Hi everyone! I'm Tess, and I live 30 minutes outside of London. I love everything Dartmouth, including the sunsets, the traditions, the classes, and the merch. I'm super excited to experience everything I read about in this blog over the next four years. Come along with me as I explore the ins and outs of life in the woods.
A course that definitely surprised me, I did not know what to expect and had very little philosophical knowledge before taking this course. It was a mixture of current and past readings, with the final project to make a group video, testing my technological ability. Professor Bumpus was amazing, and I got to know her more when I took her to breakfast at Pine through the Take Your Professor to Lunch Program.
I was recommended to take a history course, specifically a history course with Professor Lu, and it has not disappointed! This course is cross listed with Asian Studies, my major, but it has made me consider a history minor... We start every class off with a song relating to the topic of that class, and then we move on to discussion based activities.
Discovering China's Past: My Favorite Class at Dartmouth
I have enjoyed all my classes this term, but by far my favorite has been HIST 5.03/ ASCL 64.08: History of China Since the 1800s. It covers the fall of the Qing Dynasty, all the way through to the Cultural Revolution. By subject, this is a history class, but by theme, it is an Asian Societies, Cultures and Languages class, which means it counts towards my major. In fact, I have enjoyed this class so much, it has made me consider a history minor. Stay tuned…
This class is taught by Professor Yi Lu, who is such an engaging, inspired and motivating professor. He is incredibly passionate and knowledgable about the subject and translates this into his classes. He is also an incredible lecturer.
So, join me in a Chinese history class, see if you enjoy it as much as I do!
a mini photograph from the Hood
This class is in the '10' block, which means I have it every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:10 until 11:15. Each class has a topic, for example 'Chinese Enlightenment' or 'From Empire to Nation-State.' I really like this clear structure, because it means that I know what to expect for upcoming classes, and how to prepare for them.
The work required for each class is very manageable. We read a secondary source from a textbook (Wasserstrom is a favorite), and then a primary source. This can be a speech from someone at the time, a movie, a cartoon. Although Professor Lu doesn't directly test knowledge from the readings, we always discuss them in class.
Professor Lu starts each class with a song related to the topic of the day. Sometimes it's in English, most of the time it's in Mandarin. This is such a fun way to start the class—it gets us engaged and excited for the class. The next five minutes are spent discussing what the key questions are for today's class. This is followed by a first bit of lecturing. Our class is set up in a way with screens all around the classroom, allowing us to always connect what he is saying to a visual. Following this, we discuss with our peers the sources that we read. At this time, the professor is walking around the class, asking us questions to expand and further our discussions. We will then give feedback to the class. This can take the form of us simply putting our hands up and being called upon, or we will do more of a role play. Students in the class will role play different parties that were discussed, creating a mini debate. Our professor then talks a bit more, constantly keeping students engaged by asking us questions. As this class is only a little over an hour, the class is quite fast paced.
Professor Lu is very good at putting all the material onto our school wide site called Canvas. Here we can find the syllabus, the readings, links to the slides, times for office hours…
In terms of workload, we have one midterm and a final, both worth 25% of our grade. Both are open note and take-home—we can consult the internet and other outside material. We have a time limit of two hours for them. Additionally, we have to complete a movie review. Three of the primary sources we consult are movies, and we have to write a review, analyzing its relevance in our course for one of them. This is worth 20%. And then, we have the biography project, where we have to consult all of the primary sources available to us on one of two people from the period. The nice thing about this is that because we only have to write one of three reviews and one of two biographies, we can work our schedule around our busy periods. Finally, participation in classes is 10% of our final grade.
an opium pipe and a corresponding picture from our visit to the Hood
Another amazing activity that Professor Lu does is that he takes us to the Hood Museum on campus. So far, we have gone twice this term. He picks objects out beforehand, and we spend half the time listening to a lecture, and half the time perusing the objects. It is so fascinating to connect what we have been learning to physical objects, and is part of the reason why I love this class so much.
Finally, Professor Lu holds open office hours every Monday from 2 – 4 in his office. This is a great opportunity to ask questions about the course, or more generally. I love utilizing these, and also to go with other students from the class.
All in all, this is an amazing course—my knowledge of China has definitely deepened, and I look forward to every class.
All three of my classes this term visited the Hood Museum of Art for curated art study sessions related to class content. I have had these sessions in prior terms too, and I really enjoy these experiences.
Valentine's Day at Dartmouth is an exciting day to spread love and appreciation for the people around you! On campus, a myriad of programs are hosted for all students to enjoy.
