accessible even though she covered intense topics. I could not have enjoyed my Writing 5 more!
Design Thinking was above and beyond my expectations. The course is structured around weekly projects, where we apply different cognitive strategies to cover topics like design principles, human need-finding, brainstorming, scenario building, and visual thinking.
Introduction to Cognitive Science covers a variety of fields including psychology, computer science, linguistics, and philosophy to provide insight into cognitive processes. This course helped me develop an understanding of all facets of cognitive science and which ones I would be interested in further pursuing as part of my major.
SummerIstanbul, Turkey
I was home during my first summer! A non-exhaustive list of things I've done includes sunbathing, coding my personal blog, and going on runs. #rest #relaxation
Psychology 10 is a deep dive into almost everything you might need to become well-versed in conducting research, analyzing data, and interpreting findings in a statistically sound manner. Professor Pfister is the most approachable professor I have ever had the pleasure of learning from. Statistics isn't exactly my forté, but I now feel confident in my stats foundation!
I loved taking this class with Madame Alverde, a professor from Université Toulouse ; Jean Jaures was an incredible experience. She made sure to correct our mistakes on the spot and improve them eloquently.
This course allowed me to explore the intersection of aesthetics and digital media, focusing on how digital environments reshape traditional concepts like materiality and form. I particularly enjoyed comparing human and AI-generated analyses of art and examining the frameworks that shape contemporary digital studies, from visual culture to design philosophy.
SummerHanover, NH
I was on campus pursuing full-time research in the Cognitive Science department. My research focuses on children's capacity to imagine and reason about possibilities!
Introducing my Leslie Research Fellowship in Paris: "Lifelong Guest"
Want to pursue a creative project beyond class but need funding? A Dartmouth center can help. During my Foreign Study Program (FSP) in Paris, I wanted to deepen my experience through photography but lacked the right equipment. So, I applied for the Leslie CenterResearch Fellowship with a photography project!
I use photography as a way to explore ideas like home, belonging, and the sometimes daunting reality of not having them. That's why the title "Lifelong Guest" felt right for a project capturing yet another journey abroad, where I'm intentionally challenging myself by moving to a new country to expand my horizons.
At the start of my journey, I planned to use digital photography as my medium and Parisian queer nightlife as my subject. As it turns out, you never know what medium or subject will end up calling your name at a given point in time. I ultimately found myself drawn to analog photography, shifting my focus to the embrace of serendipity in everyday existence. This shift allowed me to explore themes of friendship, urban alienation, and the omnipresence of artistic inspiration that my time in Paris brought about. Movement has always been a key aspect of my photography. Nevertheless, in exploring my time in Paris visually, I have learned to slow down and have perhaps become less scared of the stationary—something that has undeniably reflected in my work.
Prior to my junior winter, I had exclusively treated photography as the imaging of a subject matter. This Leslie Center Research Fellowship gave me the occasion to let photography lead the way in an exploratory, almost ethnographic sense. This experience has reshaped my understanding of photography, not just as a means of capturing the world but as a tool for discovery, reflection, and storytelling!
Inspired by my fall term recap post, I wanted to share a similar recap at the end of these nine weeks of the winter term. Read on to see what I've been up to!
