National University of Singapore

This course introduces some of the basic concepts, methods, and models in economics, and provides a study of current economic issues in our everyday lives.

This course is a continuation of MA1101 Linear Algebra I. The course presents more advanced topics and concepts in linear algebra. A key difference from MA1101 is that there is a greater emphasis on conceptual understanding and proof techniques than on computations. Major topics: matrices over a field; determinant; vector spaces; subspaces; linear independence; basis and dimension; linear transformations; range and kernel; isomorphism; coordinates; representation of linear transformations by matrices; change of basis; eigenvalues and eigenvectors; diagonalizable linear operators; Cayley-Hamilton Theorem; minimal polynomial; Jordan canonical form; inner product spaces; Cauchy-Schwartz inequality; orthonormal basis; Gram-Schmidt Process; orthogonal complement; orthogonal projections; best approximation; adjoint of a linear operator; normal and self-adjoint operators; orthogonal and unitary operators.

This course presents the study of intermediate piano repertoire and application of harmony at the keyboard. Students learn various important keyboard skills and techniques that enhance their understanding of and experience in making music. Such skills include harmonization, transposition, figured bass, improvisation, piano techniques, score reading, musical interpretation, solo and ensemble playing.

This course explores the complex relationships underlying Chinese music, language and literature. It focuses on Chinese music from the perspective of popular music produced in the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. These four economies have developed different strands of popular music in Mandarin and various Chinese dialects, due to different linguistic and ideological environments. Students will learn how Chinese popular music draws upon the aesthetics of Chinese literature and traditional Chinese music, and how the music has hybridised influences from foreign musical genres, thus expressing different versions of “Chineseness”.

This course introduces the art of Thai painting and drawing through an analysis of both scholarly texts and hands‐on sessions. The course provides visual journey through all the major periods of Thai classical art. Emphasis is also be placed on regional and folk styles of painting as well as with new forms of traditional art. The course focuses primarily on the Rama 3 style of Thai painting as developed in nineteenth century Bangkok and which has become the most common form of Thai classical art seen in the country today. Students enrolled in the class will be taught not only how to appreciate traditional Thai painting but also how to draw, create compositions, and critique art works.

Geography increasingly relies on empirical data to understand social and environmental phenomena. This course builds a foundation for applied data analysis, emphasizing the fundamental data science tasks of wrangling, visualization, and analysis. Each of these tasks requires an understanding of quantitative approaches to generate and evaluate hypotheses. The course also covers essential concepts in statistics including expectation, hypothesis testing, and regression. By the end of the course, students will have a strong foundation to analyze multivariate data and communicate findings using open-source programming tools.

This course analyzes Singapore's outlook towards the world with particular reference to countries in the West and Asia. It examines the following key issues affecting Singapore's foreign policy problems of a small state, factors influencing the worldview, the key foreign policy principles and precepts, the operationalization of relations towards different countries; and the key differences in outlook towards the world in the Cold War and post-Cold War periods. 

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is the process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made. The objective of EIA is to ensure that decision-makers consider environmental impacts before deciding whether to proceed with new projects. This course introduces the concept of EIA, its historical evolution, and the terminologies that are used worldwide. Topics include the organizational aspects of EIA, the EIA framework and the procedural methods to conduct an EIA, with special emphasis on water and water related issues. 

This course offers students a chance to play and perform music from different cultures. The focus of the course will change from semester to semester allowing students a chance to participate in different traditional music each term.

This course explores different aspects and contexts of Chinese communication. The various contexts of Chinese communication include advertising, business, the press, social communication, regional usages, pop culture, translations, meaning of Chinese names, codeswitching and the use of Chinese dialects.