Hi! I'm Lauren, a '26 interested in biological anthropology, classics, and global health! Originally from Long Island, 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 tour guide and am involved in paleoanthropology research, Global Health Fellows, Camp 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 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)!
My Art History class made the trek to New York City for one weekend over our sophomore summer—the term after one's traditional sophomore year where students take classes over their summer. I decided to take an art history class to get my ART distributive requirement (umbrella category graduation requirements you can read about here).
The course I enrolled in was calledArth 41.02: Twentieth Century Art in Europe, 1900-1945.As the name implies, we studied the avant-gardes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including Cubism, Futurism, Constructivism, Dada, and Surrealism.
The field trip was toward the end of the academic term, so it was interesting to walk through the museums—with the knowledge we attained throughout the course—and see the progression of the various avant-garde movements we learned about. The trip was even funded by the Art History department, meaning we were not responsible for transportation or housing fees.
Our professor advertised this field trip as an "art history boot camp;" we went to three museums in a span of two days, in addition to the 6-hour Dartmouth Coachride to and from NYC. We left Hanover at 6 am on a Saturday morning and were back in Hanover—with a far greater understanding of our course content—by Sunday at 9 pm.
Our 6 am coach ride… bye Hanover!
We started our art history boot camp at the Neue Galerie, where we saw the retrospective Paula Modersohn-Becker exhibition: "Ich bin Ich / I am Me."Throughout the course of the term, our professor emphasized the significance of Modersohn-Becker as an unrecognized frontrunner of modernism. We discussed how artists like Cézanne, Picasso, Gaugín, and Matisse are traditionally lauded for their contributions to the art history all-male canon, yet under-recognized artists like Modersohn-Becker and Hilma af Klint were groundbreaking in their own way.
We were not allowed to photograph the art at the Neue, but I highly recommend you look into the exhibition here. I am grateful—thanks to this Neue Galerie exhibition—that I am now aware of Modersohn-Becker's story and influence in the art world.
The second museum we visited wasthe Met!We started this museum by looking at Cézannes, Van Goghs, Matisses, Seurats, and Gaugins that preceded the timeline of our course—to provide us context as to why the avant-garde movements we learned about in class were so groundbreaking.
Then we delved into the Cubism of Braque and Picasso, sketches from the Bauhaus, and countless Surrealist dreamscapes. It was at the Met that we did a 30-minute looking exercise, where we looked at one artwork—within the chronological and geographic context of our course—and wrote down everything we noticed. This was a super interesting, immersive experience; I observed one of Miró's dreamscapes and certainly have more appreciation for the fine details in his landscapes.
Kandinsky, Bauhaus, Picasso, and my 30-minute observation landscape (Miró)!
Me and Emeline outside of the Met!
That was it for day one! After we left the museum, we got dinner and ate in Central Park. After that we headed back to our hotel to prepare for day two of our art history bootcamp.
On Sunday, we went to breakfast—to prepare for day two of bootcamp—and explored before our next museum.
The crowd gathered around The Starry Night versus Emeline investigating Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.
Then, in the MoMA, we walked through the chronological progression of the avant-gardes featured in our course: Cubism, Futurism, Constructivism, Dadaism, and Surrealism. Some highlights included seeing Mondrian'sBroadway Boogie Woogie, Duchamp's ready mades, and Rodchenko'sSpatial Construction—all of which were topics of conversation in our course.
Sara in the Cubism/Cubo-Futurism room, Kiki and Emeline in the Mondrian room, an Otto Dix, and Kiki with the class favorite "Broadway Boogie Woogie"
I am grateful for this unique experience; I was able to attend these galleries with my peers/professor and apply the knowledge we had accumulated over the course of the summer quarter!
Walking through Dartmouth's vibrant fall foliage and reflecting on my Sophomore Fall experiences underscored the importance of community and embracing opportunities.
