As we prepare to usher in the New Year, some university students in Singapore may already be sitting behind their computers frantically deciding and choosing what electives to take or other modules to spice up their semester.
Here at Vulcan Post, we have uncovered some of coolest modules from NUS and NTU that we never knew existed for all types of students out there.
Modules for the hopeless romantic and emotional individuals
1. FMA1201Q FS: Love Actually? The Social Construction of Romantic Love
Freshies and hopeless romantics in the National University of Singapore (NUS), this is the module for you. This freshman seminar will engage students in critical understanding of romantic love. Under the sociology department, the module will explore the concept of romantic love, expressed through courtship and marriage.
The seminars will investigate love as a social construct, and examine the various social and cultural factors that influence how we appreciate and understand romantic love in contemporary societies.
2. PL3252: Social-Cognitive Perspectives of Emotion
This module offered by the psychology department in NUS is said to offer its students an exploration of current social-cognitive research on emotions and cover issues such as what is the nature of emotion in itself and what are the functions of these emotions and the possible consequences.
While talk of this module may already bore some of you, for those who wish to delve in deeper into their emotions and its causes (or why they feel what they feel), this is the module to take.
Modules for the CSI wannabes and future hot scientists
3. GEK1542: Forensic Science
Get ready to put on your lab coats my friends. ‘Tis the time to show off your hidden CSI skills. This module offered the faculty of life sciences in NUS is designed to introduce students not only one aspect of Forensic Science but a multi-disciplinary outlook to Forensic Science. From exploring the human and animal hairs to taking fingerprint evidence to even learning what goes through criminal minds.
The module also pulls in experts from the different fields such as Senior Consultant Forensic Scientist of The Forensic Experts Group, Singapore, Dr. Lim Chin Chin and also Dr. Michael Tay, another expert forensic scientist who played a pivotal role during the Little India Riots last year. With the help of this true blue scientists, students will definitely get first hand accounts of recent developments in crime scene investigation and how they are handled using the latest scientific technology.
This is a popular module in NUS but to those studying in NTU, do not fret! A similar module is also offered to its students – CM8012: Introduction to Forensic Science.
4. PR2202: Perfumes and Cosmetics
Who said you can’t learn about make up and how to smell phenomenal and still be school? With this module, students will learn about what goes into your daily routine of foundation, concealer, powder, eyeliner, mascara (well, that is just the tip of the iceberg) and also learn about the manufacturing of your perfumes.
Be it Chanel No.5 or your simple go-to adidas spray, this module will looks at what goes on, behind-the-scenes. Students outside the Science and Pharmacy department can read this module as a breadth (Psst! That means you can S/U it!) and enjoy it while it lasts. It’s not everyday you get to step out of the lab smelling like flowers and all sorts of beautiful concoctions.
Modules for the social media junkie and Hallyu lovers
5. CS2044: Photojournalism
For those of you interested in photography such as this moving shot by Kevin Carter or just maybe, slightly obsessed with vsco-ing every photo you take, this module is for you.
Offered by NTU’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, this module will look into the work of professional photographers and all using the latest digital photographic techniques. So you’ll be safe from stumbling and wondering how to operate the huge cameras that used to parade the streets.
Students will also learn how journalism professionals also take selfies (but professional ones!). The course gives thanks to the work of photojournalists all over the world and will definitely come in handy for not only aspiring photojournalists but writers and editors who are looking for broader visual awareness.
6. CS4160: The Korean Wave: A multidisciplinary perspective
If hearing about Korean Bands like Girls Generation or Big Bang or DBSK or even hit Korean reality shows like Running Man sets you off into a wild craze, this module is perfect for you.
Also offered by NTU’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, this course will venture into what makes the Korean entertainment scene so popular and sensational. This module will question what you think you already know and give more insights on the multi-million dollar industry that has set waves in the global music market as well as the entertainment industry as a whole.
So if you are wondering what really goes behind-the-scenes in this booming industry, be ready to secure your place cause this is one hot module.
7. HG8003: Technologically Speaking: The Intersection of Language and Technology
If you can actually understand this sentence: “LOL you just made me ROFL. YOLO!”, then you may just ace this course. Offered by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in NTU, this module will allow students to see how technology affects our use of language and how it also allowed us to understand language in new and more interesting ways.
So if short forms and acronyms are your lingo, this module will be a blast.
8. NM2209: Social Psychology of New Media
With technology being so heavily imbued in our daily lives, sometimes we may oversee the effects it has on us as users. This course offered by the department of communications and new media in NUS looks into the effects media has on its users whether these effects are actually real or as a matter of fact, imagined.
Taught by Dr. Lim Sun Sun, this module is an interesting one where students are encouraged to share their experiences with new media. Stories from using your phone over dinner and choosing a certain brand over another because it was “better” are welcomed in this module.
So for those social media junkies who may love their phones and tech gadgets a little too much, this may just be the perfect eye-opener for you.
Modules for the stressed-out student
9. HP8001: Mind over Stress
With all the stresses going on in school and the hectic deadlines coming up, this module actually helps you to identify and manage the different types of stress that individuals face in the fast-paced lifestyle that is Singapore.
Offered by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in NTU, the module can help students combat the stresses of school and their future work-life. Now who said stuff in school wasn’t applicable to life?
10. HP8003: Are you okay? Mental Health in Singapore
“Are you okay?” is probably one of the most frequently asked questions in the world and what do you know, there actually is a module for it.
For those of you who are interested in learning about an individual’s psychological well-being, this course will be the tool you need to know where someone is “OK” or not. The basic early signs and signals to tell if your loved ones are not doing well psychologically and where people can seek out for help. Offered by NTU, this course takes everyday life into a scientific perspective and broadens the student’s awareness behind seemingly normalized statements like “Are you okay?”
So whether you have already chosen your electives or are still pondering over what to take, consider some of these interesting modules that are sure to give a twist to your boring array of core modules. And since you can S/U most of them, why not?
