Brown Studies
One common thread that unites Browns is our passion for learning and knowledge. Below you'll find a snapshot of the things that captivate us.
Jeryn Lekar
What area of study/learning interests you the most?
Political science!
How did you first discover or become interested in this subject?
I grew up I guess.
Karaelyn Midorie
What area of study/learning interests you the most?
Linguistics
How did you first discover or become interested in this subject?
For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in the grammatical side of language arts. I would sit on the school bus, pondering the etymology of words like happy, happen, and perhaps, for example. Before college, such topics were lumped together with reading and creative writing (which I enjoy, but don't enjoy studying) under "English class." Fortunately, when my friends and I were signing up for classes for our 2nd semester of college, one of them found a class that looked interesting - Intro to Linguistics - and asked me to take it with him. He was not pleased when I aced it and he only got a B! That was how I discovered that all the fascinating aspects of language fall under a single educational category, with none of the fluff that would have gone along with "English Major." Sadly, that school didn't offer a major in Linguistics, so maybe I will eventually go back to school elsewhere and graduate...
What is the one tidbit of information you wish everyone knew?
The one tidbit I wish everyone knew is that I don't like to be called "Steph." I understand the appeal of brevity and informality, but I like my whole name. Hopefully this tidbit wasn't supposed to be related to the previous two questions in any way, because it clearly isn't.
Editor's Note: the tidbit absolutely didn't have to be related to the previous questions. :)
Narysse a'Jahar
What area of study/learning interests you the most?
Medieval Wales in what I call the Magna Carta period (1180ish to around 1300).
How did you first discover or become interested in this subject?
I discovered in 8th grade that I'm a direct descendant of a certain Welsh prince (all right, a ta'veren who's rarely known today outside Wales) who was among those lords who forced John to sign the Magna Carta. Then in grad school I did some papers on the clauses in the Magna Carta that directly discuss the situation in Wales at the time.
What is the one tidbit of information you wish everyone knew?
Just how important this period is to Western history. The Robin Hood legend was fully realized during this period, the Arthurian legend became what we know today as the classic King Arthur tale, and not one person outside the field of study realizes it can all be traced back to that Welsh prince!
Nethanel al'Tere
What area of study/learning interests you the most?
Way too many to really list out. I've spent entire nights jumping from wikipedia page to wikipedia page. One I'm passionate about is energy generation and consumption (it's the field I work in).
How did you first discover or become interested in this subject?
Work.
What is the one tidbit of information you wish everyone knew?
Wind power is really kind of a dud unless you live in one of the few areas of the world where you get consistent winds that are in the "Goldilocks Zone." Oh, and coal plants aren't bad, it's old coal plants that are bad.
