This course examines the ways power, space, and pleasure are interconnected. The course is divided into three units. First, we will look at how space is related to questions of power, focusing in particular on surveillance. Then, in the second unit, we will consider more closely the relation between space, power and pleasure as exemplified in voyeurism and surveillance : here we will be watching people watching other people. Finally, we'll consider the relations between space, power and pleasure in Singapore, in particular as this applies to the tensions between traditional practices and urban planning in city spaces here.
Student Reviews
Mihikaa Singh (@mihikaasingh) AY25/26 Sem 2
About the Instructor
The facilitation of the classes and the overall stimulating and welcoming, encouraging environment, created a lot due to Prof Johan was one of my favourite part about this class. I looked forward to attend each seminar, since during the class lively discussions would take place and I personally felt encouraged and comfortable to share my views on a reading, for example or any questions. The prof is an incredible teacher, passionate about the subject matter and the concepts we learn about during the course as well as knowledgable, offering genuinely helpful advice which gives you good insights and makes it easier and clear for you to know where to improve. He is also very approachable and warm, and I had a great time overall not only during the seminars, but when I was writing the papers as well!
Content (Structure/Organization)
Yes, I think the concepts we learnt about such as power models like 'panopticism' and 'synopticism' were structured in such a way that every new concept introduced built upon the previous reading seamlessly. Nothing was particularly too hard, just the readings could be a bit time-consuming since the concepts covered in class are slightly deep and philosophical. If you genuinely enjoy learning about them and are constantly making an effort to understand it throughout, it shouldn't be too technical. Structure and organization wise, it was quite excellent and we were provided with clear and concise worksheets before every class which listed everything we had to do and prepare, and adequate reminders were given for tasks I believe.
Manageability of Workload
Workload wise it is slightly on the heavier side since it takes time to really not only understand the concepts, but spending time on thinking about something that you find intriguing about what you learnt and translating that into a original thesis. For me, we had 3 main papers to write during the semester and they increased in length progressively. It's not time consuming in the sense that there a lot of assignments, but if you really enjoy the class and want to convey a very authentic and interesting idea, you might have to spend time on your own developing and thinking about every facet of it, spending time and sitting with the readings provided. You willl enjoy this process though, if you are making sure to keep up with the classes. Overall though, it is pretty manageable and I don't think it's too heavy, probably an adequate amount. Apart from the seminars, the time I spent varied every week but it could be anything from 3 hours per week to somewhere around 10 hours.
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades
I think if you show a genuine interest and effort in the class, and that you really are trying to grasp all the concepts and put even a little bit of effort into coming up with a paper topic which is not 'obvious' and also accurate, it is not hard to get a good grade in the course. If you really make an effort to understand every reading, participate in the class with helpful and contributory points, genuine questions, it is not at all hard to get a decent grade. A's are also very possible, all you have to keep in mind is that it will be very visible to the prof and yourself how much time you really are spending and your mindset towards it as well. As long as you approach it with a very positive and eager-to-learn mindset as well as do what the prof expects of you, and make an effort to consistently come up with authentic and relevant ideas, a decent grade is definitely possible and so are excellent grades like an A+. As long as you are honest and sincere, the prof won't be harsh in giving out good grades at all
Learning Value/Recommendation
It was definitely eye-opening and engaging, I learnt about topics I had never heard of before and I also learnt essentially what good writing is, really what a reader would like to read in a sense. As a biz student I'm not sure how much of it I will be able to apply in the future, but I truly believe that learning how to improve your writing never harms you and will definitely help me one way or the other. It's also good to not limit yourself to one discipline and learn about different fields and topics from those fields as well to think critically.
Additional Comments/Word of Advice
Definitely consider taking this course if you are interested in the intellectual side of things, learning about new concepts about power, power models like panopticism and synopticism, analysing things deeply for example the popular movie Truman Show, and the effects of social media in the current world. If you consider yourself observant, analytical, someone interested in psychology, philosophy or really just learning about 'deeper' concepts over surface level information, you will highly enjoy this class. My advice is that try not to miss any class at all during the semester, since I feel the most important thing is to not lose the flow of the class because then it can be a bit hard to cover everything that you missed workload wise. As long as you attend every class with a positive mindset with an open-mind ready to analyse and identify deeper and underlying concepts, ask questions and just put in a reasonable amount of effort per week, you can really do well in this class i think. It's important to have an eager mindset towards the readings since at first glance, they might seem too hard to grasp but if you spend time on it, the more you will start enjoying it. Don't be scared of the readings and don't think that it's too hard. Basically, the more time you spend on the readings and concepts, the more you will naturally enjoy this class. That's the most crucial point to remember. The prof is incredibly warm and encouraging, and offers great advice as well after meticulously engaging with the papers you submit and is understanding. I truly had an amazing experience in this class!
Siaw Min En Alena (@alenasiaw) AY25/26 Sem 1
About the Instructor
Prof Johan is a patient, eloquent educator who is passionate in imparting the necessary skills, taking time to go through exemplars and the lessons to take-away from them. His experience in teaching NTW for a long time is apparent in how he guides students in unpacking course readings. If you are ever lost, just speak your mind and he WILL take time to clear your clarifications in class. while this can sometimes mean going offtrack in lessons, he is good at bringing the conversation back and ensuring lesson materials are covered in time regardless.
Content (Structure/Organization)
the course is structured to provide a gradual learning curve, from close reading one source in the first assignment, comparing two sources in the second assignment, and finally having free reign to explore one own's topic and unpack 3-4 sources in the last assignment. the jump from the second to third assignment was harder for me and my coursemates to grasp due to the timing of the assignment being closer to finals as well, but other than that it was well-organised.
Manageability of Workload
Every week there is a rather dense (ranges from 11-25 page) and difficult reading to complete and will be discussed in class so it is important to set aside time to read and process the material before lesson
assignments typically take one to three full days depending on the number of revisions. Prof likes to give detailed feedback during conferences so there is no need for the first draft to be perfect! He is usually forgiving and open to extensions for a day if you have extenuating circumstances (but note to not exploit this)
the third assignment and annotated bibliography (to pick your own sources) are the hardest two assignments due to the sheer breadth of possible topics, so about 1 or 2 days would be good to research the different possible case studies and supporting secondary sources to ensure you reach the most optimal case that aligns with your own interests!
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades
The prof is very fair in his grading, it is not necessarily hard work = good grade, as he truly focuses on the quality of your work but he typically does not give anything below a B- as long as you put in effort.
Learning Value/Recommendation
It really helped me become more eloquent in my writing (from the sheer amount of revisions) and honed my close reading skill and critical thinking skills, which are critical throughout uni and beyond. Due to the focus of this course being more on surveillance, voyeurism and media, it is highly applicable to real life and better for students who prefer something less abstract like myself despite it being a philosophical mod!
Additional Comments/Word of Advice
Really recommend this prof :)