MUSI 268 / HUMN 268 (Classical Music: A Historical Introduction) is a three-credit introductory music course that aims to review the fundamental elements of music as art in Western civilization. Students will first get a good grasp of the key elements of music. It is important to become comfortable with the meaning and use of… Read more »

Dear Barb: I am the oldest of three; my two younger brothers are away at university.  Last week they returned for Mother’s Day, but one of my brothers refused to see or celebrate Mother’s Day with my mom.  My mom and him have had issues for a long time, but now he doesn’t want to… Read more »

“Baby your mind is a radio Got a receiver inside my head Baby I’m tuned to your wavelength Lemme tell you what it says: Transmitter! Oh! Picking up something good Hey, radio head! The sound…of a brand-new world” -Talking Heads, ‘Radio Head’ There is a thing every good deejay understands: putting together a great mix… Read more »

The meaning of life: what can that mean? Possible answers run the gamut of human thought and experience.  Meaning is both personal and general; each of us has our own private mission statement whether we think of it that way or not and invariably there will be affinities between ours and others.  As AU students,… Read more »

Do you want to tip into health-nut status?  No shame in that label.  But do one better and claim the status of health coconut.  Now, that’s a tasty way to shine your skin, teeth, and hair. I use coconut oil throughout the day.  With coconut oil, you can “condition your hair … hydrat[e] your skin… Read more »

Last week, I raved about the desserts I sampled from my latest trip to Vancouver.  However, it wasn’t enough that I boast about the mouth-watering sweets the city had to offer, because the Vancouver food scene also offers irresistible comfort food from all over the world. Food that I couldn’t wait to share with my… Read more »

Your thoughts can snatch you a PhD—and win you a Nobel prize.  Don’t believe me?  According to Dr. Caroline Leaf, “We can use our thoughts to improve our overall intellect, cognitive performance, and mental and physical well-being” (p.  19 of 321, 5%).  And your thoughts can take you from F student to Einstein. But how?… Read more »

CMNS 301 (Communication Theory and Analysis) is a three-credit communication studies course that is intended to provide students with a grounding in the field of communication studies, a relatively new interdisciplinary field that draws many of its theoretical ideas about human communication from psychology, sociology, cultural studies, linguistics, philosophy, and literary studies.  The course focuses… Read more »

Dear Barb: Recently I prepared a large meal for eight people.  The day before the dinner one of the couples cancelled and then on the day of two more people cancelled.  Aside from the fact that I had spent days planning and preparing this meal, I ended up with a lot of leftovers, which I… Read more »

I am seven years old, and hiding in my basement bedroom, waiting for my father’s anger to subside.  He’s in the kitchen above me, hurling pots, pans, plates at the wall.  It’s not my first rodeo, as they say.  I know it will pass, like a wild thunderstorm.  With luck, all it will do is… Read more »