Anonymous (1) AY25/26 Sem 1

About the Instructor (Dr Roweena Yip)

I did the course under Dr Roweena Yip, and I felt that her facilitation of class discussions was excellent. She often lets us control the flow of our class discussions, and would also encourage those who haven't spoken much to share their thoughts, giving everyone in the class the opportunity to have their opinions heard. She also makes the course very welcoming to students without a background in literature, constantly emphasising that the course is not about literature, and also provides a structured approach to literary analysis, which non-humanities students can also follow well.

Content (Structure/Organization)

I think the course was well-structured and great at introducing basic literary analysis across a wide variety of mediums. I also particularly enjoyed the emphasis on creativity, with the many opportunities to showcase a creative flair throughout the course, be it through the instructor-specific assignments or the final project. However, to truly encompass the idea of global narratives, I think that the course could benefit from addressing works of non-fiction as well, such as biographies, news articles and such, as in the current iteration of the course, I feel that the creation of narratives through the portrayal of real-life events is not really explicitly addressed.

Manageability of Workload

The course consisted of 2-hour long seminar sessions twice a week. 

Coursework-wise, all classes had a midterm essay (25%) and a final project which can be an essay or a creative project (30%), as well as a group facilitation of a class discussion (15%). Apart from this class participation makes up 10%, and each instructor has a different set of instructor-specific assignments for 20% total. For Dr Roweena's class, we had an oral essay on an artwork in a museum (5%), as well as a creative translation of any of the works in the syllabus into a genre that was not studied in the course (15%)

Workload-wise, most of my time was spent on the creative translation and the final project (which I opted to do a creative project for). The workload each week outside of projects was mainly reading/watching the required texts for that week's discussions, which took about 1-2 hours each week, depending on the length of the text.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

It helps to go in with an open and creative mind, but ultimately NGN is quite a subjective course. I would like to think that Dr Roweena is on the more lenient side in handing out better grades, but it depends on if you can meet her expectations and requirements for essays and projects alike. Consultations do help, as she is willing to share what she is looking for, allowing you to improve your own work.

Learning Value/Recommendation

I think that NGN in general is quite useful in training students to close read and analyse texts for underlying narratives that are being created, but as mentioned earlier, it could be more useful if it tackled more non-fiction examples as well.

Anonymous (2) AY25/26 Sem 1

About the Instructor (Dr Roweena Yip)

My professor was one of the best I had this semester. She brought people who were not speaking much into the discussion and very soon, into week 3, even, we all came together as a seminar group quite well! We didn’t only have discussions about analysis, but also about greater themes and ideas, which really complemented the more technical side of the content we covered. Her consultations were very useful, I always came away with many ideas and clear answers to my questions, or at least a direction that I can move forward in. She was friendly, approachable, and made NGN, frankly, my favourite course this semester.

Content (Structure/Organization)

I thought that this course was just amazing in terms of structure. It went beyond just texts and brought in movies and art, which I think greatly expanded it to truly ‘global’ narratives. The structuring of the course was awesome, in the sense that before reading week it was predominantly written texts while after it, we covered many audio visual texts mainly. It helped keep focus on some shared elements of close reading and observation that helped me understand the course content better.

Manageability of Workload

There were readings and lecture videos that had to be completed each week, but those were not very heavy. The instructor specific assignments were a museum excursion and a creative translation assignment. They were challenging, yes, but in the best way, because it encouraged me to think outside of the usual and embrace newer media of telling stories or analysing new media.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

-

Learning Value/Recommendation

I’d say that this was amazing. The usefulness of the course for me comes from the discussions and the analysis that we did on the content, and I believe that regardless of future career, this course can really help broaden the perspectives of anyone. It definitely did for me. 10/10!

Additional Comments

Please finish the lecture videos and readings before you attend that week’s seminar. You’ll be able to participate in discussions far more and understand the analysis, and to be honest, seminars just became a lot more fun when everyone does their readings and videos!

Anonymous (3) AY25/26 Sem 1

About the Instructor (Dr Roweena Yip)

Prof Roweena is strict but she provides ample opportunities for students without deep knowledge about lit in general, to learn more from her specification in theatre (which I would say is a perk of choosing Prof Roweena) to get more technical insights to the materials. This was especially helpful in knowing how to angle my reflections to the curriculum requirements.

Content (Structure/Organization)

The program was well structured in terms of how the many different texts were able to draw many perspectives to enrich the experience of the various materials pedagogically with enough time for a faceted discussion of the class’s opinions of the topics.

Manageability of Workload

Close reading was an uphill climb for me and other more stem inclined peers but it got more manageable towards the time when midterms came along so preparing for the courses got easier through sem if u really plan on extracting the literary perspectives from it (which I highly recommend even if u plan to su it!!). Assignments for Prof Roweena were scheduled well (on top of already having the schedule for all the assignments at the start of sem), plus with the ease of scheduling consults with her, I think scheduling is doable.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

Quite achievable cos she looks a lot more on the students effort than the final product

Learning Value/Recommendation

It is really eye opening and a primer to literature in a daily setting.

Anonymous (4) AY25/26 Sem 1

About the Instructor (Dr Roweena Yip)

My professor was effective in conducting lessons and makes lessons fun and engaging. My professor is extremely approachable! While classes are fun, do note that students without prior literature experience will struggle for the midterm assessment (analyse literary text). I find class facilitation particularly engaging, especially when students are forced to think of creative ways to engage the class.

Content (Structure/Organization)

The structure of the module is good as it starts of with shorter, easier to understand texts to analyse, and slowly progress to harder pieces. I personally find Shakespeare's plays difficult to understand, as well as the text "Zhuangzi". I don't think anyone in my class truly understood the piece even after class discussions.

Manageability of Workload

Not particularly heavy. I spend around 1-2 hours a week on lessons preparation. Workload for assignments are manageable.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

Very difficult to get a good grade for midterm, unless you have literature background. However, it is manageable to get good grades for the take home assignments as long as you spend time and effort on it.

Learning Value/Recommendation

I personally don't find it particularly useful, however I really enjoyed lessons and had a lot of fun for the creative projects.

Anonymous (1) AY24/25 Sem 2

About the instructor (Dr Bart Van Wassenhove)

Yes. I took this class under prof Bart and he was amazing. He was clear in his teaching, made sure to not overwhelm students and tried his best to make the content as interesting as possible. He was also extremely responsive and gave good feedback.  

Prof made google docs and encouraged group discussions in every session. He was also very chill which encouraged me to speak up and participate actively in class. In fact this was the first time I felt truly comfortable in participating in class discussions.  

Content (Structure/Organization)

The course was well structured and organised and the professor made it accessible for me who did not have prior literature background.  

Manageability of Workload

I did not rly have to spend time outside of class on anything other than the assigned readings, which in itself was manageable.  

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

I'm not really sure how liberal or harsh prof is as I only had access to my own grades, but I'd  say prof is fair in grading and did not penalise me for having completely different views from him. In fact, prof graded me based on how well I managed to apply close reading skills in every assignment. I ended up with an A- even with no prior knowledge or background in literature.  

Learning Value/Recommendation

I realised i've gotten so much better at reading through people's texts and evaluating the true motives and meaning behind them.  

Additional Comments

Look forward to taking it, and if possible take prof Bart's class!! 

Anonymous (2) AY24/25 Sem 2

About the instructor (Dr Emily Dalton): 

I loved my Prof Emily Dalton! She always provided interesting insights to the texts as well as listened to all student’s opinions openly which created a very welcoming class environment. As someone without prior literature knowledge, I think that she delivered her lessons very accessibly and made the content relatable. 

Content (Structure/Organization)

I think it was well broken down into the different narrative types - poetry, prose, philosophical text etc. I think the overall objective which was the appreciation and understanding of narratives in different forms was achieved. I found the philosophical texts rather confusing especially Zhuangzi and I don’t really understand the purpose of its inclusion in the course.

Manageability of Workload

I think the workload was very manageable, with only the midterm and final assignment being the most time consuming. I do think that there was so need for an in class assignment which felt rather unnecessarily stressful as a time limit was imposed especially for some people who are newer to the topic may not be able to think as fast as they are unfamiliar with the subject content. 

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

I think the workload was very manageable, with only the midterm and final assignment being the most time consuming. I do think that there was so need for an in class assignment which felt rather unnecessarily stressful as a time limit was imposed especially for some people who are newer to the topic may not be able to think as fast as they are unfamiliar with the subject content. 

Learning Value/Recommendation

I think that this was useful for me in terms of my ability to engage with the narratives around me, fostering a deeper appreciation for them and keenness to close read them more.

Additional Comments

My professor was very approachable, I loved having consults with her and was never afraid to ask for help! As a sometimes rather shy person I found this great so would definitely recommend her :D

Anonymous (3) AY24/25 Sem 2

About the instructor (Samar Faruqi)

Prof Samar Faruqi is really sweet and encouraging, never really directly calls an answer wrong but rather takes the opportunity to explore different perspectives instead.

Also acknowledges when she may not be the best person to talk about a certain text: eg acknowledging that some Chinese students who have studied Zhuangzi in depth over years could give better insight 

Content (Structure/Organization)

The study of different mediums of storytelling was really interesting, setting NGN apart from a typical Lit module on closer reading. Assessment structure was also interesting and varied (3 short writing assignments: close reading, museum excursion close reading of an artwork, and a creative assignment + midterm close reading essay + final argumentative paper or creative project)

Manageability of Workload

I enjoyed NGN so it didnt feel much like work to me. Everybody takes the final project very very seriously though so recommend to start on it about two weeks before the deadline.  

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

Specifically for Prof Faruqi, shes really strict with giving out her As and sometimes even A- : most of my seminar didnt do well for their first assignment  (B, sometimes B-). An assignment that gets an A from Prof Faruqi is practically perfect.  

Learning Value/Recommendation

I think NGN teaches really important skills but I cant be a good judge of how well it taught these skills because I already learned them in JC. Close reading film and art definitely did stretch me though 

Anonymous (1) AY24/25 Sem 1

About the instructor (Dr Bart Van Wassenhove)

Overall, I think Prof Bart conducted his lessons passably.

Firstly, I feel this module could have been better structured. There is little guidance provided by Prof Bart with students mainly just articulating their views with little to no insight by him. In my view, there should have been proper class management of students to help structure discussion. This may be contrasted with Prof Peter Vail’s NSW class where he made an effort to synthesise class discussions and help re-direct discussions when it was going off track.

Secondly, although he claims in the first lesson that there’s no need for prior background in literature, the reality is that he does not teach in a particularly accessible way especially for certain texts. I consulted him on the readings “Mansion in the Sky” and “Cell One” but he mainly just stated that my ideas were not good but did not explain clearly why (in my view).

Furthermore, the grading is not very transparent. He doesn’t provide clear expectations and it seems he marks largely based off impressions. 

On the plus side, he does not really cold call anyone so it’s relatively chill in that sense.

Content (Structure/Organization)

The Shakespeare and Zhuangzi readings can be difficult, but apart from that everything else is manageable.

Manageability of Workload: 

Not very heavy.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades:

I think if he likes you it will be quite manageable to do well, most of the students he liked got an A in the end.

I personally got B+ for this mod despite getting A- throughout for my assignments. I suspect I got dinged for my class participation which dragged my grade down, while I know people he liked managed to get A despite skipping a few classes.

Learning Value/Recommendation

Some of the texts were interesting, but not a very practical course. The course was a big reason for me to ultimately drop out of NUSC in Y3.

Additional Comments

I wouldn’t recommend this course especially in light of the more positive reviews regarding other profs like Emily Dalton.

Anonymous (2) AY24/25 Sem 1

About the instructor (Dr Emily Dalton)

I highly recommend taking this mod under Prof Emily! She is extremely engaging in every seminar and is extremely good at facilitating discussions in class. She also encourages everyone to contribute and does her best to help us refine contributed ideas in the process.

Content (Structure/Organization)

The content is quite well structured, with every week transitioning to a new domain of narrative forms or genres. It gives us the opportunity to discourse across works of many different contexts and from different eras. I think that the assessments are manageable as well, but the course is extremely targeted towards the close reading of the intents of the examined works

Manageability of Workload

Workload for this course is manageable, although if you are not familiar with literature, it may initially take more time to digest the readings. The amount of content you are expected to provide in your projects are also extremely subjective to your own intentions and willingness to achieve them. The final project is particularly open, therefore how long you spend on this module can vary extremely from person to person.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

Prof Emily grades fairly, but she does have high expectations. I would say A is extremely difficult, but a B+/A- is possible if you are willing to put in the effort to achieve it.

Learning Value/Recommendation

I think this module is extremely useful in equipping you with the ability to discern how authors achieved their intended visions for their works, and how we can unpack and relate it to broader related themes provided the social-political context that these works were created in.

Additional Comments

Prof Emily is extremely well versed particularly in literature. This allows her to unpack literature forms and techniques well during the relevant portions of the course, which i assume may be the most challenging for those without a literature background. She is also very approachable and willing to give feedback on your work.

Make sure to engage with the professor as much as possible for a subjective mod such as this.

Anonymous (3) AY24/25 Sem 1

About the instructor (Dr Emily Dalton)

Professor Dalton is wonderful! She is excellent at facilitating lively class discussions. She always begins with more personal questions such as how our week has been, what we generally made of the text and whether we have read a similar text before etc, before diving into the more analytical sections of class. She also gives out physical handouts every lesson so we can stay on topic and have a better discussion.

Content (Structure/Organization)

It was very well structured. I loved that we were exposed to so many different genres and narrative forms. As I was a Literature student in JC, none of the assessments or topics were particularly hard, but i also think that for non-literature students the level of reading and understanding is pitched quite low so it's not as daunting as it seems! 

Manageability of Workload

I did not spend a lot of time on this course at all. Reading the texts every week does not take too long, and if you start planning your assignments punctually, they're quite doable. 

Prof Dalton also requires you to do a full group discussion moderation at some point in the semester, and an in-class close-reading assignment. These weren't particularly challenging in and of themselves, but group work is always a touchy subject and depends a lot on the people you're grouped with.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

Prof Dalton is generally harsher in grading (as is most NUSC profs) but not without valid reason. An A- is probably achievable in her course, and an A and above would take creativity and deep analytical thinking about the texts that you choose. 

Learning Value/Recommendation

100%.

Additional Comments

I love Prof Emily Dalton!!! She is so sweet and never shoots anyone down in class. She also guides the discussion back to the main point if it deviates a little. The only thing is that if you have a particularly opinionated or loud person in class, Prof Dalton doesn't step in early enough to intervene and stop that person from ruining the cozy NGN vibe... in my personal opinion of course.

You don't need to be a literature student to enjoy this, or even an avid reader. just do the readings as much as you can, and after a while you'll start to understand why literature is so much fun! 

Anonymous (4) AY24/25 Sem 1

About the instructor (Dr Emily Dalton)

Our lessons were very engaging, and were one of the things I looked forward to every week. The facilitation of our discussions were aided by some worksheets with questions that helped us guide our thinking. Professor Dalton also gave us like definitions to keep us informed of foreign concepts, that we may not have encountered unless we had some prior knowledge.

Content (Structure/Organization)

I think having us read through a particular type of text for a week, gave us some time to appreciate them better, especially after the first lesson when professor clarifies our doubts and gives us the correct concepts regarding the text. I think it’s the week on those philosophical texts that got me confused most of the time!

Manageability of Workload

The workload is quite manageable, but I do find myself rushing through some readings even though I spend quite some time on them. It’s probably because I have to re-read the text when they’re quite difficult to understand but eventually I run out of time so I had to rush :/

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

It is very achievable. I don’t really have much experience handling literature but I think what helped me to do better in the course is my willingness to learn and ask for advice on how to get better at writing. Prof Emily Dalton was willing to help me improve even though I was sending many emails to seek advice. She was fair in her grading, in my opinion. 

Learning Value/Recommendation

It helped me understand the importance of reading between the lines to understand what the author is truly saying and what they wanted us to understand. The course helped me appreciate the historical context of the authors, to also understand why they were saying such things in their texts and what motivated them to take on these forms. I find myself having more appreciation for the things I’m reading, so I do find that the course was useful for me.

Additional Comments

Professor Dalton helped us organize our learning process by sending emails about incoming assignments or reminders about the following week’s text. They were very helpful because those emails were detailed.

Anonymous (5) AY24/25 Sem 1

About the instructor (Dr Christine Tan)

Christine Tan's lessons tend to be more dry. Her specialty is in philosophy so she would likely have more to say while covering the readings of Meno and Zhuangzi. That being said, she was unwell during this period was not around for me to experience this segment under her. I think that because she leans more towards philosophy, she does not have much to say during the other segments and tends to just read off the slides. I also did not find her consultations particularly useful, especially if you go to her to clarify ideas on the topics for your essays. When i approached her for consult over my potential topics, she just agreed with all my points and did not add much else leaving me as unsure as before. 

Content (Structure/Organization)

Every two weeks there is a different form of narrative studied (poetry, short stories, movies etc). This keeps the material interesting to engage with throughout the semester. The front end of the course, which includes poetry and short stories, can be especially difficult due to how abstract they can be. Lispector was particularly confusing with her metaphors and analogies. Poetry was also pretty difficult to grasp due to the amount of characteristics such as rhythm, rhymes, etc. These make the front part of the course feel like a lot to deal with, especially for someone who has little experience with literature. 

Manageability of Workload

Heavier at the start as reading is difficult with a small attention span. The latter half which tends to be more visual, such as paintings and movies, is better. Besides that, you will feel the crunch usually around the time you have to do your submissions. 

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

Can be difficult if not familiar with analysing each form of narrative. I felt that as soon as I learnt about a particular art form, I had to do a submission on it. This gave me little time to understand and practice doing an analysis before i got graded for it. 

Learning Value/Recommendation

Useful to understand different forms of narrative. But many people wouldnt be analysing narratives in such detail everyday. So it can feel a bit useless. 

Anonymous (6) AY24/25 Sem 1

About the instructor (Dr Christine Tan)

Prof Christine Tan was able to facilitate class discussion. She can break down the text and make analysis accessible to students, offering help and redirection if analysis is off. More could have been done to contextualize Singapore-specific texts like Charlie Chan especially for international students. 

Content (Structure/Organization)

The course was well structured and covered a good range of literature. Close reading and analysis was well emphasized and taught. I appreciated having the timetable of when each text would be covered and how the texts were bound together.

Manageability of Workload

The workload is low as some texts are rather short, while others do not require intensive prior reading as class discussion is often sufficiently detailed. Preparing for class facilitation took a bit more time, assignments were enjoyable and very doable if you were engaged in class discussion. My NTW background helped with citations and argument structure, which the Professor did not cover but seemed to appreciate. 

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

It is achievable, but probably depends on your class. I was able to do well on the papers by fleshing out ideas I found interesting during class discussion and seeing how the texts demonstrated those ideas, and extended the ideas to make a more formal argument. As a Y2 I felt my NTW background helped, and my enjoyment of the mod meant I naturally spent more time and put thought into my assignments. Prof handed out grades anywhere from B- to full marks even for essays, but B+/A- seem to be the class median. 

Class participation grading was a little odd as the Professor physically took note of anyone who spoke, making class participation a bit stressful and performative.

Learning Value/Recommendation

Despite being an engineering student, I enjoyed the close reading and analysis and found it very useful because media consumption is unavoidable and narratives are everywhere. Some narratives were also very moving and helped me reflect and grow emotionally as a person. 

Additional Comments

I wished Prof Christine gave more written feedback for assignments. On a good day I would get maybe 2-3 sentences. The physical marking of class participation was also something I felt ambivalent about because as an awkward person it encourages me to participate, but it also made it more performative and at times forced. 

Enjoy the module! And take time to close read and understand. The link between technical analysis and concept/theme is closer than you think, and satisfying when they come together

Anonymous (7) AY24/25 Sem 1

About the instructor (Dr Raahi Adhya)

I genuinely liked my professor! She always encouraged our ideas and ensured that the classroom was a safe space for discussion. Unfortunately, in order to truly embody the spirit of global narratives in which the focus is on how you interpret and analyse certain forms, structures and techniques, she was really only able to help us develop our ideas as much as we were willing to generate and share them. To be honest, towards the end of the semester, many students were putting in less and less effort into the course as they focused on other more tangible courses which led to less fruitful class discussions. In terms of teaching material, I think she did a good job in unpacking analysis. However, this is truly a case of if you get it, you get it, if you don't get it you don't- and some of my classmates really struggled to understand how to apply what they learnt- although they understood what the professor was saying and how to analyze a certain component, it was not always easy to transfer that over to another medium. Additionally, there is really only so much content that can be covered in one lesson- I always felt that lessons were too long and too short at the same time- too long because as a literature student in JC I already knew how do analysis, too short because the number of concepts/ analysis completed was too few. 

Content (Structure/Organization)

As someone with a background in literature, this was a relatively okay course for me. What I really disliked about the course was how touch and go it all was- students are expected to read the text material before the class, digest it, and be able to come up with sound analysis/questions to facilitate deep discussions about the text. Considering only 4 hours are allocated to this class, there is simply too much time and too little time allocated to the class which makes the course's learning objectives- it is genuinely not possible, in my opinion, to get a good grasp of different art forms within a mere 4 hours- it seems that this course aims to provide student with exposure to a wide range of art forms, yet, at the same time, develop a strong understanding and appreciation for each, which given the time constraints, is simply not feasible. It may even leave the students with a flawed understanding of the works, given the speed at which they are covered.

Manageability of Workload

To be honest I didn't spend that much time, because I could come to class, analyse on the spot and still give alright class participation. However, for students without literature background, it was definitely harder to keep up- the more dedicated ones who read the text before class still found it hard to come to conclusions or sometimes, to understand the text. In total, we had 3 short writing assignments and 1 final assignment instead of exams. I liked this style of assignments(although I did take 6 courses this semester and definitely felt the strain towards the end, considering multiple presentations and submissions), instructions were quite clear. 

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

I would say that my professor was not too harsh with grading- she never gave students... heartbreaking grades, but it was also difficult to do exceedingly well. I would say that it is relatively easy to do alright in this course, except I didn't exactly follow the instructions provided very well ( I was quite insistent on pushing my own agenda when it came to assignments as I had things to say about the text that were not focal point of said assignments, therefore I essentially shot myself in my foot but that's alright, my truth was spoken). 

Learning value of this course

it was alright... 

Additional comments/words of advice

have fun guys :3 

Anonymous (8) AY24/25 Sem 1

About the instructor (Dr Roweena Yip)

I feel like there's a certain allure to the way Dr Yip conducts herself from her tone to the way she walks this very fine balance between being confident in her course knowledge as well as being open to learn from students. She exemplifies positionality really well by asking a student more questions when she feels like the course is relevant to them personally (e.g. the international students would get more questions about feelings of displacement when the course material called for it). Her background is in theatre and literary studies so I guess there's also a sweet spot of like literary insight and applied creativity in the way she gives advice. As someone who does creative writing, I was really thankful for her encouragement and pointers. She's really willing to connect with you on a personal level if she feels like she can help as well, it's so evident that she's passionate about being an educator. 

Content (Structure/Organization)

As mentioned by my prof in class, NGN is very much a 'forms' class -- which it demonstrates clearly through its wide berth of coverage. I appreciated how the first half of the module touched on forms that would require more technicality (i.e. poetry and philosophy) while the second half was more accessible and relatable (film and TV), which is welcome when workload gets heavy. That being said, I do feel like the course objectives were not clear to the students initially. While my prof had the foresight to debunk the stereotype of NGN as a 'literature' module, I think NGN expects more student insights on cultural/viewership awareness which for a lit major like me induced a lot of cognitive dissonance (especially because I'm used to relying on literary/historical critiques in order to understand a piece of work). I also feel like the jump from short story >> philosophy form felt very abrupt and many students from my class actually suggested going through short story first (a mix of technicality and accessibility), then to poetry and then philosophy as an easier sort of segue. Otherwise, I'm incredibly impressed by the choice of texts/media because there's so much potential to make cross-cultural observations and sufficient similarities/differences to create a meaningful project with all the different forms that we've mastered. I really enjoyed NGN :))) 

Professor's Effectiveness in conducting lessons

Dr Roweena Yip is super amazing!!! As an NGN instructor, she's really intense in the best way possible -- though it's clear that she expects snappy responses pretty quickly, she's also intentional to read the room and relentlessly fine-tunes her way of asking questions/guiding the class overtime, according to the way we respond. So although my class discussions were pretty dead at the start it actually picked up really fast and many of my classmates were giving amazing insights across different forms, even if they didn't like it. It was clear that they felt safe expressing alternative opinions which I think is something that's really important to NUSC students <3 She was very clear about NGN not being a literature module at the start and she never assumed any prior literary knowledge on our part, even when we engaged with literary material at the start. As a lit major, I can attest to the fact that I was not shown any favoritism and that my JC experience even felt like a crutch sometimes. She's really open to consults and clear on her course expectations so everything is very equitable and no question is considered a stupid question haha so if you're confused about anything regarding assignment requirements I would say really just ask anything and everything because I learnt so much from all the questions that I asked her. I would recommend taking NGN under her, especially for students without a prior literary background or are interested in developing their creative life.

Manageability of Workload

If you do your due diligence to read all the texts and watch the lectures it can be quite time consuming. The ones I found heaviest was the poetry/philosophy weeks -- I read A Midsummer's Night Dream before school started (though it took me a whole month to get through it) so I can't imagine what a great rush it must have been to read it within a week haha, especially if you're someone who doesn't like to read. My advice is maybe just use litcharts for all the more technical sections. Midterms was ok, it was very JC lit essay style with a bit more creative flair. I would say that this is a segment where you can lift your grade by grinding hard enough. Another segment that would help your grades is the class facilitation because it's quite open-ended and activity based, e.g. it should not be too technical because your class facilitation is meant to COMPLEMENT your prof's lecture slides, so it won't take a lot of time to complete. Short writing assignments are a huge hit-or-miss because the expectations for it change constantly. I was really passionate about my final project because I chose to do a creative project instead of an argumentative essay (so that is on me) and I spent a whole month completing it. Although NGN workload isn't light (and actually took up significantly more time than my major mods lol) I do feel like you can go about it strategically by seeing where you can score. 

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

After reading course reviews and general sentiments from my classmates I would say an A is REALLY tough under Dr Yip. I saw a comment that she's pretty nitpicky with giving good grades but generous with passing students/giving out B+ and I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment. The way she assesses students is very equitable, so it also means that i guess for students with demonstrated potential, her standards are bound to be higher. However, doing well is not impossible! Dr Yip is open to consultations and very specific with her feedback as long as you're intentional enough to ask the right questions so just ask the right questions. KEEP ASKING and you will do fine.

Learning value of this course

As a Political Sciences and Literature major, NGN was so helpful for me. I was just mentioning to my prof in a consult that NGN was really helpful for me in learning how to analyze more critically and cross-culturally instead of just relying on literary critique and close reading as a crutch. This is going to sound harsh but I feel like literature really encourages egotism because it inherently privileges your personal voice lol. I feel like NGN offers a very important lesson in checking your privilege, not just in a 'woke' kind of way but in a meaningful and comprehensive way. It's helped me to value characters' positionality when i write literature essays and look at characters, but also recognize that my own positionality affects the way that i respond to a work. and i think it does something similar for me when i look at Political science. NGN was actually quite life-changing for me and I'm really glad i took it in my first semester :)

Anonymous AY23/24 Sem 2

About the instructor (Dr Samar Faruqi)

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Content (Structure/Organization)

Quite well organised but probably because the entire NGN/GLN course is prescribed from the course coordinators. 

Manageability of Workload

Same as NUSMods I guess

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

Samar Faruqi is extremely harsh on grading; does not describe what she is looking for when asked. 

Anonymous (1) AY23/24 Sem 1

About the Instructor (Dr Hannah Smith-Drelic)

She was a bit draggy at times but besides that she is very enthusiastic and comes to class refreshed and ready. 

Content (Structure/Organization)

Course structure is great, since the class prof follows a set course structure, so I believe the professors do not have much autonomy in changing course structure. 

Accessibility and Assessment

Prof Hannah has a more free flow conversational style of lessons, which is great if it fits your learning style. It also helps her learn more about the way each student thinks and participation points! If you can talk a lot and have valuable insights, you can score. Liveliness of discussion in her class is highly dependent on other students in class. In my class, those with prior background talked A LOT and little chance for others to add their insights. 

Manageability of Workload

Weekly online lectures, honestly can just skip it doesnt really value add. Prof can see whether you watch though, so just play it while doing other stuff. Weekly readings and plays to watch is reasonable and differ for each prof, this prof v chill.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

More achievable if you have prior lit background or any art background, but if you go for enough consults and writers centre meetings, an A is achievable.

Learning Value/Recommendation

Meh, but its compulsory 

Anonymous (2) AY23/24 Sem 1

About the Instructor (Dr Samar Faruqi)

Prof is super encouraging — she's had many classes of like cs, engin, data (basically non-lit) students so she starts simply and let's the class slowly warm up. Prof loves class discussion and she'll always try and follow your point. She's also super open for clarifications and consults. 

Content (Structure/Organization)

Half written works and half visual works, a good variety for exposure. some classes were more on analysis (at the start) and some more on meaning (in the end). light mod in my opinion and enjoyed the prof's online lectures for context, overall understanding and things to look out for.

Accessibility and Assessment

Not sure if cos I had a small class (6 students) but classes were very free flowing discussion, sharing our thoughts etc. Prof encouraged everyone to talk and give some input + listen when others are talking. learning was intro text, prof starts analysis and we add on accordingly.

Manageability of Workload

Weekly would be watching the lectures and reading/watching the narrative. narrative can be short, long, simple or complex but Prof was okay if we didn't understand the text + your analysis  will grow over the class discussion. 3 short writing assignments and 2 papers spread across the sem, Prof will give u the write up early and ask if anyone has questions + hv consults w her.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

It doesn’t hv to be complex points but should be well thought out/explained. for a better grade just go a touch deeper and try to connect points/theme

Learning Value/Recommendation

Was fun to look at new forms of narratives like theatre and comics. enjoyed the mod and made me think

Anonymous (1) AY22/23 Sem 1

About the instructor (Dr Emily Dalton):

Prof Dalton is very knowledgeable – she is always able to understand and explain the concepts that my classmates bring up during class discussions, and extend these ideas to make the discussion more fruitful. She is also very receptive of different interpretations (that might differ from hers), which makes the discussions more varied and engaging. 

As said in the earlier question, she is also very approachable for any queries and further discussions of the text or essay ideas. I would definitely recommend taking the mod under her.

Content (Structure/Organization)

Honestly I am not entirely sure what the module is aiming to teach other than helping us to better appreciate texts from various backgrounds. There is a fixed set of texts for the syllabus, with accompanying lecture videos that mainly share more context for the texts. There are also prompts for us to consider and share our thoughts during class discussions. However, what we glean from the text will really depend what on the class shares, and I guess the greatest takeaway is there can be many interpretations of the same text, which helped to broaden my perspectives. 

Manageability of Workload

Moderate? Pre-class prep is mainly watching lecture videos and reading the texts, but the time taken can vary depending on texts – eg. I spent a lot of time reading Zhuangzi’s “Chapter 2” because the philosophical text was difficult to understand. 

There are 2 essays for this module which would take up more time, especially if you put in effort to revise the drafts, and short forum posts that are spaced out over the sem.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

A is… very difficult to get, at least for my prof. However, if you put in effort, B+/A- is attainable. My prof is really nice and we can approach her to run through our ideas before we start working on the essay, which helps us to have an idea of whether the arguments are suitable or whether we need to revise it. 

Learning Value/Recommendation

Though this mod doesn’t cover much of technical skills, it really increased my appreciation of texts from diverse backgrounds, and I really enjoyed the module.

Additional Comments

I find that the accessibility of the mod is dependent on the learning objectives. Initially I had the impression that this was a literature mod, and hence was slightly thrown off when students with lit background started using technical terms of literary devices and techniques during class discussions. Later on, I realized that this was probably more of an introductory mod to expose us to works of different genres and cultures, which is much more accessible as the focus is on close analysis of the content in general rather than zooming into specific techniques used in the texts. 

Anonymous (2) AY22/23 Sem 1

About the Instructor (Dr Kevin Goldstein)

He is extremely knowledgeable, maybe so much so that it was quite difficult to follow along sometimes, for someone who has little to no clue of what's going on in the literary works.

Content (Structure/Organization)

The course is well-structured in the sense that the topic and reading materials for each week is fixed. It was flexible in that learning mostly depended on class discussions.

Accessibility and Assessment

I had almost no background in literature and although it was exciting to be able to analyse literary works, it was quite difficult to grasp the key ideas discussed in class, making it almost impossible to follow along in most class discussions. It didn't help that most people in this particular class had experience in literature and would oftentimes give really insightful but sometimes difficult to follow perspectives in class. Prof Goldstein was nice but also seemed to have certain expectations on his students to have some foundation of knowledge in the subject matter. When consulted, he provides guidance but mostly keep it vague, expecting students to formulate their own ideas. Which is valid but frankly consultations did not help me with my essays. 

Manageability of Workload

At least 1-2 hours is needed each week if you actually prepare for class, i.e. read the texts or watch the movie. Maybe 1 more hour per week for the forum post.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grade

Not too sure how to get a good grade because I definitely did not get a good grade for this mod. But I would think that I spent a reasonable amount of time and effort (consulting prof, writer's centre, consulting online resources, consulting friends with experience in literature) trying to produce decent essays and was hoping I could score better. I would think that Prof Goldstein is harsher than the other Profs teaching the same mod.

Learning Value/Recommendation

I think it was helpful in exposing me to literatures and arts and learning to appreciate them. But in all honesty I don't think it's any useful because it seems that even after a whole sem I still can't really grasp the essence of analysing a piece of literature so I have no idea under what circumstances I'll need to do this again.

Anonymous (3) AY22/23 Sem 1

About the Instructor (Dr Nienke Boer)

She was quite knowledgeable and explains concepts well. However, she didn’t exactly explain how to analyse material. 

Content (Structure/Organization)

Organisation and structure is fairly okay. There is a weekly plan and such things. Didn’t quite understand what we are meant to gain from this module though. 

Accessibility and Assessment

Not very accessible - my analysis was always considered as superficial by the professor, with no further advice on how to improve it. I am a STEM major student and have no prior experience in analysing literature. 

Manageability of Workload

not too heavy, except for during final paper and midterm paper submissions - also required some external visits to the museum and other such things. In a week, I probably spent about 1-2 hours on it. If I actually did the readings it was more like 3h.  

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

From my understanding, half the class got an A- and half the class got a B+. Seems a bit hit or miss to be honest. Anyways, Prof Nienke is leaving after this semester so this information on her grading may not be as relevant. 

Learning Value/Recommendation

Not much usefulness, personally for me. It was fun but not sure how much I gained from it. 

Anonymous (4) AY22/23 Sem 1

About the Instructor (Dr Paul Gallager)

Prof Paul is a kind and sweet man who makes time for his students. However, the questions he poses can be out of the depth of students at times, which may leave the class in awkward silence.

Content (Structure/Organization)

Each week is dedicated to one form of writing (Poetry, the Lais, Comics etc.). Class discussions were question-based and pretty open. I guess the objective of the module was to cultivate a sense of appreciation for what is culturally specific, and yet globally extensive in the different texts.

Accessibility and Assessment

Though global narratives are experienced and encountered by all, many students around me felt that there was not enough scaffolding to equip us with the technical skills required to unpack them. I came from a background in A Level Literature, and I do feel like I could learn alot more from my A Level teachers in the same time frame.

Manageability of Workload

The workload is quite low at the beginning with the poems, however towards the end with movies, plays (Midsummer Night's Dream) and Socratic Dialogues the readings start to get more heavy.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

Other classmates found my prof harsh, but I found him pretty okay. The way I see it literary appreciation is about finding out what specific things make your prof tick, and shaping your essays to suit your prof. An essay that would get me an A under prof Paul would not get me an A in JC Lit, and vice versa.

Learning Value/Recommendation

I do appreciate that I got to expand the variety of texts I'm exposed to.

Anonymous (5) AY23/24 Sem 1

About the Instructor (Dr Paul Gallager)

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Content (Structure/Organization)

I especially liked that we explored a variety of different literature mediums in this course, although there were some that were personally quite painful to read (ie the philosophical texts, especially Zhuangzi for me, but I know classmates who enjoyed those readings).

The course structure was pretty well planned as we started off with the easier readings, and the middle portion had the slightly harder readings, while the end of the course (when finals were approaching and we were getting jaded) featured the more interesting moving action stuff.

Accessibilty/Assessment: 

Personally, I have no literature background other than lower secondary lit but found the classes pretty accessible. Prof Paul is a really friendly and encouraging guy so it was generally quite easy for me to raise my opinions in class. He's also quite open to different ideas. However, at times, discussions can get slightly confusing as the questions he poses can get a little too abstract, especially when it comes to the more challenging topics. Also, I personally felt that time allocated for small group discussions tended to be a little too long. Nevertheless, I still got a lot out of most of my NGN classes and would say that Prof Paul generally does a pretty good job!

Manageability of Workload

Generally, there are readings to complete before class every week (would take at least 1 hour of prep time per week) but you'll notice that many people tend to come to class without completing their readings towards the end of the sem when things get busy. Speaking from experience, while the discussion probably would not be as fruitful for you if you don't prepare before class, I would say it's definitely possible to follow a class without having completed the readings, or having just scanned through the readings before class. In addition, there's two free absences which each person can utilise, which really helped in weeks where I felt I just didn't have time for NGN classes.

Assignments wise, there are a total of 4 short assignments, about 1 every two weeks. I felt that the short assignments, though short, were the most time consuming part of the course for me, given that they were only worth 5% each. I spent about 1-3 hours per assignment, but I know of classmates who spent less time. The class facilitation part was worth 15% (iirc) and it's pretty okay if your partner also puts in the work.

For mid-terms and finals, the timeline felt perfect as prof gave us the essay questions very early on and gave us one free 24 hour extension (to be used for either midterms or finals).

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

I'm not very sure about the overall sensing in my class as I didn't ask around on how people did but I think it's not difficult to get a decent grade under Prof Paul. Just with any other prof tbh, I think the approach to getting a good grade is scheduling consultations and clarifying any misconceptions that you may have about the question with the prof, while making sure to consider the ideas that he discusses with you when writing the final piece.

Learning Value/Recommendation

Not sure about the usefulness, but NGN felt like a nice break from other courses as some of the readings were pretty fun

Anonymous (6) AY22/23 Sem 1

About the Instructor (Dr Roweena Yip)

Personally I think she is good, but her vibe doesnt gel well with me which is a matter of personal opinion. I dont really find her approachable.

Content (Structure/Organization)

I find it well structured and effective. I think the philosophy part, however, is challenging, especially Zhuangzi.

Accessibility and Assessment

Yes I think my professor conducted the lessons effectively, even to those without prior background. 

Manageability of Workload

I find it rather heavy as it requires viewing a lecture video that is 1-2 hours long, reading the text which takes 2-3 hours, and attend the seminars which are 3hs in total per week which I feel is way too much. The instructor specific assignments were creative writing exercises and reviews of play performance and artwork which I found not very challenging but I also had background in it so. 

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

Depends on professor. Roweena Yip is nitpicky if your grades are on a higher end but if ones grades are on a lower end she will pull it up so she is both harsh and liberal in grades. 

Learning Value/Recommendation

Not useful cause I already learnt it so it felt like rehashing stuff I've learnt but maybe it is useful for others.

Darius Ng Wei Quan (@dariusngwq) AY22/23 Sem 1

About the Instructor (Dr Kevin Goldstein)

Not really important since he's moving overseas to teach but Prof Kevin was a great Prof. Very knowledgeable in the subject matter and very enthusiastic about teaching it. He communicates ideas and concepts very clearly in a fun and engaging way. Even though I didn't get an A for this mod, I can say it was my favourite mod I took this sem because of him. 

Content (Structure/Organization)

The module starts off with poems and a few short stories in the first 6 weeks before ending off with philosophical texts, plays and visual media (artworks and movies). The module felt well structured but slightly rushed in the first few weeks and the weeks focused on the philosophical texts. As the philosophical texts require a lot of contemplation, it might take a long time to read through the text without feeling a headache coming along. This mainly comes from Chapter 2 of the "Zhuangzi" text which is known to be one of the hardest chapters. The translation chosen makes the text even harder to read but was chosen to show how a message from a text in another language can be lost in translation even if the translation was very literal. The teaching points for each week were quite clear with how each text was there to teach us a new skill in how to better read the text.

Accessibility and Assessment

I had no previous literature background before coming into this mod and I felt it was a little challenging at the start as the module opened off with poems. With many of my classmates well-versed in literary analysis, it was a little intimidating at the start. However, Prof Kevin made an emphasis to improve our close reading skills rather than focus on other literary devices and techniques. This made it easier for me to adapt and learning during the class. This experience might differ depending on the prof as I heard other classes tended to focus on literary devices and techniques like iambic pentameters etc. I feel such a focus makes the module less accessible to students without a lit background or come from polytechnics like me. 

Manageability of Workload

If you like reading, the weekly workload isn't that high. The first few weeks require you to read 1-2 texts each. The short stories aren't really that short though. It might take an hour or two to finish the text if you really want to understand the text and not glance through it. The only things you need to do outside of class is read the text before the next class(1-2hrs), watch the pre-lecture video (1.5hrs I think), write a reflection every 2 weeks. The things to hand-in include the mid-term essay and the final essay. There is also a part where you have a flipped classroom and you teach that week's text to the class. It takes a while to plan so start early if possible.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grade

A is hard. Anything below that is achievable even if you don't have a literature background. I got B+ for both my mid-term and final essay even though I poured over 25hours into the mid-term essay. I heard some people got moderated from an A- to a B+. But it really depends on your Prof, mine was a great Prof but he marks quite strictly. But even though both my essays got B+ and they represent I think 60% of your overall grade, I managed to get an A- at least. My class participation and presentation probably pulled me up so don't neglect the daily work. 

Learning Value/Recommendation

It is a useful module in teaching close reading and improving academic writing skills. But outside of those skills, it is also a mod that broadens your view towards the arts and exposes you to texts that you may not have ever picked up. 

Additional Comments/Word of Advice

It is a compulsory mod for NUSC so you have to take it anyways. Don't give up and assume you will S/U since you don't have a literature background. Class participation is important so try to at least glance through the text before class or read/watch a summary. 

Saatvik Mayank Agrawal (@saatvikagrawal) AY22/23 Sem 1

About the Instructor (Dr Emily Dalton): 

Professor Dalton's expertise and teaching style make complex topics accessible and engaging. She is empathetic, highly accessible for consultations, and provides constructive feedback. She improves students' literature analysis skills, even for those initially apprehensive about their abilities in this area.

Content (Structure/Organization)

The curriculum is well-structured and effective in allowing you to explore various kinds of literature from plays, to historical texts, short and long stories, poem, tv shows, movies and even paintings. I felt that there is a comprehensive exploration of global narratives with a balanced emphasis on both theory and practical analysis. I found the online recorded lectures to be a very effective way to ground myself into the theory prior to going into the class.

Professor's Effectiveness in conducting lessons: 

Prof excels in conducting lessons. She facilitates class discussions, making complex concepts accessible to all students, regardless of their prior background. Her teaching style encourages active participation and in-depth exploration of course materials. She provides ample of time for group discussion and is able to bring the class back together to the main topics, ensuring clarity and cohesion. She plays an active role in all classes and it really feels like all learning outcomes of the module were met.

Manageability of Workload

If you are a beginner in literature and writing like me, The workload is substantial. The consultations and sessions at the writer's centre, especially for the mid-term and final essays can add to your workload but dont let that deter you from opting for them. The course requires consistent effort, particularly in the final essays. Each instructor runs their in-class assignments a little differently but they should not have a significant increase in your weekly workload.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

Achieving a high grade is challenging but fair. Professor Dalton's grading is rigorous, yet justifiable. The best thing is that she provides ample feedback for you to improve and that really is the main component when it comes to literature courses. Her feedback usually revolves around how to shape and improve arguments, and look for more elements of the text to support your thesis. She encourages pushing students to delve deeper into the content matter.

Learning Value/Recommendation

It is a rewarding experience despite the challenging nature of the course. I'd say that the course offers learning value in enhancing critical thinking and literature analysis in day to day life. Coming from an engineering background, I might not be whipping out literature analysis every now and then, but being able to close read books, articles and movies better is quite meaningful to me. Ultimately, it gives you the confidence to be able to formulate better well-supported arguments. Being able to now have a framework to comprehending fancy and complex literature is a huge plus too!

Additional Comments

Make good use of office hours. Professor's guidance is invaluable especially for a subjective course like NGN, also use the Writer Centre for further guidance-- these two resources will help you get started and even help clear mental blocks. Don't let initial setbacks in the course deter your spirit!