Taught by: Dr Bart Van Wassenhove
Content (Structure/Organization): -
It's definitely very structured in the sense of clearly defined assignments, a fixed plan for everything. The prof checks in on us with any changes to the schedule.
However, it's also completely flexible and dependent on what students bring in. The discussions are planned around student contributions on forum posts. If we have very little to say, then an unholistic view of a certain topic may be explored. That may be something you don't mind, but for me this means it's very messy to follow discussions, and there was a lot that is never really articulated in slides but have to be implied unconclusively from the discussions, in a way that leaves a gap in knowledge to be filled to fully understand certain concepts. Also, makes revision of certain concepts definitely harder.
Accessibility and Assessment: 4
Relatively accessible, but definitely requires further reading to fully understand. Content tends to be a bit surface level, while discussion goes a lot deeper. If you want to fully absorb all learnings, you have to definitely do homework beforehand. It's designed to be accessible, but arguably at a high cost to discussion depth at times, unless you challenge that further.
Manageability of Workload: 3
Quite a lot of consistent work on a weekly basis, with forum posts made every 4 weeks, assignments and presentations being assigned quite regularly every semester, a lot of class participation expectations. I'd say I spent a lot of time on this module, but it's certainly more the exception than the norm, mostly because I myself had the time to. Otherwise, it's perhaps 2-3 hours a week excluding the lecture time, and full 24-hours more for assignment weeks.
Presence of Technical Learning:
There's a lot more self-reflection in this than I expected! Your reflections have value, and I love what it's taught me about my own thoughts on certain philosophies, and the ways that I try and apply them into my life. To fully engage in the mod you have to consider these philosophies not just based on foundations but rather whether they work for you. And I love that.
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades:
Seems very liberal handing out good grades, but bc of that the differentiating factor for the final grade seems to have a much higher bar. He doesn't define the outcomes of projects very well, though, with no rubrics. So you would suffer in that aspect if that's what you're looking for.
Learning Value/Recommendation: 4
Fun! I love reflection, so this is my module of choice. Really useful if you've always wanted to get into ethical schools of thought but never fully did. A light little dip in.
About the Instructor:
Fun, very knowledgeable, super open to listening to our perspectives even if we've never done a philo mode before. Explains well, but can be a bit scattered and messy at times, and definitely could improve on organising ideas for personal reflection, on slides and assignments.
Content (Structure/Organization): -
Class firstly starts with a student presentation, followed by a QnA. Dr Bart has also split the class into four groups in the beginning of the semester who will then take turns writing forum post each lesson. He would then leverage on the student's thoughts and perspective to discuss further about the philosophy and share his own insights about it. There will also be group discussion where the various groups will then share their thoughts about the question he posed.
Accessibility and Assessment: 5
The module is very accessible. You do not need any prior knowledge of self-help for the module. However, an interest for self-help would be very helpful.
Manageability of Workload: 2
Heavy. The workload is quite heavy. Firstly, you have to do forum posts biweekly. However, if you are not able to class part physically like me, you might need to post more as forum post can be counted as class participation. Secondly, readings are essential, if not you might find it hard to follow what is happening in class. Third, you will have to do 6 blog post, 3 before recess week and 3 after. In each blog post, you are required to try out the self-help technique learnt in class for a week. Fourth, you will need to prepare for a presentation on a topic. Fifth, in the second half of the sem, you will have to prepare for a graded role-play exercise. Lastly, there is a final paper which you have to submit.
Presence of Technical Learning:
The module exposes you to a variety of self-help techniques from Greek philosophy, to Asian philosophy and also our modern day philosophies. You will really learn many different ways people use to improve themselves, various thought processes and perspectives on how they view themselves and life. These self-help techniques are very practical and can be applied to your daily life. You will leave the module with an arsenal of tools you can used to better improve yourself or cope during stressful times.
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades:
Achievable! I think Dr Bart looks at how you apply the different techniques creatively and he is very open to many differing perspectives and thoughts. As long it is logical and reasoned out well, he will award you the grade. He also doesnt like it when the argument is too one-sided, so its good to give a balanced view.
Learning Value/Recommendation: 5
It was useful. I definitely left the module firstly knowing much more about the various philosophies in the world, past and present. Secondly, I learnt many new self-help techniques which I can use. He emphasises that its okay to not totally subscribe to one particular philosophy but one can pick out what works for them. Also, knowing a myriad of self-help techniques, I can choose which one to use in varying situations.
About the Instructor:
Prof Bart is amazing. He is super nice, encouraging and passionate. He knows his stuff, and he has a lot of insights to share. He is very approachable and will take your questions any time. He replies emails fast, and is always willing to give you more material to spur your interest. He doesnt pressure you to speak, but he does highly encourage you to participate. Overall, an amazing prof. He is structured and he can be quite witty with his words.
Name: Lim Qian Hui
Content (Structure/Organization): -
The module covers the technologies of the self taught by a range of eastern and western philosophical traditions (Aristotelianism, Epicureanism, Stoicism, Confucianism, Buddhism etc.), and we generally spend around 1-2 weeks per topic (you might wanna check the schedule (if it’s available) to be sure!). During each class, we will usually have ~15 minutes of group presentation, followed by class discussions of the texts for that week, and Dr Bart also talks about the texts. Dr Bart doesn’t just lecture though; he tailors the class discussion based on what students find insightful/are curious about (some of us have to submit forum posts before class based on the texts we read, depending on which weeks we are assigned to).
Accessibility and Assessment: 4
I didn’t have a background in philosophy (nor did I read lots of self-help books) before taking this module, but that didn’t hinder me at all in understanding the concepts taught! I think that the close reading and discussion of the texts used in class are sufficient to do well in this module. Although I found some of the texts a little challenging to understand initially (some of them were written so long ago and in a very different style from modern times!), I found a lot of clarity after discussing about them in class. It’s not expected that you understand the texts 100%, but that you come up with your own opinions and questions.
Manageability of Workload: 3
There are readings to do for every class, but they’re quite manageable! Assignments: you have to submit a forum post once every 2 weeks, 1 group presentation (you can choose your own topic and week you want to present in), 1 group assignment (it’s role playing - very fun), 1 final essay nearing the end of the mod, and a reflective journal which consists of 6 blog posts written across the semester (3 of them are submitted before recess week and the next 3 are submitted before reading week). For the blog posts, you get to apply the technologies of the self from each philosophical tradition to your own life and you can write about your reflections!
Presence of Technical Learning:
This is a humanities mod so the skills you gain are more of critical thinking, writing, analysing texts, group work, presentation and creativity.
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades:
I think Dr Bart is quite fair in his grading, and he’s not super harsh too!
Learning Value/Recommendation: 5
My biggest takeaway from the module was the exposure to different technologies of the self! Being able to apply these philosophies to my daily life through the reflective journals really helped me to understand the concepts better! As someone interested in personal growth and self-reflection, the content gave me so much food for thought :-)
About the Instructor:
I think Dr Bart is a great prof! He gave feedback for almost all the stuff we submitted (yes, even the forum posts). After every group presentation, he got the class to submit peer feedback for the group that presented. I really admire his commitment to the module :”) Dr Bart is very open to feedback! He gathered feedback from us about how we felt the class was going - he made tweaks to the schedule midway in the sem by dedicating more time to each topic so we could focus and learn better! Dr Bart encourages fruitful class discussions and gives good explanations when responding to our questions. He’s very knowledgeable about the topics and he’s very approachable if you need any help/have questions.
Name: Ng Jia Yeong (Telegram Handle: @jy_jaywhy)
Content (Structure/Organization): -
I think Prof Bart balances structure and flexibility well. He makes things very clear at the start of the semester, but is always open for adjustments according to what us students want. This system was good to set guidelines on what he expects from us in class and in our work, but also good to cater to what we wanted from the class and our schedules. e.g. knowing what he would go through in each week allowed me to plan my weeks easier.
Accessibility and Assessment: 4
The hardest part about the module's accessibility would come from reading ancient texts. Texts from ancient Greece and China are HARD, so I think at the beginning it takes a while if you want to really understand the texts. But after a while I got used to it, and Prof Bart helpfully gives pointers for certain texts or parts that can make it slightly easier for us to read. But all we really need to do with the readings most of the time is just to come up with our personal responses and that isn't too hard once we understand what the texts are saying.
Manageability of Workload: 3
I think the submissions are quite manageable, towards the end it can be heavy if you're doing presentation, journal entries, and final essay. Throughout the semester, to get the full benefit from classes you should also read the assigned readings carefully and come with your thoughts. This can take a while each week even if the assigned content is only 20-30 pages. But as I said above, Prof is quite amenable to changing things up if it makes life easier for students. e.g. After recess week he cut down sections from readings here and there so we didn't have to read as much and could narorw in on the remaining chapters which could lead to a more focused discussion.
Presence of Technical Learning:
It gives you some experience reading ancient texts which can be a skill in close reading and comprehension I feel? I think Prof Bart also emphasises on clear expression in your submissions to show that you're applying the content you learned in your work. So writing skills, and personal expression in particular, are things you can cultivate in this module.
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades
I think it's not too bad. The key point is to refer to his expectations for your work which he showed us in Week 1. I think what would help the most is to really understand the philosophies that he's teaching and examine them critically (which ties in to the need to read carefully).
Learning Value/Recommendation: 5
I think the main value comes from its impact on the way you think and reflect on yourself. We didn't just learn philosophy but also how applicable it is to our lives, and along the way we often reflected on how feasible and applicable the philosophies were in practise. I definitely learned many perspectives on 'how to live well', which is practically useful! Another learning point from this module, I think, would be the exposure to ancient texts and philosophies, which wouldn't seem so distant or inaccessible once I've engaged with them over the course of the module.
About the Instructor:
Prof Bart is great! And really passionate about the subject content. He's open to listening to student opinions so he's a nice prof to work with. One thing to note though, is that he allocates most of the time in class to class discussion, from which he adds on his opinions and explains more of the philosophy where relevant. The content we go through is thus quite dependent on the quality of discussion that happens every class (which is why it's important to come prepared with your thoughts). I also feel at times I would have liked Prof to lecture more so I can learn from his knowledge rather than being so dependent on the class discussions. But this atmosphere encourages learning from each other which is nice and I think important for a topic like philosophy and self-help.
Additional Comments/Word of Advice:
Workload isn't too bad, and you get a refreshing and stimulating experience discussing philosophy. Would recommend!
Content (Structure/Organization): -
It's really quite structured in my opinion. Prof has a schedule for what he wants to cover in each lesson, which he sticks to. Each lesson follows a structure (first he talks about the reading that we had read for this lesson, then it's a group presentation related to this reading that is done by students, then prof talks more about the reading and goes through the Discussion Questions that students have posted on the Forum before class, and then we engage in small group discussions, and then we have a class-wide discussion).
Accessibility and Assessment: 5
Quite high! Don't really need background :)
Manageability of Workload: 2
I don't know how many hours are required, but I think it's certainly higher than average amount of workload. We had a ton of assessments haha, some with small percentages :( E.g. a ~400 word forum post that's only worth 3% ish. So for my sem's iteration, we had 5 forum posts, 6 journal reflections, 1 group presentation, 1 group project (role-play assignment), and final paper.
Presence of Technical Learning:
Nope, it doesn't impart technical skills. Focuses on philosophy, writing, critical thinking.
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades:
I have no idea lol. I mean, I enjoyed the mod, so I naturally put in effort into my readings and assignments etc. I got an A minus, which I think does reflect the amount of effort I put in (decent, but not extremely dedicated).
Learning Value/Recommendation: 5
Well maybe it's not very "useful" in the sense of imparting tangible or technical skills for employment etc, but I really enjoyed the mod and some of the readings. I still think about some of those readings from time to time; they do contain rather thought-provoking or insightful ideas...
About the Instructor:
Good!