Semester: AY18/19 Sem I
Professor(s): Ho Swee Lin
Workload: Manageable to Heavy
Overall:
This module was not the easiest but Dr Ho really one of a kind (more on this later). Money is something we regard as “just money” or “something we buy and sell stuff with”. This module takes whatever you know about money and throws it out of the window and gives you a whole new perspective on money. It was honestly quite an abstract module for me as it was one of my first proper sociology modules. This module helped me when I did SC3101 in Y3S1 especially when we talked about Marx’s Capital. If you already did SC3101, it could help you understand SC2209 better. Either way, this is generally quite a relevant module to Marx’s sociology and life in general (we use money everyday!!). Dr Ho’s module forces you to think out of the box and honestly for most part of the module, she tells us to just “say something”, “argue something”, “just think”. This might be really abstract for some as we don’t really understand what is means to just think but as I went along the module, I realised that Dr Ho just wanted us to let go of our preconceived ideas (easier said than done) and look at the topic with fresh eyes. Dr Ho’s lectures usually involves her sharing random stories in the middle of the lecture and screening a movie/video at the end. Dr Ho’s ramblings can be regarded as interesting or just senseless. For quite a fair bit, I don’t really see the connection between her stories and the topic. Her stories can be really interesting and it really shows how intelligent she is as well as her insanely crazy life experiences. During lectures, she really liked to call on exchangers to hear what they think. It’s quite funny but I can see why some people would not like it. Her readings for the module ranges from digestible to difficult. However, the readings are generally quite interesting. I LOVED the readings that Dr Ho herself wrote. She has a wonderful way of writing that makes a 60 page reading just pass so quickly and they are testament to the really crazy stuff she did in her life. Her research topics are also so interesting and quirky. LOVE IT!! Do read the readings she assigned as they are really informative as well!
Assignments: The short essay involved a reflection on a film. She honestly just wants you to write in a coherent and simple way to make a point. It was a manageable assignment that involved watching the movie and writing a 500 word response. I heard she took out this component the year after I took it tho. The long essay was a bit more tricky as it involved more thinking and consideration. We had to pick a question from a given list and write a response to it. Dr Ho stressed that making an argument was important so do try to say something. I think Dr Ho like novel and fresh ideas or just different ways of thinking so try to give her that too. Don’t smoke her tho, because she is extremely sharp and smart and she will know.
Exams: Dr Ho’s finals are so fricking difficult I almost cried. It made me sweat during the paper. In Dr Ho’s fashion, the paper makes you “just think”. So you should definitely do that and just try your best. It is not going to be easy but at least it was open book (you need it).
Professor: Talked about Dr Ho quite a bit above. You can’t really talk about her lectures without talking about her because she is that unique. Dr Ho is generally a nice lady although I don’t know if I will say she is approachable. She looks kind of fierce and she is so smart I was scared to talk to her cuz it feels like she will just blow you out of the window if you go to her not really knowing your stuff. She did however reply to my email queries quickly and gives out smiley faces :”) She is also kinda hipster. She knows k-pop more than I do and is not afraid to declare the vices she engage in :”) She is really one of a kind.
Tutorials: My tutorial was a strange mix of econs/math/law/soci/business etc students and exchangers. The class discussion was quite intense perhaps due to the senior (Y3/4) law and biz students. It was quite hard for me to speak up so I kinda gave up after a bit. Tutorials were mostly presentations then Q&A. Dr Ho ask hard questions and forces you to think on the spot. The discussions were sometimes quite interesting and for most parts really intimidating for this meek year 2 student.
Recommend? Not the easiest 2k I have done but I have learnt so much from this mod and Dr Ho. The mental gymnastics I did for this mod also helps for critical thinking in general. Would recommend it for learning (money is everywhere and such an integral part of life) as well as to experience Dr Ho. She is really quite something. Would not recommend if you are looking for an easy 2k to just glide through (or you could just take it for Dr Ho anyway and SU it later :P).
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