Hello, and welcome to my neck of the woods! My name is Brendilou Armstrong, and I am a '26 hailing from the cornfields and grassy plains of Western Nebraska. This year, I plan to involve myself in The Dartmouth and WebDCR (Dartmouth College Radio). I couldn't be more excited to set out on this expedition through college alongside all of you. Thanks for visiting my page!
If you are interested in Victorian literature in any capacity, this is the class for you! It is a course taught by the WGSS (Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies) department and combines historical and political aspects into a literary seminar. The material is compelling and allows you to view female authors, including Mary Shelley, Jane Austen, and Elizabeth Gaskell, in a different perspective knowing the societal context of the time period and themes in their most popular works.
If poetic language and artistic writing styles are your forte, this is the perfect class for you! Taught by the English/Creative Writing department, Introduction to Poetry is an incredible foundation to storytelling, introducing students to poetry styles from prose to ekphrastic and written to slam. The approach to teaching the course revolved around the strategies of Robert Frost, where the Poetry Room in Sanborn Library held our class, and students' chairs were arranged in a circle rather than in rows of desks. CRWT 12 is one of the most unique and fascinating classes I have taken thus far, and as a result, has become my favorite class I have taken on campus.
Niche classes and concentrations define a Dartmouth education, and before this term, I never intended on taking an Asian art history course, let alone one with such a defined focus. Taught through both the Department of Art History and the Department of Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages by Columbia University guest lecturer Seher Agarwala, this course contextualizes sacred architectural structures of the Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic faiths. I left this course with a newfound interest in the artistic practices of East Asian cultures and an appreciation for their diverse historical backgrounds and religions.
For any Los Angeles natives or those generally wanting to delve into the history of southern California, this class is for you! Focusing mainly on the contributions of minorities to the area, this class provides insight on the seldom-discussed history of L.A. through the perspectives of non-white settlers from the 18th century to the present day. Through examining controversial films depicting L.A. (including La La Land and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood), I left this course with a deep understanding of the sacrifices made to construct contemporary Los Angeles.
If the history behind 1960s politics, fashion, art, music, and society interests you in any capacity, this class is the perfect fit for you! Taught through Dartmouth’s Humanities Department, this course covers the late 1950s through the early 1970s, focusing on the era's transformative nature while immersing students in the time period through samples of art and music. What an incredible introduction to an incredibly important decade!
My Winter Term Timeline: An End-of-Term Reflection
What an amazing term! From snowsports to Dartmouth's winter traditions, this term was defined by its endless amount of learning experiences and personal firsts. As I wait to board my flight at Boston Logan International Airport to head back to my hometown for spring break, I reflect on the most memorable aspects that made this term one of my favorites (so far).
January proved to be an eventful term, as it marked my return to campus after an incredibly rejuvenating winter break as well as the beginning of winter term classes. From the beginning of course elections during fall term, my schedule was bound to be jam-packed as soon as I stepped back on campus (which you can read about in one of my previous blog posts), but that made free time for myself, friends, and on-campus events/activities much more valuable.
My friends and I at the campus-wide snowball fight!
On January 7th, just a few days following the start of the term, an email with the subject line "Would you, could you, in the snow?" found its way into the inboxes of every Dartmouth student. This served as an invitation from Theodor Geisel, better known by his pseudonym, Dr. Seuss, to partake in one of Dartmouth's annual traditions held on the night of winter term's first snowfall: a campus-wide snowball fight in front of Baker-Berry Library! Soon after this, I learned how to ice skate (which I reflected on in my previous blog post), started a radio show through Dartmouth College Radio (WebDCR–stay tuned for a blog post in the near future), and attended my first hockey game at TD Garden in Boston! This was simply a precursor to an even longer string of firsts in the coming months of the term.
My friends and I learning how to ice skate at Thompson Arena.
Me in the WebDCR studio for the first episode of my radio show!
My friend and I at TD Garden in Boston for my first hockey game!
As I wrote about in yet another of my previous posts, February offered Dartmouth students the beginning of the 114th Annual Winter Carnival, a visit from Saturday Night Live comedian Marcello Hernandez, and a formals season in the Greek life community, respectively. To celebrate the approaching end of winter term and the commencement of finals season, Frost Lights (after Robert Frost, the renowned poet and Dartmouth alum) served as an outdoor celebration of LED light and sound displays, photo opportunities, and bonfires atop Observatory Hill to commemorate a successful term.
Marcello Hernandez after his comedy show at Collis Student Center.
My friends and I at the end-of-term Frost Lights event!
The culmination of winter term was the first week of March, and after ending ice skating lessons, academic courses, and finals, I was able to relax and recharge in my hometown for spring break. Although I will miss this term dearly due to the sheer number of new opportunities it brought me, I am thrilled to experience all that the Big Green has to bring in the spring. Until next term, Dartmouth.
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
