In three panel sessions on Community and the State, Community and the Market, and Community and the Polity, speakers at the Institute of Policy Studies’ (IPS) annual Singapore Perspectives conference on 20 January 2025 reflected on how far the country has come and what is needed to take it forward in an increasingly divided world.

A book titled Sensory Anthropology: Culture and Experience in Asia by sociologist Associate Professor Kelvin Low was named an “Outstanding Academic Title” by the American Library Association (ALA) in “The Choice Outstanding Academic Titles list of 2024”.

Under the Southeast Asia Friendship Initiative (SFI), 19 Helix House students embarked on a 10-day trip to Hanoi and Sapa in December 2024, where they explored Vietnam’s cultural and industrial contributions towards meeting the United Nations SDGs.

Dr Noorman Abdullah (Arts & Social Sciences ’02, MSocSci ’05) is FASS’ Assistant Dean (External Relations & Student Life) and a Senior Lecturer and within NUS Sociology & Anthropology and NUS Malay Studies. His research interests include religion and society; race relations; decolonial pedagogies; and sensory studies.

Salifian Sulaiman (NUS History and International Liberal Studies, Waseda University, 2024) tells us that his interest in anthropology and migration studies is motivated by a concern for uplifting vulnerable and minority communities worldwide, as well as his own experiences.

In GE3257 Financial Geographies, the first course on this topic to be offered at NUS, students are introduced to financial geography “as a lens through which they can better understand the world, the evolution of human civilisation and its relationships with nature,” says course instructor Professor Dariusz Wójcik.

The Symposium “From Heritage to New Frontiers: Celebrating the Past and Reimagining the Future of Social Work” discussed how social work education and practice should evolve to address emerging needs and vulnerabilities in society in the face of AI and technology disruptions.

From just fewer than 40 students taking its classes in 1929, FASS welcomed about 4,400 undergraduates and more than 1,500 postgraduates in the current academic year.

HS2921 by Dr Martin Mattsson (NUS Economics) and Dr Joel Chow (NUS College) prepares students to craft and execute interdisciplinary solutions “to help others as much as possible.”

On World Philosophy Day 2024 (21 November), NUS Philosophy faculty and students share their thoughts on the study of Philosophy and its role and currency in the world today.

Embodying the University’s spirit of service to country and society, members of the NUS Community Service Club (NUS CSC) have been key drivers of volunteerism among our student population over the past 22 years.