Junior Seminars

Crime and Punishment

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Understanding crime is important for those who, through the machinery of the state, would seek to impose punishment upon the criminal. This course gives students the opportunity to consider the nature of crime and punishment from a number of perspectives in philosophy, criminology and fiction. They will examine the justifications for deeming behaviour criminal, the causes of this behaviour, as well as the divergent legal responses to it across time and cultures and with changes in technology. Through the use of case studies, students will test their intuitions about when the imposition of punishment is morally acceptable.

By Dr Michael Grainger

Engineering Marvels

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From the pyramids to the Three Gorges Dam, from nano drug-delivery systems to autonomous robots, the world contains many engineering feats that make you wonder “How did they do that?”. This course helps students develop basic insights into the workings of selected engineering applications. Coupled to this is an investigation of the engineering marvel ‘in context’. What problems or issues does it address? What are its costs and consequences – both intended and unintended? What are the ethical and political dimensions of this? Each run of the course will have a specific thematic focus, such as big structures, biotechnologies, or robotics.

The Darwinian Revolution

UTC1102B

The scientific developments of the 19th century from geology to palaeontology, culminating in the theory of evolution by natural selection are arguably the greatest transformations in our understanding of the natural world in human history. Much of the science of the following century has been further refinements and elaborations of these earlier foundations. Yet most of these developments remain totally unknown or misunderstood by most people. Surely, therefore, an understanding of these issues is essential knowledge for any educated person today.

By Dr John van Wyhe

Emotions and Society

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Everybody feels. Our feelings drive us to do and are indicators of the state of our minds. In this course, we take a broad look at human emotions across cultures. We ask: what functions do emotions serve? Do gender differences exist? Are emotions and rationality at odds? How do society and technology affect how we feel, our perception of what we ought to feel, and what feelings we are willing to express? What is the relationship between the feeling mind and the body? What is the role of emotion in artificial intelligence?

By Mr Shamraz Anver

Fakes

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In this junior seminar, students will examine the significance of various kinds of false appearances such as counterfeits, forgeries, hoaxes, and liars, together with attempts to expose them – sometimes with the help of sophisticated technologies. By critically examining what it means to designate an object, practice or person as ‘fake’, and how different kinds of fakes are judged as more or less problematic, students will develop the capacity to think critically and relationally about deep-seated human desires for ‘truth’ and ‘value’.

By Dr Eric Kerr

Green Capitalism: A Critical Engagement

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How do we know how green companies are? How do managers know? This course is about information and knowledge as social phenomena. Nature does not tell us how green companies are; the information that shows us ‘green capitalism’ as a solution and a reality is constructed by humans. This course is about how environmental managers know and do 'greening', and about the problems of such knowing and doing. The focus is not on engaging in green capitalism, but on engaging with it, critically. More broadly, you will pick up skills for dealing with uncertainty, uncommon ground and contradictions.

Ignorance and Knowing

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By Dr John Wee

Images

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In this junior seminar, students will explore the role of images in several key contexts, including painting, photography, science, mathematics, television, cinema and the internet. Students will develop habits of critical response by studying texts from philosophy, psychology, semiotics, and literature that deal directly with images and theories of the image. Students will learn to distinguish between kinds of image.and develop an understanding of the history of images, their influence on our lives and our interaction with them. Some attention will be given to special topics, such as the invention of the camera and the establishment of 19th century science.

 

By Associate Professor John Phillips

Living and Dying in the Internet Age

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Now, more than ever, we live, die and live on through Internet technologies such as Web sites, social networking platforms and gaming environments. But how does this ‘living, dying and living on’ through the Internet relate to our ‘bodily living, dying and living on’? Using different disciplinary perspectives, this course will dwell on two questions: (1) How do we make sense of life, death and after-death in the Internet era? (2) How can we respond, through new ways of thinking, practices, policy or design, to the new challenges and questions associated with life, death and after-death today?

By Dr Connor Graham

Murals: Expressions from/on the Walls

UTC1102P

This course introduces students to mural painting historically, theoretically and technically. Students will learn of murals from different cultures and periods to facilitate critical discussions on the roles of art, artists and aesthetics vis‐à‐vis notions of everyday life, public space and community. They will cultivate a strong sense of observation and curiosity about their surroundings, reporting on murals from antiquity, and of Singapore or their home countries. They will also acquire skills in the technical aspects of mural painting, from conceptualising designs to painting a mural. Finally, this course provides students an unusual opportunity for building collaborative and community spirit as they paint their chosen mural together.

By Dr Margaret Tan

Proof: What's truth got to do with it?

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An essential part of an educated person is an independent desire to know the truth. In seeking the truth, one must often judge a proffered proof. This seminar will discuss the relationship between Truth and Proof in biology, ecology, history, justice, mathematics, medicine, philosophy, physics, religion, statistics, etc. This helps the student see both the hard, objective formulation of the two concepts in the sciences, as well as their soft, subjective abstraction in the humanities.

By Professor Tay Yong Chiang

Social Innovation

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This freshman seminar will engage students in critical dialogue on the topic of social innovation. Drawing upon examples of innovation across various disciplines, students will examine sources of and processes that drive innovation, and reflect upon the organization and governance of innovation. Building on this knowledge, students will be challenged to think about how new technology, strategies, concepts, and ideas can be harnessed to solve social problems Substantial time will be devoted to understanding and debating issues pertaining to social innovation.

The Nuclear Imagination

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The public’s perception of nuclear power sharply deteriorated because of the 2011 Fukushima reactor core meltdown and several other prior accidents. However, given the urgent need to fight climate change and the current global energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the case for nuclear power is becoming ever stronger. Considering the associated risks, what role should radiation play in society? In this course, we will adopt an interdisciplinary approach to examine the history of nuclear radiation, appreciate the science and technology behind nuclear power, and consider the ethical and social implications of a nuclear future.

By Dr Rafi Rashid

Radiation and Society

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Reports of radiation leaks at the Fukushima nuclear facility in Japan, following the earthquake/tsunami disaster in 2011, have triggered concern and even panic among members of the general public. In this seminar, we adopt a multi‐disciplinary approach to debates and controversies about radiation and nuclear technology. Key topics include: (1) the science behind radiation effects, and the way in which policymakers and others grapple with scientific uncertainties; (2) the challenges of expert‐lay communication about radiation risk, both after nuclear disaster and relating to consumer technologies; (3) the broader context that shapes debates over nuclear power in Japan and elsewhere.

Last Offered in AY21/22 Semester 1

Science Fiction Movies in the East and West

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What is a science fiction (SF) movie? How did SF movies and developments in science and technology influence each other during the twentieth century? What is the use of SF movies for societies? And why are SF movies much more popular in some countries than in others? By watching and analysing classic and contemporary SF movies from the US, the Soviet Union, Japan, China, and other countries, we will search for answers to these questions. Special emphasis will be given to analysing how historical, political, and cultural environments in different countries have influenced the production and acceptance of SF movies.

Last Offered in AY18/19 Semester 2

The Bio-tech Future: Sci-Fi Film and Society

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From the earliest films in the late 19th century to contemporary Hollywood blockbusters, science and technology have long played a role in how the future has been envisioned. In this seminar students will study a range of popular science fiction films and examine how the futures portrayed in these films are a creative, ociocultural response to the techno‐scientific milieu of their production. Students will consider how film challenges us to re‐examine concepts of scientific progress and technological advancement by asking questions such as: what is monstrous about sci‐fi monsters, and what is biology in the age of the machine?

Last Offered in AY16/17 Semester 2

The Social Lives of Drugs

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This junior seminar explores the relationship between drugs and culture. Drugs are powerful because of their material and symbolic value, their power to alter bodies and minds, and their ability to both harm and heal. By examining the social lives of drugs, from production to consumption, students will build the skills to critically ask how drugs affect lives across different societies. Besides the question how a plant, food, or substance becomes constituted as a drug in the first place, topics to be explored include the use of human subjects in clinical drug trials, the ‘pharmaceuticalization’ of health, and licit/illicit drugs.

Last Offered in AY17/18 Semester 1

Ways of Knowing: Poetry and Science

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This junior seminar explores the relationship between poetry and science spanning the Romantic to the late Modern periods, approximately the late eighteenth through the mid twentieth century. Students will investigate the history of science and poetry as mutually supportive. Emphasis will placed on the distinct ways poetic and scientific minds imagine, experience, and develop knowledge about the natural world and the human who inhabits it.

Last Offered in AY16/17 Semester 2