This semester, I will be stepping up the difficulty level of my modules by taking a level-3000 module, three level-2000 ones, and a level-1000 Human Cultures General Education module. Only the level-1000 module and one level-2000 module can be S/Ued if necessary, so I don't have as big a safety net as in previous semesters. #lifeonhardmode
My modules this semester
EL2102: Sound Patterns in Language
Number of MCs: 4
Grading: Standard letter grades, not eligible for S/U due to having EL1101E as a prerequisite
CORS bidding result: Bid 1925 Programme points, won for 1 Programme point
Format: Weekly three-hour seminars
I took EL1101E in my first semester and loved it. English linguistics is divided into several subfields, and phonetics and phonology is the one that focuses on sound. It deals with things like how speech is produced by the structures in your body like the lungs, throat, mouth, and nose, as well as how sounds are put together to form words. There are patterns in the way sounds work in English which I find fascinating. For example, if the first sound in a word is not the sound of "s", the second sound, if it is a consonant sound, must be a "l", "r", "w", or "y" sound.
EL2151: Social Variation in English
Number of MCs: 4
Grading: Standard letter grades, not eligible for S/U due to having EL1101E as a prerequisite
CORS bidding result: Bid 1924 Programme points, won for 1 Programme point
Format: Face-to-face lectures and tutorials every week
I was originally planning to take GES1035 to clear my General Education requirement, but it was exorbitantly priced in CORS so I couldn't afford it, having only three semesters' worth of points while bidding against seniors with thousands at their fingertips. I decided to clear my Unrestricted Elective (UE) requirement instead, and I always had an eye on this module because when I took EL1101E, sociolinguistics was the most interesting part to me. So here it is. To clarify, I am not collecting EL modules to minor in EL. If I had no exemption off my UEs from my polytechnic diploma, I might have taken an EL minor, but in my situation right now, building a minor would mean taking more modules than I need to graduate and that is not something I intend to do. The reason for me gathering all these EL modules is: 1) out of interest, because I really love linguistics; and 2) because my mother graduated from NUS English many moons ago, and I am inspired to learn more about this wonderful topic too! I am not bothered by the fact that I cannot S/U them, because: 1) I can only S/U three more modules anyway, and I still have a couple of eligible modules to clear next semester which I want to reserve some S/Us for; and 2) I have interest in these modules, which means I will study properly for them and have a better chance of doing well.
GEH1014: Samurai, Geisha, Yakuza as Self or Other
Number of MCs: 4
Grading: Standard letter grades, eligible for S/U
CORS bidding result: Bid 1292 General points, won for 100 General points
Format: Face-to-face lectures and tutorials every week
I have no idea what this module is about other than that it has something to do with Japanese culture. But it looks cool because samurai and yakuza are badass, which is maybe the reason why it is popular and oversubscribed. Another possible explanation is that it has no finals.
NM2101: Theories of Communications and New Media
Number of MCs: 4
Grading: Standard letter grades, eligible for S/U
CORS bidding result: Pre-allocated for one point from the Programme account after participation in the Module Preference Exercise
Format: Face-to-face lectures and tutorials every week
This is like NM1101E on steroids. It deals with a wide range of current issues in the communications industry, including modern ones like the advent of artificial intelligence.
NM3217: Design for Strategic Communications
Number of MCs: 4
Grading: Standard letter grades, not eligible for S/U due to being level-3000
CORS bidding result: Pre-allocated for one point from the Programme account after participation in the Module Preference Exercise
Format: Face-to-face lectures and tutorials every week
Public relations professionals are not specialist designers, but they need to know a bit about design to do their job properly. In smaller organisations, the person doing public relations may even have to take on the role of a designer too, creating posters, brochures, websites, and other collaterals for the company. This module teaches the skills and knowledge needed to design effective materials online and offline.
My workload this semester falls exactly on the recommended amount of 20 MCs.
Looking back on the past academic year
I finished my first full academic year in university with a respectable CAP of 4.88. Though frantic at times, overall it was manageable and I enjoyed the new skills and knowledge I picked up from some of the modules.
This blog over the next few months
I noted a flurry of site visits to my blog recently and attribute it to the aggressive tweeting I have done in the past few weeks to promote my blog, as well as the usual surge from fellow NUS students scouring the internet for module reviews during CORS bidding season. Now we are entering what I expect to be a quiet lull for my blog in terms of viewership figures. As usual, I have pre-written several posts and scheduled them to be automatically published over the next few months while I cope with school. This time, they will appear much more frequently. In fact, one new post will come out every Sunday from 26 August to 25 November, with the exception of recess week and 21 October. I have published very frequently in recent weeks so I kept the two weeks before 26 August free as a sort of cooling-off period, and my finals end on 5 December so I should be writing original pieces again a couple of weeks after the scheduled posts run their course. Recess week will see at least one fresh post to talk about what's been going on in my various modules. As for 21 October, well that's my birthday, so no new content that day as it's a self-declared holiday.
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