Although we enjoy watching movies, reading novels, and listening to music, we might think that these are not very productive ways to spend our time. Yet every society throughout history has devoted significant resources to creating and enjoying art. Why is this the case? Some scholars have proposed that there is an evolved, biological "human nature" that can help explain why people are psychologically inclined to create and consume art, particularly art that tells stories. This course will teach students to write effective arguments through discussing and evaluating theories that use evolutionary psychology to understand art.
Student Reviews
Anonymous (1) AY25/26 Sem 1
About the Instructor
the lessons were pretty handheld, making it accessible for those without evolutionary theory background as well as those without an artistic background. however, they felt a little draggy at times and i wished we spent more time discussing artworks in class. i enjoyed the group discussions facilitated by the prof, but i felt that the prof added the most to my learning only during our one-to-one consultations. it was only through the consultations that allowed me to clarify specific writing skills, as typical lessons were more content-focused.
although I was warned about this prof prior to enrolling into his course, i felt that the earlier comments thrown at him were way too harsh, and Prof. Frome has been trying his best to revise and improve our lessons!
Content (Structure/Organization)
the organisation was a little draggy, i felt that we were given a lot of info on evolutionary theory but had little space to apply onto any artworks, mainly limiting the application to art in general. as a result of this organisation, i also felt that we had little time to complete the final essay as the first half of the sem was still very much focused on evolutionary theory.
Manageability of Workload
weekly basis maybe 1 to 2 hours? but definitely more than other nusc courses i took because of the weekly written assignments given (not necessarily a bad thing, but felt repetitive at times). i spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME at the end relooking at the resources and trying to complete the final paper, preparing for consult with him, doing reflection after the consult.. paper 1 was focused on unpacking one article, which laid the foundation for paper 2 (unpacking an academic argument). although the assignments led up to helping you complete the final paper, it felt very rushed toward the end because of how the curriculum was planned, and it did not feel very satisfying because we were trying to scope our writing into this really narrow guide of how to unpack an academic argument (in prof frome’s way). i think that was the main challenge or grunt that many of my peers voiced because they wanted to write more freely, and felt boxed up having to follow prof frome’s requirements. but i mean, writing is quite a subjective thing, so why not just take this course and challenge yourself?
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades
not super achievable? i think prof frome was quite stingy with giving out an A, but he does acknowledge your efforts through written feedback.
Learning Value/Recommendation
it was useful! 8/10. only regret was that we had little analysis of art, but i believe that learning how to question statements and to unpack texts were more helpful than simply deep diving into content.
Additional Comments/Word of Advice
people used to advise to consider ur NTW based on interest in the topic, but i dont think this necessarily applies to prof frome’s class. come to prof frome’s class if u have the discipline to follow through every week, and the resilience (plus openness) to get through unpacking an argument and revising your own way of thinking.
Anonymous (2) AY25/26 Sem 1
About the Instructor
At the start of each class, Prof gives everyone the handouts needed for the lesson, and specifies if anything else is needed beforehand. This made it easy to refer to the lesson plan and get an idea of what is covered in class. Prof is very open to feedback, as we complete an anonymous discussion post each lesson where we can ask questions, give suggestions and give feedback on the lesson. It’s also easy to approach Prof for further guidance on topics/assignments. I think class discussion depends on the other students in the class, but Prof makes an effort to split us into smaller groups and discuss amongst ourselves and then share with the class so it’s less intimidating.
Content (Structure/Organization)
I think the course was well structured, with each seminar building upon skills and previously learnt. Prof makes an effort to ensure the assignments achieve a specific learning objective and aren’t just busywork. I found the second half of the semester to be more rushed compared to the first half, so it did become more challenging towards the end.
Manageability of Workload
I think the first half of the semester is quite relaxed, but the second half amps up quickly. There are only 2 papers in comparison to some other NTW courses that have 3, and they are also less research based and more focused on explaining someone else’s argument clearly for a generalist reader.
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades
Prof said that most students get A-/B+ and one or two get an A. Prof seems quite fair in his grading, and his feedback is quite thorough, giving the positives and negatives.
Learning Value/Recommendation
I would say 4/5 as evolutionary psychology was a completely new topic for me, so I was exposed to lots of new ideas and concepts. The course started from building the very basics of evolution and ended with understanding complex arguments on why different art forms are enjoyed by humans.
Anonymous (1) AY24/25 Sem 1
About the Instructor
Prof is knowledgeable about the subject matter and explains concepts clearly, making an effort to check whether we understand what he's saying. He's approachable and asks for feedback frequently.
Content (Structure/Organization)
Prof clearly communicates the structure of the course and generally provides detailed instructions for assignments. Given the nature of the topic, the first half of the sem is quite content-heavy, covering evolution, evolutionary psychology, and its relation to art (doesn't involve analysing specific artworks!)
Manageability of Workload
Moderate amount of readings (~40-50 pages a week), though Prof Wing does try to make it manageable especially around exam season. Occassionally, there are movies you have to watch or plays you have to watch/read in their entirety, but you can get by with skimming. On the whole, be prepared to commit some time and effort, but it is not overwhelming. Like most NUSC courses, [there are] a lot of low-weightage assignments (reading responses, class facilitation, reflections...) that can be annoying, but generally do not require extraordinary commitment.
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades
As long as you pay attention to instructions/feedback and put in consistent effort for assignments you should be able to get a decent grade. He's also quite particular about details (formatting, citations, etc).
Learning Value/Recommendation
The evolutionary psychology concepts aren't very useful to me, but the writing techniques/advice definitely are.
Additional Comments/Word of Advice
There's a no electronics policy during class. Prof prints out compulsory readings and notes for every class, but you might have to print out paper-related stuff when there's in-class peer review.
Anonymous (2) AY24/25 Sem 1
About the Instructor
The professor is definitely very open to feedback! There are compulsory anonymous forum posts at the end of every lesson where you can provide feedback or comments for the Prof, and there are also other avenues to communicate any concerns (midterm feedback, MS Teams, etc). The professor is also very detail-oriented and pays a lot of attention to how you're breaking down and explaining an argument and your grammar usage. However, there's a no devices policy in his class and he prints out all lecture notes by hand and you can only write down notes, which makes it a bit hard to keep up with what he's saying because lessons are fast-paced.
Content (Structure/Organization)
The individual class itself is pretty structured; However while it seems that the module has certain learning outcomes it intends to achieve across all classes, the requirements that each prof has seem pretty different. The professor for this class definitely prefers clarity in argumentation and organisation over bombastic phrasing or flowery language, so take this class if you want to work on clarity over flair. Topics covered would start from basic biology knowledge (for those without a biology background to catch up, however the onus is still on you to watch the recommended videos provided in your own time, as only 1-2 lessons is spent on the basics). Afterwards, the professor will mix covering EP content and writing skills in his lessons. The EP and art content itself isn't extremely important for writing the paper, and you certainly won't be tested on the knowledge. It's more of to give you sufficient background information on the topic such that you can understand others' arguments and formulate an explanation/response to it, so it's like a medium through which you write your papers. Paper 1 is a 1.5k word essay where you breakdown, explicate, and (optionally) analyse a specific argument from a source chosen by the professor. Paper 2 is a 2.5k word essay where you breakdown, explicate and (no longer optionally) analyse or even correct a specific argument from a source that you choose, so long as the topic is related to EP and art. You will also use at least 3 other sources to supplement your arguments. The grade breakdown is as such:
15% Exercises
15% Attendance and participation
30% Paper 1
40% Paper 2
Manageability of Workload
Assignments are split into exercises which are more low stakes grades-wise (they are graded by whether you've fulfilled the content requirement, formatting requirement, and whether you've submitted on time) and Paper 1 or 2 assignments, which by themselves aren't graded but are supposed to contribute towards the final paper. After each class, students are also required to upload a forum post with at least a few sentences of feedback, comments or questions for the Prof, and this is meant to contribute towards your participation grade as well. There are also required and recommended readings every week, split into EP related readings and writing related readings. The EP related readings will usually be discussed in class in small-group discussions of 2-4 students, so it's really obvious when one doesn't do the readings, so I'd prioritise those over the writing-related ones, which the Professor does summarise and go through really well during his writing portion of the class. IMO, the workload is what you can expect from an NTW. You can expect to spend a few hours every week on the assignments (more if you really want to put in effort on the exercises). The workload will definitely increase towards the Paper deadlines because the assignments will jump from simply submitting a simple draft outline to a full 1.5k or 2.5k word draft within a week, and this peak may also coincide with midterms/finals season. But it still isn't as heavy as some of the other NTWs that I've heard about. The Professor also gives a 24 hour extension on any assignments given, including final paper submissions, so long as you write an email notifying him, though of course you shouldn't become too reliant on it as it will be the only extension allowed.
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades
Getting A is achievable, but hard. It would require both Papers to really meet his expectations in terms of content, language, clarity, argumentation, and formatting. It would also require you to show up and submit (most) assignments consistently and on time, active class participation, and pay attention to formatting requirements, language and grammar rules, and improve your work according to his feedback.
Learning Value/Recommendation
I think learning under a professor with such strict formatting and citation requirements and who prioritises clarity is really good for FASS majors who will have to write many more papers.
Anonymous (1) AY22/23 Sem 1
About the Instructor
Prof Frome is very receptive and reasonable and logical about a lot of things, he asks for feedback or questions through anonymous comment cards after every lesson and responds seriously to everything. he makes the classroom a comfortable enough place to safely express any opinions or clarifications. however he doesn't really focus on engagement in the sense of diverse activities or multimedia teaching, and the seminars can often feel like mini lectures, but if you find the concepts intriguing enough and try to properly engage in the learning/discussions it can be interesting! he is certainly very familiar with the field! i didn't exactly feel like it was a bore to drag myself to seminars or anything but the experience can vary. also he practices a no electronics policy! if accessibility is an issue i think can talk to him about it though
Content (Structure/Organization)
Not sure how applicable my reviews will be for next sem because i think Prof Frome has mentioned many times he's seeking to improve this new mod as much as possible, but the module was 1) a lot of readings (i think a lot of ntw mods are like that though)
Largely accessible, but it's possible students with no biology background will be a bit more lost at the start. also the whole readings/writing thing for ntw mods in general is a bit demanding so if you're not familiar with those be prepared to put in a bit more effort
Manageability of Workload
Weekly x2 readings + almost weekly forum post/mini writing assignment + multiple sets of outlines/drafts for the midterm and final papers ... this mod took up the most time and energy and i was writing to 2359 all the time (often exceeding the deadline a bit for the lesser assignments) T-T if your time management is better than mine it might be a bit more doable though. ntw is all like that i think?
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades
I seriously don't know how to compare but i really tried very hard and i think the Prof acknowledges effort at least. show up sincerely, engage with the class content because class participation counts (and you'll get more out of it too)
Learning Value/Recommendation
The concepts and the field is quite very interesting i enjoyed the later readings lots. in terms of writing and reading i think i definitely learnt quite a fair bit too. just wish i was less stressed out so that i could properly enjoy the writing process a bit more. do not really recommend overloading with ntw.
Additional Comments/Word of Advice
Note!! evol psych and art has no media analysis aspect to it!! our midterm paper was largely about evolutionary biology/psych concepts and the final paper was about evol psych and art in a research/analytical sense, we were not taking any particular art piece/work and breaking it down as you would in NGN for example.... i think i was quite disappointed because of this so don't have this expectation going in and i think it'll be fine. yeah. jiayousz
Anonymous (2) AY22/23 Sem 1
About the Instructor
Yea the prof is excellent and very patient in his explanation, very easy to pick up the concepts. But around midterm he speeds up when submissions are coming so you need to so extra reading to understand, which is expected and reasonable. He is kind of a no nonsense kind of teacher, which I think is a plus.
Content (Structure/Organization)
Not sure how applicable my reviews will be for next sem because i think Prof Frome has mentioned many times he's seeking to improve this new mod as much as possible, but the module was 1) a lot of readings (i think a lot of ntw mods are like that though)
Manageability of Workload
A lot of readings, but I got through most classes without reading them because he goes through them again briefly which is perfect for me. But please do your readings.
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades
Nope, A is hard. A- is very achievable though! and B+ should be average. I got a B+ although I did not put in a lot of effort.
Learning Value/Recommendation
Amazing, evolutionary psychology is really a fundamental topic integrated into everyday activities and this module helped me to see our appreciation for art and the world a little different.
Additional Comments/Word of Advice
He is very knowledgable, and willing to share his experience and wisdom accumulated through his personal experiences or previous studies in class.