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.
This fall, I've gotten involved with the Hopkins Center Fellows program at Dartmouth. The College has recently expanded the program. In this post, I want to talk about what the program offers to prospective Dartmouth students!
The Hopkins Center for the Arts (commonly referred to as "the Hop") is a creative hub on Dartmouth's campus. Musical ensembles, theater groups, film showings, painting showcases, and everything in between happen at the Hop. The Fellows program allows students to explore opportunities in arts administration and production. It is a year-long residency program in which Fellows connect within the program and with the greater Hop community. Each Fellow has a unique role within the cohort. The "Research Fellow" uses archival materials to preserve historical narratives of the Hop; the "Jewelry Studio Fellow" works with the Jewelry Studio staff to increase campus engagement; there are also Social Media Fellows, Marketing Fellows, Writing Fellows, and many more!
I'm joining the cohort as a "Video Fellow," which will allow me to improve my filmmaking and visual storytelling skills. My most time-consuming project will be to help film a short documentary about the Hop Fellows program, exploring how students collaborate to create art and explore their passions.
A key component of the Fellows program is that the cohort will work together to produce some creative production/show at the end of the winter term. Thus, this program gives students a chance to learn how to organize an event themselves, learning about the process through which everything comes together. The program provides an excellent medium through which Fellows can bond, both in the context of friendship and professional development.
Fellows work an average of 10 hours per week, which consists of work on their respective projects as well as collaborative projects between Fellows. In addition, the cohort meets weekly to share updates, talk about potential projects, and discuss how we want to take advantage of the Fellowship so that it effectively meets our needs. This means that the Fellows program is dynamic and constantly changing to enrich the experience for the cohort. In my blogs, I like to emphasize all the resources available to take advantage of at Dartmouth—this is definitely a great one to know about!
I'm really excited to see how the program develops, and I can't wait to share the great things we work on with the blog!
Through Dartmouth's Guarini Institute for International Study, I am getting to take classes and experience life at Wellesley College, an all-women's school!
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!
