Anonymous (1) AY25/26 Sem 2

About the Instructor

On the writing side, Dr Tan regularly incorporated in-class review activities. We were often split into groups and asked to write short paragraphs on topics related to academic writing, after which he would provide feedback. I found these exercises especially helpful because they gave me a much clearer sense of his expectations and helped me improve the structure and flow of my arguments.

 That said, these writing tasks were usually introduced immediately after learning a new technique, so students with less prior writing experience might find it challenging to come up with a strong paragraph on the spot. But it definitely gets easier with practice, and I found myself becoming much more comfortable over time!

Content (Structure/Organization)

Dr Tan structured this course really well, with a balanced focus on both the art analysis and the attention economy, while also showing how the two intersect. The key concepts were explained clearly and built up in a way that was easy to follow. While some concepts in the attention economy can feel a little abstract or unfamiliar at first, they become much more intuitive as the course progresses. As I encountered more examples and apply the concepts in different contexts, it became easier to see how they connect to the artworks and broader discussions explored in class.

Manageability of Workload

I'd say the workload is relatively light. One thing I appreciated is that the assignments are cumulative - starting from the first Response Paper, each assignment contributes to the development of your final Research Paper. This makes it easy to see the progression of the course and improve your work step by step rather than having to start from scratch each time.

 The assignment that requires the most time, in my opinion, is the Exploratory Paper (20% weightage, if I remember correctly), as it's where you'll need to develop your research direction and put together an outline of your arguments. However, putting in the effort to get this paper right pays off later on, as it forms the foundation and bulk of your final Research Paper. As a result, the subsequent assignments tend to feel much more manageable since you've already completed much of the core research and analysis.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

I think it's definitely achievable with consistent effort. Dr Tan is very transparent about his grading criteria and expectations, which makes it easier to understand how to improve throughout the semester. His consultations are also incredibly helpful, so don't hesitate to ask questions and clarify any doubts you may have along the way.

Learning Value/Recommendation

Very useful. I found the course to be both enjoyable and rewarding, and I learnt a lot about academic writing along the way.

Anonymous (2) AY25/26 Sem 2

About the Instructor

Prof Tan Teck Heng was extremely good at facilitating live discussions. All class activities were designed around student's contributions, which encouraged us to think for ourselves. I really enjoyed the class discussions and found that they balanced academic writing conventions with actual art related content very well. For someone with no background in art, this course did a good job of getting me interested in contemporary art and the way the attention economy operates. The prof was very approachable and it was very easy to ask him questions whenever I needed help. The prof was also open to students exploring a lot of different disciplines in their papers from focused art criticism to psychology of museum visitors, which I think makes the course more accessible.

Content (Structure/Organization)

I enjoyed the way this course was structured. Throughout the semester all our assignments involved building on a single paper, which we ideated during a museum visit, which is different from a lot of other NTWs which require different topics for each paper. I think the approach this course takes is good for actually diving into the nuances of our topic. It allowed me to spend a lot of time on the topic I was interested in in the course, and focus on getting the logical structure of my paper perfect, which strengthened my final unique contribution.

Manageability of Workload

Since it is just one paper across the course the workload is not as high as other NTWs. Additionally, the preparation material for the class is multi-modal, from academic papers, book chapters to Instagram posts and youtube videos, which makes it fun to prepare for.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

The prof is very transparent with how easy it is to get an A. The prof gives detailed and actionable feedback, and implementing that into my papers made it easier to improve them quick. I would say the prof wants to give good grades, but is held back by NUSC/NUS guidelines and thresholds, so make sure to put in consistent effort.

Learning Value/Recommendation

I really enjoyed this course and found that it was very useful. I think this course struck a good balance between the topic and academic writing conventions. It got me genuinely interested in contemporary art and taught me writing conventions I can use in all my other courses.

Additional Comments

Go for writer's center consultations, they helped me a LOT with my paper.

Wai Chee Yin (@cyinn2) AY25/26 Sem 1

About the Instructor

The professor, Dr Tan, was really engaging. He is able to break down key concepts very well and make the topic interesting even for people with little to no background in arts. 

Content (Structure/Organization)

Course content was very clearly structured, well aligned with the curriculum as well

Manageability of Workload

As with any NTW, the workload can be quite substantial, with weekly readings. There would be periods with higher workload intensity due to essay submission deadlines, but overall it is quite manageable, the prof does try his best to avoid clashing with important examination deadlines as well, which is a huge bonus.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

The professor can be quite strict with grading, but does give constructive criticism for draft papers which can be used to turn your paper around into a better grade.

Learning Value/Recommendation

I learnt alot about academic writing, and the key concepts surrounding it. Especially useful as I have not had any previous experience with this form of writing, and the topic being interesting is a plus as well!

Anonymous (1) AY25/26 Sem 1

About the Instructor

the professor is nice and really stimulates my interest to writing 

Content (Structure/Organization)

its good

Manageability of Workload

Workload still ok. But due to my own writing skill issues I have to spend more than 3 hours per week

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

Not quite sure. Feel like everyone is doing a really good job 

Learning Value/Recommendation

Its very useful in terms of developing the skills of academics writing

Anonymous (2) AY25/26 Sem 1

About the Instructor

Quite effective and very approachable as a professor

Some of the course materials were a little challenging to grasp though, but it usually gets resolved in group discussions with input from the professor.

The process for writing the response paper was a little confusing though and I think more time should be given to explore the art museum to prepare writing material

Content (Structure/Organization)

I found it fairly effective for developing writing skills and comprehension.

I found finding sources for writing material the most challenging because I had to consider the right ones to use and the right way to use them to justify my points.

Manageability of Workload

Rather high on average

The weeks without assignments were a typical course workload, but the weeks with assignments can create a significant workload (around 10-20 hours)

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

Quite achievable with some effort. Professor is quite forgiving of minor mistakes

Learning Value/Recommendation

Learning how to find sources and evaluate them is probably the most useful part of this course to me

The writing techniques, however, are more relevant to humanities subjects and less applicable to STEM

Additional Comments/Word of Advice

Aim for quality over quantity of sources. The sources you can analyse in depth will always be better than a variety of sources that are only briefly explored to support your point.

Anonymous (3) AY25/26 Sem 1

About the Instructor

In general, class discussions were very fruitful and Prof did a good job at encouraging discourse. However when it came to more abstract topics, it took quite a while for responses to arise. I also wish that discussions were longer and that quieter students were comfortable enough to express their opinion. Overall, the quality of discussions really depend on the students themselves! 

Prof was very approachable at all times. Additionally, I really enjoyed the consultations with him, as he explained abstract writing concepts in a more digestible manner, and also continuously spurred creativity in me by asking meaningful questions. This gave me more clarity and confidence in writing my paper. 

Content (Structure/Organization)

The course focused on many aspects of the topic, which allowed us to get a diverse perspective on art and the attention economy.

From viewing experiences, to spectacular art, to museum spaces, Prof gave us a holistic view which spurred our creativity when writing our paper. There was even a slow art programme we got to physically experience, and it was extremely eye-opening for me. 

If I had to pick one challenge in this course, it would be having to coherently write down my thoughts on paper, while maintaining great precision. For many of us, it was the first time writing a research paper, but Prof did try his best to offer leeway, which I am grateful for. 

Manageability of Workload

The workload was definitely lighter than expected. Readings were manageable, interesting, and broad. The assignments consisted of writing short summaries and reflections, and building up our research paper bit by bit. This gave students more clarity on how their final research paper would look like, instead of rushing them into writing a full paper without sufficient foresight. 

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

From my experience, the key to achieving a good grade in this course is to really just write about a topic you are genuinely interested in! Your enthusiasm and deep knowledge of the topic will be felt. Prof hands out grades in a a reasonable manner, you can often tell where he is coming from. 

Learning Value/Recommendation

This course was a really great start in learning how to write academic papers. I really appreciated how we were tasked to build up the research paper bit by bit, instead of writing separate drafts that were complete. It also made me realize how incoherent my writing was; truly making me undergo the toiling yet rewarding process of thinking while writing.  

Additional Comments/Word of Advice

Have fun in this course! It will be extremely rewarding :)

Anonymous AY23/24 Sem 2

About the Instructor

I love my professor, not only because he is well-spoken and knowledgeable of his stuff, but also because he is really encouraging of any opinion. Whenever we have discussions in class, he looks really happy at how engaged we are and actively participates with us. But more than that he really cares about our wellbeing, he takes the time to listen if you have any issues and gives such great feedback with every submission

Content (Structure/Organization)

I think the prof tried his best to organise and clearly introduce different concepts to us every lesson, but I think because art and the attention economy can be really vague, it was more like reviewing case studies rather than learning theories. But I think it was still really fun to learn and discuss in class the topics introduced to us, so each class felt more like an open discussion but with the focus on whatever artwork it was that day

I think it's really accessible, there is literally no right way to approach an artwork or the topics. The prof only cares about how you arrived at the conclusion and whether you can draw evidence from the art to support your opinion. If anything I think people who have experience with english literature will find the way we analyse artworks in class to be really similar to analysing texts, but the prof still does his best to guide you so it does matter how much experience you have

Manageability of Workload

I think it's arguably one of the best NTW in terms of manageable work. The prof does his best to curate the material so the drier and more heavy readings don't coincide with exam season. So I hope this convinces you that the prof really planned the course with the student's wellbeing in mind. But of course this is an NTW AHAH, and writing assignments are always there

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

I think getting an A is really achievable, even though I did not get one I think if I just had one more chance to submit a draft, I could turn my paper into an A, but A- is definitely attainable. The prof did say that he tried to he more strict with handing out grades during my sem, but I think the raw grades you get is not indicative of your final grade because the prof not only looks at the quality of your paper, but I think also considers how you've performed during class. My final paper was a B+/A- but I think because I participated a lot in discussions the prof knows that I actually know the content, so I was given a more "deserving" final grade

Learning Value/Recommendation

NTW isn't actually that scary, yeah it's a lot of writing but the hardest part is just thinking it's a chore to do

Ryan Tan (@rnthbmax) AY23/24 Sem 1

About the Instructor

He is amazing. Unbelievably kind and really passionate about his subject, I thoroughly enjoyed this course, and a large part of that was cause of prof.

Content (Structure/Organization)

The syllabus introduces students to the basics of Art Criticism in a very approachable manner, using a mixture of readings and actual art pieces to illustrate concepts. The structure is very forgiving in regards to academic deadlines, especially when compared to other NTWs. Prof tries his very best to make deadlines as late as he can with a lot of buffer built in, allowing for a very relaxed schedule.

Fairly accessible! Those who have taken History/Literature may have an easier time due to Prof being a Lit teacher and thus being more familiar with that academic approach. But, Prof really takes his time introducing concepts, both in regards to academic writing and art criticism. In addition, he is very open to consults, and is patient in clarifying concepts.

Manageability of Workload

Minimal workload when compared to other NTWs. Only one single essay you are working on throughout, and some verbal components here and there.

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades

Prof wants to give good grades really badly, but is held back by the curve. He is rather forgiving and nice with his marks tho.

Learning Value/Recommendation

Surprisingly really good! It will make you rethink how you approach art and museums, and it has made art as a whole a lot more deep and interesting to me.

Additional Comments/Word of Advice

Do it.