Singapore

This course provides a broad introduction to the social, cultural and historical aspects of Japan. It examines the key aspects of Japanese culture, the central concerns in Japanese society, and the changes and continuities in Japanese history. By engaging with Japan from a variety of topics that are mostly linked together in a coherent whole, students gain a better understanding of the complexity and diversity of Japanese culture and society.

This course explores the relationship between humans and the environment in Japan. The course examines how humans should interact with and treat the environment that sustains us. It considers the topic from a variety of disciplinary perspectives including myths, literature and thought, popular culture, architecture and art, politics, economy, law, environmentalism, and social movements. 

History often serves as the dramatic backdrop for many popular computer games we play today. Yet such historical representations are often riddled with misrepresentations and inaccuracies. This course provides the historical knowledge necessary to build a credible and coherent history based story for video‐games through the lens of some significant periods in European history such as the history of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire until Charlemagne and notable historical figures including Julius Caesar, Constantine the Great, Attila, and Theoderic. The course focuses on some already existing and very successful video‐games, namely the three versions of the Total War video‐game: “Rome: Total War” (2004) “Rome: Total War” (2005), “Attila: Total War” (2015). Through a better understanding of history, students acquire a firmer grasp of the value of historical knowledge and its rich potential for storytelling and the creation of compelling virtual worlds and online experiences.

This course deals with the structure, organization and function of genes and genomes in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes (e.g. DNA topology, hierarchy of packaging of DNA in chromosomes and relationship to gene activity and genome dynamics). The functional roles of DNA regulatory cis-elements and transcription factors involved in gene expression is examined. The molecular events in the control and regulation of transcription; post-transcriptional modifications and RNA processing; temporal and spatial gene expression will be examined in detail. The cause and/or effect of dysfunction of gene expression in diseases is discussed. 

This course explores debates in geography about social issues. It emphasizes the relationship between social identity and social space, and how different places reflect and shape diverse ways of life. The course examines the role of space in the interplay of different social groups (e.g. ethnic groups, men/women), and in relation to different aspects of daily life (e.g. housing, leisure). Its emphasis, however, is on how to think about these issues in different scales/contexts (streets, public spaces, global cities). 

This course is a continuation of Vietnamese 2. Emphasis continues to be on proficiency in all four skills, within selected range of vocabulary and grammar. Students will master language relating to a wider range of daily life situations and will gain flexibility in their language use. Readings include short selections from media and literature sources such as short stories, poems, announcements, reports and other short, topic-specific pieces.

This course focuses on key figures and aspects of contemporary performance as a means of learning about innovative approaches to theatre practice. Taking the works of a significant dramatist, director, theorist or theatre/performance genre as their starting point, it investigates the resulting aesthetic and conceptual innovations, and explores their implications for current approaches to performance making more generally. As such, the course combines creative and critical practice, and features a variety of reflective, analytical and practical assessment tasks, including a group performance project.

This interdisciplinary course explores the diversity of the visual and performing arts in Southeast Asia, including ancient temple art, living traditional art (such as textiles, puppets, weapons, painting, theatre, and music), as well as modern and contemporary art. The focus is on understanding the arts as they are experienced in local contexts; and on change, cross-cultural inspirations, and global flows, in the past and today. In tutorials, students learn to play traditional music. On an overseas fieldtrip, students explore the arts in a particular area and interact with artists.

This course analyzes the economic development experiences of the ASEAN economies in post-war years with emphasis on the role of ASEAN economic cooperation. Major topics covered include agricultural and rural development, industrialisation, international trade, resource transfers, development of local capital, ASEAN's international economic relations and future prospects for ASEAN growth and economic cooperation.

This course provides a study of how Chinese people conducted business activities in late imperial China and its impact on intellectual, literary, religious, and material culture, as well as gender politics of that period.