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Here are the Senior Seminars offered in the college.
| Senior Seminars / Faculty | Synopses |
|---|---|
|
UTC2400/UTS2414 Community Leadership Assoc Prof Tan Lai Yong & Ms Angie Tan |
This interdisciplinary course introduces and examines the idea of ‘community leadership’ in Singapore. It focuses on how ordinary individuals identify social needs in the local community and endeavour to improve the lives of marginalised groups by organising grassroots solutions. Students are required to investigate the emergence of pioneering community leaders combining the socio-historical contexts, personal psychology, networking and socialisation processes and social entrepreneurship. The teaching methodology incorporates lectures, seminar discussions, and experiential learning activities. |
|
UTC2403/UTS2403 Citizenship in a Changing World Dr Daniel Jew & Dr Lavanya Balachandran |
Originally a concept which bound individual members to a defined nation via relations of rights and responsibilities, “citizenship” in the 21st century is coming under unprecedented pressure from technological change and globalization. This course will trace the development of the concept, the values and social assumptions which underpin citizenship, and the interactions between liberal, communitarian and civic narratives of citizenship from ancient Greece to contemporary Singapore. Three key relationships are considered: the rights and duties of citizens in relation to government, to other citizens, and to non-citizens in and beyond the polity. |
|
UTC2404 (Re)Building Communities: Insights from India Ms Wong Soon Fen & Dr Kankana Mukhopadhyay |
This course explores the concepts, practices and issues related to community development and culture. It focuses on the building and/or rebuilding of marginalised communities (e.g. women, migrant workers, artisans) in developing Asia, particularly within the context of India. It offers students an interactive learning opportunity that combines theory, classroom discussions in Singapore, and field visits in India. Students will critically examine debates about the nature of community development and culture as well as ethical, social and economic challenges of different models. Part 1: Understanding community development, culture and India Part 2: Field visits (India) Part 3: Reflection and sharing of insights gained |
|
UTC2406/UTS2404 Cities and Nature Dr Toh Tai Chong |
Must urbanisation come at the expense of the environment? Using insights from urban planning, ecology, engineering, sociology and public policy, this course focuses on how cities can integrate with nature to create sustainable communities which minimise humans’ ecological footprint. Students will explore the innovations utilised by different cities around the world. Using Singapore as a case study, students will be able to apply the concepts outlined in the Singapore Green Plan into their communities. |
|
UTC2407/UTS2405 Work and Inequality Assoc Prof Siok Tambyah |
This course introduces students to the concept of “invisible work” – tasks that are an integral part of everyday life, yet remain unrecognized and undervalued by employers, governments, consumers and even workers themselves. Students will learn about different conceptualizations of paid and unpaid work, gendered and racialized labor, and challenges posed by a global market that increasingly relies on flexible, short-term contracts. Drawing from sociology, geography, and business, we will examine various manifestations of inequality in arenas such as domestic and professional care work, the emotional labor of service work, and the “hidden” work of information technology industries and business process outsourcing. |
|
UTC2408/UTS2406 Beyond Seeing: Looking at Art Dr Patrick Wade |
Are you curious about the visual arts and their role in society? This senior seminar explores visual perception and the social dimensions of art, examining history, cultural values, symbolic meaning, and how these influence ways of seeing in Singapore and beyond. Through interactive activities, guest speakers from the arts world and museum visits, we will find out how some art works changed the world or are highly valued, and why others have gone unnoticed or discarded. Students will explore the socio-economic contexts that create cultural and counter-cultural movements, as well as cross-cultural exchanges in the art world. |
|
UTC2409/UTS2407 Understanding Communities: Theory & Practice Dr Kankana Mukhopadhyay & Ms Angie Tan |
This course helps students to critically understand the unmet needs and issues of marginalised communities (e.g., people with disabilities, the elderly, migrant workers, etc) through community-based learning and research. It does this by providing students with opportunities to actively engage with a selected community, and systematically study its challenges in-depth. Students will be equipped with the basic concepts and skills of research and evaluation to study community’s issues in their programmes and policies. They will apply the knowledge they acquire in the classroom to real-world situations through group projects and collaborations with community partners. |
|
UTC2410A Reconstructing Communities: Insights from the Balkans Assoc Prof Reuben Wong |
This course explores the concepts and practices of post-conflict community reconstruction in the successor states of ex-Yugoslavia. It focuses on the rebuilding of trust and cooperation between Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks/Muslims in several new nation-states after the wars and genocides of the 1990s. It offers students an interactive learning opportunity that combines development and conflict/peace theories, classroom discussions in Singapore, and a study trip. Students will critically examine debates about rebuilding communities, as well as the ethical, social, and economic challenges of community development and reconstruction. |
|
UTC2410B Community, Culture, Conservation: Insights from Nepal Ms Wong Soon Fen & Dr Kankana Mukhopadhyay |
This course explores the concepts, practices and issues in community development in relation to culture and conservation of natural resources and heritage. It focuses on the interplay of tradition and innovation in the holistic development of a society, particularly within the context of Nepal. It offers students an interactive learning opportunity that combines theory, classroom-based seminars and field visits. Students will critically examine discourses on the dilemmas and designs of community development as well as ethical, social and economic challenges of different models. |
|
UTC2411/UTS2408 Unequal Parenthoods in Asia Dr Lavanya Balachandran |
Does parenting come naturally? Are there significant cultural differences in parenting practices, between Singapore, Asia more broadly, and the West? Do women parent differently from men? In this course, students will see that parenting may be universal but also a diverse experience. Drawing on case studies from Singapore, and other Asian societies, we examine how parenting roles and styles and perceptions of parenting are differentially produced across time, place and context. Using an interdisciplinary approach, students will learn how broader systems of inequality through institutions, policies, experts, technology and material resources perpetuate socially stratified and fragmented experiences of parenting. |
|
UTC2412/UTS2409 Mental Wellness: Perspectives & (World)views Ms Athel Hu & Ms Wong Soon Fen |
What is mental wellness? How do we define ‘(ab)normal’? How do communities in Singapore and communities across different countries and cultures perceive and promote mental health and resilience? How do the government, society and family contribute to mental wellness? What roles can medical, psychological and social psychiatric approaches play? This course explores the key theoretical perspectives and approaches to mental wellness across disciplines, ideologies and cultures in order to examine and appreciate the mental health landscape at the global, local and individual levels. |
|
UTC2413/UTS2416 Communicating with Communities in the 21st Century Dr Misty So-Sum Wai-Cook |
Communication is one of the key 21st century competencies. In this course, students will examine communication models to evaluate the effectiveness and appropriateness of verbal and nonverbal communication in face-to-face interactions and on social media platforms in the Singapore context. Students will also learn effective/appropriate strategies to empathise and communicate as a team member and a leader in the Singapore educational/organisational contexts by understanding others from a psychological perspective, and explore how people should effectively/appropriately communicate information to the public and collaborate with people in the service-oriented communities such as NGOs/VWOs in Singapore. |
|
UTC2414/UTS2410 Stakeholders: Community Engagement as a Sum of Diverse Parts |
We often discuss the ‘What’ and ‘Why’ of Community Engagement. However, we seldom explore the ‘Who’. This course explores the dynamic relationship between Community Engagement and its stakeholders. We will look at definitions of stakeholders and how they impact the efficacy, direction, processes, and perceptions of Community Engagement in Singapore. Through an interdisciplinary collaborative lens, we will focus on the government, social service agencies, donors, businesses, volunteers, community members and university students such as yourself. Our journey will include field trips, guest speakers, and the opportunity to enact stakeholder mediation sessions. Finally, we will explore how technology facilitates Community Engagement. |
|
UTC2415/UTS2415 The Effective Non-Profit in Singapore Dr Vania Yip |
In this course, we will examine some organisational processes and behaviors in the context of non-profit organisations (NPOs) in Singapore. Through readings, case studies, guest speakers, and field trips, we will explore the interdisciplinary aspects of organisational behavior from the individual, team, organisational and societal levels of analysis. We will discuss topics such as— What motivates employees and volunteers? How can NPOs drive a positive organisational culture? What are some “success indicators” in a NPO in Singapore? How can we create an inclusive community in the workplace for persons with disabilities? How do NPOs evolve to “keep up with the times”? |
|
UTC2416/UTS2411 Positive Youth Development in Singapore Dr Vania Yip |
In this course, we will take on an interdisciplinary lens in understanding the needs, strengths and challenges of youths and youths-at-risk in Singapore, as well as the ecosystems they are embedded in. Specifically, using the positive youth development approach, we will discuss how environmental and intrapersonal strengths can improve positive outcomes for these youths. We will also explore topics such as youth culture, youth mental health, risk and resilience in youth, youth voice and activism, among others. Importantly, we will examine how our deepened understanding of youths can inform our meaningful engagement with them. |
|
UTC2418/UTS2412 Crime, Society and Inequality (CSI): Singapore Edition Dr Lavanya Balachandran |
What defines ‘crime’? How does the likelihood of who commits crime and who is identified as ‘criminal’ differ across social contexts? This course approaches the relationship between crime and society through conceptual categories of class, gender, race, age, and geography drawing on local and global contexts of crime and justice. Students will use inter-disciplinary approaches to learn how institutions, policies, experts and mainstream society shape the landscape of crime, victimisation and justice. Furthermore, they will critically examine whether various formal and informal mechanisms of crime control adequately restore social order or conversely increase recidivism, exacerbate vulnerability and engender inequality. |
|
UTC2419/UTS2413 Think Global, Act Local: Understanding Global Singapore |
While globalisation has generally improved local communities in Singapore and elsewhere, how and why has it also led to greater challenges and even crises, many of which harm communities and undermine globalisation itself? By taking a people-centered analysis, this seminar critically examines how global issues – ranging from pandemics to migration to social media – impact local communities. Rather than treating communities as passive, this interdisciplinary course draws on studies from systems approaches to sociology to demonstrate how communities exercise power in responding to globalisation. Using Singapore as a reference point, the seminar explores debates on globalisation and how to strengthen local communities in a global era. |
|
UTC2420A Sustainability in SE Asia: Study Trip to Indochina Dr Joelle Lai & Ms Angie Tan |
This course focuses on two countries in Southeast Asia and is credit-bearing. It consists of two components: a) In-class seminars and local field trips; and b) Overseas study trip. The course seeks to understand community and development issues in relation to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals, as well as Singapore’s bilateral relationships with Laos and Vietnam. |
|
UTC2420B Sustainability in Southeast Asia: Study Trip to Thailand Assoc Prof Seow Teck Keong |
This course focuses on Thailand and is credit-bearing. It consists of two components: a) In-class seminars and local field trips; and b) Overseas study trip. The course seeks to understand community and development issues in relation to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals, as well as Singapore’s bilateral relationships with Thailand. |
|
UTS2400/UTC2417 Identities in Asia Dr Kankana Mukhopadhyay |
The concept of identity is highly contentious, addressing our fundamental sense of belonging, imagining, and definitions of ourselves and others. This course explores how both for individuals, and for members of various social groups, identities are formed and also change over time. Using both top-down and bottom-up approaches, we critically examine how individuals, communities and authorities have impacted the construction of personal and collective identities in Asia. Using theory, empirical studies, and real-world examples, we question assumptions about self and group identities, recognising how these are shaped by institutions, such as families, schools, state agencies, businesses and even social media networks. |
|
UTS2402/UTC2402 Environment and Civil Society in Singapore Dr Joelle Lai & Dr Toh Tai Chong |
This course explores the rise of the conservation ethic in Singapore. It traces the scientific, social and economic conditions that gave rise to the global environmental movement, and to its various expressions in Singapore. Students will engage with stakeholders (scientists, officials, civil society) to understand the conflicts and collaborations between advocates of development and conservation. They will initiate their own conversations and give feedback. The class will critically evaluate state-civil society partnerships, learn about the history between environmental CSOs and the Government, and debate choices and dilemmas for the future. |