by Dr Cheng Yi'En, Ms Bernice Wong
This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary lens of resilience to explore cultural identities, rural-urban change, and environmental livelihoods in the Mekong Delta region. Students will gain first-hand experience of Mekong Delta as an interconnected and diverse region, internalize the principles of global, cross-cultural and transdisciplinary inquiry, and acquire practical knowledge of visual and ethnographic techniques for research. Students will better understand how individuals, households, and communities in the Mekong delta organise their lives around evolving water and land ecosystems, even as their livelihoods face multiple stressors resulting from rapid development and environmental change.
Student Reviews
Deng Guoyao Steve Eric (@steveeeveveve) AY25/26 Sem 1
About the Instructor:
The Profs can be last-minute in disseminating instructions sometimes, such as when we were due to present our photovoice findings internally. This is despite us asking them too.
For technical assessments such as photo essay, Prof Bernice is really helpful in terms of telling you what to look out for.
Content (Structure/Organization):
Pre-trip: Standard stuff such as deciding what your final project topic may be. The Profs were really insistent that this GEx should be done the "right" way such that you shouldn't start working on your final project after the trip. I was taken a bit aback but was also thankful that they had already started giving their guidance on such matters. There were also lessons on photo taking.
During the trip: Except for scheduled visits such as visiting landmarks, and locals' homes, and checkpoints such as our photovoice presentation, the rest of the time was up to us to enjoy the country, or work on our final project. The Profs definitely tended more to flexibility than structure for the curriculum. The main structure individually was through consultations, which at first Prof Yi En said that we had to hit a minimum of.
Post-trip: Mainly through consultations too. However, the Profs started consults really late, after the first recess week.
Manageability of Workload:
Pre-trip: Virtually non-existent, except for thinking about your final project.
During the trip: Depends. There are assessments such as photovoice where you will need to complete by a certain time, and individual stuff like your photo essay, and collecting information for your final project.
Post-trip: Mainly working on your final project, write-up, and photovoice reflection, etc. Depends on how demanding your creative medium is too.
Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades:
This GEx has the privilege of being taught by 2 professors: Prof Yi En, who focuses on the theory, and Prof Bernice, who focuses on creative aspects. I have heard from my friends attending other GExs that even though the creative option is available for their final project, most, if not all, choose to write a research paper as their Prof has little creative expertise. In contrast, Prof Bernice teaches at creative institutions like NAFA, so she knows what she is doing.
I vividly remember that during a hike up to a temple, the Profs were lamenting that students nowadays ask for too much in terms of grades, and that during their time, they were happy to get even a B+. But given that the creative option focuses more on the practical than a research paper, it is definitely more fun, and perhaps easier to get a higher grade for this course.
Learning Value/Recommendation:
Generally, NUSC classes tend to anchor their content on key terms. For this class, however, although I feel that there was an attempt to do so too, the learning value was more about understanding Cambodia and Vietnam's past. This was through interactions with locals, etc.
I also learnt more about practical skills such as photography, especially in public areas. Prof Bernice's demonstration of how she used a phone to take a picture of someone up close has shown me that it is indeed right to be wary of someone's phone being pointed at me, even if they are just trying to correct their posture by holding it higher. Someone on Prof Bernice's NHT commented that this course is a mini-NHT, and I agree with that. It is also good if you do not own a DSLR.
I also learnt to be more courageous through this course as this is the first time that I have truly been given only an idea (the final project) and freedom to do whatever I want. It was definitely nerve wracking, stepping out of my comfort zone to ask personal questions, even when my interviewees were visibly uncomfortable.
Additional Comments/Word of Advice:
It is unsurprising that most of the popular GExs are in the Global North. However, I would urge people to also consider SEA, as they offer insights that Global North ones cannot. If not for this trip, I doubt I would have been talking to these locals as they have memories that not even money can attract them to tell a stranger like me.
This GEx in particular is really good for self-directed and experiential learning as its topic is really general, compared to even other SEA GExs, where the theme is already decided. However, don't cross limits such as entering people's buildings to go to their rooftops for photos, even when Prof asks you to!