Okay if you even check the timestamp of this post I'm one semester late in posting this because I completely forgot about this lmao.
Anyway, this semester was the absolute worst for me, and I barely had any sleep throughout because of the insane workload. Despite the crippling semester, I, in fact, enjoyed the modules I took this semester a lot. I took two UTown modules so I'm only gonna review three mods this sem. Here goes:
1. SC2202
Only took Sociology of Work because it was a good fit for my timetable. Heck it, I really regretted taking this module by the time week 6 rolled by and was seriously considering dropping it for a W grade. It was so incredibly dry and boring. The first few weeks were mainly historical modes of "work" in society. As someone disinterested in European history, going through the first half of the module was pure torture. I felt that Prof Shin was being very technical during lectures and it was not very analytical of societies using concepts and theories.
However, the module did get better after recess week as we started discussing modern societies out of Europe. It was only then did I feel more motivated to continue attending lectures.
The assignments were mostly due at the end of the semester, which compounded my workload drastically. There would be a group presentation and report due, as well as a 10-page concept portfolio that we have to submit. I did enjoy doing the portfolio, though, as it indeed helped me in grasping some concepts better.
Oh, this is also the first soci module that allowed a cheatsheet for finals! Spotted a few essay questions correctly and brought in a few model answers haha.
In hindsight, sociology of work is really quite an informative module and Prof Shin was one of the more helpful lecturers/tutors around.
Summary
Workload: Manageable
Difficulty: Hard and gets easier
Grade: As expected
2. SC2212
Took the Sociology of Deviance under Prof Radics. Okay, okay, I am already expecting all the "why didn't you take it under Prof Gana? It's his pet module" blah blah blah. It was the only soci mod that I was interested in at that moment okay?? AND I ended up enjoying this module under Prof Radics so much. It is easily one of the better modules I've taken in NUS so far.
I do not recommend this module to students not well acquainted with social science theories. It is so theory-intensive, even I had a hard time understanding initially (until these theories were covered more in-depth in SC3101, which I will review below).
Prof Radics scrapped mid-terms and split the 30% into 3 10% essays submitted throughout the semester. Thus, understanding concepts right when presented in lectures is essential. Did I mention that the lectures are recorded? Yay!
Radics also invited many many (MANY) guest speakers to our lectures, like Vanessa (project X), cosplayers, amongst many others. I was impressed by his dedication to the module. I highly recommend taking the module under him if you're interested in the module even if Gana isn't teaching.
Got a B-, B, then A- grades for my three essay assignments, making me less optimistic about my final grade. However, finals were surprisingly manageable. Radics loves local examples, so make sure to bring an arsenal of them into finals. Of course, application of theories is extremely important during finals.
Summary
Workload: Manageable
Difficulty: Medium (Hard to fully grasp concepts and theories initially)
Grade: Better than expected
3. SC3101
Ah, so many horror stories about Social Thought and Theory. Prof Radics was also the lecturer for this module, and I was honoured to be in his tutorial too. Lol I think I met Prof Radics more than my parents this semester.
Anyway, don't be deterred by the negative reviews of this module. Go in with an open attitude and you'll realise how informative and valuable this module is in fully understanding certain theories by the three founding fathers of Sociology. I cannot emphasise how important this module is. It complemented the Sociology of Deviance so well. I found myself looking forward to lectures each week, despite it being recorded. It really helped me in understanding the rationale behind the three main theories.
Radics, being a huge-ass feminist like me, also talked about a female social thinker that preceded Emile Durkheim!!! I loved the feminist approach to sociology in this mod, as it is true that we rarely discuss female social thinkers, ever.
You might notice all the "workload" sections are "manageable" per module. But for SC3101, Radics also split the 40% mid-terms into 3 essays of 13.3% each. And yes, the deadlines were very close to those of SC2212's. Which is why I spent most nights churning out essay after essay. Each essay will be on the three social thinkers and their theories.
Finals were okay, writing a couple of essays, nothing too surprising. Just be sure to know the theories very, very well.
We also were given extra credits if we attended a book launch and did a one-page reflection on it. I LOVED THIS MODULE SO MUCH. It might be my favourite module I've taken in NUS in these two years. I highly recommend all students to take this module under Radics!
Anyway, this semester was the absolute worst for me, and I barely had any sleep throughout because of the insane workload. Despite the crippling semester, I, in fact, enjoyed the modules I took this semester a lot. I took two UTown modules so I'm only gonna review three mods this sem. Here goes:
1. SC2202
Only took Sociology of Work because it was a good fit for my timetable. Heck it, I really regretted taking this module by the time week 6 rolled by and was seriously considering dropping it for a W grade. It was so incredibly dry and boring. The first few weeks were mainly historical modes of "work" in society. As someone disinterested in European history, going through the first half of the module was pure torture. I felt that Prof Shin was being very technical during lectures and it was not very analytical of societies using concepts and theories.
However, the module did get better after recess week as we started discussing modern societies out of Europe. It was only then did I feel more motivated to continue attending lectures.
The assignments were mostly due at the end of the semester, which compounded my workload drastically. There would be a group presentation and report due, as well as a 10-page concept portfolio that we have to submit. I did enjoy doing the portfolio, though, as it indeed helped me in grasping some concepts better.
Oh, this is also the first soci module that allowed a cheatsheet for finals! Spotted a few essay questions correctly and brought in a few model answers haha.
In hindsight, sociology of work is really quite an informative module and Prof Shin was one of the more helpful lecturers/tutors around.
Summary
Workload: Manageable
Difficulty: Hard and gets easier
Grade: As expected
2. SC2212
Took the Sociology of Deviance under Prof Radics. Okay, okay, I am already expecting all the "why didn't you take it under Prof Gana? It's his pet module" blah blah blah. It was the only soci mod that I was interested in at that moment okay?? AND I ended up enjoying this module under Prof Radics so much. It is easily one of the better modules I've taken in NUS so far.
I do not recommend this module to students not well acquainted with social science theories. It is so theory-intensive, even I had a hard time understanding initially (until these theories were covered more in-depth in SC3101, which I will review below).
Prof Radics scrapped mid-terms and split the 30% into 3 10% essays submitted throughout the semester. Thus, understanding concepts right when presented in lectures is essential. Did I mention that the lectures are recorded? Yay!
Radics also invited many many (MANY) guest speakers to our lectures, like Vanessa (project X), cosplayers, amongst many others. I was impressed by his dedication to the module. I highly recommend taking the module under him if you're interested in the module even if Gana isn't teaching.
Got a B-, B, then A- grades for my three essay assignments, making me less optimistic about my final grade. However, finals were surprisingly manageable. Radics loves local examples, so make sure to bring an arsenal of them into finals. Of course, application of theories is extremely important during finals.
Summary
Workload: Manageable
Difficulty: Medium (Hard to fully grasp concepts and theories initially)
Grade: Better than expected
3. SC3101
Ah, so many horror stories about Social Thought and Theory. Prof Radics was also the lecturer for this module, and I was honoured to be in his tutorial too. Lol I think I met Prof Radics more than my parents this semester.
Anyway, don't be deterred by the negative reviews of this module. Go in with an open attitude and you'll realise how informative and valuable this module is in fully understanding certain theories by the three founding fathers of Sociology. I cannot emphasise how important this module is. It complemented the Sociology of Deviance so well. I found myself looking forward to lectures each week, despite it being recorded. It really helped me in understanding the rationale behind the three main theories.
Radics, being a huge-ass feminist like me, also talked about a female social thinker that preceded Emile Durkheim!!! I loved the feminist approach to sociology in this mod, as it is true that we rarely discuss female social thinkers, ever.
You might notice all the "workload" sections are "manageable" per module. But for SC3101, Radics also split the 40% mid-terms into 3 essays of 13.3% each. And yes, the deadlines were very close to those of SC2212's. Which is why I spent most nights churning out essay after essay. Each essay will be on the three social thinkers and their theories.
Finals were okay, writing a couple of essays, nothing too surprising. Just be sure to know the theories very, very well.
We also were given extra credits if we attended a book launch and did a one-page reflection on it. I LOVED THIS MODULE SO MUCH. It might be my favourite module I've taken in NUS in these two years. I highly recommend all students to take this module under Radics!
Summary
Workload: Manageable
Difficulty: Medium
Grade: Better than expected
* Special shoutout to this module because it's great *
* Special shoutout to this module because it's great *
Final thoughts: People might actually think I'm obsessed over Prof Radics. I mean, he is really great. I loved all his lectures. So yes, despite my heavy overall workload, I enjoyed the modules I took this semester a lot. Did not SU anything this semester which is a win! I'll be getting my results for Y2S2 soon, and I'll (hopefully) remember to write a post on it haha. Ciao x
Hi! Thanks for your review, not sure if you would still see this but could I check with you since you took SC2212 under Radics, was the textbook really compulsory?
ReplyDelete