Hello, and welcome to my neck of the woods! My name is Brendilou Armstrong, and I am a '26 hailing from the cornfields and grassy plains of Western Nebraska. This year, I plan to involve myself in The Dartmouth and WebDCR (Dartmouth College Radio). I couldn't be more excited to set out on this expedition through college alongside all of you. Thanks for visiting my page!
If you are interested in Victorian literature in any capacity, this is the class for you! It is a course taught by the WGSS (Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies) department and combines historical and political aspects into a literary seminar. The material is compelling and allows you to view female authors, including Mary Shelley, Jane Austen, and Elizabeth Gaskell, in a different perspective knowing the societal context of the time period and themes in their most popular works.
If poetic language and artistic writing styles are your forte, this is the perfect class for you! Taught by the English/Creative Writing department, Introduction to Poetry is an incredible foundation to storytelling, introducing students to poetry styles from prose to ekphrastic and written to slam. The approach to teaching the course revolved around the strategies of Robert Frost, where the Poetry Room in Sanborn Library held our class, and students' chairs were arranged in a circle rather than in rows of desks. CRWT 12 is one of the most unique and fascinating classes I have taken thus far, and as a result, has become my favorite class I have taken on campus.
Niche classes and concentrations define a Dartmouth education, and before this term, I never intended on taking an Asian art history course, let alone one with such a defined focus. Taught through both the Department of Art History and the Department of Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages by Columbia University guest lecturer Seher Agarwala, this course contextualizes sacred architectural structures of the Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic faiths. I left this course with a newfound interest in the artistic practices of East Asian cultures and an appreciation for their diverse historical backgrounds and religions.
For any Los Angeles natives or those generally wanting to delve into the history of southern California, this class is for you! Focusing mainly on the contributions of minorities to the area, this class provides insight on the seldom-discussed history of L.A. through the perspectives of non-white settlers from the 18th century to the present day. Through examining controversial films depicting L.A. (including La La Land and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood), I left this course with a deep understanding of the sacrifices made to construct contemporary Los Angeles.
If the history behind 1960s politics, fashion, art, music, and society interests you in any capacity, this class is the perfect fit for you! Taught through Dartmouth’s Humanities Department, this course covers the late 1950s through the early 1970s, focusing on the era's transformative nature while immersing students in the time period through samples of art and music. What an incredible introduction to an incredibly important decade!
Dartmouth On-Air: Big Green Opportunities in Radio Broadcasting
After binging the Pitch Perfect trilogy and desperately wanting a DJ job or extracurricular position like Anna Kendrick's Beca character, Dartmouth's freeform radio station seemed to be the perfect choice for a new club to join this year.
With music being a prominent part of my life for its entirety, I had always wanted to pursue it in ways beyond just orchestral performance. After attending an interest meeting last term about the plethora of departments, radio shows, and podcasts available to contribute to at Dartmouth College Radio (WebDCR), I felt drawn to become a DJ of my own show: Daydream Sound Machine! Every Thursday night at 6 pm eastern time, my Spotify playlists are streamed on-air, presenting a different genre of music to listeners, ranging from indie to rap, folk to EDM.
The cover of my radio show!
The beauty of Dartmouth College Radio is its focus on the interests of music-listeners, tech-lovers, and everyone in between. Although hosting a live radio show or recorded podcast is one of the more popular options for students to involve themselves in, students are also able to delve into sectors of WebDCR management through departments like Live Events, Marketing, Art, Music, and Tech, to name a few. Personally, I have decided to involve myself in WebDCR's Music Department, where I am learning how to collect and curate the songs that get streamed on the WebDCR automated station (i.e. what plays when there is not a student radio show or podcast scheduled during a time slot).
For me, WebDCR has served as a form of escapism, where I can stream the songs that define my music taste to listeners across the country. The studio (located on the third floor of Robinson Hall) acts as a space for me to express myself in ways beyond the world of academia, and I find myself ecstatic for Thursday evenings every week.
If you're an incoming first year or prospective student looking for a niche activity to express your creative side, Dartmouth College Radio will be your new favorite extracurricular in the same way that it is mine!
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
