by Dr Nurhidayahti Mohammad Miharj

What is it like to live on less than $1,000 per month? To survive on instant noodles for a week? To have to study at the void deck because there isn’t space in a one-room rental flat? To have to help deliver packages while classmates go for ballet lessons? This course seeks to answer these questions through exploring the experiences and circumstances of the underclass in Singapore, as they struggle to get nutritious food, adequate shelter, and quality education. Through field trips, seminars, guest lectures, and interactions with both social service providers and NGOs, we will gain deeper insights into how their struggles, defeats, and victories are shaped by both the policies and programmes that aim to help them, and the perception of the Others – people like you and I.