Taken AY2014/2015 Semester 1
HY1101E: Asia and the Modern World
I thought I liked History when I did it at the A Levels, and I loved SEA especially (I still do). But this mod just didn’t do it for me – it was too broad, spanning from the dynastic period to modern history, and it was mostly ‘touch and go’ for each of the different time periods. There was a vastness of regions covered – South Asia (India and Pakistan), East Asia (China, Japan and occasionally Korea/Taiwan), and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Philippines, Burma and Vietnam, mostly). It was too much for me, and I felt that the content wasn’t really organised in an understandable way. The patterns, while there, were not readily apparent, and it was very difficult to track the developments and continuities across so many regions.
I read other module reviews that said if we have taken A Level History before, this module would be not much of a problem. I have to disagree. While it is convenient to have some background information on SEA nationalism, decolonisation, political structures and economic development, as well as a knowledge of the Cold War, the module content organised these topics in a different way. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the recap, especially for the SEA region which I love, but other than that, it was all new information and I struggled with synthesising it and using it in my arguments. I really didn’t enjoy this module, but I know of a sizeable amount of people who remained ambivalent or even stayed interested throughout, and to hear my opinion regarding this subject only would be therefore quite an unrepresentative summary of what this mod is about.
Assessment: There were two midterms, each one 25%, and online forum participation was 20% (one forum session was 5%). The finals was 30%, which was a great relief because it didn’t have as high a weightage as the other mods’ finals. However, having two midterms was taxing (even though we would get the Fri lecture off in lieu of this torture) and having to remember so much information without a discernable, identifiable pattern really killed me. The forum participation is something that is required in Sem 1 – if I’m not wrong, Sem 2 may not have this component. It was amusing, if not a bit disturbing, to see everyone duking it out online with their tremendously long posts and taking up all the available points anyone could possibly conceive for a particular question. My advice to you is to start early and beat the crowd, but play fair at the same time – you can write a long post, but try to limit yourself to at most 2 points so that you’ll reserve some space for the rest to write as well. As for the finals, I wanted to die – partly because I left all the memorising to the day before the exam, which was the stupidest thing I’d done this year. The finals test all the semester’s worth of work, but I spotted identification terms from Theme 1 and 2, and thankfully was able to scribble some half-hearted words for them when they came out.
Workload: The forum participation was a pain, really – it required checking to see if anyone replied, and typing another short ‘essay’ in response to someone’s rebuttal, or adding on to their point. It took up even more time than a tutorial would have. There are readings every week, but I gave up very early on in the semester, and only read whenever it would help with the online forum post (I cited some readings for my points). I think the lectures, if you pay attention and diligently take notes, will stand you in much better stead for the exams than the readings. The content, however, is massive, and it’s hard to tell what is permissible to skip. Still, the saving grace of this mod is that they have a tendency to keep the questions at a somewhat doable level (although I would say it’s still hard) and you are probably bound to recognise a few of the ID terms that you have to do if you put in enough effort into at least scoping out the topic in general. I think, though, I would have been better off not taking this mod, especially with my poor time management and inability to memorise copious amounts of information in a short amount of time.
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Showing posts with label asian history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label asian history. Show all posts
Module review for HY1101E: Asia and the Modern World
Taken AY2014/2015 Semester 1
HY1101E: Asia and the Modern World
This is a compulsory module for anyone interested in majoring in History. However, I took this module with the intention of fulfilling my FASS requirements. Those who have taken H2 History in JC will have an advantage, but only in the sense that they are more accustomed to the demands of history essays, but as long as you have a strong command of language + argumentative skills, you should be fine. Looking back, I really regret my decision to choose this module, and you’ll soon come to know why. Generally, I found this module to be very taxing (for an introduction module at least), in terms of workload and content. If you are truly interested in History, you’ll have a great time I suppose, but my warning to those who are merely looking to fulfil FASS requirements: do not choose this.
The module consists of 2 lectures per week (2h each), with no tutorials. However, do not rejoice just yet. There are “online tutorials”, aka internet forum discussions hosted on IVLE. These online discussions actually took up way more of my time than a normal real-life tutorial session would, which really sucked. As for the lectures, there are no webcasts, so try not to skip any. Solely relying on the lecture notes would be insufficient, as a significant amount of what the lecturer says is not included in the slides. The lectures are split into East Asia + South Asia and South East Asia. Personally, I preferred the lecturer for East Asia, as despite her accent, she was able to deliver her lectures in a clear and concise manner. The other lecturer for South Asia and South East Asia was more long winded, and a lot more less concise.
Assessment
Internet discussion: 20%
Exam type: 1 essay + 4 identification qns
2 tri-term tests: 25% each
Finals: 30%
As stated above, the internet discussions require a SIGNIFICANT amount of effort. Depending on your group, people might take it very seriously. Unfortunately, my group was full of those kind of people. The term “discussion” might bring to mind a collection of short responses, but that is not the case at all. At least for my group, people posted essay-length responses, which was very frightening and stressful. In order to prepare for the discussion, I had to spend at least 2-3h to craft my “response” (read: essay), especially when others have written infinitely long essays that appeared to have covered all grounds already. As such, I suggest that you start preparing immediately when the discussion questions are released, before the forum has opened. This way, you can be the first to post, which would reduce a lot of the headache. Also, try to post at least TWICE for each discussion. Be prepared to spend way more than the usual 1h for this “tutorial”.
There are two tri-term tests instead of midterms (tr-iterm in the sense that 2 “midterms” + 1 finals). Study hard for these as they are 25% each so that you will be less stressed for finals, and make proper study notes so that you can simply refer to your notes for finals preparation. I suggest spending 1h on the essay and 1h on the identification questions (for the identification qn: explain the given historical event/term/person, a brief explanation of who what when where why, plus historical significance of that event/term/person).
For the finals, do try to at least make study notes in advance, as the content is consistently heavy for the entire module i.e. last day cramming will not work. That being said, you don’t have to worry too much for finals if you’ve done consistently ok for the previous two trii-terms.
Workload
The workload for this module is VERY HEAVY. Ridiculously burdensome online discussions, two “midterms” instead of one, and two lectures a week. The content, although interesting, is super heavy. Take this module only if you’re looking to major in history, or if you enjoy a serious challenge.
Source
HY1101E: Asia and the Modern World
This is a compulsory module for anyone interested in majoring in History. However, I took this module with the intention of fulfilling my FASS requirements. Those who have taken H2 History in JC will have an advantage, but only in the sense that they are more accustomed to the demands of history essays, but as long as you have a strong command of language + argumentative skills, you should be fine. Looking back, I really regret my decision to choose this module, and you’ll soon come to know why. Generally, I found this module to be very taxing (for an introduction module at least), in terms of workload and content. If you are truly interested in History, you’ll have a great time I suppose, but my warning to those who are merely looking to fulfil FASS requirements: do not choose this.
The module consists of 2 lectures per week (2h each), with no tutorials. However, do not rejoice just yet. There are “online tutorials”, aka internet forum discussions hosted on IVLE. These online discussions actually took up way more of my time than a normal real-life tutorial session would, which really sucked. As for the lectures, there are no webcasts, so try not to skip any. Solely relying on the lecture notes would be insufficient, as a significant amount of what the lecturer says is not included in the slides. The lectures are split into East Asia + South Asia and South East Asia. Personally, I preferred the lecturer for East Asia, as despite her accent, she was able to deliver her lectures in a clear and concise manner. The other lecturer for South Asia and South East Asia was more long winded, and a lot more less concise.
Assessment
Internet discussion: 20%
Exam type: 1 essay + 4 identification qns
2 tri-term tests: 25% each
Finals: 30%
As stated above, the internet discussions require a SIGNIFICANT amount of effort. Depending on your group, people might take it very seriously. Unfortunately, my group was full of those kind of people. The term “discussion” might bring to mind a collection of short responses, but that is not the case at all. At least for my group, people posted essay-length responses, which was very frightening and stressful. In order to prepare for the discussion, I had to spend at least 2-3h to craft my “response” (read: essay), especially when others have written infinitely long essays that appeared to have covered all grounds already. As such, I suggest that you start preparing immediately when the discussion questions are released, before the forum has opened. This way, you can be the first to post, which would reduce a lot of the headache. Also, try to post at least TWICE for each discussion. Be prepared to spend way more than the usual 1h for this “tutorial”.
There are two tri-term tests instead of midterms (tr-iterm in the sense that 2 “midterms” + 1 finals). Study hard for these as they are 25% each so that you will be less stressed for finals, and make proper study notes so that you can simply refer to your notes for finals preparation. I suggest spending 1h on the essay and 1h on the identification questions (for the identification qn: explain the given historical event/term/person, a brief explanation of who what when where why, plus historical significance of that event/term/person).
For the finals, do try to at least make study notes in advance, as the content is consistently heavy for the entire module i.e. last day cramming will not work. That being said, you don’t have to worry too much for finals if you’ve done consistently ok for the previous two trii-terms.
Workload
The workload for this module is VERY HEAVY. Ridiculously burdensome online discussions, two “midterms” instead of one, and two lectures a week. The content, although interesting, is super heavy. Take this module only if you’re looking to major in history, or if you enjoy a serious challenge.
Source
Module review for HY1101E: Asia and the Modern World
Taken AY2014/2015 Semester 1
HY1101E: Asia and the Modern World
This module takes an extremely broad approach to Asian history: it spans from ancient times (yes, we’re talking about 2000 BC here) to the modern era, with a focus on China, Japan, India and Southeast Asia. The content was neatly divided into East Asia and South + Southeast Asia, taught by two different lecturers— both of whom interestingly (or like duh) hails from the respective region they were in charge of.
Despite her accent, the lecturer for East Asia was well-organized and clear in her lectures. Through the use of proper headings, she broke the truckload of content down into easy-to-understand, chronological chunks of information. This made studying a lot easier.
On the contrary, the lecturer for South Asia + SEA conducted lessons in a rather haphazard and random way. He didn’t do a very good job of organizing the lecture content— the headings didn’t make much sense, and he tended to dwell on introductions, leaving him with little time and no choice but to bulldoze through the important parts. He also liked to talk about ‘broad trends’, but neglected to go into in-depth explanations of them.
If you’re thinking that having a background in H2 History would help you to ace this module, think again. JC content only comes in for a select few topics, such as SEA nationalism and Cold War. Much of the material is completely new, especially for Chinese and Indian history.
Assessment:
20%: online tutorial participation (4 sessions, 5% each)
50%: 2 lecture tests, 25% each
30%: finals
The online tutorial sessions were a pain in the neck (I have to restrain myself from using the alternative, more vulgar form of the phrase). Students were placed into online tutorial groups of ten— you can choose to join with your friends, or join a random one with strangers, whichever suits you. For each session, we were given a history source to analyze and answer 2 or 3 questions on the online forum. We were supposed to engage in active discussion, so it involves responding to others’ posts as well.
Unfortunately, what initially seemed to be a simple tutorial activity turned into an essay writing competition. People became pressured to write more, especially after seeing the long model posts (or should I say essays). Longer posts also meant that points were exhausted and those who joined the discussion later had nothing more to say. We also had to check back continually to see if anyone else had replied, and as a result, a lot of time was spent on this.
My advice for this is to play nice and to write just 2-3 good posts. You can craft a longer response, but please leave some points for others to talk about and don’t hog the entire discussion.
The lecture tests and finals are of the same format: 1 section for identification of terms and 1 essay. For the ID, you’re expected to provide information on the term (a historical event, ideology etc— it could actually be anything) and explain its relevance to Asian history. The latter requirement is iffy and I never knew how to explain it (neither did the lecturers explain it to us, not really). Your best bet is to feign intelligence and link the term to some broad idea/thingy.
For the essays, I got the impression that the lecturers don’t want you to write a long answer. For the lecture tests, they actually limit your answer to 2 sides of a blank A4 paper. As such, I don’t think there is any need to memorize copious amounts of nitty-gritty historical information for this module. You should know the major historical events like the back of your hand, but what’s more important is to be able to draw connections and properly link your ideas/argument to the question.
Workload:
The workload for this module is rather heavy, thanks mainly to the online tutorials. For the tests and finals, it would be best to start studying early so that you won’t be overwhelmed by the content at the last minute.
Source
HY1101E: Asia and the Modern World
This module takes an extremely broad approach to Asian history: it spans from ancient times (yes, we’re talking about 2000 BC here) to the modern era, with a focus on China, Japan, India and Southeast Asia. The content was neatly divided into East Asia and South + Southeast Asia, taught by two different lecturers— both of whom interestingly (or like duh) hails from the respective region they were in charge of.
Despite her accent, the lecturer for East Asia was well-organized and clear in her lectures. Through the use of proper headings, she broke the truckload of content down into easy-to-understand, chronological chunks of information. This made studying a lot easier.
On the contrary, the lecturer for South Asia + SEA conducted lessons in a rather haphazard and random way. He didn’t do a very good job of organizing the lecture content— the headings didn’t make much sense, and he tended to dwell on introductions, leaving him with little time and no choice but to bulldoze through the important parts. He also liked to talk about ‘broad trends’, but neglected to go into in-depth explanations of them.
If you’re thinking that having a background in H2 History would help you to ace this module, think again. JC content only comes in for a select few topics, such as SEA nationalism and Cold War. Much of the material is completely new, especially for Chinese and Indian history.
Assessment:
20%: online tutorial participation (4 sessions, 5% each)
50%: 2 lecture tests, 25% each
30%: finals
The online tutorial sessions were a pain in the neck (I have to restrain myself from using the alternative, more vulgar form of the phrase). Students were placed into online tutorial groups of ten— you can choose to join with your friends, or join a random one with strangers, whichever suits you. For each session, we were given a history source to analyze and answer 2 or 3 questions on the online forum. We were supposed to engage in active discussion, so it involves responding to others’ posts as well.
Unfortunately, what initially seemed to be a simple tutorial activity turned into an essay writing competition. People became pressured to write more, especially after seeing the long model posts (or should I say essays). Longer posts also meant that points were exhausted and those who joined the discussion later had nothing more to say. We also had to check back continually to see if anyone else had replied, and as a result, a lot of time was spent on this.
My advice for this is to play nice and to write just 2-3 good posts. You can craft a longer response, but please leave some points for others to talk about and don’t hog the entire discussion.
The lecture tests and finals are of the same format: 1 section for identification of terms and 1 essay. For the ID, you’re expected to provide information on the term (a historical event, ideology etc— it could actually be anything) and explain its relevance to Asian history. The latter requirement is iffy and I never knew how to explain it (neither did the lecturers explain it to us, not really). Your best bet is to feign intelligence and link the term to some broad idea/thingy.
For the essays, I got the impression that the lecturers don’t want you to write a long answer. For the lecture tests, they actually limit your answer to 2 sides of a blank A4 paper. As such, I don’t think there is any need to memorize copious amounts of nitty-gritty historical information for this module. You should know the major historical events like the back of your hand, but what’s more important is to be able to draw connections and properly link your ideas/argument to the question.
Workload:
The workload for this module is rather heavy, thanks mainly to the online tutorials. For the tests and finals, it would be best to start studying early so that you won’t be overwhelmed by the content at the last minute.
Source
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