Columns

The Study Dude—Body Language

Learning body language could be the best thing you do.  You’ll chum up with supervisors and students.  You’ll win over bosses and colleagues.  And one day that body language will secure you your dream job. I bomb at nonverbal language.  During interviews, I shrivel, almost disappearing.  My shoulders hunch.  My hands cover my lap.  My… Read more »

Course Exam—ARCH 200

ARCH 200 (History of Ideas in Architecture 1) is a three-credit introductory architecture history course that is intended for students who are enrolled in the BSc (Architecture) program at the RAIC Centre (Royal Architectural Institute of Canada) for Architecture at Athabasca University.  Throughout this course, students will examine the principles and ideas that shaped architecture… Read more »

Dear Barb—The Ties that Don’t Bind

Dear Barb: My adult son has cut off all ties with me and I am devastated! Since his dad and I divorced my son and I have always had issues.  There seems to be a tension between us, almost like he is blaming me for the divorce.  I did make the choice to leave the… Read more »

The Fit Student—Detox!

At the summer fair, do Those Little Donuts give you sour-burps?  Do Big Macs offer a healthy way to gain muscle mass?  Does cola leave you knowing more about your dentist’s history than your father’s?  If so, detox! Western lifestyle spews toxins.  We rely on toxins to clean our houses, to freshen our armpits, to… Read more »

The Not-So Starving Student—Eating Clean in Two Simple Steps

One of the common responses when I reveal to others that I’m on a Mediterranean diet is, “but you’re so skinny.” I roll my eyes slightly because the notion of “dieting” is so heavily associated with weight loss and body dysmorphism: an obsession with maintaining a particular physical image of ourselves.  But what about dieting… Read more »

The Study Dude—Cures for Procrastination

Time to procrastinate by taking a glimpse at The Voice?  Well, fill up on our goods news to learn tricks to stop procrastination.  One great tool for toppling the put-it-off woes lies in timers. My boyfriend has an uncanny sense of time.  He doesn’t need a watch to know the time.  He even guesses women’s… Read more »

Dear Barb—Reunion Reciprocation

Dear Barb: I grew up in a somewhat dysfunctional family. My parents divorced when we were all quite young, and the divorce was angry and bitter. This bitterness became a part of our household and our relationships with each other.  As soon as we were able to we left home and rarely spoke to each… Read more »

The Study Dude—Star Students Squeeze in Fun

Did you bomb at school because you danced the boogie-woogie?  Camped instead of crammed?  And sipped lattes instead of studied periodic tables?  And, why not?  After all, top students can squeeze in fun. Sadly, I squeezed in too much fun.  But not during my undergrad.  During my undergrad, I took three measly classes a semester. … Read more »

The Not-So Starving Student

Regardless of where you hail from, there’s bound to be a stuffed-pocket type of food item on the menu. In the simplest terms dumplings are dough wrapped around a delicious filling. While the first images of dumplings that come to mind might be Asian, dumpling dishes exist around the world in all shapes, flavors and… Read more »

The Fit Student—How to Get a Batman Bod

There’s a way to get a Batman or Cat Woman bod in no time: pluck a local waitress out of one of the busiest lounges, or a knuckle dragger from a weightlifting gym, then just suit them up.  But better yet, knuckle down yourself—with high intensity interval training. Once, I had a Batman bod.  It… Read more »