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Exploring Egyptology

Ella D., Second Year
Ella D., Second Year

“Grimm’s Fairy Tales and the Construction of Childhood,” “History of Skepticism,” “Truth,” and “Code Making-Code Breaking.” These courses may seem unrelated, but they are all Signature Courses, a recent initiative introduced in the College. Last quarter, I spontaneously decided to sign up for my first Signature Course and it ended up being one of my favorite classes I’ve ever taken. Signature Courses cover very specific subject material (primarily exciting themes and ideas in the humanities and the social sciences), are open to all College students, and require no prerequisites. I had an extra spot to fill in my schedule, so I decided to take “The Discovery of Egypt in the Age of European Enlightenment and its Aftermath.” This discussion-style class was only 12 students total! This small class size allowed everyone the opportunity to participate, bring up questions, and introduce their own ideas on the subjects we were studying. It also allowed us to get to know our professor and T.A. very well, and I frequently went to them to discuss the readings, ask for essay advice, and just to learn about their research (archaeological expeditions!). The professor was Dr. Nadine Moeller, a professor of Egyptian Archaeology and the director of the Tell Edfu project, an archaeological excavation of an Ancient Egyptian city in southern Egypt dating back to almost 2500 BCE.

Submitted by Ella D. on Friday, April 6, 2018