Hejhej!

 

In case you didn't know, I'm actually here in Singapore to study. Shocking huh, seeing as I've never posted anything about my studies here (except for this  post about the outing I did with one of my study groups)! Well, it's true nontheless and I thought I would take some time to tell you about my studies.

 

Back home in Sweden, I'm pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Media and Communication Science. NTU actually has a whole school dedicated to this, the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI). Surprisingly, I'm not taking any communication courses but have put together quite a mix of subjects in different disciplines. This is possible since Jönköping University doesn't require me to take any specific courses during semester 4. 

 

The only requirement was to study full-time, which is 16 credits in NTU. Since all the courses I was interested in (I'll get to them in more detail soon!) were 3 credit points each, I had to take 6 courses instead of say, 4 or 5. This means I'm currently doing 18 credits, and to be honest it is quite a lot. In Sweden I would only do one course at a time, and four courses per semester, so this is pretty different. But then again, I'm no stranger to studying more than 100%, I did that part of last semester too. At least that's what I tell myself! 

 

Another difference from Sweden is the length of the semester! All my courses finish in mid-april, and since I don't have any final exams after it makes an intense, but short, semester for me. Makes it all a lot easier to cope with. Now, let's dive in to the course contents!

 

• Creative Writing: We have assigned readings every week that we discuss, and we also get to give and receive feedback on our own texts. The course deals with fiction and poetry and also includes a multimedia project and short "writing experiments".
  
  
• Social Marketing: Making the World A Better Place: Yes, the title attracted me! I didn't really know what to expect, but it turns out social marketing is about influencing people's behaviour using traditional marketing tools, but with the aim to benefit society rather than make money.
  
  
• Bilingualism and Multilingualism: About people who speak two or more languages! How does it work in the brain? What do recent studies say? How does it impact society and the individual? Interesting, even though many examples compare different Chinese dialects, and that isn't exactly relatable to me, although I do study...
  
  
• Chinese, level 1: I'm struggling with foreign syllables, signs and pronounciations. I used to think of myself as someone who had an easy time learning language, but Chinese is something completely different! Now, 6 weeks in, we have finally started practicing phrases and conversation rather than just syllables and how to pronounce them. 
  
  
• Leadership in the 21st Century: My favorite course! Even though it's provided by the Business School, and it's the one that takes the most time to prepare for every week! Our professor uses a "Team Based Learning"-approach, and there is a lot of problem-solving and discussions every week. We are also quizzed every week, both individually and as a team. This means that if I don't do my reading, I'll potentially drag the whole team down with me. Very motivating! I feel like this course will be very relevant in the future, and I've sure gained a lot of insights on leadership, teamwork and communication.
  
  
• Cultural Intelligence: How to Be an Explorer of the World: Again, the title caught my eye! I've already told you a bit about this course in the post I linked in the beginning of the post, so I'm not going to go into detail. Taking this course has helped me make sense of the different "culture shocks", or rather, cultural differences, that I have encountered here in Singapore. 
   
  So, to summarize: It's a short, but intense semester and it takes a lot of time to keep track and stay on top of my work. On the other hand, the subjects are fun! I definitely feel like I'm learning a lot and growing as a person. Maybe not as much from the actual assignments as from the thought processes that they have started within me, and the interactions that I've had.

   

  Plus - just 9 more days until recess week! Then I will surely see other things than my desk...

  Til next time! / Julia.