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 blogs in the past, you'll likely know I've taken a few 4-course terms. Since the standard at Dartmouth is a 3-course term, 4-course terms can be strenuous; however, they help you to get distributive requirements out of the way and fulfill requirements for your major faster. This summer, I am taking a 2-course term, which has many of its own benefits. In this post, I want to share some of my favorite parts about taking a lighter course load!
At Dartmouth, students have the option to take one two-course term and graduate on track (every four-course term you take allows you to take an additional two-course term). This summer, I took two courses with the intention of focusing more on developing my filmmaking and video production skills. Having the free time—that would have been spent on a third class—has been really helpful in allowing me to explore new interests. A month ago, I had never shot anything with a camera or used any editing software; now, I am working on multiple projects and have become confident with Adobe Premiere and After Effects. The two-course term has really helped me develop those skills that I would have had less time to develop otherwise.
In addition, taking two classes allows me to focus on my classes more intensely. I am taking "Gender in the Modern Middle East" and "Filmmaking & Visual Anthropology," which are two topics that really interest me. Being able to dedicate more time on the readings, course content, and class projects has been rewarding and has helped me learn more in these classes.
Taking a two-course term has also allowed me to spend time working on campus this summer! As a TA for an introductory anthropology course, I have to commit significant time to attending lectures, holding office hours, checking over assignments, and meeting with the professor. If I was taking a standard 3-course term, it would be more challenging to juggle all of those responsibilities. In addition, I was able to be involved in the Dartmouth Bound program, and I have been able to put more time towards being a Student Alumni Mentor for Dartmouth's study-away programs—helping prepare students for their terms abroad. Being able to invest more time in these jobs has been so rewarding!
I've also had more time to hang out with friends, enjoy the summer weather, and in general, just slow down a bit. Dartmouth's 10-week terms can feel fast-paced at times, so taking the foot off of the gas from time to time is refreshing.
Every Dartmouth student is required to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. Here's my experience navigating the language requirement!
