Hi, and welcome to my corner of the woods! I'm Lauren, a '27 from Munger, Michigan. In the winter, my favorite activities on campus are writing in Sanborn and watching hockey at Thompson Arena. I'm excited to share a bit about my favorite place with all of you!
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.
I’m absolutely loving this hands-on introduction to paleography, and the fact that my class meets at Rauner every day! I can’t wait to hear from our guest lecturers, too, and I’ll be sure to share those experiences on the blog. All in all, Latin 10 was a great way to get back into the language after a term away in Rome.
I signed up for this Latin class after the FDOC (first day of class), and I'm so glad I added it to my sophomore summer schedule! Our class is combined with GRK 30.08 History and Structure of the Greek Language, and it has been incredibly interesting to compare the ancient languages and learn a bit of Greek.
FallIvrea, Italy
This term, I'm interning with the Olivetti Leadership Institute in Ivrea, a small town in northern Italy.
WinterHanover, NH
For my second off-term, I'm back on campus! I'm keeping myself busy by working, spending time with friends, and working on my to-be-read list.
Italian 85 Independent Reading and Research Deep Dive
I've mentioned my Italian course for the summer briefly on my blog in the past, but I wanted to dedicate an entire post to it here on my blog. The course is labeled ITAL 85: Independent Reading and Research, and our group decided to work with Professor Graziella Parati with a focus on Italian Fascism.
To get the course up and running, we first had to find a group of students who were interested in taking it. We gathered a group of six students, who just happened to have all been on my Italian LSA+ this past winter. Then, we set up a meeting with Professor Parati to narrow down our research focus and discuss our next steps.
The Italian department was incredibly excited that so many students wanted to put together a course over sophomore summer, and they were an invaluable help to us throughout the logistical process. They asked our group to put together a proposal outlining the purpose of our class and our intended outcomes. We worked collaboratively to write this document, and it was an interesting and unique opportunity to define what we would be studying for ten weeks!
During our study abroad, we visited the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in the EUR district of Rome to discuss Fascist architecture
Our proposal was soon approved, and we were able to register for the course! We meet once weekly for a few hours on Wednesday afternoons, where we engage in discussions (completely in Italian!) about the materials we have read and the films we have watched. Every week, we take turns facilitating the discussion, and it's been fun to see the different teaching styles that each of my classmates has. It has also been fun to have more control over which direction we take the course. Professor Parati leaves a lot of decisions up to us, so we can steer our study towards what captivates us the most.
The guiding text for our study has been Philip Morgan's Italian Fascism: Its Origins and Development, which provides an introduction to the topic. We're also planning on watching several films, including Camicia Nera, Lo Squadrone Bianco, and Una Giornata Particolare.
For our culminating project, we each will work on a 10-15 page paper focused on one aspect or theme of the course that particularly interests us. I'm not sure what I'll choose yet, but I'm thinking of looking into poetry or female writers from the period in more depth. I'm excited for this project, because I think it will provide some good experience for a potential future thesis with the department to culminate my Italian major.
To prevent the work for this project from piling up at the end of the term, we dedicate some time each week to discussing our research progress. For our midterm, we'll also write a shorter version of our final paper and receive some feedback from Professor Parati and our fellow students.
I've already learned so much from this course, not only about the topic of Italian Fascism but also about how to conduct academic research in Italian. My favorite aspect of the course has been learning from my classmates, who are all engaged and enthusiastic. I recommend organizing a group study like this one!
At most colleges, midterms begin in mid-October, but Dartmouth's 10-week quarter system means they can begin as early as week 3. With the right habits and resources, you can balance your workload with wellness.
A reflection on how Dartmouth offers countless ways to stay connected to literature and writing—even as a side passion—through blogs, courses, campus publications, and creative communities.
Before my internship in Italy, I spent two terms studying in Rome. How did those experiences help prepare me for my current position? Well, let me explain!
