Hi! I'm Lauren, a '26 studying biological anthropology and classics! Originally from Water Mill, NY, I grew up spending every free moment swimming in the ocean. Going to college in NH was a shift away from that; however, I frequent the CT River during the warm seasons! Outside of academics, I am a senior fellow and tour guide for admissions and am involved in paleoanthropology research, Global Health Fellows, Kesem, and First-Year Trips. I can't wait to share my Dartmouth experience with you!
Academic Program
Anthropology major concentrated in Biological Anthropology, Classical Studies minor
Latin 1 is the first of three introductory Latin courses at Dartmouth. The class is split into small teams; students complete coursework as groups. I cannot recommend taking Latin enough: the classes are tiny, the professors are fantastic, and some even bring their dogs to class (check out my blog about Dartmouth's Latin dogs). I finished the introductory Latin sequence, fulfilling my language requirement. Now, I am continuing to work in the department as a Learning fellow—a student who has already taken the class and attends class to facilitate group work.
After taking Latin 1 in my first term, when it came time to pick my writing seminar (the second required portion of the first-year writing sequence), I naturally chose the course themed on the Greco-Roman world. This course was incredible and was seminar-style, so we discussed readings, went to the Hood Museum of Art, and presented on a feature of art in Pompeii that we found particularly interesting.
My first anthropology course! This archaeology course introduced me to the field of anthropology and archaeology at Dartmouth. This course was lecture-style, with different lectures on everything, including the evolution of religious thought, human sacrifice, and Stonehenge! The professor was incredibly engaging, and we even got to pick lecture topics during the end of the term.
SummerWater Mill, NY
I spent my summer at home, working on my family's vegetable farm. I also started working as an Admissions Communications Intern for the Admissions Office!
Anth006 was my first biological anthropology course! This course was incredible; this introduction course delves into the concentrations within anthropology and everything from the first life on earth to applied anthropology today! We also often had guest lecturers, from visiting professors to graduate students, who would speak about their concentration and research.
Fossils, fossils, fossils! Our professor is a renowned paleoanthropologist, so the course focuses on fossil traces of human ancestors and relatives. Human Evolution is a lecture-style course, but every Friday, we go to the paleoanthropology lab to handle casts of fossils—which we were introduced to during lectures. These fossils are also our primary form of assessment, as we were assessed on the fossils in culminating lab practicals. It is incredible not only to learn about the discoveries that shape our understanding of human evolution but also to engage directly with replicas of them.
Anth017 course focused on individuals' experiences of illness. Our professor was a medical and psychological anthropologist, so it was interesting to hear about the intersections of her research and our course's themes. Throughout the term, we discussed various topics like illness behavior, the culture of biomedicine, and structural violence. We had daily readings and three full-length texts—which we read throughout the term. Our final project was a gateway to delve deeper into the course's themes. This opportunity was particularly enriching as it allowed me to integrate my URAD research into the course seamlessly. This personal connection made the final project a truly enjoyable and fulfilling experience.
"The Sixties" was an incredible Humanities department course taught by a Religion professor. Each week, we broke down a year of the “long sixties”—starting with JFK’s assassination in 1963 and ending with Nixon’s resignation in 1974. We learned both about the history and the culture of the decade. My favorite part about this course was the emphasis on the music of the "long sixties." We listened to the top 30 songs for each year of the "long sixties," and now I have a fantastic playlist from all of the songs I have discovered due to this class (some Don McLean, Simon & Garfunkel, The Doors, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Beatles, The Supremes, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, and so many others)!
FallHanover, NH
Off-term doing paleoanthropology research and working for the Classics Department in Hanover—all while living on an alpaca farm (I have a blog post called "So, You Live on an Alpaca Farm?" if you're curious)...
WinterAotearoa: New Zealand Anthropology Foreign Study Program
The seminar on my Anthropology Foreign Study Program was my favorite class from my abroad. Dartmouth Professor Zaneta Thayer taught this class throughout our ten weeks in New Zealand. The course’s discussions centered on the system of settler colonialism and its ongoing mechanisms. We discussed the role of museums/statues in framing history, the documents that stole Māori land, and how the concept of race was invented as a means of colonial subjugation. We also discussed the concepts of Kaupapa Maori, decolonization, biculturalism, and the role of revisionist settler histories. What made this course incredibly meaningful was that we did not learn all of this in a classroom; we went out and learned from Māori scholars and activists. A significant component of this course was the role settlers play in shaping history; accordingly, a large portion of the course involved learning directly from Māori iwi and hapū. The course included three excursions: one to the Piritahi Marae on Waiheke Island, another to the central North Island (Rotorua, Taupo, and Waitomo), and the last to the Bay of Islands (Paihia, Russell, and Karetu). Not only were these trips filled with hikes, beach days, and cohort dinners, but they were also marked by meaningful learning and discussions.
Anth40 (Human Functional Anatomy) might take the title of my favorite class ever, narrowly surpassing Anth41 (Human Evolution) from my sophomore winter. This course literally dissected the anatomy of humans in relation to our primate relatives and ancestors. The course was divided into three units: upper limb, lower limb, sensory systems and soft tissue anatomy. For the first and second units, we considered all the essential muscles and bony landmarks of the human limbs, connecting them to their significance in bipedal locomotion. We then analyzed primate bone models to understand the functional significance of anatomical differences between modern humans and their brachiating, knuckle-walking, quadrumanous, and quadrupedal relatives. It was fascinating to then analyze the fossil casts’ anatomical features, as they often showed intermediate features between the great apes and humans. The final unit of the course dissected human soft tissue anatomy and sensory systems in depth. Perhaps the most interesting component of this course was the trip to the Body Donor Lab in the Geisel School of Medicine. After learning about the musculoskeletal components of the limbs in lecture, we were able to dissect the muscles we had studied.
SummerHanover, NH
Started working full-time as a Senior Fellow for the Admissions Office!
Abroad Class Highlight: Colonialism & Its Legacies
Hello again, People Places Pines! Hopefully, you've had the chance to read my previous blog post highlighting the beautiful scenery and adventures captured on film from my Anthropology Foreign Study Program (FSP). If you haven't, you can check it out here!
In this blog post, I wanted to delve into some of the actual coursework that we engaged in while abroad and explain some of the incredible excursions and experiences that were built into our course.
First, a brief overview of the program's structure: the Dartmouth Anthropology FSP is a 10-week program (the same length as all Dartmouth academic quarters) and is taught in part by a Dartmouth professor who comes to New Zealand with the cohort! The program has three courses: Pacific Archaeology,Te Ao Māori, and Colonialism and Its Legacies. The first two courses are taught by scholars at the University of Auckland (as part of their 6-week summer school academic term). The last of the three courses is actually taught by the Dartmouth professor throughout the 10-week academic term and supported by a Dartmouth graduate teaching assistant—shoutout toProfessor Zaneta (Zane) Thayer (who is a Dartmouth '08 and went on in this program as a student!) and our TA, Jon.
My favorite course—Colonialism and Its Legacies, the seminar led by Zane—was all about the pervasive system of settler colonialism in Aotearoa and around the world. We learned from a lot of scholars and activists throughout our course's excursions. The course's discussions centered on the system of settler colonialism and its ongoing mechanisms. We discussed the role of museums/statues in framing history, the documents that stole Māori land, and how the concept of race was invented as a means of colonial subjugation. We also discussed the concepts of Kaupapa Māori, decolonization, biculturalism, and the role of revisionist settler histories. What made this course incredibly meaningful was that we did not learn all of this in a classroom; we went out and learned from Māori scholars and activists. A significant component of this course was the role settlers play in shaping history; accordingly, a large portion of the course involved learning directly from Māori iwi and hapū.
In a waka with Ngāti Manu!
The course's final project allowed us to explore some facet of settler colonialism that we wanted to explore more deeply. It was a pseudo-ethnographic project in that we were encouraged to learn from people in context. Some friends pursued projects on the environmental impacts of settler colonialism, the granting of personhood to Mount Taranaki, the role of settler histories, and the inextricable Māori connection to whenua (or land).
The course included three excursions: one to the Piritahi Marae on Waiheke Island, another to the central North Island (Rotorua, Taupo, and Waitomo), and the last to the Bay of Islands (Paihia, Russell, and Karetu). Not only were these trips filled with hikes, beach days, and cohort dinners, but they were also marked by meaningful learning and discussions. On these excursions, we explored a wide range of topics like tourism's role in national identity, the degradation of the environment in the system of settler colonialism, and who is presenting/teaching information and why.
Piritahi Marae Trip (January 31st – February 2nd):
The Anthropology FSP and Linguistics FSP at the Piritahi Marae!
At the marae, we played a game called pūkana and learned how to structure a pepeha!
Watching the sunset from Waiheke Island
Central North Island Trip (February 24th – 28th):
Our first stop was the Waitomo glowworm caves!
Jonathan & the Dartmouth Crew @ dinner
A stop on our drive to Taupo: Huka Falls!
Another pitstop: almost at Tongariro!
Starting the Tongariro Crossing!
Descending Tongariro Crossing
The bus ride back to our hostel after the hike!
Our trip to Hell's Gate, Rotorua! We went on a walking tour to learn about the history of the springs and then had the opportunity to swim in the mud spa!
Our visit to Te Puia! We toured the Māori Arts & Crafts Institute, ate a Hāngī lunch, and explored the hot springs!
Bay of Islands (March 7th – 11th)
Our first stop: Tane Mahuta, Waipoua Kauri Forest!
On the Waka with Ngāti Manu!
Before going on our waka trip, we helped prepare a hāngī (shortly after this picture was taken). After our trip, our food was cooked and ready to enjoy!
An awesome dog we encountered on our forest walk with Ngāti Manu!
Some ferry content on our way to our hostel in Russell
Our trip to the treaty grounds!
Stay tuned for more about my time abroad; believe it or not, I have even more pictures to share.
Dartmouth is known for its outstanding graduate schools of business, engineering, and medicine, but how can undergraduates take part in that enriching environment? Read more to find out!
Thinking about studying abroad? Seriously, you should! Beijing has been one of the highlights of my Dartmouth experience so far. Keep reading to hear about my trip to the iconic Great Wall!
While the Hanover community is always strong and thriving, it's hard to imagine what it's like when you are thousands of miles away from The Green. Read on to learn about my Dartmouth life in Rome, and the community within Dartmouth while abroad.
