Welcome to the woods! My name is Natalie and I'm from California (3035 miles away from Dartmouth)! I'm a political science and crossword puzzle nerd who's excited to dive into the millions of activities we have on campus. I'm a Politics, Philosophy, and Economics major at Dartmouth, and am considering both a History and Human-Centered Design minor. I'm also the President of the Parliamentary Debate team! Go Big Green!
Have you ever wondered about the link between gang violence and after-school programs? Between a link between accessibility of doctors office and ADHD diagnosis? Between gender dynamics and drug usage? System Dynamics uses a systems thinking framework to explore policy that builds links between issues and their root causes.
Wow! Such an introduction to the Middle East... politically, economically, historically, artistically. I learned so much in this class -- and since taking it, I feel like I can really understand contemporary conversations about the region.
Udi Greenberg is the best lecturer I have ever had. Come to Dartmouth for the woods, stay for the teaching! Professor Greenberg's lectures flowed like stories... the most captivated I've ever been by a class!
Why is foreign aid so prevalent in conflict zones? Does giving money to areas in conflict help reduce violence? Answers to all this and more lie in this class.
This weekend, I traveled to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, to compete in an intercollegiate debate tournament funded by Dartmouth! We drove down to Providence on Friday morning and checked into the tournament. The tournament had over 60 teams from 14 different schools, including teams from the South and Midwest!
We arrived at Brown after a 3-hour drive and immediately launched into our first round, a resolution on the Chinese Sword Initiative, a program that bans the import of trash into China. Walking into the debate, I had never heard about the CSI or knew that China was formerly a major importer of trash, so this was an exercise in thinking on my feet. Unfortunately, we lost the round (deservingly so, our opponents knew their stuff).
In between rounds, we broke for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. Dartmouth funds all expenses when you travel or compete on behalf of the university, so everyone could participate on the trip regardless of how much they could individually contribute, which is a wonderful thing.
After dinner, we faced off against opponents from Wellesley, running our pre-prepped case on legalizing prostitution. The discussion evolved into whether sex with an economic transition could ever be fully consensual due to the inherent power dynamic. Such an interesting and politically relevant discussion and so fascinating to engage with members of an all-women's college who had a very different opinion on the issue.
After 5 hours of debate at around 11 pm, we ended the night and headed back to the hotel. Our team stayed up late chatting. Though the group is tight, it was really nice to bond with everyone in a setting outside of debate practice at Dartmouth.
Saturday morning, we headed back to Brown for outrounds, discussing whether argumentation or collaboration was a more important skill and the ethics of labor revolts. We CRUSHED it on Saturday, winning every round of the day.
After a great weekend, we piled back in the car, sharing stories and laughing all the way back to Hanover. I know I've written about debate before on the blog, but it's a community I'm happy to be a part of, and I'm grateful to Dartmouth for making it so financially accessible.
What kind of classes do you take in a subject-based Foreign Study Program? Here's a rundown of my classes in the Music FSP in London to give you an idea of what academic life is like in the program!
It's easy to forget how easy it is to access walking trails during the hustle of a Dartmouth term. As graduation nears, I am reminded of how special it is to step off campus and enjoy quiet moments in nature.
