Taught by: Dr Leung Wing Sze
Content (Structure/Organization):
Well-structured and engaging content and separate parts are usually highly relevant to one another
Manageability of Workload:
It depends on what other mods one takes. the workload can be high for a short period of time but low for another so it helps when your other mods do not allocate work simultaneously within the same periods
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades:
Quite achievable if you follow the prof’s feedback and guidance well. The prof is not stingy with good grades
Learning Value/Recommendation:
Would be more useful if I had more time to read and explore instead of mostly rushing my work. Overall still a very practical, insightful course
About the Instructor:
She was clear in conveying lessons and getting us to understand the issue and different positions. However she sometimes does not provide clear explanations for pushing back discourse that she feels is not in the right direction.
Name: Ang Jan Tsi (@jantsii)
Content (Structure/Organization):
Well structured with sufficient time to understand concepts as well as to complete the essays. The curriculum is effective in explaining fundamental writing skills necessary and does so through an engaging and eye-opening issue
Manageability of Workload:
I think due to a greater interest, I spent more hours in completing the essays than normal, but the average workload is quite manageable.
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades:
It is achievable, but she has high standards for an A or A+ so it is not easy
Learning Value/Recommendation:
It was honestly the most useful course I took in the semester in terms of both the content that I learnt and the skills that were taught.
About the Instructor:
They did a fantastic job in facilitating discussion, by allowing everyone to speak (even those who are more quiet), and the issues discussed were very eye-opening. Her passion for the subject also helped to shape my interest for the course. Outside of lessons, she is also responsive and helpful in emails and consults, and is quite approachable
Content (Structure/Organization):
course is split into 2 halves, human trafficking and labour migration, so it is clearly structured in a way that enables students to see parallels between both phenomena. the curriculum introduces you to a range of academic theory that both explain how these phenomena are conceived and perpetuated as well as justify specific stances aka many readings. some readings are dense and may be challenging for some because they can get quite abstract. i encourage you to discuss any and all doubts in class and dont be embarrassed about not knowing whats going on because chances are most of your classmates dont either
Manageability of Workload:
a few hours a week to do readings, but it depends on your reading speed (i read slow) and whether or not you skim or try to absorb it (im the latter). there are quite a number of shorter assignments (500 words each) and two big essays (1.5k, 2.5k words) so those require some extra time
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades:
an A in this course is gonna be challenging for most people (normal in nusc imo) and prof wing is maybe slightly stricter in marking standards but not overly. an a is not impossible if you write well and respond to her feedback
Learning Value/Recommendation:
it was super valuable for me i really enjoyed it, mainly because the topic of labour rights interests me greatly
About the Instructor:
prof wing strongly encourages class discussions and tries to give everyone a chance to talk. some students dont enjoy being called to speak, and they usually also feel intimidated (?) because she gives off intense vibes and they are afraid of saying the wrong thing / not knowing whats going on. again, just speak. prof wing doesnt criticise students for being wrong, she may point out contradictions in your argument but will always appreciate your effort to speak in class. she also asks for short feedback on canvas regularly as a learning checkpoint, where students reflect on what they have learnt so far and can raise their big questions. these checkpoints also constitute class part to make sure that even if you aren't comfortable talking in class, you can still get class part points + clear your doubts
Additional Comments/Word of Advice:
pick this ntw if you are interested in the background factors giving rise to labour exploitation
Content (Structure/Organization):
This course was well organised: Prof would provide us with a summary of what we would be covering for the whole semester + the readings for each class, so we knew what would be happening for each class (you can also do the readings in advance, if you have time)
Manageability of Workload:
The first few readings were lengthy, but easy to read. However, the later readings were very conceptual and heavy (though shorter), which was painful to get through. The actual essays themselves also required quite some research, which took up a lot of time. Personally, I felt like I was always doing NTW (during my study sessions throughout the sem).
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades:
A- or B+ should be achievable, as long as you listen to prof's instructions carefully and take time to consult her. She is quite direct with what she wants out of each writing assignment. Getting an A is rare.
Learning Value/Recommendation:
I felt like I gained a lot during this NTW. Since we discuss singapore specific issues in the later half of the sem, it was highly applicable to us. Doing extensive research for the final research paper also forced me to deepen my understanding about issues on the ground. Prof also invited external guests to speak to us, which was a very valuable experience as well.
About the Instructor:
The class was structured quite well! Familiarity with H2 Economics would be helpful too, as some class discussions were centred around economic concepts (which were not explained during the class itself)
Content (Structure/Organization):
The organisation and structure of the lesson is good, as the assignments are planned such that there is guidance along the way. Students slowly gain independence in writing a research paper. (1) Summarise text (2) research paper 1 --> research question given (3) response paper --> topic given, research question not given (4) research paper 2 --> topic and research question both not given. The curriculum is well structured as guidance is given (e.g. professor teaches us how to craft a research question responding to a scholarly source for the response paper before requiring us to craft our own research question without guiding questions etc. ) Overall, the materials given are not difficult to understand. However, the assignments take a great deal fo time, do take note.
Manageability of Workload:
The workload for this module is extremely heavy, however this is standard across all the NTW modules. On a weekly basis, I spend 1-2 hours on readings to prepare for classes. However the time consuming portion is the assignments as writing takes a great deal of time (multiple drafts before final paper). For reference, I spent the entire week (2 weeks before finals) solely on my research paper instead of revising for finals. However do note that I'm from business administration, workload varies depending on your course.
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades:
Getting an A is extremely difficult, B+ is the most common. Once again, this is standard across all NTWs. From my knowledge, the FASS students are often better at writing and attain the As. It is not difficult to attain B+ but As are difficult and rare.
Learning Value/Recommendation:
Personally, this module is extremely insightful. It allowed me to learn more about the behind-the-scenes of our "invisible workforce", urging us to extend empathy to migrant workers.
About the Instructor:
Yes, the professor encouraged class discussion, especially from quieter students. I believe that it was somewhat effective. However I believe that class discussion depends more on the class rather than the professor. Key concepts were explained well and simplified if needed, as well as backed with examples, which were very helpful. I liked how our professor took the effort to give us detailed feedback on how to improve, while also encouraging independence in research paper writing, which I find particularly helpful. My professor has connections with TWC2, and invited speakers there to share more about the plights of migrant workers. I find these stories particularly helpful, especially since I do use their papers as secondary sources for my research paper. Consultations are helpful but do be prepared with questions (and possible answers) before the consult. The professor requires students to ask constructive questions (don't ask questions that make the professor think/make decision for you).
Content (Structure/Organization): -
quite structured. what we are doing for each session very clearly delineated right from the get go. unit 1 is scaffolding for unit 2 so i liked that progression
Accessibility: 5
acceptable
Manageability of Workload: 2
quite heavy in terms of understanding the readings.
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades:
generally did quite acceptable for the things she gave us grades for.
Learning Value/Recommendation: 5
out of my five mods i think i learnt most from this mod. but i did feel like i was majoring in human trafficking and labour migration
About the Instructor:
prof say 'err' alot. but i think quite kind and understanding. feel like she got put in alot of effort.
Content (Structure/Organization): -
The sequence of content was logically organised. Prof had a clearly defined set of content to teach us every lesson, and her writing lessons were clearly linked to our readings.
However, insights about readings were very student-dependent, as she encouraged us using guiding questions to come up with our own interpretations about class materials.
Accessibility: 4
Prof Leung took time to explain concepts to us (eg: the economic concept of supply and demand, utilitarianism, Marxism) and correct common misconceptions, which I really appreciated. I think that helped us to have a basic understanding of the module content, although students without background may struggle at the start since the concepts are not always the easiest to understand.
Manageability of Workload: 2
Class time - about 4h (rounded up)
Readings - 2-3h every week
Assignments - depends on weightage. I finished one assignment (the least intensive one) in 2h, but for another, I spent an average of 4-6h on it every day (in the week leading up to the deadline) to complete it because of the amount of research needed.
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades:
I feel that your grade will depend on your individual writing style, the amount of effort you put in, and whether you are able to come up with fresh insights in your paper.
Prof likes students who write clearly and logically, with a certain flow in mind. She also gives extra credit to students who can demonstrate clear knowledge about their paper subject matter, because they have done their due diligence in research. She isn’t too focused on vocabulary (so there’s no need for flowery language), rather, she’s focused on clarity of thought.
Though Prof is generally on the stricter side, I think that if you have an interest in this module, and if you are willing to put in the hard work required for assignments, this shouldn’t be a deterring factor :-)
Learning Value/Recommendation: 5
I’ve gained lots of insight into the module content, and picked up invaluable writing skills that will serve as my writing foundation in university. I’m very grateful to Prof for giving her students more confidence to speak up in class too!
About the Instructor:
Prof Leung is really knowledgeable and is always happy to share further insights with us if we approach her after class with questions.
She encourages lots of collaboration in class through class discussions and peer reviews, and she makes her classroom a safe space for us to share our thoughts with others and to disagree respectfully.
Name: Chuan Kai (@exetr)
Content (Structure/Organization): -
The module is divided into two parts, where the first half of the semester focuses on human trafficking, specifically in the Indian and Nepalese forced prostutition and sea slavery in Thailand. The second half takes a step back and looks at a multitude of scholarly views about the core idea of labour migration (whether it is permissible, what should be considered exploitativive, etc). There are also some parts of her lesons where she spent time elaborating about the fundementals of writing such as making and supporting sound arguments.
Every lesson focuses on a set of readings, but within lessons, prof usually takes a step back after introducing and talking a bit about the readings before letting us continue the discussions, occasionally stepping in when we raise questions
Accessibility: 5
For someone that had 0 prior exposure to such topics along with no idea how to write academic papers, it was very managable, just make sure that you go in with an open mind
Manageability of Workload: 3
Readings wise, I found the assigned articles/journals before every lesson to be managable with some minor exceptions (Marx and his idealogies of labour). It is best to ensure some time is spent in completing the readings before the lessons otherwise I feel you may not have a very productive discussion in lessons.
Among the two main papers, research questions for the first one are provided by prof so that narrows down the scope for you to focus on, whereas you would have to come up with your own research question through engaging with some sources that are covered in class. Workload for the second paper may be quite daunting due to the sheer amount of possible content for you to analyse and write about but even then I didn't lose significant amounts of sleep over it
Despite this, I felt that prof schedules her lessons effectively with regards to ensure that we are not suddenly overloaded with having to rush essays. Throughout the semester prof would spend some time in splitting us up into small groups to discuss and develop our thoughts about topics covered. I felt that this helped to generate some potential ideas about what we could do/how we could structure our papers. Nearer to the deadlines for the papers, she would allocate time for peer review of our paper outlines or drafts which definitely helped me in correcting some glaring holes in my paper. These activities (if you do them properly) do definitely help in the process of writing your long papers.
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades:
I think it is definitely possible to score good grades, although it may take a bit of time to perfect your writing skills into what the prof may be looking for.
Learning Value/Recommendation: 5
This module has provided me with many new perspectives on the issue of global human trafficking and labour migration in a local context. It was an opportunity to explore the different ways in which trafficking and migration permeates the global economy and what causes we can attribute to it.
About the Instructor
Dr Leung is an extremely nice and friendly professor! She is able to explain concepts in a detailed manner that many of us were comfortable with plus she never hesitates to answer any possible queries we may have about the content at hand. Furthermore, she actively encourages us to share any perspectives we might have about the topic being discussed.
She is also very encouraging towards our efforts which is nice, but I felt that she may have held back a bit of criticism in her comments for my papers (many praises but ends up with a b+ for the paper lol). One piece of advice in this area would be to make full use of consultation sessions with prof to understand how your essays can be further improved upon.
One thing I really appreciate about Prof Leung is the way she structures her lessons. For me this became very helpful towards the second half of the semester. I felt that the way she ordered the different scholarly views made it flow (for the lack of a better word) extremely well and helped me to fully understand the implications, benefits and assumptions of those views.
Content (Structure/Organization): -
Module is divided into two main parts. First half is on modern-day human trafficking, second half is on low-skilled labour migration (which is more of a grey area). The module information on the USP website is largely accurate so refer to that for more details.
Manageability of Workload: 3
There are two main papers that make up 70% of your grade. For my semester, Paper 1 was quite guided in nature with possible research questions and the sources given to us, enabling us to focus purely on writing the essay. Paper 2 requires you to formulate your own research question and look for your own sources. In addition to that we had 2 short reflection papers (which I liked because it makes you think about what you've learnt in the module), and a short paper based on a specific reading.
Comparing to my friends, I would say that this WCT is one of the lighter ones in terms of workload (only 2 main papers, one of which is very guided), plus the content is more approachable in the sense that it covers something very concrete and not abstract. But of course this doesn't mean it's easy - prepare to spend a whole lot of time and effort thinking hard and writing your essay, as well as going through the assigned readings before class.
Reflection 2 was a bit annoying because the submission is around the time you need to mug for finals so get it done earlier and don't procrastinate like me.
Overall, I think the module is structured quite well in terms of content delivery and assignments which have deadlines which are well spread out.
Learning Value/Recommendation: 4
About the Instructor:
Prof Leung is very nice and cares a lot about her students' wellbeing. She is also very knowledgeable, approachable and helpful, but for consultations you should go prepared in order to get the most out of it. (e.g. asking her about parts of your essay you feel unsure about) I would say that when she reviews and comments on your papers, she looks more into the general aspects of your paper (like argument flow, proper substantiation, writing style), and is not super detail-oriented, but this module would definitely still teach you the basic fundamentals of academic essay writing.
Additional Comments/Word of Advice:
It's important to have some interest in the subject matter (human trafficking and low wage labour migration) before taking this module! Also, don't leave essay writing to the last moment or you will regret it (you need time to think of ideas and refine your essay properly, with fresh perspectives) Lastly, I found the peer review sessions to be exceedingly helpful in improving your essay, so put in the proper effort beforehand!