lone pine
« All Posts by this Blogger
Studying in Baker Library!

With only about a month left in the term, I decided to reflect a little on the classes I'm currently taking!

This fall term, I started focusing more on classes related to my major. At Dartmouth, one does not have to declare their major until the 5th term of residence, which is usually during their Sophomore winter. This gives Dartmouth students ample time to experiment within different departments of the College and are even expected to do so as they fulfill different distributive requirements needed for graduation. Distributive requirements are implemented by the College in order to ensure that students receive a comprehensive education that covers a wide-range of topics instead of simply centering around a single discipline. There is a ton of time and opportunities for academic exploration within Dartmouth's liberal arts curriculum. 

Since I am leaning heavily toward becoming a geography and economics major, I decided to continue this track by taking another Introductory course in geography: Introduction to Human Geography and what could eventually become the focus of my economics track: Development Economics. Within the economics department, students can choose different tracks that include International Trade, Finance, Labor Economics, Development Economics, and other such focuses on the field. While I am still not 100% decided on being an economics and geography double major, these two courses are still things I find interesting and could help me during future projects. 

In Introduction to Human Geography, we talk about how people interact with their environment and how this has varying effects on culture, politics, and other social outcomes. Taking this class has definitely shaped my worldview to encompass a more holistic view of the world around me. 

We focus on contemporary social issues in low-income countries in Development Economics. Specifically, we study the way in which child-mortality, fertility, gender inequality, hunger, inadequate education, infectious diseases, and other such afflictions seem to be more pervasive amongst poor countries. In all of these topics, we examine the factors and constraints using statistical inference and study different papers and studies published in the field of Economic Development. 

My third course this term is a class offered by the Institute of Writing and Rhetoric which offers many courses involving writing and speech. In this department, I am taking Public Speaking through which we explore what makes good public speaking. Over the course of the term, we have to deliver various individual speeches on different topics.  

Overall, I am incredibly happy with my fall term course load as it is allowing me to branch out into different disciplines such as into the realm of writing and rhetoric by analyzing public speeches as well as also being able to continue my progress as an economics and geography major.

 

Posts You Might Like