T he Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences introduced a new faculty and curriculum structure on 1 July 2001 (see page 2), which seeks to offer a challenging learning experience for its students and to give focus to selected strategic research areas.

The establishment of Three Divisions in the Faculty facilitates the introduction of a new Exposure Requirement for all fresh FASS students: incoming students beginning from the 2001–2002 academic year are required to read and pass at least one module each from the three divisions. This requirement aims at introducing our students to the rich array of subjects that the Faculty offers in the three major areas of Asian Studies, Humanities, and Social Sciences. With exposure, students would be in a position to make an informed choice of the subject or subjects in which they wish to pursue a major.

In addition to the 18 undergraduate subjects taught by the 14 departments and programmes in the three divisions, students can also offer modules in two cross-departmental programmes— American Studies and European Studies—administered by the Faculty’s new Office of Programmes.

The Office of Programmes plays an important role in coordinating and developing multi-disciplinary, cross-departmental programmes that draw on the strengths of the Faculty and other Faculties within NUS. Each programme will have its own academic convenor and/or curricular committee to ensure standards and chart development. Free from the encumbrance of having to develop the necessary infrastructure before introducing a new subject, the Office of Programmes can respond quickly to changes in the academic world and introduce courses of study that are innovative and at the cutting edge of research. The Office of Programmes will also be administering the Singapore Studies modules, which are offered as a part of the University Requirements.

Learning a foreign language has been recognised in many leading universities as an important part of undergraduate education. The newly established Centre for Language Studies will oversee all language learning and create greater synergies for innovative language teaching in the Faculty. The content of the language learning programmes will be further enhanced as the Centre will stay abreast of emerging technologies and the latest relevant developments in the field. Currently, the Faculty offers language instruction in Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese, Japanese, Malay, Tamil, Thai, Vietnamese, French and German.

Undergraduate curriculum design must strike a careful balance between depth and breadth. The new FASS curriculum structure allows students to develop a degree of depth in a single major or a shared major. It also allows greater breadth in curriculum choices, thus contributing to producing well-rounded graduates who will be adept in confronting change and creating value in a world characterised by globalisation and rapid development.

The Faculty offers a single-major programme and a shared-major programme leading to a B.A., B.A. (Hons), or B.Soc.Sc. (Hons) degree. A shared major offers the curricular flexibility to combine two subjects into a major. This should facilitate cross-faculty collaboration, in line with NUS’s drive towards building a borderless knowledge enterprise.

In addition to the Exposure requirement and the Major requirement, there is also a Breadth requirement, where students will read courses from a subject outside their major(s). This complements the University Requirements and further enables students to develop a wider intellectual horizon, as they become active participants in the knowledge enterprise.
With a new undergraduate curriculum structure now in place, the Faculty is examining its graduate curriculum with the view of improving its existing offerings and introducing new programmes. The first step in introducing a new graduate curriculum is the recent launch of two new programmes: Master in Public Management under the Public Policy Programme, and Master of Social Sciences (International Studies) under the Office of Programmes.

These are important initiatives in strategic areas. The International Studies programme focuses on International Economics, International Relations and Development Studies. It provides intellectual as well as practical training to equip students for a variety of careers in these fields, and develops research and scholarship in International Studies. While the programme of study is international in scope, special attention will be given to case studies in the Asian context.

The Master in Public Management programme (MPM) is a one-year programme targeted at accomplished senior officials who hold responsible policy and decision-making positions and whose leadership is acknowledged within their own organisations. Anchored in the Southeast Asian context, the programme offers MPM candidates a curriculum that will enhance their role in public sector leadership. The candidates will not only learn new perspectives about governance but will also gain invaluable practical experience during their attachment to Singapore ministries and agencies. In addition, they go through a seven-week programme at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, with a one-week field trip in Washington DC.

The new curriculum structure should facilitate a dynamic learning experience. The quality of the learning experience itself, however, depends on both students and faculty. In this respect, the Faculty will continue its effort in building a conducive environment for teaching and learning. Innovative teaching methods should be encouraged. This is not to say that ‘traditional’ teaching methods are necessarily ineffective; instead, the point is that teaching requires careful reflection and constant attention. At the same time, a vibrant research culture is necessary. New research brings excitement and renews passion for the knowledge enterprise. If what academics do can be described as a labour of love, the challenge for the Faculty then is to nurture the love of learning such that it will not become ‘laborious’, but flourishes naturally in an environment that values scholarship and innovation.