Possible questions AY19/20
The following is research done by me in lieu of the final examination of the module GES1011.Please do not copy as you might be caught in plagiarism and it is unfair for me who did all the research only to be stolen by jerks
1. Race and Heritage
Heritage
A country's heritage is all the qualities, traditions, or features of life there that have continued over many years and have been passed on from one generation to another.
Culture
the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society.
What is singapore's culture?
- Singlish?
- Mix identity
- A mixture of different cultures
- Culture borrowing from over the world
- Food
Race
A race is a grouping of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into categories generally viewed as distinct by society.
Lecture:
The word race shift from a general term to something that distinguish people. Race is used to describe the potential to progress.
Why is race a factor?
Race is used to define a person, you can see the term race when filling up forms and applying for any jobs.
Why is the need to know the race important?
Isn't human race one race, why is there a further classification of the different types or races in the world.
"Is race a continuing relevance today?"
- CMIO model (Chinese Malay Indian and other) Classification
- Is there a need since there are more interracial marriages and immigration leading to a more diverse singapore. => NUS lecturer
- Discarding te model runs the risk of impinging on minorities rights => Ng Chee Meng, Acting minister for education (Schools)
Acting minister argued that blurring this segregation will caused minority races to be unrepresented in their interest.
This will cause an unfair designation of inclusive politics
But race is the reason that is used to justify acts of colonialism that are barbaric, slavery and genocide. also social inequality
- Japanese invasion of singapore - Sook ching massacre
To the japanese, we might just seem like pest that needs cleansing, even thou we are humans, we do not see the other race as the same species.
Just like how we see ants as pests and we seek to eliminate them, we do not feel that we are being evil but we felt that we are in the right for ridding this world from harmful diseases and pests. Perhaps that's what the Japanese felt when they encounter a bunch of people that called themselves chinese.
- The human races were invented by anthropologists like Johann Friedrich Blumenbach back in the eighteenth century in an attempt to categorise new groups of people being encountered and exploited as part of an ever expanding European colonialism.
Right from the beginning, the reason for the invention of race is used to segregate people and is still being used until today, The invention of race can be seen as part of the decolonisation process that will never be removed. Since race is used to identify the different people the european manage to colonise, why is it still in place here knowing that we have already break free from our colonial powers.
Relic of colonial past (Singapore)
- Singaporeans have been classified by race ever since the first census in 1824
Singaporean felt different to immigrants from similar ethnic backgrounds
Some singaporeans felt that is dehumanising to be classified under others because they are a minority
Sociologist felt that CMIO model is constrained as it pigeonholes people and creates racial stereotypes
The idea of racial segregation often is reminded to us through these subtle things
- CMIO model is used to assign residential district to respective ethnic groups and splitting labour along ethnic lines
Decolonisation process
WHy do we still need to keep this model now that we are no longer part of the british colony
Arent we jsut singaporean race?
Dr nazry Bahrawi: (NUS Humanities Lecturer)
Removing it does not necessarily mean that race is no longer important, nor make minority groups anxious, he stresses. That is, if Singapore is "serious about preserving diversity in all its manifestations and uphold the importance of equal cultures".
What is the Difference between Race and Ethnicity?
Race is associated with biology, whereas ethnicity is associated with culture.
Ethnology
Interpret how different human beings are distinct with each other
Prof Kevin pointed out the obvious fact that only the people would only go to the museum that talks about their race. The segregation of museums based on race was so obvious yet without Prof pointing it out, we would not have even noticed it.
That makes me think about how in Singapore, even thou we claim to be a multiracial and multicultural society, why do we still segregate our schools, places to live and names of locations base on race.
For example, why does the location "little India" even exist, the same for places such as "Chinatown". Aren't we being racist here by segregating the different races by the names of the location? And yet we claim to be multicultural.
If Singapore is a country that strives to seek racial harmony among the people then why do schools where only children of one type of race are emitted still exist?
Is the so called multicultural Singapore just a facade?
My rebuttal against the person who disagrees:
To be fair, I felt that it is somewhat racist due to the fact that you are segregating all the different races based on location. The idea of segregation by race is already racist considering that the country promotes racial harmony. The problem is not just the name but the fact that you are separating the cultures of different races into different parts of Singapore under the guise of "racial harmony". If the separation of different races is as what you say, "how we celebrate our various races in Singapore", then might as well split this country's land into the number of races that exist and say we celebrating the different races in Singapore by classifying it. I understand that your point is that the existence of these ethnic hubs is to cater to the needs of the different communities, but isn't that worsening the segregation of different races. By creating these locations to support the "different lifestyle depending on our ethnicity", aren't we further separating ourselves from other races because we believe that "we need these special places for our type of people because other races cannot understand our lifestyle"?
To be fair, I felt that it is somewhat racist due to the fact that you are segregating all the different races based on location. The idea of segregation by race is already racist considering that the country promotes racial harmony. The problem is not just the name but the fact that you are separating the cultures of different races into different parts of Singapore under the guise of "racial harmony". If the separation of different races is as what you say, "how we celebrate our various races in Singapore", then might as well split this country's land into the number of races that exist and say we celebrating the different races in Singapore by classifying it. I understand that your point is that the existence of these ethnic hubs is to cater to the needs of the different communities, but isn't that worsening the segregation of different races. By creating these locations to support the "different lifestyle depending on our ethnicity", aren't we further separating ourselves from other races because we believe that "we need these special places for our type of people because other races cannot understand our lifestyle"?
However, it does serve its purpose in teaching others about the different cultures in Singapore but let's be honest, it is highly unlikely for Chinese Singaporeans to go into little India willingly just to find out about the India culture with the motive for understanding other race's culture.. vice versa for any other race.
2. Decolonisation based on singapore's experience and suitability
=Not planning=
3. Singapore and the environment
=Not planning=
4. Bicentennial and Imperialism & continuation
Question type: Long QuestionSingapore Bicentennial is a commemoration marking the 200th anniversary of sir stamford raffles
Celebration of colonial rule
- Decolonisation?
- Why are we celebrating the arrival of Raffles
- Raffles is a bad guy
Reasons:
- Attempts to propagate nationalism before elections in 2020
- To legitimized existing colonial policies and laws
e.g ISA
- To create a feel good effect on the voters for next year
- People are now reminded more about the days before british who turn singapore into the modern port arrive in 1819 ad how the responsibility is now given to the PAP who made it into first world economy
Is the ISA still relevant
We still follow the colonial structure even though it is decolonising slowly
Should we make the ISA more concise since the reasoning for having this law is to catch people who could be an apparent threat. Reasons given by gov was that they use the law to detain potential terrorist,
- Change the laws to be more precise such that it only detains those who are considered to be terrorist.
Singapore Bicentennial Celebration
- Disappearing raffles in celebration of singapore bicentennial rule
- Why are we celebrating the colonisation of singapore when raffles was just making use of singapore.
- Why are we celebrating being oppressed considering how we are trying to decolonise ourselves
- What about all the people who fought for singapore independence, this celebration is doing a disservice for the true heroes of singapore, those who fought for the independence of singapore as a nation.
- Raffles is a legal overlord, oppressor
- Why are we celebrating the part of history that caused us to be oppress by a rising power during the 18s and the restriction of our freedom
- Praising raffles shows that we like and acknowledge white man superiority over colonial subjects
- Raffles is not a good person either -> see lecture 5
- Forces local malay rulers to give up their land
- Exploited a succession dispute among malay rulers to get a deal that allow british to establish a trading post in singapore
- Murders someone to instill fear among the local people
- Some people claim that its framed as a commemoration of history rather than the celebration of colonialism
- Britain's failure in protecting us from japanese
Singapore's decolonisation
- Race as a factor
- Laws
- Town names
Countries such as India and Malaysia moved to replace names the British have left behind but not for singapore who kept it colonial past, e,g queenstown and the fact that some city state is filled with streets and schools names stamford or raffles
This includes English as its main language
- Colonial past
- Glorification of oppressors
- Why don't we tear down the statues?
- What are we representing to the visitors of this nation when they see us idolizing our oppressors?
5. Japanese Imperialism
Question Type: Quote, agree or disagreeBased on: Suitability of the quote, Significance of Singapore history
Japanese view
- Wanted to get resources such as tin and rubber
- Afraid of other imperial power's threat
- Recognition from other country
- Aspiration of rallying an asia wide solidarity
- Develop asia under japan
Japanese vs British
- Aspiration of rallying an asia wide solidarity
- Develop asia under japan
Japanese vs British
- What makes this different compared to the british who also used us for their own gains
- Japanese did do some atrocity but so did the british
- Yet we paint the british in a good light but not the japanese
- Is it because we see the good things that the british did for singapore more than what bad thingss they did?
- Japanese atrocity is more in the limelight compared to british atrocity
- Both the British and Japanese also wanted to create a united colony to progress together
- The British did conduct such brutalities but in another location -> Kenyan
War
The result of greed and capitalism
- Japanese Predicament
Failure to keep their personnel in control and overrun with too much power, they end up abusing it even thou that is not what the Japanese wanted
Japanese authorities failed to give precise orders=> See Imperialist Remember
Give a bad impression to the people about the japanese people
Human desperation cause people to do things that they normally wont do
- Singapore independence- Both the British and Japanese also wanted to create a united colony to progress together
- The British did conduct such brutalities but in another location -> Kenyan
War
The result of greed and capitalism
- Japanese Predicament
Failure to keep their personnel in control and overrun with too much power, they end up abusing it even thou that is not what the Japanese wanted
Japanese authorities failed to give precise orders=> See Imperialist Remember
Give a bad impression to the people about the japanese people
Human desperation cause people to do things that they normally wont do
Had it not been for the war, singaporeans would continue to want to be under british rule.
The war made singapore realised the need for its own independence from the british colonial rule and that they cannot rely on other countries for the protection of their people
- Economy
Japan gave a huge sum of money for reparations for the war and the killing of many people in singaporeans. This allow the diplomatic ties between singapore and Japan to strengthen and help in singapore's economy.
People with a lot of power would always behave very brutal and will always be the oppressor
=> stanford prison experiment
6. Me and knowledge
Question Type: Personal reflectionBased on:
- is reading art, science?
- Reflection on experience given
- Intersect of arts and science
- Give examples
- Forced to do cross modules
- Is there a value
- Is it worth for our home faculty
Is art, science?
Both science and arts derived from creativity and intelligence and the curious minds of humans. Fundamentally they are the same but science focus more on the logical concepts in terms of functionality while arts is focus more towards the outlook and the creativity in concepts.
Science can be used to derive engineering concepts like how things works and how to solve problems, something that art cannot do. However, art can be used to design solutions to solve these problems that are being logically conceptualise by science.
Intersections between arts and science
Leonardo da vinci is a genius in both the arts and science. He excelled in the creation of art and at the creation of great inventions through the use of art.
To be able to create art to depict the world around us we need to understand it first and that is the use of science. For example, I like to draw humans a lot but in order to draw accurately, I must know how the human body look like and to be able to understand the structural movements of each body part, how it position and where the locations of each joints should be. That requires science. To create art, we need science to understand it first.
Another example is engineering.
To engineer is to solve a problem given to us.
We need science to find a solution and understand what the problem is asking to solve. Only after understanding that we can find and design a solution to the problem and that is through art.
Reflection on Ges1011
I enjoy ges because it gave me a deep insight about things that are not normally taught to us and at the same times encourages us to remember that knowledge is not as it seems to be. The mod also allow us to critically think and process information that were presented to us when we were children and to think about how our society runs rather than just accept everything that is given to us at face value. Knowledge in the end is just the opinions of others that have not been proven false and they will remain true until proven false.
We need to remember not to take everything provided at face value and learn to understand the purpose, the meaning and the reason why everything is done and to question whether it is still relevant in our lives.
Why cross modules?
- Gain insights, broaden perspective
- To gain skills that our normal modules cannot do
e.g in computer science we are to solve problems but for courses like humanities, we are to pick up critical thinking skills which is not prominent in our main course
- To have experience in order to critical think about other situations
- To think deeply, ask critical question, logical inferences and debate issues related to diverse and changing cultural landscape
- To be able to debate issues, we have to have an insight of what is going on before even giving our opinion as one is not qualified to talk about a topic unless they know something about it. The cross modules help us to understand these topics that will not be taught in our home faculty so that when we go out in the working world we have a general view of what is going on rather than being in a bubble of our own specialisation.
Value
- Skill sets
- insights/basic understanding
- Work place
- Debates
- Critical thinking
- Thought processes
Worth to home faculty:
By learning modules that are not related to our home faculty, we are able to gain outside insights from other courses and this can be used to apply to in our own home faculty, Instead of having a bubbled thought where everything we know is related to our own faculty, we are able to think about the other disciplines when facing with problems with our home faculties.
e.g My home faculty is computer science and many of our modules revolves around solving problems from real life situation using computer programming. Having a brief insights from these cross module allow to have a brief idea on what the problems are talking about and give us ideas on how to solve these problems. Without understanding what these problems are talking about, we might as well not understand what the question is talking about.
Truth about knowledge and information
These knowledge that are being taught to us is nothing but stories and opinions that come from another. How these stories is being taught to us and the teacher of this stories determined what we think about our current situation and the truth about these facts that is presented to us. All stories have a degree of facts in them but it might have been slowly changed as it spread from mouth to mouth and change due to strong opinions or motives of their listeners. Therefore it is hard to find out the true facts that actually took place in the past and it is up to us to determine which of the stories that are being told to us is facts and not strong opinions and misinterpretation.