Technical and Professional Skills

I am majoring in Classics and possibly minoring in Psychology.
My current GPA is a 3.784.
Sweet Briar Classics Department Homepage
Sweet Briar Psychology Department Homepage

Past, Present, and Future Courses
Course	Description (most from catalogue)	Comments
First Year (Fall and Spring)
Latin 311 - Poetry	Selections from Ovid
Greek 101 - Beginning Greek	Fundamentals of the classical Greek language in preparation for reading literary works, with written exercises and translation.	Greek has proven to be exceptionally challenging but well worth it.
Psychology 101 - Intro Psychology	An introduction to the principles and methods of psychology. This course provides a general background and is a prerequisite to all other psychology courses.	This course inspired me to pursue a minor in Psychology
More than Meets the Eye (Honors Seminar)	Using works of art from the Sweet Briar College Anne Gary Pannell Art Gallery permanent collection, students will research and write about original works of art using the forms of descriptive, interpretive, and critical writing. Students will read from documentary, scholarly, and critical sources, and will seek out and view comparable works of art from other museum collections.	For the final paper for this course I did an in depth study of a work of art from the SBC collection. I presented this paper at the 2007 MARCUS conference. For more information click here.
Philosophy 119 - Logic	An introduction to the basic rules of logic used to evaluate deductive and inductive arguments. Special emphasis on determining whether conclusions follow validly from given premises. Also, an introduction to common logical fallacies.	This course was not what I expected but I am glad I took it. I learned many valuable analytical skills in examining problems.
Latin 311 - Drama	Plautus' Menaechmi
Greek 102 - Beginning Greek II	Fundamentals of the classical Greek language in preparation for reading literary works, with written exercises and translation.
Classics 208 - Roman Empire	This course looks at the history, literature and culture of the Roman world from the reign of Augustus to the end of Roman rule in the West (31 B.C.-476 A.D.). The course will be divided into three parts: (1) a survey of political and cultural developments under the Julio-Claudian and Flavian emperors; (2) Roman culture at the height of the Empire, focusing on some of the most important aspects of Roman social and civic life (slavery, women and the family, law, religion and art); (3) the rise of Christianity, from the 2nd century to the end of the 4th century. Attention will also be given to the diversity of cultures found within the limits of the Roman Empire, and the legacy of Roman civilization to later European and Mediterranean cultures. Authors read include: Virgil, Ovid, Tacitus, Suetonius and Apuleius.
The Religion of Socrates	This course will examine the social background and philosophical articulations of Socratic religion. Students will read Plato's dialogues in the context of the cultural and religious background of ancient Greece. Themes such as immortality, the nature of wisdom, and the relationship of rationality and irrationality will be interrogated in philosophic and religious terms.	This was taught by three professors together - classics, religion, and philosophy. It really stretched the boundaries of thought.
Cultural Anthropology Honors 112	This course is a broad, general introduction to selected concepts and topics in cultural anthropology. A number of ethnographies from different world regions will be read, and questions about differing social practices and cultural values will be explored, along with questions about how anthropologists examine the objects of their studies - persons, cultures, societies.	This was an honors section of the regular intro to cultural anthropology, which focused on the Bushmen/!Kung of the Kalahari.
Second/Current Year (Fall)
Latin 311 - Poetry	Selections from Catullus, Tibullus, and Propertius
Greek 201 - Intermediate Greek	Continuing emphasis on developing facility in reading and grammatical skills.
Engr 110 - Intro to Engineering Design	This course emphasizes the design process - the creative process by which engineers approach problem-solving. Mechanisms are designed, built, and tested via active student participation in hands-on team projects. Students conduct experiments, apply underlying scientific principles, and analyze and present data. Recitations provide guidance on how to approach and solve problems. Underlying themes include teamwork, communication, optimization, design trade- offs, and decision-making.	This is the course for which I am making this website. Other projects include the cardboard boat, reverse engineering, and the electronic dice. For more information click here.
Classics 205 - Ancient Greece	This course will survey ancient Greek literature, history and philosophy starting from Homer and Sappho and ending with Euripides and Plato. All works will be studied in their historical and cultural contexts and there will also be consideration of major developments in Greek art and architecture. Much of the focus will be on the political and cultural achievements of 5th century Athens. Key issues will include the beginnings of democracy, the rise of literacy and the birth of philosophy, and the development of tragedy, comedy and historiography.
Dance 205 - Yoga	An introduction to Hatha Yoga; working with breath, flexibility and strength.	I really love this course and plan to continue working on what I have learned from it.
Future Courses (Spring 08)
Latin 314 - Later Latin Literature	St. Augustine
Greek 202 - Intermediate Greek II	Homer's Odyssey
Classics 219 - Ancient Philosophers in Context	This course focuses on the historical and cultural contexts in which ancient philosophy was practiced, while also tracing various themes throughout the ancient philosophical tradition. Major differences between modern and ancient notions of the philosophical method and way of life are also considered. Course readings will come from the Presocratics, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Epicureans, Romans, and late- antique philosophers.	This will be taught by two Classics professors together.
Psychology 222 - Social Psych	A study of the individual in a social context. Topics will include conformity, persuasion, altruism, prejudice and social cognition.
Speculative Fiction (Honors Seminar)	Both science fiction and fantasy create worlds that diverge or extrapolate from the realities of the world in which we live. This course examines the critical and consoling functions of such speculative landscapes. What are the functions of magic and dragons? How do alternative worlds embody and revise conventional gender and race relations? What are the consequences of capitalism, of technologies of creation or destruction; what are the responses to postmodern notions of language and selfhood?