What's up! My name is Brandon and I'm a '25 from a small town outside of Chicago. I am passionate about Middle Eastern culture, politics, history, and languages; I'm particularly interested in studying gender/sexuality, politics of exhibition, and counterculture in the Arab Gulf. My current hobbies are reading, playing the mandolin, audio design, eating spicy foods, and streetwear. 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!
In one week, I will have completed my freshman year at Dartmouth. Typing that out seems crazy, because it feels like I just arrived for the FYSEP summer program yesterday! In this post, I will share the growth I've experienced both academically and personally.
I came to Dartmouth intending to major in government. However, I was attracted by the option to study Arabic, and my vague interest in the Middle East inspired me to take additional classes on Islam and the Israel-Palestine conflict. During the fall term, I fell in love with my MES coursework, and spent lots of my freetime reading and learning more about the region. In the winter, I enrolled for Government 4, steering myself into the direction of the major I applied to Dartmouth with. However, while sitting in lecture and doing work for the class, I couldn't help but wish I was studying the Middle East instead. I'm not sure where this interest in the culture, politics, history, and language of the region came from, but it has defined my academic career ever since.
Sitting in that Government 4 class, I knew it wasn't the right place for me. But I was nervous; what could I do with a Middle Eastern Studies degree? The more I thought about it, the more my mind kept going back to the MES course list on the timetable. So, I dropped the government class and took an Arab feminism class to supplement my Intro to MES class and Arabic. And as I learned more about myself and what I wanted from my life, I realized that continuing my study of the Middle East at Dartmouth, abroad, and in graduate school was what I wanted for my future. I eagerly picked up a creative project called Middle Eastern Voices at Dartmouth, which you're familiar with if you follow the blog. This year, I am going to Morocco, Israel, and Kuwait through Dartmouth, all because I took a risk and studied what I truly wanted to.
Dartmouth's huge library of books lets me explore Middle Eastern poetry, literature, and history outside of class!
At this point in my Dartmouth career, all but one of the 10 courses I've taken have been for Middle Eastern Studies. While it would be a good idea to get some distributive requirements out of the way, I'm so glad I have been able to immerse myself in this field; for this reason, I am choosing not to pursue any double major or minor. I can't imagine myself attaining more intellectual, creative, and personal growth through taking any other courses, and I'm incredibly excited to begin my travel, research, and work in the region.
If I've learned anything from my freshman year, it's that I should spend my time doing something I love. While it can be exhausting to be up until 2 am working on papers late in the term, the fulfillment and enjoyment I get from studying the Middle East is unmatched – and I'm incredibly excited to see where this passion takes me.
At Dartmouth, there is an undergraduate requirement for language; after all, it is the liberal arts! Fulfilling this requirement looks different for various people and I will focus on my experience.
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a phenomenal total solar eclipse occurred — and we happened to be within the path of totality. As a result, Dartmouth hosted a variety of eclipse-related events on- and off-campus. Find out how I spent the eclipse!
Traditionally, Dartmouth students take three courses during a term, but I decided to take four courses this term! Learn about course load and the academic system at Dartmouth.
