Academic Year 2021 - 2022
Semester 1

NUSMods Description

More people live in cities now than in any other point in history: how does this change human culture and civilisations? Cities tell a story of our world; they are a testament to humankind’s ability to reshape the environment in lasting ways. They reveal how we interact with the environment and with each other. Cities are created in many forms and for many reasons ranging from defense, religion and economic activity. Through case studies this module examines urban history, lived experiences and how city life has changed over time.

Review

This module was taught Prof Reyes Portia. She is a very kind and patient Prof. As I was just a freshman navigating my way through University, I constantly emailed her whenever I had doubts. She was quick to reply and encouraging as well. I was once confused by the Chicago Style Citation as there were many variations so I emailed her for clarification. She is a very passionate professor as well and anyone would be lucky to have her teach them. This is my first GE mod under FASS and I do not regret this.

This module is 100% CA : CA1 is a 250 essay on an image, CA2 is something like an online commentary, CA3 and CA4 are joint final projects

There is only one lecture every week and we just had to watch videos. Tutorials occur every fortnightly. My TA is Tomoko and she is very helpful. I had a lot of trouble with my essays as I am not really that good in writing but she readily gave me tips on how to improve. Hence, my CA grades improved tremendously. I got a B- for CA1, B+ for CA2 and finally A- for my final project. My tip for this module, hence, is to always seek feedback from your TA directly if you want to improve your CA grades. They are really helpful!

This module is very chill for me. I have always enjoyed History as a kid and I enjoyed learning about the History of cities. It is very mindblowing when I learned some of the new ideas pertaining to cities. I used to struggle with essays, so when I got my first B- for my CA1, I was really crushed because I thought I had put in a lot of heart and effort but to no favourable results. However, I enjoyed writing CA2 and my final project because I started to learn how to form unique and critical arguments and this led to deeper discussions in my essays. I also tried to put myself in the perspective of the people living in the cities by watching a lot of documentaries and films online. This really made me “feel” the module, if you can relate.