Professors at Dartmouth

This term is really reminding me how lucky we are to have the quality of professors we have here at Dartmouth. Generally speaking, the quality of teaching is outstanding. I had noticed this in past terms. My profs are experts in their fields; they are writers and researchers, but they really care about each and every day of class. Lectures are great, and you can always talk to them.

This term each class that I have taken has surprised me. This week, for example, we are going to study the "post-socialist city" in my Urban Geography course. Our professor is a great lecturer and obviously an expert in the field of urban geography; this is a given at Dartmouth. But as if his capabilities weren’t sufficient, we are having a professor from Charles University in Prague lecture, because in addition to being a geographer himself, he has lived the post-socialist transformation.

I’m also taking a French medieval literature class. As it turns out, the French edition paper-back version of one text was translated into modern French from the old by none other than my prof. That’s right, you could go to university in France to study this and you would still be reading a book translated by a Dartmouth prof. As for my art history course, I’m seriously contemplating showing up at other lectures my professor gives. She is making modern architecture really come to life for us. I would love to go to one of her classes and not have to take notes—just to listen.

Skipping class just isn’t an option for me at Dartmouth. Never mind that you would be hard pressed to get away with it in most classes, but I just couldn’t find a better way to spend my time. Because I am going on a Language Study Abroad to Mexico next term my classes are chosen for me. But I already cannot wait for Sophomore summer and my options.