Hi, and welcome to my corner of the woods! I'm Lauren, a '27 from Munger, Michigan. My favorite places on campus include Sanborn (for writing), the river (for paddling), and the Green (for everything else). 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.
As I look forward to 25X, one of the most exciting things is the small-group "independent study" class I'll be taking part in. It's labeledItalian 85 by the Registrar—something that still shocks me, because I took Italian 1 and began studying the language just 12 months ago. We're working with Professor Graziella Parati to study Italian Fascism, something we touched on in various courses during the Italian LSA+ in Rome this past winter.
Here's our full LSA+ group this winter in Rome!
In addition to ITAL 85, I'll be taking EEER 10 (Understanding Russia), EARS 5 (Natural Disasters and Catastrophes), and CRWT 11 (Introduction to Creative Nonfiction). During a term when many students chose to take two courses, lots of my friends have been asking me why I signed up for four. My answer, quite simply, is that I couldn't narrow down my options! Since there's less campus activity (extracurricular-wise) during summer, I'm hoping this increased courseload will be something I can balance well.
Outside of the classroom, I'm excited to be working in a couple of positions this summer. I'll keep writing for the People, Places, Pines blog, but I'm also involved in writing for "Humans of the Upper Valley." Additionally, I'm helping the Hood Museumadd alt text to their digital collections and renting out canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards down at the Connecticut River as a Ledyard Canoe Club dock worker.
I love reading on the clubhouse porch and doing homework by the river!
Whew, that's a lot! But don't worry—outside of these commitments, I have plenty of time set aside to spend exploring the Upper Valley, hanging out with my friends, and enjoying the beautiful summer weather. I'll be living off-campus this summer with a few roommates, so I'm also looking forward to cooking and baking in that space!
These "Looking Forward" posts are a bit of a tradition I've created for myself, and I love writing them. Usually, I include some goals for the term or write about what I'm hoping to accomplish. But honestly? I'm trying not to set too many deadlines or create too many hurdles for myself this summer. My main goal is to enjoy sophomore summer to its fullest, especially before my D-Plan takes me off-campus for two terms in a row during junior year.
If you want to learn more about living off-campus, enjoying the outdoors, or just sophomore summer in general, make sure to keep checking my blog! I'll make sure to keep it updated and share lots of information and photos.
Dartmouth is not just a college. With world-renowned graduate schools, why would we choose to call ourselves a college instead of a university? The story behind that decision dates back to a significant Supreme Court ruling.
On a quiet spring Saturday in Hanover, I traded the usual campus buzz for Monet in the morning and archery in the afternoon—a reminder that Dartmouth weekends can be just as meaningful when they're slow, reflective, and a little unexpected.
During my sophomore spring quarter, I took on the challenge of four STEM courses, and while it has been intense, the unexpected connections across subjects and the joy of learning have made it one of my most rewarding academic experiences yet.
Read about the Sophomore Summer Soiree and how I got to witness the beginning of something that hopefully grows into a long-standing Dartmouth tradition!
Recently, I spent the 4th of July in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C. (where I am working as a Rockefeller Center First-Year Fellow), and it was amazing!
