English

It is generally assumed that language, culture, and our way of thinking are related. The relation, which is often called the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis or linguistic relativity, has been the subject of serious philosophical, anthropological and scientific inquiry. Taking advantage of the extensive bilingualism in Singapore, this course selects a few salient grammatical features and critically examines them within the broader cultural and/or cognitive contexts. Topics discussed include pluralisation, classifier, tense and aspect, kinship, polysemy, metaphor and bilingual acquisition. Issues related to translation are also discussed.

The course provides understanding and knowledge about the behavior of advanced timber structures, tools for modeling and design, and the ability to weigh the pros and cons of different structural systems. The course includes the following parts: timber structures multi-story buildings and structures with a long span; instability of members (lateral torsional buckling of beams); straight and curved members; holes and notches in beams; cross-laminated timber; bracing of structures; design of details; connections for timber structures including dowel-type joints and glued joints; learning from failures; frames, arches, and cable structures; and the ability to independently approach, solve, and present one's work. 

This course provides an introduction to health psychology. Topics covered include research methods in health psychology, health behavior and promotion, stress, coping, social support, patient-practitioner relations, pain, adjustment to chronic illness, and death and dying.

This course provides a broad, up-to-date introduction to the economic analysis of public policy issues. Drawing on microeconomic theory, the course focuses on the development of analytical tools and their application to key policy issues relating to the spending, taxing, and financing activities of Government. Particular emphasis is given to recent developments in public economics, including findings from current research, in areas such as behavioral public economics, new empirical methods, and policy innovations.

This course provides students with a comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of the key macroeconomic forces shaping the global economy today. The course discusses how long-term growth, globalization, financial integration, and climate change interact in shaping economic outcomes across countries and over time. The course combines economic theory with real-world data, case studies, and contemporary policy challenges to equip students with the analytical tools needed to interpret global macroeconomic dynamics and assess their implications for business, policy, and society. The course is structures in 4 core pillars: 1) Economic Growth and Development; 2) International Trade and Globalization; 3) Global Finance and Crises; 4) Economics and Climate Change. Prerequisites: Knowledge of the concepts covered in introductory undergraduate macroeconomic and microeconomic courses is highly recommended. 

The course introduces fluvial (river), estuarine, and coastal environments from a geomorphic systems perspective. Geomorphology is the study of landforms, and the materials and processes involved in landform formation and change. The principal geomorphological focus of this study is the river catchment, which includes valley hillslopes, river floodplains, and river channels themselves. The course also considers links to transitional waters (e.g. estuaries) and geomorphic process environments found in the coastal zone. Students learn about the key themes and approaches employed by geomorphologists to understand these settings, and they gain an understanding of the variety of landforms found in a range of catchment and coastal settings.