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)!
The Flexibility of Dartmouth's Distributive Requirements
Do you want to learn about how I fulfilled a unique course "distributive requirement" and about my sophomore spring courses? Read on!
I was in three courses during my sophomore spring term:the Anthropology of Global Health, the Anthropology of Health and Illness, andGreek and Roman Engineering and Technology. The first two courses contribute to my major and broader academic interests, and the third course fulfills a minor requirement and a graduation requirement for "technology and applied science" (TAS). In this blog post, I'll tell you a little bit about each of my classes after taking them.
At Dartmouth, the majority of classes fall under one of two categories:
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and are 1 and 5 minutes long
Tuesday and Thursday, and are 1 hour and 50 minutes long
24S was my first term without class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Some people like this schedule more than having class every day of the week, but I have found it is nice to have a schedule that encourages you to start your day early each day of the week.
The Anthropology of Global Health, or Anth55, was my first class each day. This course consisted of weekly discussions of our readings, trips to the Hood Museum of Art, and guest lecturers. The course's main themes were the culture of biomedicine and structural violence, as observed through ethnographic methods. We had assigned readings each week that we were expected to provide commentary on both in class and through discussion posts. Our trips to the Hood Museum were meaningful as they allowed us to observe themes of biomedicine and structural violence depicted through various mediums. In taking this course, it was exciting to synthesize what we had learned about global health in both the context of ethnographic case studies and artistic mediums.
My second class was theAnthropology of Health and Illness or Anth17. This course's title may sound very parallel to the last—and that is because they were similar in many ways! However, this course focused more on individuals' experiences of illness. We also discussed the culture of biomedicine and structural violence, as with my previous class. Yet, we learned about these themes through our course's full-length readings. While my global health course provided a wide-lense approach to illness and disease, it was interesting to delve deep into full-length books to understand the course's—similar—themes deeply. Our final allowed us to delve deeper into the course's themes through any theme of our choosing. I personally really enjoyed this final project as it allowed me to incorporate my URAD research into the course as I researched the culture of biomedicine in childbirth.
Greek and Roman Engineering and Technology was my third and final class each day. This course was quite different from my two previous classes and had an interesting teaching style I had not yet encountered. In each class, we would have assigned readings on one topic, like water wheels, of which a student would come in and give a 15-20 minute presentation. Then, our professor would supplement the student's presentation with further slides and information on the given topic. The course's final served as a continuation of students' research for their presentations; my presentation was on water wheels, and for my final project I went to the woodworking workshop and made a replica water wheel.
My water wheel replica!
As you can see, I took two very similarly themed courses this term in the Anthropology department… and Greek and Roman Engineering! If you take anything away from this blog post, I hope this course shows you the flexibility in Dartmouth's undergraduate curriculum. I took two courses that I truly care deeply about and am interested in for my major and career aspirations, and I took one course that intrigued me and fulfilled both a distributive requirement and a minor requirement. On my tours, I always emphasize the importance of the flexibility in Dartmouth's liberal arts curriculum; students are encouraged to take courses outside of their primary academic interests through distributive requirements, yet I have never felt forced to take a course because of these requirements. Rather, the distributive requirements system was what inspired me to take an anthropology course in the first place, introducing me to a whole new academic realm I would not have otherwise encountered. This term, I completed a "technology and applied science" distributive not through an engineering or math course, but by taking a classics course!
Every Dartmouth student is required to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. Here's my experience navigating the language requirement!
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
