National University of Singapore

More people live in cities now than in any other point in history: how does this change human culture and civilizations? Cities tell a story of our world; they are a testament to humankind’s ability to reshape the environment in lasting ways. They reveal how we interact with the environment and with each other. Cities are created in many forms and for many reasons ranging from defense, religion and economic activity. Through case studies this course examines urban history, lived experiences, and how city life has changed over time.

The course explores the connections between sport and history. The course investigates the ways in which history has produced sport. Emphasis is placed upon the ways in which sport has shaped history. This course provides an opportunity to compare societies and cultures as they are reflected in sport and competition. Topics can include pre-industrial forms of sport (in Meso-America, Classical Greece and Medieval Europe, Southeast Asia, and Japan), the impact of industrialization, the emergence of modern team sports, the Olympic movement, Colonialism and Sport, Olympic politics, sport and the American civil rights movement, and sports and globalization.

This course is about learning to recognize and see beyond stereotypes in media by examining cultural icons from Japan's past and present. The course examines samurai, geisha, yakuza, and ninja as they appear in popular culture (film, anime, and manga), and compares them with the historical record. Students gain a richer understanding of the realities behind such icons and are equipped to challenge stereotypes of Japan presented by journalism, popular culture, and the humanistic and social sciences.

This course provides a basic understanding of Malay. Emphasis is on conversational Malay and its practical everyday discourse. To facilitate immersion into the language, students are taught listening, reading, writing, and conversing in basic conversational Malay. The rudiments of Malay grammar are taught where relevant or necessary.

Shakespeare occupies an iconic position in English literature and acquaintance with his plays is expected of the informed reader. This course offers an introduction to a representative range of Shakespeare's works. It approaches them through genre and the informing background of English Renaissance history, culture, and politics. By the end of the course, students have a good understanding of the major themes of Shakespeare’s plays and the milieu within which he wrote and performed.

This course builds an intellectual scaffolding for understanding human anatomy and physiology. The course approaches the subject with an evolutionary and comparative lens so that proximate "how" questions are understood in concert with ultimate "why" questions. Major themes include homeostasis among physiological systems; homology among structures and processes; seeing suboptimal or pathological adaptive solutions as the product of phylogenetic constraints or physiological trade-offs; and human adaptive plasticity in diverse environments. The course pays particular attention to chronic and metabolic pathologies in contemporary urban societies.

This course introduces students to the forging of the Chinese Singaporean community by observing the changes in linguistic data over time. Drawing linguistic data from different aspects of society and entertainment (eg. food, movies, theatre, and so on), the course aims to reveal to students how the Chinese community has evolved from being a community with multiple languages to a single, unified language. Influential professionals in their field of expertise will also share from their personal experience the evolution of the Chinese community, and how the Chinese Singaporean community fits into Singapore’s multiracial society.

This module enhances students' proficiency in the four basic skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing in Vietnamese. Students are exposed to more language functions and a wider range of topics. Through reading formulaic authentic texts, students are introduced to the language in written form as it appears in daily communicative situations to achieve further understanding of the country, its culture, and its people. At the end of this course, students are equipped with a sound foundation of the language to maintain communication on topics relating to their personal and immediate environment.

This course explores the ways that Hollywood has used film form to create a naturalized style and viewing experience. It studies its conventions as well as the variations and deviations that push the envelope or constitute alternative constructions of the realistic. 

This course introduces the use of telescopes and data collection in astronomy. It covers how to set up and competently operate a telescope, how to plan and conduct astronomical observations for scientific purposes, and how to process and analyze astronomical data.