Saturday, October 22, 2005

Module Planning

I haven't talked about school for quite some time. Maybe this is a good time to plan ahead for my future in this institutionalised education system by planning ahead what are the modules I want to take. This was partly sparked after speaking to the head of the history department.

Feeling so motivated, I drew up a plan of how my next (2) year and a half would be like...

First, I put up the modules I did.

Semester I:
EU1101E: The Making of Contemporary Europe
HY1101E: Asia and the Modern World
LAG1201: German I
PS1101E: Introduction to Political Science
SSA2207: Politics of Southeast Asia

Semester II:
EU2219: Why History? The 20th Century
HY2242: Singapore Military History
LAG2201: German II
SE1101E: Southeast Asia: A Changing Region
TS1101E: Introduction to Theatre Studies

Semester III (this semester):
EU2218: Western Political Thought
EU3207: Comparative European Nationalisms
HY2216: Total War
HY2243: Film and History
LAG3201: German III

Then I went to find out the requirements for graduation. I found for graduation with Honours in European Studies. But honestly, I don't know if I'd really stay on for honours. According to my year 4 senior, he is half the current bath of European Studies major. Yup, that brings the current number of honours year European Studies major to a grand total of 2. My senior and another girl. I know the other girl too. We did a presentation together just recently. So, can I say I know the whole European Studies honours cohort? diaoz...

To graduate, I'd need to fill up this list of modules:
level 1000
- EU1101E
- LAG1201

level 2000
- EU2218
- EU2219
- EU
- EU
- EU
- EU
- EU
- LAG2201

level 3000
- EU3207
- EU
- EU
- LAG3201
- LAG

level 4000
- EU
- EU
- EU
- EU
- EU
- LAG
- LAG

And up till now, I've only completed that little of my requirements. Pretty depressing... Then again, I'm still young, aren't I? I remember when I was in my first year, I often get mistaken for being in either my second year or third. I wrote about this before. I just thought of this little girl I met in one of my project groups. A cute little girl who asked a number of pretty erm erm questions. naturally, I asked her if she was in year 1, and indeed she was. Now thinking about her, I guess I never showed that sort of "cai niao-ness" to the people who did projects with me so I'm not a year 1 student then~ yay~

Now that I'm in year 2 I guess things are more normal for me, although I was pretty shocked that the above said prof asked me if I was in year 3. diaoz... But my year of study is not the main topic for today. Then again, I must really salute that cute year 1 girl who actually chose to do a Prof Farrell module in her first semester of study.

Back to my module planning. Up to date, I've done 3 unrestricted electives, and for my graduation, I'd need to do 7 of them, so that means I can only fill up 4 more UE slots, which is pretty little, I thought, before I actually examined the module listings and realised that I don't know what else to take. I seem to be filling up all my UE slots with history modules. Can I be considered as a history major? I think I definitely am doing much much more history modules than a shared history major and about the same number of mods as a single history major.

I was reading the module information booklet I bought when I was a freshie and checking out the EU department's webbie for the latest updates and it seems that some modules in the booklets are reflected in the webbie. From what I gathered, these are some modules that sounds decent for me to take.

level 2000
- EU2212: Upheaval in Europe: 1848-1918
This is a must take!!! It encompasses my most favourite time period in history, the wars of German Unification and the Great War.
- EU2217: Politics of Contemporary Europe
I wanted to take this last semester, but due to timetabling problems, haven't have the chance to do it. I can't do it next semester either since I'm away on exchange programme so I guess that leaves year 3 sem 2 to do it. And the lecturer is pretty good looking.
- EU2221: Empires, Colonies and Imperialism
I also want to take this module offered next semester but can't take it because of my exchange programme. And it's a Professor Murfett's module. I've heard so much about this guy but haven't have the chance to take any module by him, what a pity. And I think Prof Farrell's doing this module too. All the great military historians in the department.
- HY2210: State and Society in Early Modern Europe
This sounds only as interesting as I've nothing else to do. Then again, I like studying about moder European history, so I'm not complaining, really. Nothing against this module.

level 3000
- EU3212: Europe of the Dictators
I want to do this module! Period! Imagine studying about Hitler, Mussolini, Franco and Stalin, what more can a girl ask for?! Power is aphrodisiac... wahaha~
- EU3215: European Economic History
Another module which I think I'll take only because there's nothing left for me to take. Honestly, I've no interest in economics. blah...
- EU3230: Cold War in Europe, 1945-1991
I wonder who's going to do this module. Interesting, but not really that much appealing. It sounds like A Level History Paper 3 all over again, and I didn't do that. But then, There'd be more Stalin, so sounds pretty cool out of the other weird modules.

level 4000
- EU4214: Special Paper in Modern European History
- EU4215: Imperial Legacies in Europe
- EU4216: Europe
- EU4224: War and Diplomacy in Early Modern Europe
- EU4225: European Intellectual History
- PS4213: Justice, Community and the State
The latter is an EU recognised module. Well, hopefully if my German can make it, I'll do German Studies 1 and 2 in place of the geography and PS module or maybe I shouldn't do the Intellectual History module. I'm doing Western Political Thought now and it's the most cmi module I've taken. Plato, Machiavelli and Nietzsche... wahaha~ The others are pretty much the kind of topics I like to study about.

As I drew out some modules printed in the booklet but not reflected in the webbie, I don't know they are still taught or not so I didn't include them in my list, but if they are still taught, me want to do these instead:
- EU2216/HY2238: European Politics and Society since 1945
Maybe not so much about this, but it does sound pretty interesting... Cold War...
- EU3213/HY3218: Modern European Intellectual History
What's the difference between this and European Intellectual History? Maybe modern would mean that there's not Plato or Machiavelli, just more Nietzsche and what nots? lol~
- EU3216/HY3235: Transition and Integration in Europe
I read the course outline, it talks a bit about German integration and how the people coped with the effects of both wars. Interesting...
- EU4219/HY4213: Early Colonial Expansion
I like imperialism! With imperialism there is nationalism and wars and blood and what nots. And imperialism always brings us back to right here in Singapore. I like~

Since I was checking out the European Studies modules and most of what I'm interested in are also history modules, I looked up the history modules and planned my UEs. I have did three UEs to date, and all of them delightful history modules, two under the master of the universe himself. I thought I'd better plan what I want to do this early so that I won't over do my UEs and end up having to extend semesters.

These are what I guess I'd be doing:
- HY2217: War and Society
A Farrell module about war, seems to be screaming out to me for me to take it.
- HY3226: Memory, Heritage and History
I started pondering over this issue as I was preparing for my Film and History essay. Interesting and useful in my study of history.
- HY3242: Europe and Asia: Exploration and Expansion
I guess this would be translated into imperialism ba. And half of the course is about Europe, my field of study, just wondering why it's not an EU recognised module. hmm...
- TS2237: Acting: Theory and Practice
This is probably to fulfil my own interest in drama. Although I did badly for my TS1101E, I still have that passion in drama and I feel that this is the chance for me to remind myself that I did badly for TS1101E is only because I didn't put in effort.

Another thing I must note, I haven't factored in my GEMs and Breadths and SEP. I've did my Singapore Studies module, a very enlightening module and interesting (to me, other found it damn dry, I mean, Politics in Southeast Asia...) module but I have yet touched on GEMs and Breadths. I'm hoping to complete my GEMs and Breadths during my exchange so that I can work on the interesting modules I've picked out here to do.

2 comments:

Marla S said...

Haha, just wondering, why German?

I have a friend who is Dutch-German who couldn't quite understand why I am so mesmerised by Italiani and Spagnoli, and lamented no girls he met in his life would rave about Dutch and Germans.

I am so sure he will be terribly glad to know your existent! Muahaha.

rozana said...

haha the lecturer for EU2217 where got gd-looking? i took the mod before oredi. In fact he looks nerdy lor. hahaha...