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.)
This past weekend was Winter Carnival, a major Dartmouth tradition. Coincidentally enough, Lunar New Year also fell in the same weekend! I'm sure my fellow bloggers will cover the different events that occurred during this (unusually warm) Winter Carnival, so I'll shift gears into Lunar New Year instead.
To be honest, I don't know what I expected for Lunar New Year here at Dartmouth—right during Winter Carnival weekend. Still, there were plenty of events hosted by various organizations around campus! The Dartmouth Chinese Culture Association (DCCA) and the Office of Pluralism and Leadership (OPAL) partnered to host a Lunar New Year banquet, People of Color Outdoors (POCO, a DOC subclub) hosted a special hotpot event, and the Hood Museum had a special pop-up exhibition and drop-in activity! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend those events, but I decided to take a break from my schoolwork and take some time to celebrate both Lunar New Year and Winter Carnival. After helping sell some gorgeous Winter Carnival merchandise, I went to a dinner hosted by some people in the Korean Students Association (KSA). The dinner surpassed all of my expectations. The tteokguk (rice cake soup) tasted delightful, and I particularly enjoyed the kimchi. (Kimchi! Here in Hanover! I never would've expected this.)
By the end of the night, I felt fulfilled. I was pleasantly surprised by the repertoire of Lunar New Year events on campus, and I have high expectations for next year, that's for sure!
It's hard to believe that it has been a year since I wrote my first end-of-fall-term reflection. It felt like only yesterday that I stepped into my dorm room this September, eager to reunite with my friends.
Most students have to go back to college after Thanksgiving to take their finals, but not at Dartmouth! We have a six-week winter break, known as "winterim!" Let me tell you how I spent my winterim!
As a second-year at Dartmouth, I've embraced leadership roles that foster community, creativity, and support! Here's a look at how each role has shaped my journey.
