Hi, my name is Brandon and I'm a '25 from just outside of Chicago. I study Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies, and am involved with multimedia journalism and videography on campus. I am passionate about documentary filmmaking and using film as a tool to present lived human experiences in subjective visual, aesthetic, and sonic terms. In my free time, I love to spend time with my cat, follow the Chicago Bulls, and study Arabic. Please enjoy these snapshots of my life in Hanover!
This was definitely my favorite class of fall term—the readings were heavy, but they all felt incredibly relevant to the coursework. For each class, we read both Jewish and Arab perspectives throughout history. Moreover, Professor Avishai has a vast network of connections with important members of Israeli government, and even figures who we read about in the history books (including former prime ministers!). Overall, that class was a lot of work but very effective in helping me understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Professor Smolin's lectures were always something for me to look forward to. In this intro class, a wide variety of subjects regarding the Arab world were covered. Topics such as culture, Islam, literature, poetry, politics, and history were covered from the pre-Islamic period to the more recent Arab Spring. The readings were fascinating, and the professor also incorporated a wide variety of video resources to accompany the readings. I loved this class!
I found myself regularly engrossed in Professor Fishere's lectures in Arab Political Thought. Tracking the development of political ideologies from the 1800s until today was fascinating, the discussion-based classes helped me get to know tons of my peers.
While in Morocco this summer, I had the chance to take intensive Arabic 21 and Arabic 22. Working with a local teacher, Ilham, I had the chance to study both standard Arabic and Moroccan Arabic .My favorite part of the class was the opportunity to engage with the language in cafes and shops.
Ancient Greek & Roman Philosophy was definitely a class that took me out of my comfort zone. Having never taken a class on philosophy, I had lots of fun studying readings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Furthermore, I liked that the class focused heavily on group-work, with weekly group meetings and write-ups being a critical component of the class.
This class made me think critically about how we use different media, and how different media use us. I always considered media and technology as tools we use to navigate life, but never thought about the ways that media influence us and perceptions of the self. Taking this course inspired me to be involved more with digital humanities in order to think critically about how different media can alter the meaning of a message.
I had a great spring term living in Kuwait while interning at the American University of Kuwait! Working as an intern with the Oral History Project and International Relations departments, I met many amazing friends and gained experience with oral history and digital humanities. As someone who wants to continue doing research on the Arab Gulf, this experience was incredibly valuable.
Filmmaking & Visual Culture was about the intersection of filmmaking and anthropology, and I really enjoyed the course. The course looked at film through a post-colonial lens, thinking about how it can be used as a tool to tell stories, empower communities, and challenge structural violence. As a final project, we were required to make our own films with the broad requirement that they had to tell some kind of story or narrative. Having this sort of creative freedom was lots of fun: I did a short film project about a farmer in the Upper Valley.
This was the first science course that I had ever taken at Dartmouth, and I actually really enjoyed it. The course was focused on being able to identity the names and functions of the bones and muscles in the human body: we covered a lot of ground in a short 10-week term. In addition to studying human anatomy, we also studied the anatomy of monkeys and chimps, comparing their evolutionary trends to those of humans. We also had the chance to visit the Geisel School of Medicine cadaver lab on multiple occasions to review for exams, which was definitely a unique experience. Overall, I'm glad I took the opportunity to go outside of my comfort zone a little bit with this class!
I love to make and watch documentaries, so taking ethnographic film was a great way to look at filmmaking in academic, anthropological terms. We watched and analyzed many documentary films throughout the course, considering factors like documentary ethics, filmmaking style, and multi-media approaches. We also did a lot of critical media analysis, looking at how the medium of a piece of work impacts the message it is trying to convey. Additionally, we were able to work on and submit our own short documentary films as final projects for the course.
If you've read my blog in the past, you would know that during these last two years, I have been set on doing academic research and have focused on opportunities at Dartmouth which would help me be successful in graduate school in an academic setting. As an anthropology and Middle Eastern studies major, I am passionate about sharing stories from individuals and communities in the Middle East to cultivate more cross-cultural understanding, especially in the U.S., where there are many conceptions about the Arab and Islamic world. However, this term, I started to doubt whether or not continuing further in academia was the best path for me to achieve my goals—I'm not the same person I was as a first-year. I don't think books and academic journals are the best way for me to share stories to a broad audience from all class and demographic backgrounds. I've recently gotten really interested in video production and editing, and I am thinking of going into video journalism and documentary filmmaking as a medium for storytelling.
As I've shifted my sights toward videography over the course of the last few weeks, I've learned a lot about myself. I've always been the type of person who liked to set a plan and stick to it—however, this has also limited me because it doesn't allow me to think outside of the rigid plan I set for myself. Getting to know myself better helped me realize that I was continuing my path toward an academic career because it was what I was used to, not because it was what I really wanted to do. As I've been navigating ways to get more experience in videography, video editing, and film, I've been able to take advantage of the many resources and opportunities available at Dartmouth.
First, Dartmouth's sense of community means that there are lots of collaborative opportunities, especially regarding film. A good friend of mine and I are working on two video projects this summer, one of which is a longer and more ambitious project that has us filming rural life in the upper valley. This experience alone has been a fantastic way for me to learn about filmmaking and videography quickly, as experience is the best way to learn.
Working on a film project with my friends!
Dartmouth also has a Center for Professional Development, so if changing career plans makes you nervous, they are always available for advice on moving forward or pivoting away from a certain career path. I met with them to talk about development of my new interests, and they connected me with many alums who do video journalism and gave me lots of career-related advice! Resources like the CPD make Dartmouth a great place to pursue what truly interests you.
Academics can be challenging at Dartmouth. But there are lots of groups across campus here to support you through your academic journey. Read on for my experience asking for help and a few organizations that might be helpful to you!
Every Dartmouth student is required to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. Here's my experience navigating the language requirement!
