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!
Interpretation is where we get to participate in our surrounding realm. To zoom in on our research priorities and delve into our thesis topic we must find valid sources and add our unique interpretation. Creativity matters too—no professor much enjoys reading the same tired tropes and allegories over and over. To further creative ends, no… Read more »
Postmodernism, that hall of mirrors whereby relativism takes its place on the mantle of truth largely by batting, like a playful cat, other contenders off of the throne and onto the floor, is a sight to behold. Shattered into their parts by deconstruction and shorn of their clothes, like a goat-bearded emperor donning new apparel,… Read more »
Telephone is a game played by youngsters in the early grades of school and at birthday parties. The object is simple: someone introduces an original phrase, like “I’m proud to be Canadian” and, through whispers and twitters into their neighbour’s ear as they sit in a circle, each participant passes on the little prize, the… Read more »
Spring renewal is here! Now if that phrase meets with a dejected sigh deep in the well of your being you’re not alone. Being cheery while all the world’s springing into foliar and fornicatory glow, can be a tough ask in spring—lightheartedness can be much easier during the darkening decline of autumn as waning life… Read more »
If you’ve ever watched The Bachelor reality television dating series, you know that the key to winning the affections of the belle or beau who is on trial, as it were, is to make the protagonist feel seen. No matter the panoply of accents and ethnicity on offer, the theme of The Bachelor, as with… Read more »
That we all desire life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is core to the ideology of our neighbours to the south. It’s hard to quibble with such a phrase; this simple sentence seems the bedrock of any true democracy founded on the rule of law and an equitable application of equal opportunity for all…. Read more »
Being here on earth, ideally for a good time and not only a brief time, means that the hours we spend doing things by choice matter deeply. For humans, as for all beings, play is core to our socialization and sense of self. The reason for this is arguably quite simple: creatures who succeed at… Read more »
On International Women’s Day (IWD) we pause to appreciate the issues affecting women’s lives and the heartfelt gratitude we appreciate for womanhood. We can never say enough thanks to the woman who birthed us—thanks Mom! Plus, there’s my dear social work professor sister and many friends, both erudite and effusive, possessing uplifting intellectual abilities. And… Read more »
There’s nothing quite like a noisy outburst of protestation: upset voices bursting forth as a rhetorical freshet drenching all in the vicinity with a cold shower of unhappiness. Conflicts trigger us to misery so effectively because there’s unpleasant noise everywhere in society adding to the turmoil of grinding gears within our mind. These inner dialogues… Read more »
A baseline finding of social science is that we are not only independent producers of our consciousness, we’re also literally subjected to reams of external and coercive influences. Even when we imagine another possible world, a better one, our forms of thought come from the prevailing circus of our culture. The raw reality that we… Read more »