Year: 2016

Launch of Ancient Southeast Asia by John Miksic & Goh Geok Yian (Fri, 11 Nov, Level 16, The POD, NLB, 6:30-8:30pm), presented by The Singapore Research Nexus (SRN)

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Professor John N. Miksic (NUS Dept of Southeast Asian Studies) and Associate Professor Goh Geok Yian (NTU HSS) will talk about their latest book, Ancient Southeast Asia, published by Routledge Area Studies, on Fri, 11 Nov, at Level 16, The POD, National Library Building.

Discounted copies of the book will be available at the launch. Seating is limited, so please register your attendance here: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/book-launch-of-ancient-southeast-asia-by-john-n-miksic-and-goh-geok-yian-tickets-28352702697

Hope you can join us next month for the launch!

Details of the event are below and at the link above.

Launch of Ancient Southeast Asia (Routledge, 2016), presented by The Singapore Research Nexus (SRN)

John Miksic and Goh Geok Yian will discuss how they decided to structure Ancient Southeast Asia, which is organized not by modern ancient-southeast-asiapolity, nor by reference to modern ethno-linguistic groups, but by smaller geographical units corresponding to what O. W. Wolters termed mandalas. The units can be grouped in a 3×3 grid which stretches from the north tropics, to the equatorial zone, to the south tropics, and from west of the Wallace Line to Wallacea, to the area east of Weber’s line. They will also discuss relations between mainland-island and upland-lowland. Miksic and Goh emphasize trade, travel, and connections rather than isolation and independent development.

The authors will then speak on the prehistoric period, after which they will focus on the position of Singapore in the larger scope of ancient Southeast Asia. Singapore was part of a class of trading ports of the Late Classical and Post Classical eras. It was an example of early hybrid societies which appeared when Chinese enclaves developed. They will touch on the historiography of Southeast Asia and the usage of literary theory to analyse Southeast Asian oral and written traditions.

They will discuss, in addition, how knowledge of the premodern period is essential to understanding what transpired in Southeast Asia after 1600, when the book ends.

A Question and Answer Session of half an hour will follow the talk, which commences at 7pm and lasts approximately 1 hour. There will be a Registration period of half an hour before the talk begins and light refreshments will be provided (6:30pm).

Books will be available for sale from Routledge at a special discount. Payment by cash or credit card only.

Original price: S$53.20
Less 30%: S$37.30
7% GST: S$2.70
Total: S$40.00 

Schedule

Registration & light refreshments – 6:30pm
Talk by John N. Miksic and Goh Geok Yian – 7pm
Q and A – 8pm
About the Authors

Professor John N. Miksic joined the newly-formed NUS Southeast Asian Studies Programme, as the Department was then called, in 1991, having taught at the NUS Department of History after moving to Singapore in 1987. He has served on the National Heritage Board and the advisory boards of the National University Museum and the Asian Civilisations Museum and has received awards from Singapore and Indonesia for contributions to the study of Southeast Asian culture. Miksic served on the board of the Center for Khmer Studies from 2000 to 2016. His current research projects include the archaeology of ancient ports on the shores of the Straits of Melaka, early cities in Indonesia, Cambodia, and Myanmar, and ceramic analysis. Miksic also manages the Department of Southeast Asian Studies Archaeology Laboratory.

Associate Professor Goh Geok Yian joined the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at NTU in January 2008. Her research interests include archaeology and early history of Southeast Asia, with particular focus on Burma and Southeast Asian mainland, world history and civilizations, classical and modern Burmese literature, and early communication, cultural, and trade networks between regions particularly those of Southeast Asia with the Indian Ocean and South China Sea regions. Her current research focuses on the study of Buddhist architecture and mural paintings of Bagan, a medieval Burmese kingdom. Goh’s other research work includes the study of early urbanization and cities in Burma, particularly on comparison made with other contemporary Southeast Asian polities and the applicability of theoretical models. She is also working on an English translation of a 20th-century Burmese novel by a well-known author, Ma Sandar.

Malaysia’s troubled Muslim-Hindu ties (Opinion, Page A26)

fasswebmaster FASS in the News

Thursday, 13 October 2016

The Straits Times

This was an article contribution by Associate Professor Syed Farid Alatas from the Departments of Sociology and Malay Studies, in which he discussed the recent incidents involving Hindus and Muslims in Malaysia that have heightened fears of a gradual erosion of Malaysian harmony. Prof Alatas opined that it is vital, for the sake of maintaining mutual respect and tranquillity in Malaysia, that the political and religious leaders continuously speak out against bigotry and violence in the name of religion.

Click here to read the article.

Should S’pore stop its red-light camera programme? (Opinion, Page A21)

fasswebmaster FASS in the News

Wednesday, 12 October 2016

The Straits Times

This was an article contribution by Dr Timothy Wong from the Department of Economics at NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, in which he discussed whether Singapore should abandon its red-light camera programme as red-light cameras fall out of favour in many cities around the world. On whether red-light cameras are ineffective, Dr Wong highlighted that the appropriate metric is not the number of collisions at an intersection but the cost of collisions at intersections. He also cited a study by the NUS Department of Civil Engineering which found that red-light cameras in Singapore significantly reduce the vulnerability of motorcyclists at intersections, who are more likely to suffer incapacitating injuries or die in collisions. He opined that Singapore should not abandon the programme and that to placate concerns regarding any surplus revenue from the programme, police could dedicate such funds to other road safety programmes that would further increase traffic safety in the city.

The ‘Ask: NUS Economists’ column is a monthly series by the NUS Department of Economics. Each month, a panel will address a topical issue.

Click here to read the article.

FASS Psychology Student Mr Elvis Tan Wins National-level Singapore Psychological Society Gold Medal

fasswebmaster Staff Achievements, Student Achievements

elvis-dr-lim

We are delighted that our CDP (Concurrent Degree Programme) student Mr. Elvis W. S. Tan has snared the coveted Gold Award conferred by the Singapore Psychological Society at the national-level Student Research Awards on 1 October 2016, on the basis of his ongoing Integrated Thesis research mentored by Dr. Stephen Lim, Director of the NUS Cognition and Education Laboratory. This was a joint research venture with the Division of Cognitive Psychology in Education, Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University.

The researchers comment: “Here, we explored the role of cognitive processes — global versus local processing styles — in students’ academic risk taking tendencies. Participants first read a short passage, which provided the context for their subsequent academic risk taking decisions. Following which, participants undertook the Navon’s task and attended to either global letters or local letters only, i.e., were either globally- or locally-primed. The effects of priming on academic risk taking were then assessed using a perception-based measure (Experiment 1) and a task-based measure (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 provided preliminary evidence, which Experiment 2 confirmed, that globally-focused individuals took more academic risk than did locally-focused individuals, after controlling for participants’ need for cognition (how much they enjoy effortful cognitive activities). Additionally, the inclusion of and comparisons with a control group in Experiment 2 revealed that locally-focused participants drove the observed effects. The theory of predictive and reactive control systems (PARCS) provides a cogent account of our findings. We discussed future directions and practical applications in education.”

The winning research, titled “The influence of global-local processing styles on academic risk taking”, has recently been accepted for publication in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (Impact Factor: 2.130).

Elvis shares his research experience: “Research – the notion of testing our ideas fairly and rigorously – is a truly integrative experience. The process of research is arduous, exciting, and humbling all at the same time. It has taught me to move forward with a sense of confidence and humility – not only in the field of research, but also in education and in life. Whilst research may seem like a primarily independent endeavour, this journey is fondly shared with mentors, family, friends, and eager participants. I would like to dedicate this award to the giant in my academic journey, Dr. Stephen Lim, for his dedication, guidance, and inspiration.”

We extend our congratulations to Elvis and Dr. Lim!

NUS Environmental Studies Alumni Inaugural BES Homecoming and Welcome Party for Class of 2016

fasswebmaster Alumni, FASS in the News

Inaugural homecoming for the alumni’s was successfully organised by the NUS Environmental Studies Alumni (NUSESA) on 13 August supported by the NUS Office of Alumni Relations (OAR). The alumni had the opportunity to connect with each other including the BES Lecturers, Professor Leo Tan (Science’69), Associate Professor Victor R Savage (Arts and Social Sciences’72), Professor Matthias Roth, Dr Joanna Coleman and Dr Joseph Chun.

Prof Savage, whom represented OAR, urged everyone to meet regularly to keep up with energy of the alumni group. Prof Tan also mentioned that the alumni’s are the best ambassadors to spread the word on BES to members of the public.

es

Alumnus Magazine Oct-Dec 2016 Issue (Pg.35)

Communications and New Media Alumni Dinner 2016

fasswebmaster Alumni, FASS in the News, Staff Achievements

The Annual Communications and New Media (CNM) Alumni Dinner was held for second time on 12 August at the NUSS Suntec City Guild House. The evening started with Professor Mohan Dutta, the Head of Department addressing the gathering, followed by the CNM Awards.

This year, the Outstanding Alumnus Award was given to Ms Audrey Tan, the co-founder of Angels of Impact and Playmoolah.

cnm2

Alumnus Magazine Oct-Dec 2016 Issue (Pg.34)

A humorous yet fruitful lecture (Page 16)

fasswebmaster FASS in the News

Monday, 3 October 2016

Berita Harian

This was a review of a writing workshop by Dr Mohd Faizal Musa, Visiting Fellow at the Department of Malay Studies at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, under the Mencari Kristal programme organised by Berita Harian. The workshop was attended by 35 participants who were mostly aspiring writers, and exposed them to the various aspects of writing which included writing styles, structure, as well as plot, character and background development.

Click here to read the article in Malay.

A new role for women in Asia (Page 21)

fasswebmaster FASS in the News

Sunday, 2 October 2016

Lianhe Zaobao

This was an article contribution by Professor Catherine Tang from the Department of Psychology at NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, who is also the Deputy Director of the Centre for Family and Population Research. Prof Tang shared the findings of a study which she co-researched, on the influence of gender role and work on the family life and psychological health of Asian women.