Hello! My name is Cal Shin, and I am a '27 double-majoring in Economics and Philosophy. When I'm not studying or writing a blog post, you can find me drawing as the Design Editor for The Dartmouth, hosting my radio show at WebDCR, or spending time with my friends. And if I'm not doing any of those, I'm probably watching cat videos. Follow along as I share the moments that make Dartmouth feel like home!
I took this course with Professor James Binkoski and loved it! I had never taken a philosophy course prior to Dartmouth, so this introductory course in the department was perfect! After all, it combined my interests of philosophy with time and time travel — at least, how time and time travel are depicted in the media. This course may initially seem to be on the more technical side, but Professor Binkoski made sure to break down the various time travel theories — various ways scientists and philosophers think of time and its supposed movement — in a manner that’s easy for anyone to understand. A very popular course overall; I am fortunate to have been able to take it during my first term here!
I took this course with Professor Ha Yan Lee and it was absolutely amazing! I had my initial reservations about this course, mainly because I knew a lot of my classmates would have had some background knowledge while I had none. Professor Lee did a wonderful job of breaking down concepts in a manner that, as she often put it, is easy for even “your grandparents to understand”. Even beyond the course, the level of care Professor Lee exhibited towards her students is significant. She’s one of the most popular professors at Dartmouth, and for good reason! I ate lunch with her at The Pine through the Take a Faculty Member to Lunch program, and she gave me tremendous insight and advice! Because of this course, I have been inspired to explore more courses within the Econ department and potentially major in Economics.
I took this course with Professor Jasmina Savic and examined how the vampire figure evolved over time, starting with Slavic literature, going through Dracula and Twilight, and ending with “vampire” political figures. I realized what the portrayal of vampires could tell me about the thoughts of that society, including the fact that the early notions of vampirism are akin to modern-day diseases. For my final project, I wrote a research paper comparing the gumiho (the Korean nine-tailed fox) to several Western vampires.
SummerNew York City, New York
I had the opportunity to visit New York City for the summer! I met up with a good friend of mine, explored the city itself, and went to a networking event with other college students.
ECON 10 is one of the required courses for the Economics major. Based on my stellar experience with Professor Ha Yan Lee during ECON 1, when I saw that she was teaching ECON 10 this term, I immediately jumped at the chance to take the course with her. Once again, Professor Lee did an amazing job of breaking down concepts in an easy-to-understand manner. (The fact that her slideshows were colorful and featured various pictures of cats helped.)
My main interest in philosophy lies in normative and applied ethics, so when I saw the opportunity to take a class on the former, I didn’t hesitate! The class focused on consequentialism, utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. I enjoyed the ample opportunities for discussion, including discussion posts about the readings, as well as the table-wide conversations. My table, in particular, had lots to say, and there was one reading in particular where we ended up diving into discussion, not once, but twice! In fact, we had so much to say that all of us coincidentally chose to write our essay on this reading — and none of us knew until after we started talking about our papers!
I had wanted to try songwriting for ages, but felt too intimidated to start. That is, until this past Friday, when I finally dipped my toes in. I attended a songwriting workshop.
This workshop was hosted by School House, one of the six house communities on campus. (The other five are Allen House, East Wheelock, North Park, South House, and West House.) Over the summer before your first year, you'll be randomly sorted into one of the six house communities, and, barring special circumstances, remain part of these house communities until you graduate. Each house community has a designated group of dorms, a house professor (a Dartmouth faculty member), Resident Fellows, and a common space for members of each house community to gather.
House communities offer a variety of events throughout the year that are advertised through weekly newsletters and/or social media. School House, which is my house community, is known for weekly sushi and tea, visits from therapy dogs, and high-quality merch. These events are usually announced through weekly house-community newsletters, as well as social media. I try to attend at least one event or workshop every term. For example, last termI attended a retreat about AI and happiness.
This particular songwriting workshop, called Yes Town, was led by Lowland Hum. They gave us advice on everything from finding inspiration in the most mundane parts of life, to knowing when to stay and leave "Yes Town", and even performed a live song for us! It was cozy and relaxing — a great way to wind down on a Friday afternoon after a week of classes.
I may not have left with my own song, but I left with something better: the confidence to start making my own music, whatever that may be. There's something comforting about the fact that house communities have your back in a way that aligns with your passions — even if it may not be intentional on their part. School House gave me an opportunity to take that first step in doing something that sounds fun and somewhat scary. So if you're reading this, this is your sign to take that (baby) step. You might discover a new part of yourself, or at the very least, spend a pretty great Friday afternoon trying.
One of my greatest privileges at Dartmouth has been learning from Professor Ed. Miller of the History and Asian Studies departments. Read on to learn more about why he is my favorite professor!
The Sri Lankan New Year falls on the 13th and 14th of April, a time for plenty of celebrations and family time. At Dartmouth, I keep these traditions with my friends and celebrate a part of home every year!
