NUS1 - Southeast Asia in Context
19 June 2017 – 21 July 2017
Hosted by the National University of Singapore
Southeast Asia in Context is a five-week exploration of Southeast Asia’s geographical, historical and cultural diversity. This course takes advantage of Singapore’s strategic position in offering a unique blend of classroom instruction at NUS campus with hands-on fieldwork other SE Asian countries. The lecturers are experienced teachers and researchers of Southeast Asia, who will explore themes such as Southeast Asian religion, archaeology, rural development, politics and regional integration. The fieldtrip includes visits to magnificent ancient temples, rural agricultural communities, war memorials and a fair sampling of local village life that is well off the usual tourist track.
Field Trip
Students learnt about various aspects of Indonesian culture during the field trip to Indonesia in summer 2016
Making music with traditional musical instruments
The highlight of this course is the week-long fieldtrip to Indonesia (Jogjakarta) where students will be exposed to local cultures and will be engaged in on-site lectures by the course instructor and local experts.
Target Audience
Bachelor students
Further specifications
Those enrolled in programs relating to all aspects of Southeast Asian studies, including ASEAN, economics, culture and politics are encouraged to apply.
Prerequisites
This program is open to undergraduates from all IARU universities, regardless of academic majors. A keen interest in Southeast Asia will be beneficial to the student experience.
Non-NUS students will be assessed based on recruitment criteria and procedures administered by each participating university in consultation with the NUS Department of Southeast Asian Studies.
Delivery Method & Learning Outcomes
Participants study two modules (choose 2 out of 3 elective modules) on Southeast Asian Studies with anthropological and historical concentration.
The first elective module, "SE2222: Southeast Asia In Context" provides a broad overview of Southeast Asia.
The other two elective modules, “SE2880A: Southeast Asia's Cultural Mosaic" and “SE3214: Marketing Southeast Asia’s Heritage”, will equip students with the analytical tools for the comparative study of society and culture. SE2880A features a 7 to 9-day field trip to various religious and cultural sites in Indonesia while SE3214 will bring students to various field trips in Singapore. All three modules deploy 'context-based' learning by combining in-class instruction at NUS campus with local and regional hands-on experience of Southeast Asian life.
Elective 1:
SE2222 Southeast Asia in Context: The Region at a Glance
Modular Credits: 4
Class hours: 36 hours in Singapore
100% Continuing Assessment. No examinations
This module will provide a broad overview for understanding Southeast Asia as a socio-political and cultural region. Southeast Asian societies are changing over time in response to the pressures of post-colonialism, nationalism, urbanization and globalization. These issues will be explored with a focus on topics such as gender, religion, regional integration, ethnicity and marginalization among others. The module will also feature local fieldtrips to various sites in Singapore, and will reflect on the place of this city state in a broader Southeast Asian context.
Elective 2:
SE2880A Southeast Asia’s Cultural Mosaic: Religious Spaces and Village Faces
Modular Credits: 4
Class Hours: 36 hours in Singapore
Fieldtrip: 7-9 days fieldtrip in Indonesia (Week 3)
100% Continuing Assessment. No examinations
If you are interested in Southeast Asian religion, particularly in rural settings, this module will interest you! This course will introduce students to the region from an anthropological perspective. Students will be equipped with the analytical tools for the comparative study of society and culture. Ethnographic materials will be used to discuss themes that include religion, ethnicity and identity as well as people and ways of living in cities and rural areas. The challenge is for students to explore the dynamics of change in Southeast Asia, to conceptualize and understand differences and similarities between social systems and human relationships, and above all to ask, ‘Why?’ The course will feature a field trip to Jogjakarta, Indonesia.
Elective 3:
SE3214: Marketing Southeast Asia’s Heritage
Modular Credits: 4
Class hours: 36 hours in Singapore
Fieldtrip: Local fieldtrips in Singapore
100% Continuing Assessment. No examinations
This course provides critical knowledge of the broad historical, natural, political and sociocultural processes that go into the making, management and marketing of heritage resources in Southeast Asia. It begins by focusing on relevant concepts related to the historical and cultural production of such resources before considering their contemporary material, symbolic and social uses and impacts within the region. It offers a broad overview of how past spatial practices, ideas, policies and technologies are mobilized – via museums, cultural theme parks, battlefield sites, within living communities among others – by stakeholders for multiple purposes, especially with respect (but not limited) to identity-building and tourism, and discuss in detail issues that emerge when planning for, and promoting, this heritage for increasingly diverse and segmented populations at various scales. Ultimately, heritage here is conceptualized as salient resources not only for the sustainable preservation of the pasts but also as veritable lens to understand and further enhance Southeast Asian societies today.
Learning Outcomes
The program seeks to cultivate:
- the ability to think about some of the historical and cultural aspects of Southeast Asia in a way that draws from one’s actual experience of travelling through the region and meeting Southeast Asian people
- the ability to utilize scholarly approaches from the fields of history, social anthropology and archaeology in contributing to debates concerning Southeast Asian topics;
- the ability to draw from a broad range of learning platforms towards demystifying some of the stereotypical depictions of Southeast Asia
Assessment
100% Continuing Assessment through class participation, presentations and essays.
Credit Equivalent at Host University & Contact Hours
4 NUS Modular Credits per module (total 8 credits)
Each module is equivalent to a 3-credit hour course under the North American credits or 6 ECTS.
36 total contact hours (classroom) + 7-9 days of overseas field trip (excluding self-study hours)
Weekday evenings and weekends are usually kept free for optional social activities in the summer school or self-study. However, some course related local field trips may be arranged on certain weekday evenings or Saturdays.
Lecturer(s) / Tutor(s)
Dr. Mohamed Effendy (NUS)/ Dr. Hamzah Bin Muzaini (NUS)
Accommodation
Students will be housed on-campus in single rooms.
Additional information:
Students should arrive by 18 June 2017 latest.
Students will be able to check in from 15 June 2017, and there will be a Welcome Lunch and Registration session on 16 June 2017.
Compulsory check-out date is on 22 July 2017, with no option for extension.
Costs
Figures are estimates only. Click on each item for details.
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Tuition Fees
SGD 2,590
Mandatory Miscellaneous Fees:
Approximately SGD 50 (payable by all exchange & non-exchange international students. Cost subject to change.) -
Accommodation
SGD 1,300 (5 weeks on-campus accommodation. Cost subject to change.) -
Field Trip
Approximately SGD 1,800 (includes airfare, accommodation throughout fieldtrip and transportation & admission fees to field sites. Cost subject to change.) -
Textbooks
SGD 50-100 -
Living Expenses
SGD 600–800 (for on-campus meals over 5 weeks). Does not include personal expenses such as toiletries, clothing, groceries, entertainment etc.
Estimated Student’s Pass & Multiple Entry Visa Fees: SGD 90-120
Estimated local transportation costs: SGD 100-150 (based on 4 weeks travel by public buses / trains only)
Additional information will be available in the booklet prepared specifically for each summer school cohort.
Visa to Indonesia (for overseas field trips)
Most European and North American passport holders are eligible for Visa on Arrival in the country, with corresponding Visa Fees. Students are advised to check with the relevant Immigration Offices in their home countries to confirm whether they qualify for Visa on Arrival. Students may also consult the following links:
For entry to Indonesia:
https://consular.embassyofindonesia.org/
Required and / or Recommended Insurance(s)
Travel insurance and medical insurance from student’s Home Country recommended for international students for the programme. Travel insurance will be provided only for field trip departing from Singapore.
Further Information
Detailed course profile:
Website: http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/fasstrack
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/nusfasstrackasia/
Please contact the following:
- For academic-related matters: Dr Mohamed Effendy - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- For housing and payment matters: Ms Letitia Thng/ Ms Jane Toh – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.