Course Description
INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSES FOR CHS Cohort 2021 onwards
HS2938 PARADISE FOR SALE: THE PUZZLE OF NATURAL WEALTH *New
The Malay Archipelago is riches in forests, ocean and minerals. Yet its people often face environmental destruction and economic hardship. The course takes you on a journey from Sumatra’s deforested landscapes to Papua’s vanishing coral reefs, from Borneo’s massive mining operations to the South China Sea’s disputed waters, uncovering how natural wealth fuels both prosperity and crisis. Through an interdisciplinary approach combining political economy, international relations, human rights, and ecology, students explore how biodiversity, climate, and marine systems intersect with policy, labour, and community struggles. Real-world case studies show how linking science, governance, and lived experience can foster equitable futures.
HS2932 IDEAS AND THE MALAY WORLD
This course explores the ideas of prominent intellectuals and thinkers in the Malay World. It explicates in detail the responses of these intellectuals on major themes affecting global societies through the use of perspectives and approaches drawn from history and anthropology. Among the themes explored in the course are happiness, the environment, equality, freedom, and rationality. The course enables students to engage with theories and concepts from a variety of disciplines to gain a deep understanding of the functions of intellectuals in society and their responses to multifaceted problems affecting humankind.
HS2933 THE SOCIAL LIVES OF PLANTS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Plants have long played an important role in shaping communities in maritime Southeast Asia. Conversely, humans have exploited and simplified the plant life of the region through commerce. How can we extract value from plants while living sustainably with them? This course approaches this question by examining interactions with plants in the region across disciplines: history, anthropology, ethnobotany and ecology. Organised around the multiple sites of interactions – forests, rice fields, gardens, plantations – this course encourages students to learn from readings and practitioners about how our lives are inextricably bound with plants and the ways we can care for them.
HS2919 BLOOD AND WOMB: CULTURE AND THE BODY IN MALAY SOCIETY
This course illuminates the interdependent, even contentious roles of culture, the state, modern medicine, science and technology in the management and surveillance of gendered, racialised and sexed bodies. It utilises a feminist and postcolonial perspective to understand the roles of various actors in the control and care of the body, The geographical-cultural focus of this course is Muslim Southeast Asia. In examining the cultural and political aspects of treatment and wellbeing, this course covers a range of topics and case studies, ranging from the biopolitics and necropolitics of populations, to sexuality and race in the management of health and wellbeing.
GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES (COHORT 2021 ONWARDS)
Communities and Engagement Pillar
GEN2009 VOICES FROM THE GROUND: STORIES & COMMUNITY NARRATIVES *New
What do personal stories and community narratives tell us about a group’s historical life, cultural practices and heritage? Students will be introduced to the community narratives approach and learn how our partners apply this approach. They will engage with stakeholder communities of our partners and document their stories and narratives in audio, written or visual forms. This experiential learning process allows students to reflect on the relevance of stories and narratives in giving communities a sense of identity and belonging. They will also acquire the tools to assess gaps in our knowledge of concerns and interests of stakeholder communities.
Singapore Studies Pillar
GESS1006 Ethnicity and Nation Building: Singapore and Malaysia
This course examines policies and programmes 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 programmes and the processes by which they are materialised from the period of British colonialism to the present. How these efforts bear upon nation building and national integration will be explored.
GESS1012 Islam and Contemporary Malay Society
This course examines the kinds of religious orientations that had evolved among the Malays of Singapore and analyzes major soci-historical factors that had shaped such orientations. The ways in which these religious orientations condition the responses of Singaporean Malays and their unique institutions to the challenges and demands of the modern world are then discussed. The course will explore the thought of Muslims thinkers on issues of reform relevant to the Malays of Singapore. A critical analysis and evaluation of the phenomenon of Islamic resurgence and revivalism in Singapore and the extent of its contribution to the progress of the community will also be explored. A theme underlying the topics of the course is the relevance of Islamic values and philosophy in facilitating Singaporean Malays adapt to the demands of social change and the plural society in which they live.
MS1102E Understanding the Contemporary Malay World
Preclusion: MS1101E
This is an introduction to studies on Malays and Malayness within countries in the Malay-Indonesian archipelago. The main question will be of conflict, change and continuity. Approaches in studying these responses will include topics on colonialism and the decolonisation of ideas, the interrogation of Malayness, development and political economy, Islam and its institutions, arts and literary aesthetics, gender, family and community, and state and Malay society in contemporary Singapore and the region.
MS2210 Malay Culture and Society
The main theme of this course is processes of change in Malay cultures and societies and how attempts at creating certainties are made. Part 1 introduces students to approaches in studying Malay culture and society. Malay culture and society does not exist in vacuum. In Part 2, we look at how in encountering "others" Malay culture and society has historically gone through and is going through massive changes. Part 3 highlights aspects of changes in contemporary Malay society including ethnicity and Malay identity, new Malay rich, Malay woman and femininity as well as national development and the indigenous people.
MS2211 Criticism in Modern Malay Literature
(course is taught in Malay)
The course adopts the approach of literary criticism. It looks at modern Malay literature both in terms of literary creativity as well as ideas and content. This evaluation is set against the social-historical background which had inspired and shaped that literature, bringing out the contextual meanings of major works in modern Malay literature. A general assessment of modern Malay literature would be attempted, examining its role, achievement and direction for the future. This course is designed for students interested in literature and the sociology and history of ideas.
MS2212 Law and Malay Society
This course, targeted for FASS students, deals with the legal history and institutions of Malay society and its evolution. It examines the nature of adat laws and the socio-historical factors that influence its development. Major themes include the impact of colonialism on the perception of the laws, contemporary problems relating to the administration of Muslim personal laws by the Syariah Courts and an evaluation of recent demands for the expansion of Islamic law. Underlying these themes are the role of ideological factors and style of thought of the elite in determining perception of the laws and the dispensation of justice.
MS2213 Families and Households - Lived Experiences
This course aims to provide an understanding of contemporary forms and practices of Malay families and households. It discusses the underlying concepts in family studies and prevalent notions of the Malay family and household derived from earlier studies. A major focus is to show the changing nature of Malay family and household structures as well as their diverse forms. Furthermore, the dynamic social relationships in households will be analyzed from different perspectives. In addition the course explores how Malay families "design" family styles in a context of changing societies. The course is targeted for students interested in family studies.
MS2215 Princes, Ports, Pomp, Piety and Pen in the Malay World
This course exposes students to a variety of approaches in the study of Malay pasts. It offers insights into the works of both indigenous foeign writers, scrutinizing each of these writings against wider developments in scholarship and politics of their time. The course covers different genres of historical writings including among others, the Hikayat and Babad tradition. Orientalist works, Malay autobiographical works, nationalist writings, social scientific historiography, postmodern historiography and popular historiography with the aim of evaluating the usefulness of each of these approaches.
MS2216 Fieldwork in Studies of Malay Society
Pre-requisite(s): MS1102E
In this course students will have a first-hand experience of doing intensive field studies research in either Singapore or overseas in Malaysia, Indonesia, Southern Philippines or Southern Thailand. A range of research themes and foci pertaining to Malay Studies will be offered based on the expertise of the faculty member teaching the course including socio-history, development, religious life and gender relations.
MS2217 Singapore’s Malay Built Heritage: Legacies of Diversity
This course explores Malay World cultural histories through heritage landscapes and built works that illustrate their materialisation. Part 1 surveys the complex historical identities of the Malay World through its remarkable histories of transcultural interactions in landscapes and built works since the early first millennium, and the material, historical and cultural contexts of their production. Part 2 examines the identity debates and the discourses surrounding forms and symbols in various pre-colonial, colonial-era, nationalist, and contemporary heritage texts. The socio-cultural implications of changing ideas and physical transformations of built landscapes of the Malay World are explored through case studies.
MS2218 Malay-Islamic Cultural Encounters: Arts and Aesthetics
This course introduces the cultural art forms and aesthetics of the Malay World and their discursive frameworks. Part 1 surveys different categories of the visual arts – from woodcarving, metalwork, textiles, and weaponry to gravestones and religious ornament. It introduces the literary and other sources on their meanings and histories of formation and production, and discusses the cultural encounters they embody in their forms and meanings. Parts 2-3 discuss the concepts of art historical analysis that are relevant to a critical rethinking of the older ethnographic and orientalist perspectives and emerging contemporary and Islamic art discourses on the Malay World.
MS2219 Networks and the Malay World *new course
This course examines various historical networks that flow across the Malay world from the 11th to the 21st centuries. It introduces students to the evolution, characteristics, and impact of commercial, diasporic, political, religious, educational, and media networks on the lives of Malays and other communities in the region. The three themes that recur throughout the course are: how networks are formed and sustained; how they interact with one another; how insights from different disciplines can aid in a more holistic study of these networks.
MS2220 Arts and Artists in the Nusantara *new course
Preclusion(s): GEH1065
This course is about arts and artists in the Nusantara that refers to the archipelagic Malay – Indonesian world. Attention is drawn to the art making and distribution processes which are not only determined by artists but also involves other stakeholders. This includes critics, museum personnel, gallery owners, collectors, art consumers, interest groups as well as the state. The political, social, cultural and economic contexts in the Nusantara at different time periods will be considered to explain the kinds of artworks that emerge. Topics that will be covered include gender and race in the arts, art and activism, censorship and patronage.
MS2221 Sufism in Southeast Asia *new course
Sufism is considered a mystical orientation in Islam. It constitutes an early formative phase in the history of Islamic transmission in Southeast Asia, incorporating Arabic, Persian, Turkish and South Asian influences, among others. In this course the origins, features, concepts and manifestations of Sufism in the Malay-Indonesian world are studied through various sources, among which are Malay classical texts and manuscripts produced between the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. Sufi knowledges, personalities and practices in past and present contexts will also be drawn from contemporary historical, literary and social studies around the subject.
MS3209 Being Malays in Singapore
Who are the Malays of Singapore? How are they perceived and how do they perceive themselves? These and other related questions will be raised in this course. To answer these questions, we will discuss the Malays in the socio-economic and political context they live in. The course is divided into five topics: Topic 1 looks at the socio-history of the Malays. Topic 2 introduces approaches in studying Malays of Singapore. Topics 3, 4 and 5 look at different dimensions of their life in Singapore i.e. as Singapore citizens, as part of the Malay "community" and as members of "Malay families".
MS3210 Modern Indonesian Literature
(course is taught in Malay)
The course studies the development of modern Indonesian literature, highlighting major themes and thought. The achievement of modern Indonesian literature in expressing the aspirations of the Indonesians would be evaluated. The dynamics between art, literature and society would be inquired into in the light of literary and cultural theories. The course aims not only at an understanding and appreciation of modern Indonesian literature but also the historical, cultural and intellectual experience of Indonesia as an evolving nation as reflected in literature. The course is beneficial for both students of Southeast Asian literature as well as its society and culture.
MS3211 Political Culture of the Malays
This course will examine the nature and origins of the current day Malay political behaviour as observed. It will focus on the Malay concepts regarding government (kerajaan); consensus building (musyawarah) authority/power; dissent; patronage; territoriality, loyalty; and leadership. Close attention will be given to the role of the traditional and modern political elites in the shaping of Malay political culture. Relevant theoretical perspectives will also be provided. This course is targeted for FASS students.
MS3212 Text and Ideology in the Malay World
(course is taught in Malay)
The course explores the various forms which can be identified in classical Malay literature, such as folklore, historical romances, the legal digests as well the traditional verses of pantuns and the syair. The relationship between these art forms and society would be examined, with the aim of constructing the culture and worldview of traditional Malay society. The course also attempts at evaluation of the relevance and significance of classical Malay literature for contemporary Malay society and culture. The course applies the multidisciplinary approach to compliment relevant theories on literature and art.
MS3213 Ideology and Ideas on Malay Development
This course seeks to expose students to the thinking of Malay elite on Malay development. In discussing the ideas of the elite, various ideologies and styles of thought would be identified and examined as to their influence on development philosophy. A critique of the thinking of the Malay elite would be attempted. The conditioning of feudalism, colonialism, Islam, nationalism and capitalism on development thinking would be critically analysed. The course is designed for students interested in issues of Malay development and intellectual history.
MS3214 Asian Traditions and Modernisation
Tradition and modernisation are two concepts in need of deeper examination given their resonance in popular and scholarly discourse. This course will critically approach tradition as encompassing the plural “Asian traditions” and the notion of modernisation or modernity, as they relate to transformational experiences of nation-making, identity-formation and self and communal actualization. Debates and critiques on Asian traditions and modernity are examined in relation to nation, gender, intellectualism, spirituality, heritage, visual arts, architecture and aesthetics in the Malay world in comparison to other Asian and global experiences.
MS3215 Malays and Modernization
This course discusses the issue and significance of modernization, modernity and post modernity within the Malay world. It adopts a comparative and multi-disciplinary approach, using the tools of sociology, cultural studies and politics to critically understand and revisit the notions of modernisation in the Malay experience and in the global context. The aim is to understand the concept, nature, dynamics and the impact of modernization and its antecedents on phenomena such as economic development, social movements, intellectual discourse, political mobilization, religious institutions, art, architecture and popular culture in Malay society.
MS3216 Gender and Islam
This course studies gender relations and the social construction of femininities and masculinities within the Malay-Muslim world. Theories and concepts analysing gender roles and representations in the spheres of family, work, arts, media, social movements and religious texts and laws will be examined. An understanding and appreciation of debates and contestations around questions of gender agency, empowerment or disempowerment as they relate to Islam forms one of the main thrusts of the course.
MS3217 Political Economy, Ethnicity, Religion
The development of capitalism may affect cultural communities differently, hence the necessity for studying the political economy of Malay society from pre-colonial to contemporary periods. How and why do ethno-religious identities such as being Malay and Muslim shape distinct policies and practices of economics, business and entrepreneurship? Case studies examined will include forms of ethnic-oriented economic affirmative action policy, halal and Islamic financial services industry and the corporatisation of certain Syariah activities.
MS3218 The Religious Life of the Malays
This course aims to provide students with critical understanding and awareness of the religious orientations and institutions of the Malays, the major factors that influence these, their significance, potentials and challenges in the context of the demands of technological change and modernisation. It also seeks to develop perspectives on the study of Malay religious life. Major topics examined include theoretical insights into the sociology of religion, socio-historical factors and their impact on Malay religious orientations.
MS3550 Malay Studies Internship
Internships vary in length but all take place within organisations or companies in Singapore. All internships are vetted and approved by the Department of Malay Studies, have relevance to the major in Malay Studies, involve the application of subject knowledge and theory in reflection upon the work, and are assessed.
Available credited internships will be advertised at the beginning of each semester. In exceptional cases, internships proposed by students may be approved by the department.
MS4101 Theory and Practice in Malay Studies
Units: 4
Pre-requisites: Cohort 2021 onwards: Completed 80 Units, including 28 Units in MS, or 28 Units in SC.
Preclusions: MS4101HM
The theoretical underpinnings of each phase of the development of Malay studies would be examined based on representative works. The contribution and pitfalls of each phase of its development would be critically appraised. A general and critical evaluation of the present state of Malay Studies as an area study would be undertaken. The significance and relevance of Malay studies in relation to the social sciences and the other humanities would be discussed.
MS4201 Social Change in the Malay World 1900-1965
Units: 4
Pre-requisites: Cohort 2021 onwards: Completed at least 80 Units including 28 Units in MS or 28 Units in HY or 28 Units in SC.
Preclusions: MS4201HM
The course looks in depth at the nature and significance of various social changes in Malay society 1900-1950. Some topics to be covered would be changes in education, economic life, urbanization, ethnic relations, westernization, religious life and administration of Islam, the changing roles of Malay rulers and traditional Malay elite, the development of Malay nationalism, the development of modern literature, the issue of tradition and change, the challenges of social reform. course is meant for students interested in the study of social change among the Malays, as well as Southeast Asia in general.
MS4202 Malay Society in the 19th Century
Units: 4
Pre-requisites: Cohort 2021 onwards: Completed at least 80 Units including 28 Units in MS or 28 Units in HY.
Preclusions: MS4202HM
This course focuses on the conditions of traditional Malay society and covers the following topics: The nature and function of the Malay ruling class, the social and political position of the subject class, the position and function of Islam, the structure and nature of traditional administration, impact of the introduction of Western rule on Malay administration, the nature of traditional economy, aspects of Malay education, traditional Malay recreations. This course is meant for students interested in Malay cultural history in particular and Southeast Asian history in general.
MS4204 The Malay Middle Class
Units: 4
Pre-requisites: Cohort 2021 onwards: Completed 80MCs, including 28MCs in MS or 28MCs in SN or 28MCs in SC.
Preclusions: MS4204HM
This course examines the emergence of a new social group in Malay history, namely the Malay middle class. In the past, the dominant Malay elite had always been associated with the hierarchy of traditional Malay society. With the introduction of Malay GPAitalism in the 70s under the New Economic Plan (NEP), there has been the emergence of the Malay middle class. This course looks at the background of its emergence, identifies its socio-historical characteristics, and evaluates its influence on society and nation in general. Insights on the Malay middle class can contribute to an understanding of Southeast Asian affairs.
MS4207 Reading the Malay‐Indonesian Film
Units: 4
Pre-requisite: Cohort 2021 onwards: Completed 80 Units, including 28 Units in MS.
Preclusions: MS4207HM
This course invites students to reflect on Malay films in their various genres and historical periods. Malay films are important documents of Malay social and cultural history. The main themes, ideas and values reflected in Malay films are analysed and understood against the social, political and economic contexts of their times. Through a reflection on Malay films, their audience and the social conditions inspiring them, the course provides further insights into the evolution and development of Malay society and culture.
MS4208 Syariah Law in Southeast Asia
Units: 4
Pre-requisites: Cohort 2021 onwards: Completed 80 Units including 28 Units in MS or 28 Units in GL/GL recognised non‐language modules.
Preclusions: MS4208HM
This course analyses perspectives on Shariah and their implications on rights and well-being of Malays in modern nation states in Southeast Asia. Concepts such as neo-Orientalism, traditionalism, revivalism and reformism will be utilised to analyse discourse on Shariah based on sources that include articles, reports, fatwa, judgements and legislation. The overriding aim is to understand how modes of thought embody and condition the selection, conceptualisation and application of Syariah law in specific areas the region. Challenges posed to its compatibility with constitutional norms and human rights conventions as well as prospects for its adaptation to change will also be analysed.
MS4401 Honours Thesis
Units: 8
Prerequisites: Cohort 2021 onwards: Completed 110 Units including 40 Units of MS major requirements with a minimum GPA of 3.50.
Preclusion: MS4660, MS4401HM
For the Honours Thesis, students are required to carry out a research under the supervision of a staff member from the Department. Topics will be chosen by students in consultation with and approved by the staff member. Students will learn how to do research based on primary and secondary data and write a thesis of 8000-10000 words.
MS4660 Independent Study
Units: 4
Pre-requisites: Cohort 2021 onwards: Completed 100 Units, including 40 Units in MS, with a minimum GPA of 3.20.
Preclusion: MS4401, MS4660HM
This course allows for student to define a topic and a list of readings under the guidance of an academic staff of the Department leading to a project work. Students are required to write a paper of 5,000 to 6,000 words. The Independent Study is equivalent to one course.
MS4880 Topics in Malay Studies
Units: 4
Pre-requisite: Cohort 2021 onwards: Completed 80 Units, including 28 Units in MS or 28 Units in SC.
Preclusions: MS4880HM
This course is designed to allow faculty members or visiting staff to teach specific topics in their areas of interest and expertise.
MS4880A Orientations in Muslim Resurgence Movements
Units: 4
Pre-requisite: Cohort 2021 onwards: Completed 80 Units, including 28 Units in MS or 28 Units in SC.
Preclusions: MS4880AHM
This course investigates the role of Islam in the contemporary Malay world in an historical and comparative manner. The focus is on contemporary Muslim movements while the historical background is discussed to provide the necessary context for the understanding of the origins of the current Muslim revival. The course also looks at the nature and function of Muslim reform in Malay society in the socio, political, economic and legal arenas. Comparative references to similar phenomena in other parts of the Muslim world are made. Empirical cases are discussed in the context of theoretical problems raised in the social scientific study of religion.
MS4880B Malays Encountering Globalization: Culture and Identity
Units: 4
Pre-requisite: Cohort 2021 onwards: Completed 80 Units, including 28 Units in MS or 28 Units in SC or 28 Units in HY or 28 Units in GL/GL recognised non-language modules.
Preclusions: MS4880BHM
This course examines the encounters between Malay culture and globalization. Dimensions of these encounters include the dissolving of frontiers and divisions of Malay culture associated with global consumer citizenship, the active interpenetration and combination of cultural elements as a consequence of human flows and availability of information and, developments revolving around rejection or turning away from changes that have come out of global integration. Empirical cases drawn from the Malay world in the areas of media, internet, tourism, popular culture and music etc will be discussed towards understanding the factor of diversity and difference in the Malay cultural experience of global modernity. Particular emphasis is given to the economic and cultural dimensions of globalization.
MS4880C Topics in Malay Art Forms
Units: 4
Pre-requisite: Cohort 2020 and before: Completed 80 Units, including 28 Units in MS, with a minimum GPA of 3.20 or be on the Honours track.
Preclusions: MS4880CHM
This course is designed to allow instructors to teach specific topics in their areas of interest and expertise. It enables students to pursue in-depth studies on particular topics in Malay art forms, which can include literature, film, theatre, dance, martial arts, fine arts, design and architecture. This course will compare art forms from various parts of the region, with a focus on Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The course will study past and contemporary art forms while possible concepts such as identity, subjectivity, gender, and religion, will be used to navigate the meanings through these forms.