Hello friends! My name is Diana D'Souza and I am currently considering a major in Economics and a minor in Government. On campus, I live in the Humanities LLC and write for the Opinion section of The Dartmouth. I am also looking forward to joining Dartmouth Women in Business and The Dandelion Project. You can find me binge watching Breaking Bad in the McLaughlin common room or feasting at the FOCO dessert bar.
Academic Program
Interested in Economics (major), journalism, and Mandarin
As a non-native Mandarin speaker, I have many faults: a glaring American accent, a severely limited vocabulary, and a fondness for Chinglish—a broken combination of Chinese and English. So when I was placed into Chinese 4, an accelerated program that would complete my language requirement in a ten week term, I immediately panicked. Although I felt prepared to attend the five 50 minute lectures that were reading and writing based, I dreaded the idea of speaking during drill. For those of you who may not know, Dartmouth students learn foreign languages through the Rassias Method, a technique that was coined by former Dartmouth professor John Rassias. Drills are designed to help students improve their pronunciation through repetition and exposure.
On Tuesday, I sprinted to drill for the first time, profusely sweating as I slid into my seat at 7:45am. Our desks were arranged in a semicircle, and Lucy (my drill instructor) knelt in the middle so she could see everyone. After we all introduced ourselves, Lucy would say short phrases that the entire class would repeat. Then, she would snap her fingers, randomly select a student, and then the student would repeat the phrase back. If a student said the phrase or pitch incorrectly, Lucy would correct the student. Even though the concept seemed intimidating, we bonded over our shared struggles. What was even more impressive was that the entire session was conducted in Mandarin, with little to no English. It was gratifying to be able to comprehend and converse with Lucy in a relaxed, casual atmosphere.
Me: "Peter, pretend to read this book." Professor passing us on the street: "Actually read the book!"
I'm very glad that I chose to challenge myself by taking a Mandarin course this term. Not only will I get to see my Mandarin accent improve, but I love talking to the other Chinese 4 people as we cram for quizzes during breakfast and study for tests in the library. For now, my only complaint is that 7:45am drill is way too early.
Although I had frequently passed the Hood during my late night food dashes, I never stepped foot inside until my Humanities floor joined Professor Timothy Baker '08 and Associate Curator Amelia Kahl '01 for a tour.
This week, the French and Italian departments hosted a visit to the Hood Museum at Dartmouth. There, we had the opportunity to discover and learn more about Francophone art.
Something that is relatively important to a Dartmouth term that has an unnecessary mysticism about it is the elusive period of testing at the end of every term known simply as "finals." While they are certainly difficult and do take a lot of work,
This lecture was part of the Dorsett Fellowship Lecture Series, sponsored by the Ethics Institute. Past speakers include science fiction writer Ted Chiang and Professor of Law at Yale Law School Robert Post.
Both because I am working on a big midterm assignment, and I am taking one of the most amazing classes I have ever taken at Dartmouth, my mind can’t seem to wander from “Borderlands Art and Theory” this week.
Exploring medieval feats and revolutionary tales, I've been recently exposed to an entirely new lens through which to view the events of past eras: through art.
