South & SE Asian Studies

This course aims to interrogate core concepts in the humanities and social sciences through the lens of India’s most powerful film industry. Through an exploration of selected films, students will think critically and creatively about key cultural, social and political themes originating in the subcontinent. They will analyze important developments in India and the diaspora through the study of Bollywood cinema. The course will thus facilitate a nuanced understanding of the relationship between text and context, with a focus on Bollywood.

This course examines the daily life of Chinese Singaporeans during the late 19th to 20th centuries, focusing on their cultural expressions and social actions, revolving around eight geo‐cultural sites, namely, Singapore River, Chinatown, Chinese temples, clan associations, opera stages, amusement parks, hawker centers, and streets/roads. Students compare the past and present of these sites through oral history and fieldwork observation.

This course is designed for students wishing to clarify and advance their career goals through an 8-week internship in Thailand. It provides a structured learning environment to help students make the most of their internship experience. While there are no regularly scheduled class meetings, internships are conducted under the close academic supervision of the School of Global Studies at Thammasat University. An assigned internship coordinator provides oversight and guidance for the duration of the internship. The course requires a minimum of 288 total work hours. 

The course is designed to prepare students for leadership in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse workforce. Throughout the course, students are challenged to question, think, and respond thoughtfully to the issues they observe and encounter in the internship setting, and the designated city in general. Students have the opportunity to cultivate the leadership skills as defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), such as critical thinking, teamwork, and diversity. Assignments focus on building a portfolio that highlights those competencies and their application to workplace skills. The hybrid nature of the course allows students to develop their skills in a self-paced environment with face-to-face meetings and check-ins to frame their intercultural internship experience. Students complete 45 hours of in-person and asynchronous online learning activities and 225-300 hours at their internship placement.

This course examines Korean culture and its current societal issues. It looks at Korea’s path to its recent success and developments from the historical, socioeconomic, and cultural perspectives. Topics covered include the top-down economic development until the 1980s, transfer from authoritarian to democratic governments, post-industrial innovative strategies including technology, entertainment, and tourism, and continuing geopolitical tensions with North Korea and neighbouring superpowers.

This course examines a number of areas in Singapore's domestic politics. Topics include key determinants of Singapore's politics, key structural-functional aspects of Singapore's domestic politics, the extent to which nation building has taken place in Singapore, and the key challenges facing Singapore and its future domestic politics. The course also studies issues related to nation building, state-society relations, and the likely nature of future developments and challenges.