Courses Description
| Level-1000 | Level-2000 | Level-3000 |
GEC1000/GEH1001 Globalisation and New Media
Offered by Department of Communications and New Media
| Units
Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4
2-1-0-3-4 Nil GEC1000 and GEH1001 preclude each other |
This course offers students an introduction into the role of new communication technologies in the context of globalization. We will explore various aspects of global communication flows including the global reach of new media and its consequences, global and transnational timesharing and workflows, the role of new media in global and local politics, and the potential of new and traditional communication channels in the context of various forms of activism and communication for social change. The role of culture in global communication and ways in which cultural processes shape and are shaped by the landscape of globalization will be emphasized.
GEC1011/GEH1043 Microbes which Changed Human History
Offered by Yong Loo Lin Sch of Medicine
| Units
Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4
2-2-0-3-3 Nil GEC1011 and GEH1043 preclude each other |
The primary aim of the module is to introduce students to the nature of infectious diseases and their impact on human activities. At the end of the module, students will be able to understand the interactions between microorganisms and human, and the position and role of human in the living world.
GEC1012/GEH1044 Understanding Globalisation
Offered by Department of Sociology and Anthropology
| Units
Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4
2-1-0-2-5 Nil GEC1012 and GEH1044 preclude each other |
This course proposes to examine the processes of globalization and seeks to provide a deeper understanding of it. The world is globalizing both culturally and economically. We need to ask whether this process is creating a single world without borders or intensifying cultural differences between societies. By discussing various trends of the interdependent world, the course helps us in understanding the various processes of globalization. Since the processes of globalization involve societal, cultural, technological, political, and economic processes, we will take an inter-disciplinary framework in understanding this diverse experience. The course will specifically highlight the problems and prospects of the contemporary world.
GEC1016/GEH1050 Plants and Society
Offered by Department of Biological Sciences
| Units
Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4
2-1-0-3-4 Nil GEC1016 and GEH1050 preclude each other |
How are human beings and plants interdependent? How did plants shape the planet Earth to one that is suitable for life as we know it? Such topics will be examined to deepen our appreciation of the roles played by plants in the progress of civilizations and cultures from both historic perspective and continuing impact on society. The discussion topics, written and oral presentations will include plants as sources of food, clothing, shelter, medicine. There will be talks by guests from local industry, along with team projects by students to enrich their awareness of the deep coexistence of plants and society.
GEH1018 A Brief History of Science
Offered by Department of Physics
| Units
Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4
2-1-0-3-4 Nil GEK1539, HSI2008 |
Nowadays it is all too easy to take basic science laws and theories, such as Newtons law of gravitational attraction or evolution for granted. The impact of research breakthroughs on society at the time of their development is being forgotten, as they come to be taken for granted. Even Science students tend to be unaware of how modern concepts have arisen, what their impact was at the time and how they changed the world. This course is intended to explain the history and significance of scientific developments on societies and how perceptions of the world have changed as a result.
GEI1000/GET1031 Computational Thinking
Offered by School of Computing
| Units
Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4
2-2-0-4-2 Nil GEI1000 and GET1031 preclude each other |
Computational thinking is increasingly being recognised as a fundamental problem solving method for everyone. Computational thinking involves problem formulation, solution development, and solution analysis, with a focus on computation and computational tools. This course emphasises the computational thinking thought process and the communication of the process and the solutions, rather than implementation of the solution on a computer. Students learn to apply computational thinking to solve problems and discover new questions that can be explored within and across disciplines. Students are assumed to already possess elementary critical thinking and logical thinking aptitudes, which are practised in this course.
GEI1002/GET1030 Computers and the Humanities
Offered by Department of English, Linguistics & Theatre Studies
| Units
Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4
2-0.5-0.5-0-7 Nil GEI1002 and GET1030 preclude each other |
Digital technologies expand the frontiers of the humanities through interactive publishing, machine-driven analysis, media-rich platforms, online archives and crowd-sourced databases. This course invites students from across the university to consider these new approaches through a problem-based approach. In each session, the students will learn to use and critically evaluate digital approaches. Reflecting the multiple perspectives within the digital humanities, teaching combines seminar discussions with computational thinking projects that require the students to pose humanities questions in terms of data.
GEK1013 or GEH1021 Rethinking Technology, Organisations and People
Offered by School of Business
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 3-0-0-3-4 Students who have passed or are reading GEM1013K or HR2202 or HR2101A or HR3111A or HR2102 are not allowed to take GEK1013. - All SoC students matriculated in 1999 or earlier. - All Science students matriculated in 2000 or earlier. - All FASS students matriculated in 2001 or earlier. - All Engineering students. - All SDE students. Students who have passed or are reading HR2002 or HR2101A or HR3111A. |
To enable students to (1) understand the major changes that are taking place in the global environment today and how these changes impact organisations and people; (2) reassess the effectiveness of organisational and business models, systems, processes and practices in the light of these major changes and establish alternatives that are effective in today's environment; (3)examine the impact of these changes on learning, people relations, work and career at the organisational and individual levels. List of topics: (1) Rethinking the World (2) Rethinking Organisations, Technology and Competition (3) Rethinking Learning (4) Rethinking People (5) Rethinking Work & Career.
GEK1046 Introduction to Cultural Studies
Offered by Department of English Language and Literature
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-3-4 Nil Nil |
The course examines the import of "culture" for understanding human activity and the history of the emergence of Cultural Studies as a discipline within the university. Specifically it explores the theoretical and methodological tools that have defined the field, as well as the objects to which they are turned. The course addresses the following areas: theories and models of communication; the history of broadcasting and broadcasting institutions; current and future developments in media technology; and cyberspace. Starting with an introduction to key theoretical concepts, the course examines the production and consumption of a range of popular cultural forms including film, television, popular fiction, and music.
GEK1502 Food: Security and Safety
Offered by Faculty of Science
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-3-5 Nil Not for Life Sciences majors/minor, Food Science & Technology majors. |
The number of chronically undernourished people in the world remains unchanged since the World Food Summit in 1996: a total of 826 million people in both developing and industrialized countries. Moreover, as a result of the expansion of global urban population, more food needs to be produced, moved to cities and distributed; insufficient food supply and inefficient food distribution systems will result in higher food prices. The global demand for more food results in the globalization of the food supply, increasing the risk of spreading food-borne diseases across international borders. Recent stories about tainted strawberries, infected chickens, mad cow disease, for instance, have increased public concern on the need of a safe food supply. By the end of this course, the students should be able to understand the causes and current character of food insecurity, the essentials of food safety, factors affecting global food supply, and the effects of biotechnology on a secure and safe food supply.
GEK1506 Heavenly Mathematics: Cultural Astronomy
Offered by Faculty of Science
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 3-1-0-3-3 Nil Nil |
The goal of this course is to study astronomy in a cultural context. We will look at questions like: How is the date of Chinese New Year determined? Why do the Muslim and Chinese months start on different days? Will the Moon ever look like it does on the Singapore flag? What date of the year is the earliest sunrise in Singapore? How did ancient sailors navigate? After taking this course you will become conscious of the motion of the Sun and the Moon and notice and question things you have earlier taken for granted. You will appreciate mankind's struggle through the ages and throughout the world to understand the mathematics of the heavens.
GEK1513 Wireless Communications - Past, Present and Future
Offered by Faculty of Engineering
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-0-0-3.5-2 Basic knowledge of mathematics and physics at the GCE O-Level. To preclude Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and School of Computing students (except EE1, CPE1, CEG1, CEC1, COM1) and students who have read IT2001. |
Telephones, fax machines, computers, and other communications devices-connected by wires to power sources and telecommunications networks are almost ubiquitous in many industrialized countries. Anytime, anywhere, mobile multimedia communications is close to becoming reality. This course examines how this all came about, how it works and what the future of wireless communications holds. In this course, students will learn things like: "Who were the pioneers of wireless communications?"; "What were the first steps to wireless communications and what can be regarded as the major milestones?"; "What is the mysterious spectrum?"; "What do GSM, CDMA and other acronyms stand for and what do they really mean?"; "How does my handphone work?"; etc. This course is suited for all non-engineering students as well as first year engineering students.
GEK1522 or GEH1025 Global Environmental Issues
Offered by Faculty of Engineering
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-1-2 Nil Nil |
Environmental protection is now fundamental to the development of a sustainable global society. No longer is human influence on the planet confined to the local environment, but now extends across political boundaries - often resulting in regional or even global impacts. As a result, society, industry and agriculture are under increasing pressure to improve environmental performance and cut resource consumption and pollution. Around the world, governments are striving to minimise waste production, protect water resources, reduce energy consumption and improve the quality of the urban living environment. As the human global population grows exponentially and the life-support systems of the planet continue to deteriorate, there is a growing international recognition that environmental problems require truly global solutions. This course will focus on the issues and causes of global environmental issues including: population growth, resource exploitation and threats to the atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. The aim of the course will be to provide students with a knowledge and appreciation of the inter-related problems and challenges of sustainable development.
GEK1527 or LSM1302 Genes and Society
Offered by Faculty of Science
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion Cross-listing |
4 2-0-0-4-5 Nil Not for Life Sciences major/minor or Food Sciences & Technology or Pharmacy majors or Bioengineering programmes. LSM1302 |
The primary aim of this course is to introduce students to the modern concepts in biology and to enable them to evaluate independently the potential benefits and risks of the biotechnological revolution and its implications for society. The topics taught will cover an understanding of the nature of the genetic material and the passage of information from DNA to protein, as well as the major technologies currently used for genetic engineering. Examples of genetic engineering of micro-organisms, plants and animals will be given in detail, and cloning will also be discussed. The students will become aware of the impact of the various genome projects on their own lives and will also able to recognise difficulties associated with deciding which kinds of genetic engineering are ethically and morally acceptable.
GEK1536 Computation and Machine: Ancient to Modern
Offered by Faculty of Science
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-2-5 Nil Nil |
Why computers are so ubiquitous nowadays? What rule the computer is playing in scientific query and discovery? What was it like before the age of digital electronic computer? This course brings us back to antiquity from ruler and compass, abacus, mechanical calculator and all the way to modern electronic digital computer. It is intriguing to see the methods of computations in ancient Babylonian, Greek and Roman times, and in Chinese and Arabic cultures. For the modern digital era, we discuss how computer does calculations, how the instructions or algorithm are given to computer, and why the binary number system is used. Finally, we speculate the role quantum computer will play in the future.
GEK1539 A Brief History of Science
Offered by Faculty of Science
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-3-4 Nil Nil |
Nowadays it is all too easy to take basic science laws and theories, such as Newtons law of gravitational attraction or evolution for granted. The impact of research breakthroughs on society at the time of their development is being forgotten, as they come to be taken for granted. Even Science students tend to be unaware of how modern concepts have arisen, what their impact was at the time and how they changed the world. This course is intended to explain the history and significance of scientific developments on societies and how perceptions of the world have changed as a result.
GEM1536 or GET1020 or GEX1007 Darwin and Evolution
Offered by Faculty of Science
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-2-5 Nil GEM1902B |
The world witnessed unprecedented commemorations of Charles Darwin in his bicentennary year 2009. He is remembered like no other figure in science history. Public understanding of Darwin and evolution remains a serious problem. What most people think they know about Darwin, his life and his famous book ‘On the origin of species’ is wrong. This course, requiring no background in biology or science history, will provide a solid background for understanding Darwin, how biological evolution was uncovered and accepted by the international scientific community in the 19th century, and beyond. There are case studies on how to assess historical claims and evidence.
GEC1009 or GEH1026 or GEK2506 Drugs and Society
Offered by Faculty of Science
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 3-1-0-1-5 Nil Nil |
The aim of this course is to impart an appreciation of the use of drugs in relation to the cultural and social environment of societies past and present. The nature of drug use in past and present societies, watershed "drug" discoveries and their impact on society (for example: contraceptives, antibiotics, vaccines, psychopharmacological agents), the issue of illegal drug use, "social" drugs and the "pill for ill" syndrome will be discussed. With the background provided, students will be better placed to critically evaluate drug related issues and their impact on society.
GESS1002/GES1004 The Biophysical Environment of Singapore
Offered by Department of Geography
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-0-1-2-5 Nil GESS1002 and GES1004 preclude each other |
The course introduces the biophysical environments of the city-state of Singapore, covering geology, soils, aquatic resources, nature reserves, green areas, and land reclamation characterising both terrestrial and coastal areas. Environmental challenges such as biodiversity loss, flooding and pollution that arise from the rapid urbanization and development of a large tropical city within a limited area and their possible solutions are examined. This course focuses on current environmental conditions in Singapore in the context of past and projected future changes. Topics covered in the course are dealt with in greater depth in other courses forming the Geography programme at NUS. Please note that the course does not require an extensive science or mathematics background, but it does require a willingness to stretch yourself and learn outside your comfort zone.
GET1010 or GEM2502 Modes of Invention
Offered by Faculty of Engineering
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-2-0-3-3 Basic knowledge of physics at GCE 'O' levels. Nil |
The aim of this course is to provide the student with a better understanding of scientific invention and discovery. It does this primarily by using an experimental and historical approach. There will be approximately 8 weeks of lectures that will involve the student in recreating the circumstances surrounding many inventions and discoveries in the history of electricity and magnetism. The student will carry out a home experiment of his or her choice in electricity and magnetism. The student will also carry out a case study on an invention/inventor of his or her choice and present it in the form of a poster paper. In this course, students are encouraged to think through the act of invention and discovery for themselves, and gain their own experience.
GEX1011 or GET1025 or PH2225/GEK2041 Science Fiction and Philosophy
Offered by Department of Philosophy
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion Cross-listing(s) |
4 2-1-2-1-4 Nil GEK2041 GEK2041 |
This course considers science fiction as a mode of philosophical inquiry. Science fiction stories are used to examine fundamental questions of metaphysics, epistemology and ethics. Topics include the nature of time, space, religion, nature, mind, and the future. Specific topics may include such issues as genetic enhancement, environmental ethics, and implications of encounters with non-human life forms. Sub-area(s): Metaphysics, Epistemology, Mind, Language.
NM1101E Communications, New Media and Society
Offered by Department of Communications and New Media
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion Cross-listing(s) |
4 2-1-0-2-5 Nil IF1101E Nil |
This course introduces fundamentals of study in communications and new media, exploring ways in which people create and use the variety of emerging networked, mobile, and social media channels to communicate meaning in globalized world. It explores organizational and societal contexts in such areas as games, health, politics, business, public relations, design and activism, with attention paid to creating applications with social impact. Phenomena such as relationships and social life in cyberspace, activism for social change, performance art, deviant behaviour online, communication and community, new business paradigms and economic models of organizing and issues in human computer interaction are explored in‐depth.
| Level-1000 | Level-2000 | Level-3000 |
HS2914 How to Get Humans and Machines to Talk to Each Other
Offered by Department of English, Linguistics & Theatre Studies
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-5-2 Nil Nil |
Language is one of the basic defining characteristics of what is it to be human, although recent advances seem to have helped computers master at least some aspects of human language. But how does human language work, and do machines handle it the same way as humans do? This course is an overview, for non-specialists, of rule-based and statistical approaches that have proven to be very effective at modeling various aspects of human language, used whether by humans or by computers. The course will also provide students with a greater appreciation of the strengths and limitations of these two approaches.
HSI2012 From Ancient Cosmologies to Big Bang
Offered by Department of Physics
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2.5-0.5-0-3-4 HSI1000 or SP2274 or any Courses beginning with NSS2001 GET1043, GEX1024 |
To early observers, Earth felt unmoving and residing at the center of the universe; the celestial objects were made of a heavenly, weightless element that naturally revolved around Earth. This course covers the history of cosmology from geocentrism and Aristotle’s physics to Einstein’s relativity and the Big Bang theory. Unsolved problems concerning the symmetry of the universe and existence of dark matter and dark energy, and philosophical questions concerning the theory of everything, origin of the universe, and existence of other universes will be addressed.
HY2235/GEK2008 Environmental History
Offered by Department of History
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion Cross-listing |
4 2-1-0-0-7 Nil GEK2008 GEK2008 |
This course is designed to introduce students to major themes in Environmental History, meaning the historical study of the mutual influence of humans and the environment. After critically evaluating how the discipline of Environmental History has developed, lectures and discussions will focus on topics such as disease, agriculture, gender and modern environmental problems. Lectures will be combined with research assignments that will help students better understand how a historian approaches a topic. Students interested in history, the environment or new approaches to the past will be interested in the course.
HY2251 From the Wheel to the Web
Offered by Department of History
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-0-7 Nil Nil |
This course explores the role of technology in human history from Ancient times until today. Does technology drive history, or is it the other way around? Examining a variety of important technologies - ships, windmills, telephones, and of course wheels and the internet - the course will follow a different path through time than that commonly taken. We?ll not forget politics or society, however, because 'technology' turns out to be as much about people as hardware. Wars, geopolitics, and the discovery of new pleasures and anxieties are all interwoven with the history of tools and techniques. The course is open to students from any faculty.
NM2101 Theories of Communications and New Media
Offered by Department of Communications and New Media
| Units | 4 |
| Workload | 2-1-0-2-5 |
| Pre-requisite | Nil |
| Preclusion | Nil |
This is a foundational course introducing students to theories and analytical frameworks essential for understanding developments in communications and new media. Students will be introduced to, amongst others, media effects theory, media representations, semiotics, systems theory, agenda-setting theory and computer-mediated communication.
NM2102 Communications and New Media Research
Offered by Department of Communications and New Media
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-3-4 NM2101 Nil |
This course is to help students understand what is research (more specifically, how you develop testable research questions and hypotheses), how to conduct the research and how to interpret the results. It covers basic concepts in research design, instrumentation, data collection, and data analysis. Related topics on validity, reliability, and ethical issues in conducting research are also covered. While the main focus remains on the research methods, this course also introduces basic concepts of statistics such as descriptive statistics, sampling distribution, hypothesis testing. Basic levels of parametric and non parametric statistics are also introduced. A set of computer lab assignments will give students extensive opportunity to become familiar with the SPSS computer software package and experience at computing the various statistics reviewed in the class.
NM2209 Social Psychology of New Media
Offered by Department of Communications and New Media
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-2-5 Nil Nil |
Theories of social psychology can be applied to our understanding of how new media is produced, marketed, resisted, adopted and consumed. This course highlights these key stages in the developmental trajectory of new media and introduces relevant theories, while considering issues such as why some technologies succeed where others fail, how marketers should promote new technology, which services are likely to become tomorrow's killer applications and what goes through the minds of new media adopters.
PH2201/GEM2025 Introduction to Philosophy of Science
Offered by Department of Philosophy
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion Cross-listing |
4 2-1-0-0-7 Nil GEM2025 GEM2025 |
An introduction to a spectrum of philosophical issues concerning modern science. These range from explaining the development of science, including a comparison with traditional approaches, to understanding nature in both the West and the East, to problems of the rationality of science. This will also involve a historical study of the development of philosophy of science in the Western tradition, from Bacon and Hume, through Mill, to Popper, Kuhn and Feyerabend.
PH2216/GEK2031 Environmental Philosophy
Offered by Department of Philosophy
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion Cross-listing |
4 2-1-0-0-7 Nil GEK2031, UPI2205 GEK2031 |
This course will provide an introduction to some standard accounts of how humans ought to relate to the natural environment. We begin by examining the issue of whether only humans are entitled to moral consideration, and go on to consider what other objects might be deserving of such consideration. We then explore how our attitude towards the natural world is shaped by what we take to be morally considerable.
PH2217/GEK2032 Computerisation and Ethics
Offered by Department of Philosophy
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion Cross-listing |
4 2-1-0-0-7 Nil GEK2032 GEK2032 |
This course will examine certain ethical issues that arise from the impact of computerization on human life and society. In any given semester, questions that are relevant to this course will be selected from the wide range of those that are confronted by computer professionals, users, policy-makers, and generally the person on the street whose quality of life may either be enhanced or diminished as a result of wide-scale computerisation in a local or global context. Examples of topics that may be confronted are those pertaining to the moral obligations of the computer professional, the justification of intellectual property rights, and issues concerning hacking.
PH2223 Introduction to the Philosophy of Technology
Offered by Department of Philosophy
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion Cross-listing |
4 2-1-0-0-7 Nil GEK2037 GEK2037 |
This course looks at the philosophical problems arising from technology and its relation to nature and human values. In doing so, it draws on a number of philosophical approaches and traditions. Among the topics to be discussed are the relation between science and technology, the way technology has shaped our perception of nature and human experience, and the ethical challenges posed by technological progress. Potential topics to be discussed will include the concept of risk, issues in environmental ethics, and socialepistemological problems arising from communication technology.
PH2226 Concept of Nature in Inquiry
Offered by Department of Philosophy
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion Cross-listing |
4 2-1-0-2-5 Nil Nil Nil |
This course examines the development of the concept of nature, the different roles it serves in the inquiry of various disciplines, from philosophy, the natural sciences, to literature and art, how these disciplines transform our conceptions of nature over time, and influence our interactions with nature. The course will compare different cultural traditions in their understandings of, attitudes towards, and practical interactions with, nature. It will also examine the barriers created by disciplinary differences and specializations and consider the potential of more integrated approaches to human interactions with nature.
SC2211 Medical Sociology
Offered by Department of Sociology
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-2-5 Nil Nil |
This course will examine the relationship between society and health-related issues. The differing notions of "illness" and "wellness," and how societies influence the type, definition and distribution of disease and illness will be examined. The social organization of medicine, the social functions of health-care institutions in society will also be explored. Special emphasis will also be given to the role of the state in providing health-care as well as the relationship between the state and the health industry. This course is mounted for students throughout NUS with interest in society and health-related issues.
SC2221 Environment and Society
Offered by Department of Sociology
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-3-4 Nil Nil |
What are the social and cultural determinants of environmental issues? Can modern societies and capitalist development be ecologically sustainable? This course examines the complex relations between social systems and their environment. It aims to equip students with the different theories and concepts in environmental sociology and anthropology to understand and evaluate these relations in the light of ecological sustainability. Topics to be covered include conservation and indigenous peoples, urban pollution and eco-cities, global warming and green capitalism, environmental racism and sexism, environmental movements, corporate social responsibility, green technology, global environmental inequality.
SN2251 The Information Revolution in India
Offered by South Asian Studies Programme
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-2-5 Nil IF2251 |
This course looks at the dramatic transformation which converging information, communication and media technologies are bringing about in contemporary India. It analyses the evolution of these technologies and the range of outcomes they have brought about in the past. It looks at the growth of Information Technology in India within the larger context of development and governance. It also considers India's competitive advantage in this industry. Finally, the course discusses the likely socio-cultural and political effects of the new technologies.
PH2225/GEK2041 Science Fiction and Philosophy
Offered by Department of Philosophy
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion Cross-listing(s) |
4 2-1-2-1-4 Nil GEK2041 GEK2041 |
This course considers science fiction as a mode of philosophical inquiry. Science fiction stories are used to examine fundamental questions of metaphysics, epistemology and ethics. Topics include the nature of time, space, religion, nature, mind, and the future. Specific topics may include such issues as genetic enhancement, environmental ethics, and implications of encounters with non-human life forms. Sub-area(s): Metaphysics, Epistemology, Mind, Language.
GEM2902 Climate Change
Offered by Tembusu College
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion Cross-listing(s) |
4 0-3-0-3-4 Nil Nil Nil |
This ‘Senior Seminar’ is required of students in their second year of residence in Tembusu College. The course will consider one of the most pressing problems of our time from multiple viewpoints. Merging insights from the sciences and humanities, students will be introduced to problems, conflicts, and debates over the causes of, and solutions to, the phenomenon of global warming and its implications for humanity. The seminar will meet weekly in small groups of 15-20, with periodic full-class meetings to hear guest speakers.
SSU2000 Biomedicine and Singapore Society
Offered by Tembusu College
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion Cross-listing(s) |
4 0-3-0-3-4 Nil Nil Nil |
This ‘Senior Seminar’ is required of students in their second year of residence in Tembusu College. The course will consider social and public health issues raised by modern advances in biomedicine, particularly as they affect Singapore and the surrounding region. Merging insights from medicine, social sciences, and the humanities, students will be introduced to problems, conflicts, and debates, and asked to form their own reasoned opinions. The seminar will meet weekly in small groups of 15-20, with periodic full-class meetings to hear guest speakers.
UPC2206 Nanoscale Science and Technology
Offered by University of Scholars Programme
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion Cross-listing(s) |
4 2-1-0-2- Nil Nil Nil |
Nanotechnology is a relatively new field, and there is still controversy over its future potential. This course aims to acquaint students with the current topics in nanoscience, while engaging them in a
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dialogue on future possibilities, as well as the social and environmental implications of nanotechnology. Students will first be introduced to fundamentals of the nanoscale and learn to appreciate what the world is like when things are shrunk to this scale. They will then explore the special tools and fabrication methods required and have some hands-on experience with nano-instrumentation in a group project.
| Level-1000 | Level-2000 | Level-3000 |
GE3231 Natural Hazards
Offered by Department of Geography
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-1-3-3 Nil Nil |
Natural hazards result in high losses in human life and welfare, property, resource productivity, and infrastructure. Often human activities interact with the landscape to exacerbate the probability of a potentially hazardous situation. The course will cover the prediction, prevention, mitigation, and response strategies for various hazards. Various types of natural hazards, including landslides, debris flows, volcanic hazards, earthquakes, fire, tsunami, typhoons, floods, tornadoes, and wildfire will be highlighted with respect to inherent forms and processes. Examples will be presented from various regions worldwide. Land management issues and effects will be emphasized, particularly within the context of the Pacific Rim.
HY3223 Technology and Culture in the Asia-Pacific
Offered by Department of History
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-2-5 Nil Nil |
This course will introduce Asian, European, and American material from the late nineteenth century to nearly the present day, concentrating on social and cultural themes such as industrialization, colonialism, science and race, technology and war, computers and global telecommunications and biotechnology and the human genome project. It will be taught as a series of cases illustrating important events and multiple themes. The proposition that modern science and technology have been 'socially constructed', reflecting political and cultural values as well as the state of nature, will be examined rather closely. Some theoretical material will leaven our otherwise empirical focus.
HY3252 From Tropical Medicine to Bioscience
Offered by Department of History
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-2-5 Nil Nil |
This course examines “tropical” medicine in the three related contexts of colonialism, high imperialism, and nation-building. The course will survey medicine, disease, and epidemics in British, American and Japanese practice, spanning the 18th to 20th centuries, and culminating with present-day Asia and the place of biomedicine in contemporary nation‐states, including Singapore. The course covers the transformation of a scientific field from a colonial body of knowledge to a form of practice embraced and utilized by post-colonial societies.
NM3202 Governance and New Media
Offered by Department of Communications and New Media
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-2-5 Nil NM2202 |
New media governance involves collective action by governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector and civil society to establish agreements about standards, policies, rules, enforcement mechanisms and dispute resolution procedures. This course examines the process of governance of new media technologies and the challenges it presents to the stakeholders involved. It also examines the legal and regulatory constraints affecting new media technologies and the implications these constraints have on the nature and quality of governance.
NM3210 Cybercrime and Society
Offered by Department of Communications and New Media
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-1-6 Any IF/NM or recognised courses Nil |
This third year course discusses the growing problem of the use of ICTs for illegal activities. Students will learn about threats to information resources - such as hacking, illegal surveillance, identity theft, online fraud, destruction and modification of data, distortion and fabrication of information. They will also learn about countermeasures used by governments and organisations - such as authentication, encryption, auditing, monitoring, intrusion detection, firewalls, and law enforcement surveillance - as well as what are the limitations of those countermeasures. The course will also examine the problem of online obscenity and child pornography. For CNM, FASS and SoC students.
PH3213 Knowledge, Modernity and Global Change
Offered by Department of Philosophy
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 0-0-0-3-7 Nil Nil |
This course focuses on the ways in which modern science and technology impact on the forms-of-life which cultures and societies have built up for their collective self-understanding and biological survival. Issues in epistemology and how changes in the concept of "reason" have contributed to the project of modernity will be explored. The role of technology in its simultaneous creation and destruction of social-material wealth will also be considered. This discussion will be tied to an examination of certain key issues in environmental ethics, social theory, and cultural studies.
SC3218 Inquiry in Health and Society
Offered by Department of Sociology
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-3-4 SC1101E Nil |
The causes and consequences of disease and the response of social systems and social institutions to health problems are fascinating topics for sociological inquiry. In this course students explore select topics of contemporary interest to medical sociologists. These may include: the allocation of scarce health resources, health policy and health care systems in a comparative perspective, uncertainty and risk in medical decision-making, medicine as a science and/or profession, traditional and modern systems of healing, ethnicity and health behavior, responses of social systems to adverse health events and disability, and social epidemiology.
SC3211 Science, Technology and Society
Offered by Department of Sociology
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-3-4 Nil Nil |
Science and technology shape our lives from the beginning to the end. Sociologists, being scientists themselves, observe the observations which scientists make about the world, look at the ways in which technologies change and shape that world, and try to make sense of processes which, as Weber claims, have divested the world of any meaning whatsoever. In this course, classical and contemporary approaches to the sociology of science, technology and society will be introduced, discussed and exemplified by several case studies. This course is mounted for students throughout NUS with an interest in the influence of science and technology on society.
SE3218 Industrialising Singapore and SE Asian
Offered by Department of Southeast Asian Studies
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 2-1-0-4-3 Nil SE2215 |
Industrialisation involves the promotion and development of the industrial sector. Why have some countries industrialised faster than others? In particular, the manufacturing industries in some countries have remained backward and depended heavily on the use of labour while in other countries, they have become more advanced and relied more on the use of capital. This course discusses the theory and concepts that relate to industrialisation. It also investigates the industrial experiences of other countries and the lessons from them. Focus will be on Singapore, and how it compares with other SE Asian countries.
JS3226 Japan: The Green Nation
Offered by Department of Japanese Studies
| Units Workload Pre-requisite Preclusion |
4 0-3-0-1-6 Nil Nil |
This course explores the fascinating relationship between humans and environment in Japan. We will use Japan to think about how we humans should interact with and treat the precious environment that sustains us. We will consider the topic from a variety of disciplinary perspectives including myths, literature and thought, popular culture, architecture and art, politics, economy, law, environmentalism, and social movements. The course will be of value to any students who have an interest in the environment, Japan, or both. Students will leave the course not only with knowledge about Japan, but hopefully, greater sensitivity to the challenges facing humankind today.
ACADEMIC CONVENOR
Assoc Prof John Holbo