Diana D'Souza

I start my weekdays with Chinese class from 9:05-9:55 AM. Professor Li, a visiting scholar from Beijing Normal University, teaches us vocabulary sets and grammar, but our readings are more complex than last term’s. We have read about Amy Chua’s book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, China’s one-child policy, and environmental laws. Professor Li also challenges us to read news reports and watch interviews (such as in the picture above) to better prepare us for our study abroad program in Beijing.

My Introduction to Chinese Culture course is taught by Professor Levi Gibbs and Miya Xie. The class is asynchronous, which means I listen to pre-recorded lectures at my own pace. In addition to the hour lecture, there are about 150 pages of reading and 3 discussion posts each week. As someone who has exclusively studied the Chinese language, I recently realized that I love learning about Chinese religion, art, music, and dynasties. This week, we learned about the Ghost Festival, a holiday wherein people bring out tables to the streets and then burn foods and paper artifacts to feed wandering ghosts. I am definitely interested in taking more courses in the Asian Societies Cultures Languages Department, especially calligraphy!

I am not a STEM gal, so I immediately jumped at the chance to fulfill my science distribution with Professor Granger’s First Year Seminar on Brain Evolution. We meet twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:25-4:15 PM. The class revolves around Striedter’s textbook Principles of Brain Evolution, so each student is responsible for teaching the class half a chapter. Professor Granger steps in to clarify difficult concepts or to review writing strategies. This term, we will write four essays, which will undergo a rigorous revision process. I just completed my first essay about bilingualism, and I am excited to explore the effectiveness of antidepressants.

One of the biggest misconceptions about the LLCs is that residents must take extra classes and participate in structured discussions. There are no required courses or discussions, but my floor does have many residents that are passionate about music, writing, philosophy, theatre, and dance. One of my floor's shared interests is watching shows at the HOP, the cultural hub of campus. A large part of the Humanities LLC funding goes towards purchasing free HOP tickets. I have attended Telluride at Dartmouth, where I watched movies such as Ford v Ferrari and The Assistant months before they were released to the public. My roommate has attended the Film & Media Alumni Fest, where she participated in a weekend of movies and networking events led by Dartmouth alums. 

The LLC community is one of the quietest dorms on campus, so I often study in my dorm. The accompanying photo shows my half of the room, which includes a closet, desk, chair, dresser, and bed—which were all supplied by Dartmouth. The other half of the room (which is not pictured) is my roommate's room, which is separated by a wall and a door. I cannot say that all dorms at Dartmouth or in other LLCs look like mine, but my room is a source of comfort and one of my favorite spots on campus. 

During the beginning and end of the term as well as during midterms and finals, the LLC community will order food from local restaurants. Students come swarming for free Chinese food from Han Fusion and Thai food from Tuk Tuk. We also have "Humani-teas," where we drink tea, eat snacks, and chat with a Dartmouth professor.