Profs in Commons

Since 2016, the Chapman Learning Commons has hosted Profs in Commons, embedding professors’ office hours in the Learning Lounge on level 3 of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. Regardless of the classes they are teaching, our Profs-in-Commons welcome students from any discipline to stop by!

For questions about the Profs in Commons program, please contact Lisa Popplewell (Learning Commons Coordinator).

Office Hours

Learning Lounge | Level 3 | IKBLC

  • 09:00
  • 09:30
  • 10:00
  • 10:30
  • 11:00
  • 11:30
  • 12:00
  • 12:30
  • 13:00
  • 13:30
  • 14:00
  • 14:30
  • 15:00
  • 15:30
  • 16:00
  • 16:30
  • 17:00
  • 17:30
  • Monday
    • Dr. Dennis Foung WRDS 150
    • Dr. Laila Ferreira WRDS 150
  • Tuesday
    • Dr. Neil Armitage SOCI 224, 240, & 466
  • Wednesday
    • Dr. Chelsea Freeborn FMST 210, 312, 441
    • Dr. Kathy Greaves FMST 210 & 316
    • Dr. Laila Ferreira WRDS 150
  • Thursday
    • Dr. Kathy Greaves FMST 210 & 316
    • Dr. Neil Armitage SOCI 224, 240, & 466
  • Friday
    • Dr. Chelsea Freeborn FMST 210, 312, 441
    • Dr. Katja Thieme WRDS 150
  • Current Profs-in-Commons

    Dr. Chelsea Freeborn

    I am a Lecturer in the Family Studies program, which is housed in the Department of Sociology. I am a fairly recent arrival to Vancouver and UBC, having lived and worked previously in Edmonton. It is there I received a PhD in Human Ecology (Child, Youth and Family Science) from the University of Alberta. I also instructed for a number of years in Edmonton at MacEwan University in the Bachelor of Early Childhood Curriculum Studies program (communication and family streams). I’m very inspired to connect with students in a meaningful way that supports their success and deeper understanding of courses and their material. When not working, I enjoy listening to music (ideally outdoors), going for nature walks, and spending time with the important humans and animals in my life (including two labradoodles). 

    Dr. Neil Armitage

    After dropping out of two universities in the space of three years, both in the first year, got the message that engineering and university was probably not for me. It was with some anxiety then, not only my own, but of friends long graduated, and family, when I stopped working to return to university a decade later. My main concern this time, was not struggling to see myself as an engineer, but would I be able to study Sociology in Swedish. I had lived in the Sweden for five years and achieved the language proficiency to attend university, and I was determined not to drop out again. In my first year I would start reading textbooks a week before the start of classes. The readings were tough. However, I recalled all the times I had overcome similar steps in learning Swedish. In my first year I cared about only one grade – pass. I asked professors questions both inside and outside of class, I made friends to study and play with, and my grades improved and the rest is history so to speak. Third time lucky! I returned to the UK for graduate school where I researched youth transitions, the ways in which young people make their way from education to work, or from education to work and back to education. It was something I already knew and had thought quite a bit about.

    Dr. Kathy Greaves

    I am a Lecturer in the Family Studies minor which is part of the Department of Sociology. This year, I am teaching FMST 210: Family Context of Human Development and FMST 316: Human Sexuality. I received my PhD in Human Development and Family Studies from Oregon State University (OSU) where I remained as an Instructor for 18 years. While at OSU, I typically taught introduction to families and human sexuality courses with enrollments from 400-600, resulting in an estimated 45,000 students who took my courses. Cultivating personal growth in students is the central tenet to my teaching. I hope that their experiences in my courses help them to have a better understanding of themselves as individuals as well as facilitate successful and satisfying intimate and familial relationships.

    Dr. Katja Thieme

    I have an M.A. in art history from Universität Leipzig, Germany, an M.A. in English from UBC, and a Ph.D. in English language studies from UBC. I have also studied at Carleton University in Ottawa.

    My research interests include genre theory, forms of public address in social and political movements in Canada, discourse analysis of research writing, as well as late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Canadian literature.

    Dr. Dennis Foung

    I am a lecturer at the School of Journalism, Writing and Media (JWAM) and mainly teach WRDS 150B. I “enjoy” doing degrees and hold a number of academic qualifications in the fields of adult education, language education, language studies, human resource management and development, and data science.

    Prior to joining JWAM, I was a member of the Learning Analytics team at the UBC’s Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Technology. I also taught academic literacy for more than 15 years in Hong Kong and Canada. I have a keen interest in big data research.

    Dr. Laila Ferreira

    I am an Assistant Professor of Teaching in the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media (JWAM) with a particular focus on writing studies and the teaching of academic research, writing, and communication. I have participated in cross-campus initiatives related to the first-year experience, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), decolonizing and internationalizing the curriculum, and inclusive teaching and course design for a diverse student body.

    As a queer cis-gender woman and first-generation university graduate, I am a co-researcher on studies that address the learning experiences of students from historically, systemically, and persistently marginalized communities in the academic research and writing classroom. My current activities include a co-authored paper on the language of gender in research writing on facial recognition software and a project on establishing the characteristics of inclusive teaching of writing that promises pedagogical strategies and resources for the inclusive teaching of writing across all disciplines at UBC. I am also a creative writer and avid reader of fashion history and historical fiction.

    Dr. Jonathan Graves

    I teach intermediate and senior undergraduate courses here at the VSE, focusing on how we can use economic intuition, modelling, and data analysis to understand the world around us. My pedagogical research includes developing undergraduate researchers, experiential learning, community-engaged learning, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. My economic research areas include applied microeconomics, and industrial organization.

    Other Resources

    Map

    Stop by Profs-in-Commons to engage with TAs, student leaders, and professors outside the classroom setting to engage in interdisciplinary dialogue or to get learning support!

    The Profs-in-Commons’ host their office hours in the Learning Lounge, located on Level 3 of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.

    Profs-in-Commons’ University Experiences

    Interviews by CLC Assistants, 2019.

    Dr. Neil Armitage: After dropping out of two universities in the space of three years, both in the first year, got the message that engineering and university was probably not for me. It was with some anxiety then, not only my own, but of friends long graduated, and family, when I stopped working to return to university a decade later. My main concern this time, was not struggling to see myself as an engineer, but would I be able to study Sociology in Swedish. I had lived in the Sweden for five years and achieved the language proficiency to attend university, and I was determined not to drop out again. In my first year I would start reading textbooks a week before the start of classes. The readings were tough. However, I recalled all the times I had overcome similar steps in learning Swedish. In my first year I cared about only one grade - pass. I asked professors questions both inside and outside of class, I made friends to study and play with, and my grades improved and the rest is history so to speak. Third time lucky! I returned to the UK for graduate school where I researched youth transitions, the ways in which young people make their way from education to work, or from education to work and back to education. It was something I already knew and had thought quite a bit about. 


Dr. Steven Wolfman: I got lucky, sort of, in my undergraduate days. I rarely struggled. Unfortunately, the one course I really struggled in (thermodynamics) caused me to give up on physics rather than learn that struggling is OK. It wasn't until graduate school that I realized pushing through was the way to learn and to succeed. That culminated in my dissertation, which took me months of scheduled time, every day, getting just a little more done even when the whole task looked insurmountable. When I handed it in, I could hardly believe it was me, grinding away one word at a time, that had put that work together. 


Check Prof in Commons for more information.
    Dr. Pamela Kalas: One of the most common questions that I get from undergraduates at UBC is, "Did you always know that you wanted o be a biology instructor?”. Absolutely not. In high-school, I
slowly discovered that math and physics were very tedious. My favorite classes were
chemistry and philosophy, I somewhat enjoyed biology. So, how did I end up studying
biology? I used the "book test” strategy described in Francis Crick's book. I made a list of
my recent favorite books and found evolutionary biology, as the common theme. During
undergrad, I really enjoyed molecular biology, genetics and, surprisingly, lab work. This led me to do a Master's in molecular developmental genetics lab and a PhD in genetics. Through several incredible strikes of luck, and no shame in persistently knocking on doors, I ended up an instructor right here at UBC. I still feel very much like a student, as my current field of work is not what I was formally trained in and I occassionally take classes relevant to my work (with assignments, midterms and finals) 


When | was an undergrad, | loved physics but found it challenging and ended up majoring
in Biology. My first year prof, Dr. Al Slavin and | connected over social justice activism but |
didnt grasp the physics content easly or intuitively. So | plucked up the courage to talk to
Dr. Al Slavin and found him amazingly helpful. Even though it was a large class, he was happy to meet with me. He later told me that this was a very important part of his teaching direct connections with students. I've never forgotten him and some of the basic concepts

Dr. Farah Shroff he taught | have kept in touch with Dr. Siavin over all hese years and consider him and his Profs-in-Commons'
Spouse, Linda, dear fiends. | am so glad tha | was able to muster the courage to speak Fos :
wih him. and that he responded so posiively. gy University Experiences

    Videos

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