Hello! My name is Cal Shin, and I am a '27 planning to double-major in Economics and Philosophy. Outside of academics and blogging, you can find me drawing (perhaps even designing for The Dartmouth), hosting my radio show as a proud deejay at WebDCR, perusing the Free Market, or hanging out with friends. Ultimately, I am an artist and a storyteller. I hope you enjoy reading about my Dartmouth experience; the journey has just begun!
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.)
Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a fantasy role-playing game where you act as an original character embarking on an adventure within a fantasy setting. The Dungeon Master (DM) builds the setting in which this adventure will occur. I like to think of D&D campaigns as stories: the DM is the narrator, and you as the character make decisions, whether intentionally or with a roll of a die.
I was first introduced to the world of D&D in high school, but was worried that I would have to leave it behind once I started college. Luckily, I wasn't alone; others on campus shared my enthusiasm for the game. Therefore, we came together to form a campaign with both new and experienced players. This campaign quickly became one of the highlights of my first year, and dare I say that it kept me sane? A huge shoutout to my DM Paul, without whom this would not have been possible.
After a summer away from campus, our Dungeons & Dragons campaign group has reunited. I am happy to say that we'll continue playing, with my huge d20 making an appearance as always—it's practically our mascot at this point!
A side-by-side comparison of my huge d20 next to my normal-sized one.
If you're interested in D&D or other tabletop RPGs, Dartmouth has you covered! Enter the Creative Gaming Club, where people gather to play a variety of board games and RPGs. Some people in this club are kind enough to be DMs for a variety of campaigns. Campaigns come in two forms: one-shots, where one "story arc" (beginning, middle, and end) occurs during one session, or regular campaigns, which are more full-fledged, stretching throughout multiple sessions. Best of all, you do not need any sort of experience whatsoever to join a D&D campaign! While creating your character may seem daunting, a good DM will kindly walk you through the process. The rest is smooth sailing, although I can't promise that your character won't experience some bumps here and there! After all, what's a good story without adversity?
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!
Homecoming—a time when current students and alumni gather to relive cherished memories and exhibit large amounts of school spirit. Find out how I spent my second Homecoming Weekend at Dartmouth!
I recently visited the Harold Edward Cable Makerspace, a workspace designed for students to create personal projects. Read about some of the different tools available and what I made!
