POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION COURSES:

Geography 1191 (SFU) Introduction to Human Geography

This course provided an introduction to the relationship between physical and human geography.  It developed my understanding of why people choose to live in a certain environment, and what adjustments they make in order to thrive and succeed.  I studied how certain groups and cultures developed their natural resources for economic, cultural, and religious reasons, and how environmental changes affected the availability of these resources.  I also learned how human activity can impact the environment in positive and negative ways.

ENGL 4241 Modern British Fiction

This course examined material from the early twentieth century to the present day, such as Sons and Lovers (D.H. Lawrence), To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf), White Teeth (Zadie Smith), and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (James Joyce). Some of the learning goals were to successfully complete close critical readings and analysis of the texts, as well as communicate responses to the novels.  We were expected to be able to indicate changes in the styles of British fictions over time. I found the material fascinating and quite different from my other English courses that focussed on works from Chaucer, Milton, Wordsworth, and Jane Austen.

Below is a sample of one of my four assignments:

English4241_Assignment2_DonriHelmer_T00599672_02012019.finaledit_Marked

ENGL 4351 Modern American Fiction

The material in this course studied American authors who published works between 1920 and 1980.  As with the British Fiction course, we analyzed characters and performed close critical readings of the material. These short stories and novels examined connections between American literature and society, for which we provided evidence for in our assignments. A few of the texts provided haunting yet enlightening concepts of American society during this era.  Some of the most striking titles were The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath), The Bluest Eye (Toni Morrison), and The Yellow Wallpaper, one of my favourites! (Charlotte Perkins Gilman).

Below is a sample of one of my assignments:

English 4351_Assignment3_Donri Helmer_T00599672_2019Mar18.finaledit

 

EDEF 3100 History of Education

This course is taught as part of the TRU Bachelor of Education program and concentrates on the “relationship between schools and society over time” (TRU 2019). As teacher candidates, we discussed issues of how race, ethnicity, gender, social class, and geography are handled in various schools setting over the course of history. We also studied the various roles that schools have played in society and how different education theories influenced teaching practices in other cultures. I gained a deeper understanding of how society can educate toward reconciliation with the First Nations when I wrote my final assignment for this course. A link to this paper is listed below:

HELMER, Donri_EDEF Final Assignment_ Cohort 1

 

EDEF 3200 Theoretical Frameworks of Education

This is the second Frameworks course in the TRU Education program.  Its goal was to secure our deeper understanding of the role that beliefs and practices play in the context of teaching. We were required to examine our personal beliefs and develop a teaching philosophy. The course also covered many current issues presently occurring within our education systems, such as sexuality, ethnicity, gender, and race. We discussed the diverse global perspectives and how other cultures prioritize education.

My personal teaching philosophy is located in this e-portfolio, and my group PowerPoint project will be discussed in my GiveBack portion of this course.

 

GEOG 3991 Global Climate Change and Regional Impacts

This course developed the physical-human geographical relationship into a more advanced realm, relating human actions to global climate change. Socio-economic, scientific, and political perspectives were considered and developed throughout the course, providing an opportunity for me to apply critical thinking to these topics. One of my favourite essays was on the topic of ocean acidification and its potential impact on the shell-forming organisms, specifically, Staghorn corals. I discussed the effects of excess carbon dioxide in our oceans since the beginning of the industrial era.

ASSIGNMENTS:

Geography 3991_Assignment1_DonriHelmer_T00599672.finaledit

GEOG 3991_Assignment2_DonriHelmer_T00599672_10April2019.finaledit-5

GEOG 3991_Assignment3_DonriHelmer_T00599672_2019April14.finaledit

GEOG 3991_Assignment4_DonriHelmer_T00599672_2019April16.finaledit

Geography 3991_Final Project Submission_Donri Helmer_T00599672_2019 April 27.finaledit-2

 

TOTAL POINTS CLAIMED FOR THIS SECTION: 5