Countdown to #DiscoverFASS@CHS 2023
An experiential view of the many programmes and activities available through FASS that help you to discover your life's mission and develop your own career paths. Click on Masterclasses & Engagement below to start your journey.
#DiscoverFASS@CHS 2023: FASSx Masterclasses and Engagement
Mr Jonathan Y.H. Sim is a Lecturer in NUS Philosophy, where he teaches Chinese philosophy and the Philosophy of Computing and Data Analytics to both undergraduates and working professionals. He also teaches philosophy to the elderly as part of a collaboration between NUS and the National Silver Academy. A recipient of FASS’ Faculty Teaching Excellence Award in 2019 and 2021, Mr Sim has a special interest in crossing disciplinary boundaries in search of new insights to address age-old problems.
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Dr Clay Eaton is a faculty member at the Department of Japanese Studies of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and has among his focus research and teaching areas the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, and the social and political effects of Japanese Imperial Policy in Southeast Asia.
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Dr Jennifer Estes is a cultural anthropologist whose research focuses on how changes in Cambodia’s political economy shape the daily lives of youth and their families. Drawing on long-term ethnographic fieldwork in a rural community, she examines transformations in intergenerational relations and social reproduction, processes of subject formation, and discourses of economic critique. She holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Meet Our Departments
Step up to the key Faculty and student representatives of every FASS Department and major programme in their assigned rooms and ask them specific questions about the requirements, content and value of the programmes they offer. See floor plan below.
Event Location
Shaw Foundation Alumni HouseÂ
11 Kent Ridge Dr
Singapore 119244
Experience #DiscoverFASS Masterclasses Here!
The following FASSx Masterclasses will be on display at DiscoverFASS.
| Making the Strange Familiar and the Familiar Strange: An Introduction to Anthropology Speaker: Dr Jennifer Estes  |
How do we make sense of the world around us? How are our opportunities as individuals shaped by the ways power is distributed? Anthropology explores these big questions by closely examining the lives of people around the globe. In doing so, anthropology reveals how many of our commonly held beliefs and behaviors are neither universal nor natural. In short, anthropology helps us see the world differently and better understand one another. In this talk, we will explore the focus, methods, and significance of anthropology, as well as what we mean by "culture," one of the discipline's central ideas. |
| The Role of the Humanities and Social Sciences in Humanising Technological Disruptions Speaker: Mr Jonathan Sim  |
In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, technological advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, big data, robotics, and social media are transforming the world as we know it. These disruptions have far-reaching implications, and they are already transforming the way we work, communicate, interact, and form relationships with each other: leaving many to wonder what the future has in store for us? Join us in this thought-provoking discussion as we explore the societal and ethical implications of these technological disruptions, and explore the seemingly paradoxical nature of technology – how it increases efficiency and connectivity with people, and yet heighten our feelings of social anxieties and isolation at the same time. We will discuss the critical role of the humanities and social sciences to question the technological methods and assumptions, and offer new ways to reframe old problems based on our insights about the human condition, so that we can steer technological advancement towards a more humane, compassionate, and inclusive future for all. |
| Shifting Narratives – Singapore and the Padang Speaker: Dr Clay Eaton  |
Narratives are stories that we tell each other to help the world make sense. But a story cannot hope to represent all the details of the world around us: a storyteller must choose what to include and what to leave out. Historical narratives, for instance, omit 'irrelevant' details and tell us what is worthy of being remembered. This process is universal, but we should always ask ourselves what is left out of a narrative and why. This talk will discuss how narratives are constructed, focusing on the Padang (which has recently been put forward as a potential UNESCO World Heritage Site). We will address how the Padang and the historic monuments that surround it draw our attention to the British colonial period, reinforcing the idea that Singaporean history only began in 1819. We will then introduce you to a VR field trip designed for the CHS integrated module HSA1000: Asian Interconnections, with a particular focus on our reconstruction of an ancient monument that was destroyed during the British period: the Singapore Stone. Finally, we will consider what narratives would have been possible had this monument survived, and what new stories we can tell using the tools and technologies we now have at our disposal. |
In the meantime, please click through the panel at the bottom to watch previous masterclasses from #DiscoverFASS@CHS.