Tracing Power, People and Place: Preparing for our Germany OELP Journey 

Module code: TL206

Through this module, students will learn and prepare material tracing the history of Germany from the Romantics (1800s) to the modern era (1900s) and today. Research and sharing on the culture, geography, and literary and economic development of Germany will be ventured into. Students can also look forward to samplings food commonly eaten in Germany, and bop to famous modern German pop bands or be serenaded by classical German music! This module is mandatory for students going on the OELP Germany trip as an essential preparation course, but is also open to other interested students, up to 20 pax. 

Note: Maximum 20 pax

Criminology: Psychology of the Criminal Mind (SLAM)

Module code: SL207

This module aims to help students better understand the reasons behind criminal actions, including social, psychological, and environmental factors, and will challenge them to consider how societal structures contribute to crime. The module will cover the various factors that may influence people to commit crimes, the psychology of false convictions, as well as real-life case studies. By discussing the ethical complexities of justice systems, including issues such as rehabilitation versus punishment and the potential for systemic injustice, students will be prompted to question the fairness and effectiveness of the current criminal justice system. Through role-playing a mock trial, the module pushes RVians to think further and stretch themselves as they research for evidence to support their stands. 

CONTENT WARNING: This module contains content that might be distressing to some (references to murder, nudity, sexual assault etc.) 

Villains (SLAM) 

Module code: SL208

This module examines why people feel drawn to villains and true crime stories. It looks at the psychological, cultural plus media factors that feed this interest. Students study how writers and filmmakers build fictional villains who show sympathy, charisma but also complexity. They then place those invented figures next to the real life stories told about serial killers.

The course shows how film, television, documentaries and podcasts guide the way the public sees offenders as well as how those formats spark strong emotional reactions. It also asks whether it is right to turn real pain into entertainment.

Insights come from psychology, criminology, media studies and sociology. Students use those fields to judge why audiences seek tales of violence or moral rule breaking. By the end of the module, students must decide whether fascination means approval and must trace how repeated stories shape what a culture remembers.

Work in Progress: A sociological and anthropological take on work in recent history

Module code: TL209

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life." This module will examine human relationships with work and how they evolve through the first to current industrial revolution via the film, No other choice, Hu An Yan's novel, I deliver parcels in Beijing, and various sociological/anthropoligical readings. Students will engage in 'soft' social science research skils to arrive at their own conclusions about whether work is humanity's curse or deliverance.