National University of Singapore

Logic is the study of valid argument. Each logical system puts forward its own definition of validity, which purports to approximate our informal notion. This course provides an introduction to classical logic. The first half of the course focuses on propositional logic, and the second half on first-order predicate logic, a natural development of the former.

This course examines policies and programs dealing with ethnic relations based on the experiences of Singapore and Malaysia. It focuses on how these much talked about and debated policies, impact or affect the Malays in particular, who constitute a numerical minority in Singapore, but form the majority in Malaysia. The course examines major socio‐historical factors conditioning these policies and programs and the processes by which they are materialized from the period of British colonialism to the present. How these efforts bear upon nation building and national integration is explored.

This course provides instruction and practice in writing for the mass media, including the Internet. It explores similarities and differences in writing styles for all mass media and for professions in journalism, public affairs, public relations, advertising, and telecommunications. The course emphasizes accuracy, responsibility, clarity, and style in presenting information through the various mass communication channels. It surveys communication theories of various professions that communicate via mass media, establishing the basis for advanced studies in writing and communication.

This course introduces the basics of financial mathematics. Topics include basic mathematical theory of interest, term structure of interest rates, fixed income securities, risk aversion, basic utility theory, single-period portfolio optimization, basic option theory. Mathematical rigor is emphasized. 

This course explains human behavior through the lens of economists using economic reasoning to answer questions as diverse as the following: Why would your teacher cheat? Which factors cause crime rates to go down? Why do countries fail sometimes? The course uses texts that popularize economic concepts to illustrate how different social phenomena can be understood by applying the tools of economic analysis. However, the course also discusses possible limitations of the economic approach to social issues. This course reviews, challenges, and debates on firmly established ideas about the world, society, and ourselves.

This course presents a broad overview of international political economy (IPE). It introduces the main theoretical approaches, concepts and substantive issues in the IPE field. Students examine the relationship between power and wealth and the interplay of economics and politics in the world arena. After a critical evaluation of major theoretical perspectives on IPE, this course examines the politics in some core issue areas, such as economic interdependence, international division of labor, international trade, multinational corporations, regional cooperation, and North-South relations.