Hi, my name is Brandon and I'm a '25 from just outside of Chicago. I study Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies, and am involved with multimedia journalism and videography on campus. I am passionate about documentary filmmaking and using film as a tool to present lived human experiences in subjective visual, aesthetic, and sonic terms. In my free time, I love to spend time with my cat, follow the Chicago Bulls, and study Arabic. Please enjoy these snapshots of my life in Hanover!
This was definitely my favorite class of fall term—the readings were heavy, but they all felt incredibly relevant to the coursework. For each class, we read both Jewish and Arab perspectives throughout history. Moreover, Professor Avishai has a vast network of connections with important members of Israeli government, and even figures who we read about in the history books (including former prime ministers!). Overall, that class was a lot of work but very effective in helping me understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Professor Smolin's lectures were always something for me to look forward to. In this intro class, a wide variety of subjects regarding the Arab world were covered. Topics such as culture, Islam, literature, poetry, politics, and history were covered from the pre-Islamic period to the more recent Arab Spring. The readings were fascinating, and the professor also incorporated a wide variety of video resources to accompany the readings. I loved this class!
I found myself regularly engrossed in Professor Fishere's lectures in Arab Political Thought. Tracking the development of political ideologies from the 1800s until today was fascinating, the discussion-based classes helped me get to know tons of my peers.
While in Morocco this summer, I had the chance to take intensive Arabic 21 and Arabic 22. Working with a local teacher, Ilham, I had the chance to study both standard Arabic and Moroccan Arabic .My favorite part of the class was the opportunity to engage with the language in cafes and shops.
Ancient Greek & Roman Philosophy was definitely a class that took me out of my comfort zone. Having never taken a class on philosophy, I had lots of fun studying readings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Furthermore, I liked that the class focused heavily on group-work, with weekly group meetings and write-ups being a critical component of the class.
This class made me think critically about how we use different media, and how different media use us. I always considered media and technology as tools we use to navigate life, but never thought about the ways that media influence us and perceptions of the self. Taking this course inspired me to be involved more with digital humanities in order to think critically about how different media can alter the meaning of a message.
I had a great spring term living in Kuwait while interning at the American University of Kuwait! Working as an intern with the Oral History Project and International Relations departments, I met many amazing friends and gained experience with oral history and digital humanities. As someone who wants to continue doing research on the Arab Gulf, this experience was incredibly valuable.
Filmmaking & Visual Culture was about the intersection of filmmaking and anthropology, and I really enjoyed the course. The course looked at film through a post-colonial lens, thinking about how it can be used as a tool to tell stories, empower communities, and challenge structural violence. As a final project, we were required to make our own films with the broad requirement that they had to tell some kind of story or narrative. Having this sort of creative freedom was lots of fun: I did a short film project about a farmer in the Upper Valley.
This was the first science course that I had ever taken at Dartmouth, and I actually really enjoyed it. The course was focused on being able to identity the names and functions of the bones and muscles in the human body: we covered a lot of ground in a short 10-week term. In addition to studying human anatomy, we also studied the anatomy of monkeys and chimps, comparing their evolutionary trends to those of humans. We also had the chance to visit the Geisel School of Medicine cadaver lab on multiple occasions to review for exams, which was definitely a unique experience. Overall, I'm glad I took the opportunity to go outside of my comfort zone a little bit with this class!
I love to make and watch documentaries, so taking ethnographic film was a great way to look at filmmaking in academic, anthropological terms. We watched and analyzed many documentary films throughout the course, considering factors like documentary ethics, filmmaking style, and multi-media approaches. We also did a lot of critical media analysis, looking at how the medium of a piece of work impacts the message it is trying to convey. Additionally, we were able to work on and submit our own short documentary films as final projects for the course.
Although I've been updating this blog for the better part of a year, I haven't written much on my experience as a first-generation low-income (FGLI) student at Dartmouth, despite the fact that this identity has largely determined how I've experienced and maneuvered Dartmouth thus far.
The summer before my first year, I participated in the month-long FYSEP program with other first-generation students who were also unfamiliar with how college really worked; while this gave me many friends and great experiences, the reality is that most Dartmouth students do not fall into this category. In fact, about half of Dartmouth students do not receive financial aid at all due to lack of necessity. While navigating campus, it becomes very clear that half of the student body is able to pay $80,000+ of tuition per year. In this post, I will provide my personal experience of being FGLI at Dartmouth, and where the pros and cons lie.
For me, many of the difficulties that come from being FGLI are social. People at Dartmouth grow up in many different scenarios; coming from a low-income community just outside of Chicago, interacting with people from competitive private schools and magnet public schools is definitely a learning curve, especially when it comes to hobbies and interests. It can also be difficult when students are from private school clusters and they know each other before coming to Dartmouth – their wealthy upbringing provides a point of commonality. Furthermore, Greek life can sometimes feel like an extension of wealth privilege. That being said, many Greek spaces are incredibly welcoming of First Gen students. In fact, many of my FGLI friends rushed and love their houses! However, these spaces are not always accessible. Many of the cons of being FGLI are difficult to describe; for me, they are just small details and social conventions that I'm not used to dealing with back home.
However, there are also many positives to being FGLI on campus. Perhaps the best is the First Generation Office, a center dedicated to providing resources for First Gen students to thrive. Last winter I was given $300 to buy winter clothing, and more recently they provide financial wellness night classes once a week – they've been great! The First Gen Office offers tons of experiences and events for students to enjoy. The use of these resources has helped me understand classes, jobs, extracurriculars, and research at Dartmouth. The resources provided truly make me feel like I am getting the most out of my time on campus.
Overall, it isn't the easiest to be FGLI on campus – however, the perspectives I've gained from Dartmouth so far have changed my life. Although it's difficult to go from a space with a low wealth concentration to a high one, it is the experience of getting out of my comfort zone that I will cherish at Dartmouth.
This fall, Dartmouth provided me with incredible opportunities to get involved in politics. I registered as a New Hampshire voter, joined civic organizations, canvassed, and more! Read on to follow my journey leading up to Election Day!
Some of my rising senior friends from New York have been in contact with me since graduation, and I've compiled a list of FAQs that might help you better understand life at Dartmouth!
Dartmouth changed my life. A large part of that change comes from the support I have received from professors. Learn more here about some mentor-mentee relationships I have made!
