This is a dream come true for Jeremy Lim – his first book on his struggles and triumphs with a disease he was born with, Osteogenesis Imperfecta or “brittle bone disease”.
Jeremy said: “This disease affects about one in 20,000 births, so you could say that I struck the lottery with that one. And my bones would break really really easily.
“And with just a sneeze, with just a cough, my bones would just snap like a twig and each time it happens, it feels as if a sword has just been pierced into my rather delicate body. And the pain is as excruciating as the experience is traumatic.”
The occasion was extra special. President S R Nathan, whom he first met at the President’s Challenge nine years ago, not only agreed to write the foreword but also offered to launch his book.
Jeremy is a second-year student at the National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. About 1,000 copies of the book are now on sale at major bookstores in Singapore.
Click here to read the full article in Today and here for the full article in Channelnews Asia.
FASS Researchers and workshop organisers are currently attending the inaugural International Workshop on Masculinities in Asia. The workshop is jointly organized by the Asia Research Institute (ARI) and FASS (the Asian Studies Division, the Gender Studies Minor Programme and the ‘Doing Asian Studies’ Reading Group).
Victor Zhuang (NUS) presents his paper on male disability in Singapore
In the opening and welcome remarks by Prof Prasenjit Duara (Director of ARI and ODPRT ) and A/P Robbie Goh (FASS) it was noted that gender studies has become one of the most productive areas within the academic study of Asia. However, the analytical category of ‘men/masculinities’ remains largely underexamined and under-theorized in gender studies of Asia.
More than 30 academics from across Asia, Europe and the Americas are speaking on very diverse issues covering class, ethnicity, religion, sexual identity, family, nationalism and the male body. As such the workshop addresses the need for a regional, comparative and interdisciplinary dialogue to establish new frameworks for anlaysis and interpretation.
The inscriptions on stone, wood, and metal found in Singapore’s Chinese temples reveal a complex range of transnational interactions that have evolved over time. Early inscriptions record the establishment within Singapore of separate dialect-based enclaves organized around temples, native place associations and surname group halls.
These institutions were centered on the worship of gods whose incense had been carried to Singapore. Multiple “division of incense” networks emanating from founding temples of local god cults based in the distinct dialect/culture regions of Southeast China can be traced in the first fifty years of Singapore history.
The NUS Economics Department organized its annual welcome party for graduate students on 28 August 2010, at the Sun Bistro. The location provided a cosy atmosphere for fraternizing and delicious buffet spreads which everyone savoured throughout the evening. The purpose of the welcome party was to introduce faculty members and students to the newly-joined ones in an informal environment, fostering a better working relationship in the future, especially as the Department consists of people from different parts of the world.
“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” – Henry Ford
Dear Students
Welcome to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences!
I am the Student Support Manager from External Relations/Student Life, and I am involved in being part of shaping and building of a caring and supportive community in the faculty.
As I seek to understand students’ various concerns, I also help champion their well-being by providing guidance and referral to helpful resources.
In addition, I also coordinate various programmes for students including Deanery Connect Sessions and Meditation Sessions.
The Deanery Connect Sessions serve as excellent opportunities for students to get to know the Deanery members better as well as to provide valuable feedback to facilitate positive change.
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is a place where we foster supportive and caring relationships and build bridges between both students and staff.
Therefore I hope you would contact me if you feel you need someone to hear you out (I can be reached at faspyyi@nus.edu.sg or 6516 7274).
In the meantime, have a great semester ahead!
Best Wishes,
Ignatius Pang, Student Support Manager
The 11th International Conference on Thai Studies was held from 26th to 28th July 2011 at Siam City Hotel, Bangkok. This conference, held every 2 years, attracted more than 200 presenters and participants. With over 80 panels ranging from linguistics, culture, ethnicity, religion, politics, gender and even the “K-wave” that has hit Thailand recently, the conference was concerned with almost every issue pertaining to Thai society, and from an interdisciplinary perspective too. In short, the conference provided a meaningful and engaging platform for interdisciplinary dialogue on major developments in Thai society, or aspects relating to Thailand.
The central theme for the conference this year was “Visions of the Future” and it was around this theme that the invited speakers shared their thoughts on issues such as “The Challenges of Doing an Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Reference Book on Thailand” (by Prof. Dr. Gerald W. Fry) and “The Disappearing Past: Hidden Histories and Vanishing Envrionment” (by Prof. Dr. John Hartmann and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ratanaporn Sethakul). This specific focus prompted and guided the panels as well, with most of the panels attempting to look towards the future of Thai society.
Indeed, it was an enriching experience to be able to present my work in front of internationally established academics and to exchange contacts with several of them. This was made possible with the generous funding from the faculty, as well as the support my supervisor and colleagues have given me. This, to me, is testament to the kind of environment FASS aims to provide its graduate students with – opportunities to develop intellectually, and on a regional, and global, level.
Overall, graduate study at FASS has allowed me to interact with fellow graduate students, both local and international, exposing me to a wider spectrum of perspectives. Enrolling in classes outside of my department, as well as having the privilege to attend various seminars and workshops, has vastly increased the amount of interactions with faculty and graduate students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines. This has had a huge impact on my scholarly development. Through debate, discussion and exchange of ideas with professors and peers, I learnt the value of collaborative endeavors (and how little I actually knew!). I believe this is what sets FASS, and its students, apart: the interaction with fellow like-minded individuals and more importantly, FASS’ focus on asking rigorous questions, interrogating issues and imagining possibilities.
By:
Allan Lee, MA Candidate
Teaching Assistant
Department of Sociology
Before my presentation with Ryan O'Connor, fellow graduate student from Sociology
Keynote address for the conference
A showcase of ethnic costumes of the ethnic groups in Thailand
A/P Ho Kong Chong opening the workshop with his welcoming address
Held on the 11th of July 2011 at the Research Clusters, the one-day workshop welcomed speakers from Germany, Thailand and Indonesia, who presented papers pertaining to Indonesian foreign policy, national identity and ASEAN. The 25 participants who attended consisted of undergraduate and graduate students, research fellows from local research institutions such as NTU and ISEAS, as well as faculty members from FASS.
Professor Jürgen Rüland, the Lee Kong Chian NUS-Stanford Distinguished Fellow for 2010, initiated proceedings by introducing the conference topic and presented his preliminary research findings on Indonesian discourses on ASEAN. This was followed by a session on Indonesian Perceptions on ASEAN and the West in which Dr. Paruedee Nguitragool of the University of Freiburg (Germany) delivered a talk on the worldviews and perceptions of Indonesian International Relations lecturers. Mr. Guido Benny from Universiti Kebangsaan, Bangi (Malaysia) then provided some complementary insights with his presentation on Indonesian Attitudes towards ASEAN.
As for the other two sessions, they focused on, respectively, the stakeholders in Indonesia’s foreign policymaking process and whether Indonesia’s foreign economic policies were too neoliberal in nature. To shed light on the latter issue, Dr Alexander C. Chandra of the Trade Knowledge Network (Jakarta, Indonesia) presented his arguments on Indonesia’s trade liberalization policies while Mr Andi Widjajanto of Universitas Indonesia (Depok, Indonesia) tackled the former topic by explicating the impact and role of security issues as well as the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI).
Professor Rüland brought the workshop to a close with a lively discussion on framing a new foreign policy identity for Indonesia and there was even time for a brief stretching exercise led by one of the chairpersons! All in all, if indicators of a successful workshop include continuous note-taking by members of the audience, lively networking opportunities and exhausted, but satisfied looking participants, who enthusiastically brought discussions into meal and break times, then I confidently conclude that this short but dynamic workshop had been positively received.
Workshop speakers and discussants (from left, Mr. Guido Benny, A/P Teofilo C. Daquila, Ms .Fitriani, Prof. Jürgen Rüland, Mr. Iisgindarsah, Dr. Alexander C. Chandra, Dr. Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Mr. Andi Widjajanto)
