Linda Harwood
School Chair, Instructor, English in School of University Arts and Sciences
Credentials:BA (Honours) (UBC), MA (SFU), English
Room A-25
Direct: 250.365.1394
Tel: 1.888.953.1133 Ext. 394
Bio
After graduating with a Liberal Arts and Sciences diploma from Selkirk College in 1986, Linda went on to receive her Bachelor of Arts degree (Honours) from UBC and her Master's degree (English) from SFU. An avid musician and songwriter, Linda also enjoys tennis, golfing, swimming, and skiing. The recipient of two SCOPE Awards for Professional Excellence, today, Linda can be found teaching English at our Castlegar Campus.
Selkirk College is a sturdy stepping stone to university degrees and careers, and I am very grateful and proud to contribute as a college professor to my beautiful communities in the West Kootenays and beyond.
Publications
- Two chapters on technical writing in Landing Page Optimization for Dummies, Sept. 2009
- MA Thesis on Frankenstein (housed in SFU's library)
Hobbies and Interests
- Educational technology and IT
- Wii and PS3 online games
- Swimming, skiing, tennis, golf
- Piano, drums, and music composition
Memorable Moment at Selkirk College
There have been so many memorable moments teaching first- and second-year English and technical writing and communications courses since 1993, but the one that comes to mind first is when one particularly gifted student felt so overwhelmed in her first semester of college that she was ready to just give up and quit. When she told me this, I felt shocked, but shocked into immediate action.
We talked at length before I discovered the source of the problem -- debilitating anxiety caused by having to write college-level papers, and one was due in just a few days. I went over what she already knew about writing, showed her how college writing generally differs from high school writing and why, and then walked her down to the computer lab and actually typed as she spoke about her subject. This started her draft and she ended up finishing her essay on her own and on time.
Three years later, this student who ended up graduating from UBC with a BA in English, told me how this was a defining moment in her life, and that made me feel good and grateful for the opportunity to help bring out the best in someone so talented. From this and many other similar experiences, I derive much of my professional purpose.
