Hello, and welcome to my corner of the woods! I'm Lauren, a '27 from Munger, Michigan. On campus, I enjoy writing sports for The Dartmouth, going on as many DOC trips as I can, and hanging out with my friends. I also love Woccoming, doing the daily NYT mini crossword, and paddling!
I took this class as part of Dartmouth's first year writing requirement. We read a pro cyclist's life narrative, discussed research papers on controversial topics in sports, and wrote our own papers on a contentious sports technology of our choice. I really enjoyed this course's emphasis on discussion, and the small class size!
This was my first class in the classics department, which was super exciting as a classical studies major! We learned about the ancient Olympics and the connections between athletics and other aspects of ancient Greek society. I loved the final project in this class, which involved creating an argument about how the ancient pentathlon was scored!
To conclude my language requirement, I took Latin 3! This class was super exciting because we began to read ancient texts and poetry. We also took a class trip to the Rauner Special Collections library so we could physically handle and read some manuscripts. And as an added bonus, Latin counts as a prerequisite for my classical studies major!
As a part of my language study abroad in Italy, I also took a class on Italian history and culture! We went on field trips to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, participated in walking tours of Rome, and watched a lot of great cinema in this class! I loved it so much that I decided to minor in Italian.
This class, in addition to being a pre-requisite for my major, was super interesting! I loved learning about archaeology through hands-on projects and lectures that felt like TED Talks.
My favorite course on my Italian LSA+ in Rome is focused on Italian literature, which we are studying in a reverse-chronological order! It has been incredibly fun to see different topics and styles evolve over time and to learn from the works of the best writers.
One of my favorite aspects of studying abroad is the opportunity to learn hands-on and supplement my education with trips to the places I am learning about.
As a part of our curriculum on the Italian Language Study Abroad (LSA+) program, we have weekly excursions around Rome with Agnese Micozzi, an Italian art history professor. She's not only an expert in her field, but also very approachable and an amazing storyteller—so we're incredibly lucky to have her as a guide and resource.
So far, we've visited Ostia Antica, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum, all during the school day! Professor Agnese has an unparalleled ability to bring these ancient sites to life, helping us visualize what these places would have looked like in their prime.
The LSA+ group at the Roman Forum (thank you to Agnese for taking this photo)!
But Agnese's expertise and our learning isn't limited to Rome—this past week, the program packed our bags and headed to Venice for a four-day excursion!
The information started coming before we even disembarked from the water taxi between the train station and our hotel—Agnese pointed out key buildings in Venice's skyline, and gave a bit of background information about how Venice was originally built.
After settling in and exploring the city independently for a couple of hours, Agnese led us through visits at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco and basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. These spaces were different from anything we had seen before in Rome, which was exciting!
The next day, we began with a presentation on the history of Piazza San Marco, the only square in the city. Piazza San Marco is home to multiple museums and historic cafés, along with Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco and Palazzo Ducale—two breathtaking buildings that we were able to visit.
The view of buildings in Piazza San Marco from a balcony of Basilica di San Marco
My favorite part of the trip was the day-long excursion to Murano and Burano, islands in the Municipality of Venice famous for their glasswork and lacework, respectively. Thanks to Dartmouth, our group was able to see a demonstration of traditional Murano glassmaking techniques!
Agnese was an invaluable resource on these islands, explaining two different theories for the brightly painted houses and connecting the history of lacemaking with the history of women in and around Venice.
One theory for the brightly painted houses is that they helped fishermen navigate their way home through the fog—which made sense to all of us during our foggy visit!
Our final day in Venice was centered around a visit to the Museo Correr, also located in Piazza San Marco. This museum is one of my favorites in all of Italy, because I love its extensive collection of maps and globes. Agnese taught us a lot about Venetian history and culture while we walked through the collections.
The chandelier in this room (and most of the chandeliers in Venice) are made of Murano glass!
In a couple of weeks, Agnese will be taking us on another long trip to Florence, which I can't wait for! In the meantime, we'll be visiting the Galleria Borghese in Rome, along with other significant cultural sites.
Dartmouth's Winter Carnival is a beloved tradition that brings the community together to celebrate winter with a wide range of fun activities, from thrilling ski races to unique events like the Polar Plunge and ice sculpture carving.
