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!
While not explicitly required for the Philosophy major, you can choose to take this (and many other Philosophy courses!) as one of your four electives. Prior to taking this class, feminist philosophy was completely new to me. I had traditionally been exposed to “traditional” European philosophers, and taking the class helped me realize that my lack of exposure to other philosophers outside of this demographic was a product of epistemic injustice. The class consisted of weekly readings and discussion posts, some reflections, guest lectures from the authors of several readings, and a final project of pretty much any format about any topic of our choice! I walked away from the class with a much more nuanced understanding of agency, commodification, and labor; the harms that are a result of the very nature of women tailoring themselves under male desire seemed much more insidious.
Dartmouth has six house communities: Allen House, East Wheelock, North Park, School House, South House, and West House. During a regular term (fall, winter, and spring), house communities offer a variety of events throughout the year for members in those house communities that are advertised through weekly newsletters and/or social media. (For example, I'm in School House, and some events I've been to include Wednesday sushi and tea, a workshop about AI and happiness, and a songwriting workshop!) In the summer, however, each house community takes turns hosting one or two events that are open to everyone on campus, regardless of house community affiliation!
After either preparing for or taking midterms for the past ten days, I was more than ready for a break. When I saw an email from East Wheelock advertising a trip off campus open to all, I RSVPed "Yes" without a second thought!
That was how, at 9:50 on a Saturday morning, I boarded a bus and settled in for a 45-minute drive to the John Hay Estate at the Fells in Newbury, New Hampshire. As we pulled into the estate, I was enraptured by the Fells' idyllic charm.
We began with a guided tour of the historic house, led by an enthusiastic docent who walked us through the rooms, unraveling the history of the people who had lived there. I had never heard of John Milton Hay before this trip, but learned that he had quite an impressive background! This writer and diplomat was also the private secretary for President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of State under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.
This corner on the second floor was my favorite part!
After the guided tour, we were treated to a lovely lunch at the patio overlooking the vast gardens, which I proceeded to wander around! The gardens were breathtaking.
The paths I took led to landscapes bursting with colorful flowers, small stone structures, a fountain, and a hidden fairy village. For a moment, I felt like a kid again!
That spirit of childlike joy carried into the final part of the trip, where we visited Sanctuary Dairy, a local farm and ice cream shop. I went for their non-dairy (ironic, given the farm's name) chocolate ice cream and was hit with a wave of nostalgia. This trip felt like the best kind of reward for finishing my first batch of sophomore summer midterms! Stepping away from my daily routine and immersing myself in a beautiful, whimsical place rich with history was exactly the breath of fresh air I needed.
When I first arrived on campus, upper-level students eased my fears with their confidence and care. When invited to apply as a Dartmouth Bound Leader, I jumped at the chance to do the same to students starting their own college journeys.
Thinking about studying abroad? Seriously, you should! Beijing has been one of the highlights of my Dartmouth experience so far. Keep reading to hear about my trip to the iconic Great Wall!
Dartmouth is no stranger to a variety of student-run full-year performance groups in dance, a cappella, improv, and comedy. Sophomore summer is particularly special, as most of these groups allow sophomores to audition and join just for the summer.
