National University of Singapore

Singapore

APPLY

nus.edu.sg

Available Courses

This course provides students with basic concepts of material and energy balances in chemical engineering processes. It also gives a comprehensive introduction to different analytical and problem solving methods. In particular, steady state material and energy balances, including recycles, phase changes and reactions, form the core structure of the course. Other topics include simultaneous material and energy balances, unsteady state balances and the introduction and application of Matlab in solving balance problems. All fundamental concepts are amply illustrated with relevant process examples. This course is targeted at level one or two engineering and science students.

The course begins with a revision of chemical kinetics and thermodynamics emphasizing on the different definitions of reaction rates, rate expressions, and simple and complex reactions. The design equations for ideal reactors are then introduced followed by the general methods of analysis of rate data. Reactor sequencing, yield versus productivity considerations in multiple reactions, and nonisothermal operations round up the first half of the course. More advanced topics such as residence time distributions in reactors, kinetics of catalytic reactions and catalyst deactivation, coupling of chemical reactions with transport processes, form the bulk of the second half of the course.

Manufacturing processes and technologies have evolved and diversified to fulfil society’s ever-increasing demands for better products. In this module, students will learn how to convert raw materials into useful products through conventional and advanced manufacturing processes. They will learn to appreciate and determine the appropriate manufacturing pathways for producing specific products. The major topics that are covered include an introduction to manufacturing, metal casting, powder metallurgy, ceramic processing, bulk deformation processing, sheet metalworking, machining, cutting tool technology, welding, and additive manufacturing.

This course provides a broad introduction to the social, cultural and historical aspects of Japan. We shall examine the key aspects of Japanese culture, the central concerns in Japanese society, and the changes and continuities in Japanese history. By engaging with Japan from a variety of topics that are mostly linked together in a coherent whole, students will come to a better understanding of the complexity and diversity of Japanese culture and society.

This course examines policies and programmes dealing with ethnic relations based on the experiences of Singapore and Malaysia. It focuses on how these much talked about and debated policies, impact or affect the Malays in particular, who constitute a numerical minority in Singapore, but form the majority in Malaysia. The course examines major socio‐historical factors conditioning these policies and programmes and the processes by which they are materialised from the period of British colonialism to the present. How these efforts bear upon nation building and national integration will be explored.

This course examines competing religious orientations that had evolved among the Malays of Singapore and socio-historical factors that had shaped such orientations. The ways in which these orientations condition their responses to the modern world are then discussed. The course analyses the contributions of Muslim religious thinkers to socio-economic reform of the community. A critical analysis of the phenomenon of Islamic resurgence and its impact on the community’s progress will also be examined. A theme underlying the course is the relevance of Islamic values in facilitating Malays adaptation to the demands of social change and pluralistic society.

This is an introduction to studies on Malays and Malayness within countries in the Malay-Indonesian archipelago. The main question will be of conflict, change and continuity. Approaches in studying these responses will include topics on colonialism and the decolonisation of ideas, the interrogation of Malayness, development and political economy, Islam and its institutions, arts and literary aesthetics, gender, family and community, and state and Malay society in contemporary Singapore and the region.

The purpose of this course is to impart a preliminary overview of political science and its sub-fields so that students have a basic orientation of the discipline. It briefly explains the scope and components of each of the four sub-fields (political theory, comparative politics, international relations and public administration) and familiarises students with the major issues and arguments related to power, justice, political culture, national identity, accountability, ethics and world order. It also focuses on key political institutions. The course will be of interest to students across the university who want to gain a basic understanding of politics.

This course introduces students to the enriching experience of being in social work education. Learning includes both cognitive and experiential knowledge on the needs of individuals, families and society, and the social work response in meeting these needs. Included are the mission, values and principles of the social work profession and its roles and functions in contributing to human well-being. As an integral and compulsory part of this course, students will visit social service organization.

Charles Darwin is remembered like no other figure in the history of science. However, public understanding of Darwin and evolution remains a serious problem. What most people think they know about Darwin, his life and his famous book ‘On the origin of species’ is wrong. This course provides a solid background for understanding how the theory of evolution actually unfolded. It covers the history of geology, palaeontology and biology from the 1700s to the 20th century. The central focus is on the life and work of Charles Darwin and how biological evolution was uncovered, debated and accepted by the international scientific community in the 19th century, and beyond. There will be a lot of myth busting and this provides case studies on how to assess historical claims and evidence, and discussions on recent developments in evolutionary biology, human evolution and anthropology are included.

This course serves as a bridging course for students without GCE Advanced (A) Level Mathematics. It aims to equip students with appropriate mathematical knowledge and skills so as to prepare them for further study of mathematics-related disciplines. At the end of the course, students are expected to attain a level of proficiency in algebra and calculus equivalent to GCE A Level Mathematics. Major topics include: Sets, functions and graphs, polynomials and rational functions, inequalities in one variable, logarithmic and exponential functions, trigonometric functions, sequences and series, techniques of differentiation, applications of differentiation, maxima and minima, increasing and decreasing functions, curve sketching, techniques of integration, applications of integration, areas, volumes of solids of revolution, solution of first-order ordinary differential equations by separation of variables and by integrating factor, complex numbers and vectors.

From the global increase in obesity to SARS, a range of health issues and solutions will be explored in differing contexts throughout the world. Working in small groups, students debate and evaluate paths to addressing global health issues in a variety of cultural contexts. For example, lessons learned about tuberculosis in Russia may be applied to the Singaporean context, or students may examine efforts to prevent newborn deaths in developing nations. Students will develop an appreciation of how the health of an entire population impacts individuals and how complex problems can be prevented or addressed using culturally appropriate solutions.

Over the past decade global health has evolved from buzzword to discipline, attracting interest from governments, academic institutions and funding organizations. But, what is “global health”? Although we have made enormous progress in improving health status over the past 50 years, the progress has been uneven. Why? By examining major global health challenges, programs and policies, students will analyze current and emerging global health priorities, including communicable and noncommunicable diseases, health inequity, health systems, and major global initiatives for disease prevention.

Course is designed to introduce students to the issues of digital ethics and data privacy faced by individuals and organizations. It covers the ethical principles governing the behaviors and beliefs about how we use technology, and how we collect and process personal information in a manner that aligns with individual and organizational expectations for security and confidentiality. It will address challenges in balancing technological desirability with social desirability while developing digital products and services, including Professional Ethics, Computing for Social Good, Digital Ethics by Design, Digital Intellectual Property Rights, Automation and Autonomous Systems, and Artificial Intelligence Ethics and Governance.

This module equips students with knowledge and skills in structural mechanics, and materials for structural engineering. The topics introduce the fundamentals of material constitutive behaviours and failure models to appreciate the use of materials in structural design. The topics also cover the composite, micro-structure and properties of concrete, steel and wood, with an emphasis on the mix-design of concrete. The module is compulsory for civil engineering undergraduate students without which he will not be qualified to practise as a professional civil engineer.

This course introduces the elements of computational thinking and its application in Industrial Design. Students will acquire skills and knowledge of computational problem solving, including formulating a problem, designing a solution, and prototyping the solution in the use of computational tools, logic and methods such as the Arduino Integrated Development Environment. Students learn through a hands-on approach to decompose complex problems into smaller components, solve the smaller components using elemental algorithms, and combine the solutions to solve the task at hand. They will learn the concepts of abstraction, how to encapsulate complex data and behavior into objects through object-oriented programming.

Did you know your smartphone contains at least 75 different elements from the periodic table? These elements are combined in a variety of different ways to produce materials with a full spectrum of electronic properties from electric conductors to insulators; from optically transparent to light admitting materials; and that’s just the start. Tomorrow’s devices will utilise unique material properties as their dimensions approach the nano- or atomic scale. Students will be introduced to the materials that enable electronic devices, via basic quantum mechanics, conduction, energy, potential, doping, and related theories, focussing on examples of current devices and applications.

Piracy, understood broadly as violence or crime at sea, is a present day phenomenon and yet one which has a history spanning centuries and across all the oceans of the world. From pirates to privateers, corsairs to raiders, maritime predators take various names and forms. This course explores the history of pirates and piracy. By examining case studies from the 1400s onwards and by placing pirates into the context of oceanic history and maritime studies, students will be able to demystify the popular images often associated with pirates.

This course aims to promote a better understanding of Singapore-Japan relations, combining historical, political, economic, social and cultural perspectives. Besides an examination of the history of interactions between people in Singapore and Japan from the late 19th century to the present, the course also helps students grasp issues affecting Singapore‘s position and perception in a wider geographical and cultural context by considering its relations with Japan. Students are actively encouraged to use oral history, fieldwork and internet for their projects.

Who are the Malays of Singapore? How are they perceived and how do they perceive themselves? These and other related questions will be raised in this course. To answer these questions we will discuss the Malays in the socio-economic and political context they live in. The course is divided into five topics: Topic 1 looks at the socio-history of the Malays. Topic 2 introduces approaches in studying Malays of Singapore. Topics 3, 4 and 5 look at different dimensions of their life in Singapore i.e. as Singapore citizens, as part of the Malay “community” and as members of “Malay families”.