An unofficial AU advocate at large, Jason never misses a chance to recount the merits of an Athabasca education. Jason’s studies began alone in front of a rustic rural fireplace in December of 2003 and carried on through various brick and mortar college classrooms yet always with Athabasca as part of his journey. In 2014 he completed his BA in Sociology and in 2022 graduated with an MA in Cultural Studies. To this end, his columns seek to explore edifying moments of learning how to learn within the challenging ideological terrain of that great bugaboo facing students everywhere: the real world!
Ever pissed and missed? Well, who hasn’t? On this score, at least, reality is gender neutral. And as crude and off-colour as this theme is, bear with me and we’ll reveal something sublime about the human condition. To have faith in our goals requires a knowledge of our skills based on past improvements. For most… Read more »
A spectre haunts Valentine’s Day or V-Day: the spectre of fate. Cupid, with much cupidity, seems to decide whether our love is destined for joy or misery, ascendancy or decline. No day of the year encompasses the potential for ecstatic heights or dour doldrums more than February 14th. Relationships are made or broken by what… Read more »
From the mouths of babes enlightened realizations arise. This we know if we’re graced with the presence of youngsters in our life. Consider this exchange between two of my nieces: Niece 1: “Is it tomorrow or today?” Niece 2: “It’s today.” Niece 1: “Oh yeah, it’s always today!” There we have it; today is always… Read more »
Gregarious people can become AU students, but the reality of individualized study tends to speak for itself. Ours is not a social butterfly experience replete with hallways full of chatter and leisurely times lounging with peers in a dormitory. Study for us typically consists of our meek humble selves studiously applying our skills within the… Read more »
Ever study so hard your brain hurts? It’s common, but not everyone talks about it. Maybe that’s because the traditional solution, a brain break, seems obvious. Yet, what if that dull pain behind our eyes is merely our ego deceiving us into thinking that we’re suffering from intolerable mind cramps? As we try and cram… Read more »
This year, why not try finger painting your New Year’s resolutions? While written lists of goals can obscure raw intentions, the tactile nature of hand paint can get us in touch with our primal natures. Multiple senses are stimulated when we paint by touch. As the paint oozes and traces from fingers to paper, and… Read more »
To all the 2020 graduands, congrats! And for the rest of us grads, future and past, let’s rest on our virtual laurels for a moment and consider the conquest that’s been. Many of our peers would shudder to attempt distance education. AU is not for the faint of heart or slack of skill. We learn… Read more »
Winter Solstice 2020: it’s cold, it’s dark, and it’s isolated. As the sun’s light declines to its nadir we might wonder what there even is to celebrate. Like receiving an outstanding course mark by email and then looking around and realizing with a sigh that nothing tangible has changed in our immediate environs, the turning… Read more »
“It’s freezing out there!” We’ve all been that person who bursts in from the cold, accompanied by a bracing gust of frigid air. Greeted by icy stares we slink away to our study corner. Winter is a challenging time for AU students as the indoor biped population increases. More people in the abode can mean… Read more »
A notorious recent exposition of the vicissitudes implied by post-truth culture is Jeff Orlowski’s documentary titled The Social Dilemma. At first blush the show elucidates just how far social media has permeated our culture and our consciousness. Yet, when pressed to describe the problem in words (not only feelings, as would fit the standard definition… Read more »