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NUS AY 21/22 Sem 1 Course Review


My first semester as an National University of Singapore (NUS) student has been pretty meh. Fraught with uncertainty because of curriculum changes, most of my time was spent glued to my laptop screen because of online learning. Apart from the monotony of what many call Zoom university, I was also a bit confused by everything thrown my way, especially all the courses I had to take.

I think that entering a brand new environment is a nerve-wracking experience for everyone and this is certainly true when it comes to university. My blog is usually entertainment-focused but this time, I want to try something different. Whether you're a current NUS student or a prospective freshman, I hope that my course reviews, which I'm looking to continue until I graduate, will alleviate some of your worries and give you a better idea of what's to come. Cheers.

Disclaimer 1: As a CHS student doing a double major in Communications and New Media (CNM) and Management, my reviewed courses will be almost exclusively CNM, Business and CHS courses with very few exceptions.

Disclaimer 2: All of the following courses were taken in AY 21/22 Sem 1 and the structures of these courses MAY BE DIFFERENT in subsequent sems. All views expressed in this article are my own so please only take this review as an unofficial guide. More detailed information can be found in the links at the bottom of this article.

Previously, I've already reviewed HSI1000, HSS1000, DTK1234 and HS1401A separately over at CNM Types, so click this link to check that out: https://www.nus-cnm.com/post/chs-common-curriculum-module-reviews-part-1. If not, continue reading for my review of the two other courses I took this semester. 

HSI1000 - How Science Works, Why Science Works
Expected grade: A-
Actual grade: A (whoop-de-doo, this course was ironically my best shot at getting a grade with an A so really happy about this)

HSS1000 - Understanding Social Complexity
Expected grade: B+
Actual grade: A- (genuinely surprising, I thought my quizzes were all pretty average so guess my group presentation pulled me up)

DTK1234 - Design Thinking
Expected grade: B+/B
Actual grade: B+ (more or less expected so I'm happy with this grade) (S/Ued)

HS1401A - Career Compass I
Expected grade: CS
Actual grade: CS (nothing much to say here, it is what it is)

NM1101E - Communications, New Media and Society
Lecturer: Prof Natalie Pang
Tutor: Samseer Mambra
TLDR: An introduction to CNM. 

Description of course
  • As the exposure/gateway course pre-allocated to CNM majors, NM1101E introduces the basics of CNM studies.
  • Lectures cover various topics and phenomena related to communications, exploring how changes in social context affect the way people communicate with one another.
  • Biweekly tutorials are 2 hours long and held online (changed to on campus next AY), serving as platforms for students to clarify doubts about lecture content and apply them to some simple application exercises. Students will also use this time to discuss their Integrative Group Project.
  • Fun fact: although the majority of NM1101E students are in Year 1, some will be Year 2 and possibly beyond, as they decide to declare primary majors in CNM or are taking this course to clear a second major/minor. 
Assessment
  • E-Tutorial Participation (10%)
  • Mid-Term Assessment (20%)
  • Integrative Group Project (30%)
  • Peer Evaluation (10%)
  • Final Application Assessment (30%)
Pros
This course is a good introduction to CNM, giving students a look at communication theories and how they apply to the real world. Since this is only the first step in the CNM journey, concepts covered are pretty basic, making them easy to understand. Having taught this course many times, Prof Nat makes lectures engaging by constantly interacting with students. This makes learning fun and motivates students. 

Tutorials were also a good way for us to determine if we really understood what we had learnt. Also, the Group Project, which required us to come up with a Public Relations (PR) Plan for our own campaign, was pretty interesting and provided a sneak peek into the world of PR.

Cons
Since this is the introductory CNM course, NM1101E has to cover A LOT of ground in a short period of time. With each lecture covering a new concept, this means the teaching pace is really fast and students have to absorb a lot of info as quickly as possible.

I also wish that we had been given more chances to practice application questions because those were a big part of our Final Assessment. While I won't deny that I definitely could've studied harder for my finals, I think I could've done better if I had access to more sample application questions. 

Personal thoughts
If you're an International Baccalaureate (IB) student who took Language & Literature (LangLit), you'll find some of NM1101E's content very familiar, especially with regards to analysing various text types. Though the course felt quite tedious at times with the insane amount of concepts being taught, it was still an enjoyable course and I really learned a lot. 

I'm a little disappointed that I didn't attain my target grade for NM1101E but that's alright because I liked what I learned. Even though this is only my first CNM course, it still reinforces my thinking that choosing CNM was the right major for me. 

Expected grade: A-
Actual grade: B+ (felt like I messed up my finals so that definitely pulled down my A- from mid-terms) (S/Ued)

LAK3201 - Korean 3
Lecturers: Lee Mi-sun, Dr. Kim Eun-hye (best lecturer frfr)
TLDR: More than just 안녕하세요.

Description of course
  • As the first of two intermediate Korean courses, LAK3201 seeks to improve students' Korean proficiency in terms of listening, reading, speech and writing.
  • Pre-recorded lectures cover new grammar and vocabulary, and students are expected to watch these recordings prior to actual lessons, which take place twice weekly, are 2 hours long and held online (changed to on campus next AY).
  • Though referred to as lectures, LAK3201's lectures are really more like tutorials, where lecturers will go through the content from the e-lectures in a far more in-depth and interactive fashion. Each lesson typically wraps up with students completing short assignments and clarifying doubts with the lecturers.
  • Take note that this course is only offered in the first semester of every AY so make sure you plan your schedules properly!
  • Prerequisites: Passed LAK2201 (Korean 2) or by allocation after placement test. Students must not have read a higher level course than this. 
Assessment
  • Performance (Weekly Participation, Video Project) (25%)
  • 2 Online Tests (60%)
  • 2 Individual Essays (15%)
Pros
Lecturers break down the different grammar and vocab in a clear and concise manner, helping students gain a better understanding of how these terms are used. Students also have lots of opportunities to practice and communicate with both the lecturers as well as one another, which means that real-time feedback can be provided so that we know how to improve. And if there's one thing I can tell you about learning a language, practice is key.

Much like other language courses, the population of LAK3201 students took this course out of interest so everyone is motivated and genuinely interested in the content. Combine that with the well-versed and experienced lecturers, and you get a really conducive learning environment. This course really provides a breath of fresh air amidst the monotony of everything else. 

Cons
N/A

Personal thoughts
From my older blog posts, it's pretty obvious that I'm really into Korean culture, specifically through K-dramas and K-Pop. I had always wanted to properly learn Korean for the longest time and LAK3201 has provided that experience for me, all while included in my school fees anyway. I genuinely can't think of any cons for this course because I really think it has helped me improve in the language in every conceivable way. This course literally completes everything it's set out to do and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

I have no qualms about admitting that LAK3201 is by far and away my favourite course of this semester. Although I got below average grades for most components, I looked forward to classes, even at the ungodly 8am slot that I had. I truly think that this is the way to go if you're an NUS student who wants to learn Korean so give this course a shot. Language courses in general provide a whole new experience so if you want to know my thoughts about that, head over to this link right here: https://www.nus-cnm.com/post/learning-a-language-in-university-worth-the-mcs. 

It also helped that I had an excellent lecturer in Dr. Kim, who really made the whole learning experience so much better. Being committed and caring are great traits for a teacher, and Dr. Kim personifies that by really going the extra mile to make lessons fun and engaging. I don't want to turn this into a "teacher review" but Dr. Kim may legitimately be one of the best teachers I've ever had in my entire education and is certainly the best teacher I've had in my short time in NUS thus far. If you end up having her as a lecturer, thank all of your lucky stars. 

Shout out to Ms. Lee Mi-sun as well, who took my class for the first half of the semester. Personally, I thought she wasn't as good of a teacher as Dr. Kim but she was still a nice person who played a role in my journey to learn Korean. I doubt they'll ever see this review but if they do, 감사합니다 선생님들!

Expected grade: C
Actual grade: B (😆completely unexpected after my abysmal test and assignment scores but super thankful nevertheless, methinks the 25% awarded for performance really gave me a leg up) (S/Ued)

Grade Point Average (GPA): 4.75

For more information, please access the following links-
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