Hello there! My name is Joanna Jou, a '26 from El Paso, TX. I love Hanover sunsets, relaxing out on The Green, and Still North Matcha w/ honey + almond milk. I'm beyond stoked to have y'all follow along as I create my own version of Dartmouth!
Academic Program
Major in History; Double Minor in Government and Religion
A discussion-based class co-taught by two notable professors in the Russian and German translation/scholar community. We read a series of poems and short stories written by poets who lived under totalitarian regimes (specifically in Germany and the Soviet Union) while examining the role poetry played in communicating trauma and the living of life.
Coming in with no economics background, ECON 1 is an introductory class that explores how individuals and firms make independent choices, how it is reflected in the market place while analyzing it through consumer and producer perspectives, and exploring the theories involved in resource allocation and output determination. Taught by the amazing Dr. Ha Yan Lee, her dedication to the class and her students made me excited to come to her lectures, office hours, and to continue taking classes in the economics department.
As a freshman, we are required to complete a seminar course as part of our first-year writing sequence. With a variety of departments to choose from, I elected a course on the Green New Deal with the history department since I wanted to explore the department a little more. As a discussion-based class, the way Professor Link structured his course and how he led discussions undoubtedly became the highlight of my spring term; not only did I learn some history and improved my writing along the way, but it also encouraged me to pursue the history major (and more classes with him).
SummerEl Paso, TX
Back home for the summer in Texas as I spend time with my family, focus on my mental and physical well-being, and start a new role with the Admissions Office as an Admissions Communications Intern!
Initially taking this course to fulfill my distributive requirement, I ended up really enjoying ANTH 50.49. Although I am a self-proclaimed museum enthusiast, I didn't think to inquire about the development or evolution of museums, which is why I thought this course would also be interesting to take. Nevertheless, Professor Meredith Ferguson '08 did a lovely job in shedding light on various angles in the museum world such as its natural history, curating/conserving, "heritage", repatriation and restitution, and public trust. In addition, we wrapped up the course by finally thinking about the future of museums, and their representation in society today.
I initially took this course purely out of interest as I didn't have any prior experience with the government department. Nevertheless, Politics of the World is the reason why I've decided to pursue a government minor. Taught through a comparative lens, I quickly realized that much of my academics interests lie at the intersection between comparative politics and international relations; thus, this course served as an intellectually stimulating and enriching experience, which made it a highlight of my winter term.
One of my favorite blogs to write is sharing with you all the classes I am taking each term. As I took a hiatus from blogging, I wanted my first post back to be a little update on how my classes are going.
SPAN 9 (Culture and Conversation) — Coming into Dartmouth, I had the option of taking an advanced Spanish class as I came in with AP Spanish Language credit from high school, or I could take two classes in a different language. I decided to take French 1 my freshman spring, but decided not to continue as I found myself struggling with completing the first level; thus, I thought of it as my sign to return to my roots of Spanish and complete the language requirement with an upper-level Spanish course called "Culture and Conversation".
I was a bit hesitant and nervous to take this course because I hadn't taken Spanish since sophomore year of high school, but I wanted to take on this opportunity to refresh and strengthen my Spanish as I come from a border city. In this class, we cover grammer, but primarily immersing ourselves in Spanish culture whether that is listening to a podcast, reading a newspaper, or watching a movie. My favorite part of this class is my classmates, whom bring so much joy to this class as we are all learning together!
HIST 4 (Intro to the Modern Middle East and North Africa) — As an intended history major, part of my major requirements include taking a class in four of the six areas of geographical distribution (click here to read more about the history major!); thus, I decided to take a class on the Middle East, which I had absolutely no background in. During week 1 of this class, I wasn't really familiar with what exactly the Middle East is, or how it came to be, but over the course of learning about the Gunpowder Empires, Israel/Palestine, Iran, Turkey, and Egypt (just to name a few), I've been immersed in various primary sources and historian case-studies on aspects that define the modern Middle East or why it is such a big topic in media and the political world.
ANTH 50 (Anthropology of Museums) — I took this anthropology course for my distributive requirements, but I came to absolutely love the topic and the evolution of museums. Every Friday, my anthropology class goes to the Hood Museum, where we hear from different people who work at the Hood, and the significance of the work they do. I've learned so much about what it means to repatriate objects as well the impact of climate on museums, so this class is definitely interdisciplinary as I've gotten to see how so many departments and topics intersect, and its relevance to urgent matters such as climate change especially in New Hampshire and Vermont.
It's easy to forget how easy it is to access walking trails during the hustle of a Dartmouth term. As graduation nears, I am reminded of how special it is to step off campus and enjoy quiet moments in nature.
With a solar eclipse sweeping across North America for the first time in nearly seven years on April 8th came a road-trip with hundreds of other Dartmouth students to a zone of totality near campus: St. Johnsbury, Vermont!
After returning from an enriching study abroad program, I'm diving into a bustling spring semester here at Dartmouth. Here are my four courses I'm taking this term!
Dartmouth's liberal arts curriculum pushes students to explore new departments and draw connections between seemingly disparate disciplines. Come explore my Economics, Physics, and Asian, Societies, Cultures, and Languages classes!
