Singapore

This module examines the role which nationalism has played in the formation and political development of the nations and states of South Asia. It examines nationalist forces in anti-colonial struggles, in post-colonial state formation and in contemporary political developments. It will be of relevance to students with an interest in political developments in Asia, with particular reference to forms of nationalism and nation-building

The module will explore the changing and evolving notions of Malay and Malayness in terms of place, space and identity. It will begin with an exploration of the construction of the Malay World of the pre-colonial and colonial past. We will look at the notion of the Malay ruling and subject class, including gender and family relations within the nascent Malay World. The subsequent basis for transformation involved the creation of a new political space, the independent nation-state and new identity involving new pathways of empowerment or disempowerment. Entering a subsequent phase of later postcolonialism we will delve into topical and controversial issues associated with Malays and Malayness --- from underdevelopment to Islam to the current re-imaginings and deconstruction of national, cultural and civic identities. We will trace the origins of Islam in the Malay World and explore contemporary issues related to the politicization and refashioning of cultural and political identity within the peculiarities of each modern nation-state. At the culmination of the module it is hoped that we will be able to appreciate the complexities of place, space and identity in locating the question of ethnicity, religion, race and culture in debates about tradition versus change or conflict versus consensus within nation-states and their global contexts. We should ultimately be well-informed about the economic and socio-political situation of the Malays in Singapore, Malaysia and the rest of the archipelagic Southeast Asia.

This module introduces students to the international relations of South Asia through three main sections/themes. The first section is an overview of the relevance of South Asia for contemporary global politics as well as understanding the evolution of the region into independent nation-states beginning with the partition of the sub-continent. The second section begins by examining the post-partition period. It then proceeds to examine the impact of the international Cold War on South Asia and how events unfolding beyond the region had an impact on South Asia. The third section scrutinizes particular themes key to discussions of the contemporary international relations of South Asia. These include analysing the discourse of a ‘rising’ India in global affairs as well as the role of domestic politics, nuclear weapons, the global ‘war on terror,’ trade and regional cooperation in South Asia.

From the practice of betel-chewing popular across the region for millenia to colonial opium regimes in Myanmar, the alcohol monopoly in French Indochina to beer ladies in present-day Singapore, the prostitution enclave of Bukit Senyum in Indonesia to Bangkok’s Soi Cowboy, vice has always been part of everyday life in Southeast Asia. In this module, students investigate the economic, political, social, geographical, and cultural significance of a variety of substances, such as drugs like tobacco, opium, alcohol and caffeine, and activities like (male and female) paid sex, gambling, sexual deviance and customs of ‘black magic’, through historical times right up till the contemporary present, and from the perspectives of colonial governments, present day nation-states, individuals and societies more generally. During the course, students use a range of texts, including scholarly articles, memoirs, newspaper articles, museum exhibits and archival materials to investigate the ways illicit substances and behaviors (‘forbidden pleasures’) are deeply imbricated in the quotidian and spectacular realities of myriad Southeast Asian societies.

Ever thought about the afterlife, mummies and of ghosts that haunt cemeteries? What about corpses and the way we deal with them? This class brings students into the fascinating world of death in Southeast Asia. Through an engagement with cultural, historical, medical and philosophical ideas, we venture into the often taboo realm of mortuaries, cemeteries, and cadavers. The class offers students a multidisciplinary perspective to how Southeast Asians relate to the reality of death and dying to further understand Southeast Asia, one of the most diverse regions of the world

How do ideas about beasts and the wild inform our socio-cultural worldview? In other words, what is a “tiger” when it is not (just) a zoo animal but one that lives in a forest next to home? Do those that live near these animals fear them and their wild environments? What are their fears about?

In this introductory and interdisciplinary course to conservation and the environment, we’re going to focus on human/animal relations and wild environments to look at how peoples’ ideas about big beasts and untamed forests informs socio-cultural worldviews especially in relation to identity, social justice and the redistribution of natural resources in South Asia. We will delve into the topic through ethnographies, films, novels and paintings pertaining to the lives of those living in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka who depend on or live close to animals – especially large ones – and wild environments in different geophysical locales such as mountains, deserts, rivers, plains, forests, and the sea. The course aims to be an informative, provocative and a fun introduction to an exciting and relatively new field of scholarship.

Societal concerns of local communities will be understood in relation to both livelihoods as well as socio-cultural symbols. Taking a close look at national and global battles over wild spaces and their uses, over nonhumans and their purposes, we will also explore the history and politics of the appropriation of the symbolism of certain animals and wild environments by nation states. We will highlight how growing consumerism and tourism are affecting the relationship people share with their environments; raise issues about the violence that has followed corporations’ and states’ land-grabbing, especially of forests; and learn about how some of the world’s poorest communities are attempting to defend their livelihoods and ecologies.

Historical sources (writing) and archaeology (material culture) give very different perspectives on the development of civilisations. This module follows the development of classical civilisations in Southeast Asia from the first to the 16th centuries A.D. Data from archaeological excavations are utilised to create a picture of the achievements of early historic peoples of the region in such areas as the formation of kingdoms and cities; trade; architecture; and warfare. Relations with China and India are also analysed.

Computers are instruments to improve efficiency. Often, their design is not robust against an intellegent adversary. Computer security is the science of studying why our computing techniques and systems fail, and ultimately to build them robustly. This is an undergraduate-level module on foundations of secure systems, covering the fundamental principles behind "adversarial thinking" and robust design of computer algorithms/systems. The course will highlight real-world designs, machine code exploitation, and Internet protocols.

The goal of this class is to enable students to:

Audit system design and implementation with an adversarial mindset
Design and implement exploits for real security bugs.
Develop secure applications.
Be able to design defenses & outline their limitations.

This module introduces the necessary conceptual and analytical tools for systematic and rigorous development of software systems. It covers four main areas of software development, namely object-oriented system analysis, object-oriented system modelling and design, implementation, and testing, with emphasis on system modelling and design and implementation of software modules that work cooperatively to fulfill the requirements of the system. Tools and techniques for software development, such as Unified Modelling Language (UML), program specification, and testing methods, will be taught. Major software engineering issues such as modularisation criteria, program correctness, and software quality will also be covered.

After this course, you should be able to:
understand how an OS manages computational resources for multiple users and applications, and the impact on application performance
appreciate the abstractions and interfaces provided by OS
write multi-process/thread programs and avoid common pitfalls such as deadlocks, starvation and race conditions
write system programs that utilizes POSIX syscall for process, memory and I/O management
self-learn and explore advanced OS topics