Hi everyone! I'm Rika, a semi-international '28 from Japan, India, and Malaysia. I'm interested in studying women, gender, and sexuality studies, as well as public policy, global health, and biology while also being on the pre-health track! In my free time, I love to read books, cook and bake, play violin, spend time with animals, be sarcastic, and drink hot drinks (especially teas)! I'm so excited to share my exploration of Dartmouth with everyone :)
Academic Program
Intended WGSS on the Pre-Health track
Favorite Thing Right Now
Decorating my dorm to make it more homey! Also the FOCO ice cream bar :)
Sex, Gender, and Society is a class in the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) department. It focuses on how gender and sexuality are represented in the media and explores different ways society shapes our perspectives. This discussion-based class features multiple group projects, which allowed me to meet and interact with many of my classmates, which was super helpful in my first term! Fun fact: this class taught me how to plan, film, and edit a podcast on campus!
In this class, we explored the different contemporary meanings of the 4 concepts; love, romance, intimacy and dating. What did they look like at Dartmouth? How were they represented or defined in scholarly research? Why are they important to the world and human interaction? Our classes consisted of thoughtful discussions, insightful lectures, and even primary research. The final project was a research paper that featured the data we collected as a class. It was a wonderful course that introduced me to the world of sociology and qualitative research!
Class Spotlight: Love, Romance, Intimacy, and Dating
Going into Love, Romance, Intimacy, and Dating, I thought I was signing up for a fun, lighthearted class about relationships. What I didn't expect was a deep dive into sociological research, academic journal articles, and critical discussions that completely changed the way I think about love and intimacy. As my first true sociology course, I'll admit I was a little intimidated at first. I had no idea we'd be reading research-heavy works and using sociological frameworks to dissect one of the most personal aspects of human life. But as the term went on, I found myself fascinated by the way larger social structures shape love, dating, and relationships.
This class wasn't just about romance—it was about understanding intimacy as a social phenomenon. We explored questions like: Why do we connect with some people and not others? How do cultural beliefs shape our ideas about love? What societal forces influence modern dating practices? Using sociological books and research papers, we analyzed everything from virginity loss to polyamory, adolescent sexual behavior to hookup culture. What made it even more interesting was how we constantly related these readings to our own experiences, questioning what aligned with our personal beliefs and what challenged them.
This is one of my reflective blog posts from the term!
One of the best parts of this class was the discussion-based format. Every session felt like an open forum where we could break down complex ideas, debate perspectives, and apply theories to real-world scenarios. Our conversations were engaging, thought-provoking, and, at times, surprisingly personal. It was refreshing to be in a space where we could critically analyze cultural norms while also acknowledging the deeply human side of these topics.
My classroom!
The coursework pushed me in ways I hadn't expected. Our assignments weren't just about absorbing information—they encouraged us to think critically and apply sociological concepts to everyday life. The final project was especially challenging but rewarding: we had to conduct our own research by interviewing a peer about their experiences with love, dating, or intimacy. This meant developing interview questions, conducting sociological coding, and writing an in-depth literature review—things I had never done before. While it was definitely a learning curve, it was also an invaluable experience that gave me tangible research skills I know will be useful down the line.
Looking back, I'm so glad I took this class. Not only did it introduce me to the world of sociology in an incredibly engaging way, but it also made me more aware of how much broader societal forces influence our intimate lives. Love might feel deeply personal, but as this class showed me, it's also deeply social. And that's what made this course so fascinating—it took something so familiar and made me see it in an entirely new light.
One of my greatest privileges at Dartmouth has been learning from Professor Ed. Miller of the History and Asian Studies departments. Read on to learn more about why he is my favorite professor!
