A Peek Into My Winter Classes
As the winterim wraps up, something I'm looking forward to this winter term are my classes. The ones I've enrolled in are truly unique and definitely align closely with my interests, and they definitely demonstrate the wide breadth of coursework opportunities available at Dartmouth.
The class I'm most excited for is called Sexual Violence in Southeastern Europe, and it is guest-taught by the former president of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga! Being able to take a class with a literal former head-of-state is an incredible opportunity, and I am truly excited for the experience. The course aims to draw connections between ideas of war, nationalism, and sexual violence, with particularly attention to how gender relations come into play during times of war. I have taken lots of classes surrounding gender and sexuality, so I'm eager to build on my knowledge with this course. In addition, I don't know much about the Balkan states, so this course will be a great way to learn more about the geography, culture, and political configuration of Southeastern Europe.
Another course I'm excited to take this winter is Ethnographic Film. Since I'm interested in combining anthropology and documentary filmmaking, this class perfectly aligns with my interests. In the course, we will be watching many documentaries that use anthropological methods; discussing these will help me better understand how to incorporate ethnography into my own films. I've tried to make some ethnographic films in the past and hope to make many more in the future, so I'm confident that this class will help me approach the documentary process more creatively. The emphasis on discussion within the course will be especially helpful, allowing me to bounce ideas off of other students interested in ethnographic films and documentaries!
The last class I am taking this winter is Technology in the Middle East. The course focuses on the historical and social significance of all types of media in the region, from film, to music, to the internet. The media theory class I took last winter was my absolute favorite class I've taken at Dartmouth, so having more opportunities to think critically about how we change technology (and how technology changes us) is very exciting. This will be the last class for my Middle Eastern Studies major, and will provide a great opportunity to connect my interest in film and media with Arabic and the Middle East.