CONSTELLATIONS HUMANITIES AT NTU - Scripting the Singapore Story The Two Cultures Today Digital Humanities at NTU - Nanyang Technological University
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ISSUE 2
2018
CONSTELLATIONS
HUMANITIES AT NTU
Scripting the Singapore Story
The Two Cultures Today
Digital Humanities at NTU
NTU Creative Writing Competition
TABLE OF CONTENTS
4 Scripting the Singapore Story
Advisory Board
Alan Chan
K.K. Luke
Koh Tai Ann
Shirley Chew
12
Kingsley Bolton
Neil Murphy Language and Communication:
Editor-in-Chief
An interview with Kingsley Bolton
Graham Matthews
17
Editorial Board
Scott Anthony Declaratives
Katherine Hindley NTU Creative Writing Competition Winner
Ivan Panovic
Qu Jingyi
Kira Rose
21 Digital Humanities at NTU
Christopher Suhler
2 Michael Walsh
Lim Ni Eng
Editorial Assistant and Design
18
Cheryl Cheong
Kevin the Bacon who wants to be eaten
Contributors but is stuck in the house of a Vegan
Divyata Raut
Ivy Chua NTU Creative Writing Competition Winner
Josiah Tan How Rong
26 Outcomes Based Teaching and Learning
Lavinia Tang
Lindsay Chong
Margaret Devadason
Michael Stanley-Baker
Natasha Nurulashikin
29
Nicolette Wong
Rafiq Ismail An interview with Balli Kaur Jaswal
Wang Gungwu
Images
Cover: Freepik
Freepik: p11, 12, 18, 23, 28
Pexels: p21, 31
pxhere: p1,6,8,11
Jon Gresham: p4 (Women playing Mah
32 The “Two Cultures” Today
Jong, Shanghai, China, July 2004), p26
(Balli Kaur Jaswal launching her novel,
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, at Books
Actually, Tiong Bahru, Singapore, May 2017)
Copyright Jon Gresham. www.igloomelts.
com. All rights reserved.
We welcome writers,
photographers and video editors
for the magazine. If you would like
Nanyang Technological University to contribute, please email us at
Reg. No. 200604393R soh_comms@ntu.edu.sg
constellations | 2018 issue 2
CHAIR’S
MESSAGE
Professor K.K. Luke
Chair, School of Humanities
Associate Dean (Research), College of Humanities, Arts,
and Social Sciences
Director, Centre for Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS)
Nanyang Technological University
3
In February this year, the School of Humanities launched emerging technology to deliver fresh insights into literature,
the inaugural issue of Constellations. Since then, we have language, history and answer philosophical questions. They
received many contributions for the magazine. also study the effects of technology on culture and society.
The research feature this issue is on the topic of Digital
This issue, we look at how the Singapore identity has been Humanities in NTU where Asst. Prof. Michael Stanley-Baker
shaped through language and literature. Singlish is often details a selection of the new and exciting digital humanities
criticized but it has always become a fundamental part of projects currently underway at NTU.
our national identity where many take pride in their ability
to code-switch between English and Singlish. In recent We also showcase the winnng entries of the Prose and
years, many government bodies and advertisers have used Poetry category in the Creative Writing competition this
Singlish as a way to connect with their target audiences. year. This year, our students have truly excelled themselves.
The Singaporean identity is also explored through local
literature and writers. I hope this window into the School of Humanities’ research
and teaching culture will spark your interest and inspire
Other articles include how teaching and learning are fruitful discussions across disciplines and borders. n
enhanced through NTU’s Outcome-based Teaching and
Learning (OBTL) and the Language and Communication
Cube at the School of Humanities. We also feature an
interview with Balli Kaur Jaswal, an author who has
previously been an NTU Writer-in-Residence and is now
pursuing doctoral study within the school. Balli’s novel
Sugarbread has been shortlisted for this year’s Singapore
Literature Prize in Fiction.
Scholars in the humanities increasingly draw on new and
constellations | 2018 issue 2
4
SCRIPTING THE
SINGAPORE STORY
By
Ivy Chua & Rafiq Ismail
constellations | 2018 issue 2
5
What is Singapore Studies? What defines Singaporean Identity?
The question of what constitutes Singaporean-ness and The Chair of the School of Humanities, Professor K.K Luke,
what it means to be Singaporean is the underlying thread stresses that Singaporean identity is not a simple, monolithic
in our evolving identity as a nation. Singapore Studies is a entity. For Prof. Luke, Singaporean-ness lives within the
cross-disciplinary effort within the School of Humanities diverse and kaleidoscopic aspects of everyday life.
to shed light on this nebulous yet undisputedly important
field. Scholars engaged with Singapore Studies examine “Singaporean-ness is in the food that we eat, the writing that
the historical, cultural, literary and linguistic landscape of we produce and we read, in the everyday things that we do,
Singapore in relation to the nation’s past in order to discern in the values that we have, and in the many different creative
the ways in which our national identity shapes our future. ways that we use our language and produce our culture”
elaborated Prof. Luke.
As we approach Singapore’s Bicentennial Celebrations in
2019, we speak to scholars in the field to glean some insight One of Prof. Luke’s ongoing research projects, “The
into their thoughts on this important topic and the complex Construction of National Identity in Multicultural Singapore”
relationship between our history, our rich language heritage aims to peel back the interconnected layers of identity
and how we express ourselves as a nation. formation. “When we say Singapore identity and Singaporean-
ness, what we mean is something that unites people”.
constellations | 2018 issue 2
The diversity of culture, thought, and individual heritage and literary arts offer a platform for examining the challenges
ultimately converge in an overarching sense of belonging to of negotiating change while maintaining a stable sense of
a larger community. self and this introspection ultimately serves to accentuate
the core of our national principles and values that defines us
Singaporean identity is also rooted in our ability to negotiate as Singaporeans.
the unique challenges that have risen alongside Singapore’s
meteoric rise as an economic success story. Finding unity For Prof. Wee, our shared aspiration to live as one united
through our commitment to diversity is imperative for the people regardless of race, language or religion as exemplified
foundation of an authentic sense of national identity. in the national Pledge, resonates as the fundamental clarion
call for Singaporean identity. “The ‘regardless’ confirms the
For Professor C. J. Wee Wan-ling, a prominent scholar equality of the people” Prof. Wee added. Amidst the breakneck
in Singaporean literature and theatre, the cultural and pace of change in Singapore and the constant state of flux in
artistic output that generations of Singaporean writers and global affairs, this egalitarian spirit anchors us as a people.
dramatists have produced provides valuable insight into
how this unity can be realised. Prof. Wee examines some of The work of playwright Kuo Pao Kun is one example of
the issues that literary figures have articulated in their work how, despite the multiplicity of our cultural heritage and
and how Singapore’s rapid development has influenced and expression, this spirit of egalitarianism shines through. He
shaped our national sense of self. “Because Singapore is writes in both Mandarin and English and is able to capture an
small, the question of who we are is a continuous question attentive audience in both languages. Alongside other literary
and modernisation impinges on this, even while we are giants in the Singaporean artistic landscape such as Arthur
trying to build an identity” said Prof. Wee. Yap and Edwin Thumboo, Kuo and his contemporaries
embody a spirit of Singaporean national identity.
6
The exercise of nation building is thus not restricted to
material questions of physical and economic development, For Associate Professor Yow Cheun Hoe, Head of Chinese
but seeks a core set of values that is the bedrock to our and the Director of the Centre for Chinese Language and
burgeoning sense of identity as a nation. As such, the stage Culture at NTU, Singaporean identity is exemplified in the
constellations | 2018 issue 2
society. And even in the future, we’ll keep on receiving
migrants from elsewhere so I think we can look back at how
we have been successful so far in order to continue to be
successful in the future” he elaborates.
Over time, we have grown
Associate Professor Sim Wai Chew (English) agrees with
from migrant literature, Assoc. Prof. Yow’s argument that we should look at at our
diasporic literature, into identity through a wide and inclusive lens. He works together
with Assoc. Prof. Yow on a project that seeks to build a
a form of ethnic literature compendium of vernacular literatures in Singapore in order
to investigate the common themes that are expressed
within a national narrative. across the different languages.
The process is not easy Assoc. Prof. Sim believes that it helps to see things beyond
one language community’s perspective. “If you start to
but ultimately it has been look at material from different languages you can develop
successful. Singapore will a much greater understanding of the specific challenges of
each community and at the same time the issues that all
continue to be a highly Singaporeans face together in forging an identity. And it is
with the inclusion of these other narratives that you can
migrant society. build a fuller picture and appreciate to the fullest extent our
creative strengths as a national literature” he explains.
7
In negotiating the diverse cultural output that nestles within
the larger Singaporean national narrative, the common link
that binds us all as a nation still lies in our articulation of a
shared aspiration founded upon the spirit of unity.
“Do we have the same universalist enlightenment aspirations
towards the phrase, ‘regardless of race, language or religion’?
I think we do. I think Singaporeans haven’t given up on that”
works of Singaporean-Chinese literary figures. These writers Prof. Wee added.
reflect the challenges of negotiating one’s roots in Singapore
together with the wider Chinese cultural heritage that Mother(land) Tongues
Singaporean-Chinese writers inherit.
Assoc. Prof. Sim and Assoc. Prof. Yow’s project brings to
“It’s rather a mixed identity. In one way [Chinese authors] mind another key aspect of our national identity, that of
identify themselves with Chinese culture which has roots language. Debates about the status of Singlish as a national
in China [but] they have some connection with the Chinese expression of Singaporean identity are not new, yet as
diaspora elsewhere. Over time, we also developed a unique Associate Professor Tan Ying Ying explains, any examination
national identity, which is Singaporean,” Assoc. Prof. Yow into Singaporean identity must include the study of our
explained. languages.
This identity draws from an inherited heritage that is distinctly Singaporean identity, though rooted in an egalitarian spirit
Singaporean yet offers a model for multicultural societies of common aspiration, is not static and the development of
all around the world. “We were the model of the successful Singlish itself mirrors the constant reinvention and evolution
Asian economy. Our progression from past to present makes of our national identity.
us universally relevant and relatable” he added.
Singlish, when seen as a separate language system in its
Assoc. Prof. Yow also notes that Singaporean literature own right, organically reflects Singaporean culture and our
provides healthy dialogue between the people and the state. role in defining it. “The language that some people refer to
“Over time, we have grown from migrant literature, diasporic as ‘Singlish’ or colloquial Singaporean English is a distinct
literature, into a form of ethnic literature within a national form of talk, speech and interaction and this is something
narrative. The process is not easy but ultimately it has been that we’ve all made a contribution to” added Assoc. Prof. Tan.
successful. Singapore will continue to be a highly migrant
constellations | 2018 issue 2
THE ENGLISH SPOKEN
HERE IS DIFFERENT
8
AND I THINK IT HAS
THE POTENTIAL [TO
STAND] ON ITS OWN.
THIS IS THE LANGUAGE
THAT WE HAVE TO OWN
BECAUSE IT IS OURS.
constellations | 2018 issue 2
Prof. Luke seconds her observations. He explains, “Society pits economic necessity against environmental concerns
changes and develops and identities evolve over time. Asst. Prof. Powell is offers an alternative narrative of national
Obviously, it’s changing [even now] so in matters of language development, wherein both ecological and economic priorities
it’s changing too. The younger generation has developed a are not viewed as competing factors but as different aspects
language of its own”. Lingua francas change and while it once of a common and more inclusive idea of progress. He notes,
took the form of Bazaar Malay or another tongue, Singlish is “I want to move past the dualistic framework where we have
perhaps the lingua franca of today. humanity on one side and nature on the other; hopefully this
project will help to highlight instances where the two coexist”.
Echoing Assoc. Prof. Tan’s observation that Singapore
English or Singlish may be seen as a language we are able Current Challenges Within the Field
to call our own, Prof. Luke further explains that this is likely
due to how Singlish is perceived to be an emotive language. The biggest challenge that scholars within Singapore Studies
He elaborates, Singlish delivers “the direct empathy and face is in growing the pool of scholars who can develop new
the direct response you get… It speaks to the heart of our directions for understanding Singapore. Prof Wee is one such
question about identity. As soon as you read it you know it’s scholar. “[Singapore Studies is] important, you must have
written by a Singaporean [citizen] about Singapore. This form younger people doing this” he remarked.
of language [is] quite different from other forms of language.”
His views are supported by Asst. Prof. Powell, who recognizes
A Green History of our little Red Dot in the deep the importance in continuing research in the subfield of
Blue Sea Singapore Studies. He adds, “Singapore’s environments
are relatively understudied but that’s changing very rapidly;
As a maritime trading nation, Singapore lies at the heart of Singapore’s interest in marine areas and their conservation
9
major international sea-trade routes. Singapore’s history seems to be surging”.
is therefore also a story of commerce, bounded by our
relationship with the sea, that is both our economic and Despite Singlish’s status as an indelible aspect of our
ecological lifeblood. Assistant Professor Miles Powell from national culture and identity, it is still treated as a second rate
the History department seeks to re-engage with Singapore’s expression of broken English. Assoc. Prof. Tan challenges
history by looking into our maritime past and examining the this. “For me, Singlish is not English. Period. So [they are] just
confluence between trade and economic development, and two different languages entirely. Just like French is a different
the marine environment that sustains and facilitates our language. So if someone were to ask me, is learning Singlish
progress. going to impede the learning of English, I would say no,
because if you learn French will it affect your English? No.”
His research project “Red Dot, Blue Sea: A Marine
Environmental History of Singapore’s Coastal Spaces Assoc. Prof. Tan further notes that while Singlish exists as a
from Precolonial Times to the Present” focuses on hybrid common language and hence a common marker of identity
marine development whereby marine species are seen as among Singaporeans, the position of Singaporean English
expendable in the face of development needs. Asst. Prof. itself, separate from Singlish or indeed British or American
Powell’s investigation into Singapore’s marine heritage is variants offers another platform for the creation of a unique
an important contribution to the wider exploration of our Singaporean identity.
Singaporean identity; the tangible links between our rich
ecological heritage and the wider Singapore Story cannot be She explains, “English in Singapore, not Singlish, but the
understated. English spoken here, is different and it has gone through
a whole cycle of stabilization, contact, and innovations that
While the loss of species is often seen as a result of have come in and evolved into this thing that we scholars call
development and specifically the opening of major Singapore English and I think it has the potential [to stand] on
international sea trading routes, Asst. Prof. Powell hopes to its own. This is the language that we have to own because it
reinforce the notion that foreign species are also introduced is ours”.
into the system as a result of trade. He notes, “in the case
of rubber coming from South America and the great deal of Nevertheless, Assoc. Prof. Tan believes that while Singapore
research that went into figuring out how to cultivate these English may be seen as the language that makes up an
products in Southeast Asia and how to make them adapt to integral part of Singaporean identity, many [citizens] are not
this environment, Singapore’s [environmental] history is not ready to attribute to it the same prestige as British or American
as simple”. varieties of English. “There is still the general perception that
something from the outside is better… but this [is actually
Whilst the national narrative of progress and development suggestive of] a lack of confidence and therefore a lack of
constellations | 2018 issue 2
Concluding Thoughts
As we approach Singapore’s Bicentenial Celebrations in
By only looking at one 2019, Singapore Studies scholars shed light on our collective
language group’s literature, experience of Singapore’s linguistic heritage and history.
While it is still a relatively small subfield, the research done
we neglect and forget in Singapore Studies paves the way for growing academic
interest among the wider Singaporean academic community.
the rest just like how
Given the varied and interesting research projects that
sometimes people talk Singapore Studies scholars have embarked on at NTU, we
can only expect this field to become increasingly diverse and
about Singapore’s sucess vibrant in the years to come. n
stories but forget what has
been lost along the way.
What are the things that
we have given up?
10
ownership of the language. We are different but we are not
abnormal, just different. And I’m trying to get the message
out, that there is nothing wrong with it” she elaborates.
The challenges of owning a language and thus a shared
identity also mirrors the renegotiation of Singaporean
identity in literature and art. Whilst Assoc. Prof. Tan proposes
a re-evaluation of Singaporean English as a gateway to
achieving greater pride in our national heritage, Assoc. Prof.
Sim adds that we cannot “assume that the only platform
in which multiculturalism, interculturalism, cross cultural
identification can work in Singapore is in English. I think
understanding that diversity [in our vernacular literatures]
can help people to move beyond a purist and prescriptivist
notion of language [that] cloisters our identity”.
Fostering local linguistic heritage and diversity is therefore an
invaluable strategy for enabling a multifaceted outlook. “By
only looking at one language group’s literature, we neglect
and forget the rest just like how sometimes people talk
about Singapore’s success stories [but] forget what has been
lost along the way. What are the things that we have given
up?” he asks.
constellations | 2018 issue 211
constellations | 2018 issue 2LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION:
12 An interview with Kingsley Bolton
By
Nicolette Wong & Lindsay Chong
Many local students who enter University from Junior A 2016 EdeX-funded study on the communication needs
College or Polytechnic generally have good basic proficiency of students at NTU reported that the ones in greatest need
in the English language. More often than not, however, this of assistance are Engineering and Science students. Of the
is vernacular English – Singapore English, or ‘Singlish’. The 10,000 students currently under the LCC’s purview, roughly
mistake of using colloquial English in academic essays or 60% are from the College of Engineering and 20% are from
reports is prevalent not just in Singaporean students but also the College of Sciences. The LCC has produced specially-
in many around the world. This reveals a skills gap in the vast written course materials for these students (which have since
majority of students who by and large are fluent in English, been published by Routledge). Almost every student in these
but may not be equipped in academic communication. In colleges undertakes communication or writing courses
response to this, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) throughout their university career. For instance, as core
has set up the Language and Communication Centre (LCC), subjects under the General Education Requirement, Physics
a teaching centre which aims at improving the academic students from the School of Physics and Mathematical
literacy of students throughout NTU. Sciences attend Scientific Communication classes, while
Engineering students have multiple mandatory Engineering
Students entering University for the first time may not Communication classes spread over the course of their
be used to the expectations of writing at a higher level of degree.
expression and proficiency. At Junior College level, mandatory
General Paper classes instruct students on argumentative This is not to say that the other schools at NTU are not
and expository writing; while, depending on the course, eligible for communication courses in the LCC. Students
Polytechnic graduates are trained in academic report writing. in the English program take a course entitled ‘Introduction
Notwithstanding these prior practices, many students still to Critical Writing’ in their first semester of undergraduate
find themselves struggling to meet the standards required studies. Plans are underway to tailor classes to the needs
at University. This results in work that is effectively a mix of Humanities students who specialise in different genres of
of academic and colloquial English. The LCC’s main goal is writing – whether analytical, persuasive or expository.
to bridge the gap between communicating colloquially and
academically. The EdeX study conducted by the LCC showed that
constellations | 2018 issue 213
undergraduates in fact face far fewer difficulties in English scolded for their English, Singaporeans actually speak the
communication than postgraduate students. There have best English in the region,” laughs Prof. Bolton, referring to
been more requests from the various colleges to run courses Singaporeans’ preferential use of colloquial Singlish.
related to academic research writing for Masters and PhD
students. One strong area of research is in World Englishes, with
particular attention dedicated to Asian Englishes and
The LCC’s research interests lie in English-medium education the study of English-medium education. Google Scholar
in the Asian region. Projects on Hong Kong, Korea, Cambodia, indicates that ‘World Englishes’, a journal co-produced by
and other Asian societies are now ongoing. There has been NTU and the University of Michigan, is presently one of the
a great deal of research into the impact of English as an leading journals that deals with the English Language and
academic language across the whole of Asia – including Literature.
India, Japan and Korea – as well as in the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The LCC believes that good research produces good teaching,
and so its strong research arm has allowed it to enhance
“It is significant that ASEAN has chosen English as its official its teaching platforms. This includes working with the
language,” says Professor Kingsley Bolton, Head of the LCC Teaching, Learning, Pedagogy Division (TLPD) to implement
and Professor of English Linguistics in the Linguistics and Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) and Outcomes Based
Multilingual Studies department. “The ten ASEAN countries Teaching and Learning (OBTL). While these elements have
are all attempting to move towards introducing English strengthened the LCC’s approach to teaching, it has not,
as a medium for teaching. The future for the LCC as a however, become its sole focus.
communication centre is to give some sort of leadership in
that area.” Engineering students have access to a micro-site that
streams videos of lectures and provides helpful tips for
The LCC believes that Singapore’s English-medium education their writing assignments. Prof. Bolton stresses that these
system positions it as a leader in the study of English as the are ‘enhancements’ and not replacements. In the School of
official language of education. “Even though they’re often Humanities, the traditional student-teacher interaction is
constellations | 2018 issue 214
constellations | 2018 issue 2key to a substantial classroom learning experience. In his
opinion, it would be hasty to do away with what is tried and CONSTELLATIONS
true. “We have introduced TEL elements into our courses in In your experience, has coaching been
the LCC, but we don’t see these as a magic bullet to replace an effective way for students to learn?
traditional classroom teaching,” explains Prof. Bolton. Most
classes are conducted in a way that encourages experiential
learning. Consequentially, the LCC is careful not to rely too HUDA
heavily on online elements that might detract from these Most of the time if you show them how to
interactive classroom sessions. improve based on whatever strategy, they do
catch on quite quick. Usually people can also
As for OBTL, the LCC acknowledges its usefulness in catch their own mistakes once their writing
making clear the aims and intentions of teaching and to is read out loud. Often they just need a nudge,
help standardise the quality of education. Many of the LCC’s although there are some students who might
courses have already completed OBTL, and the faculty has need more help with their English. With those,
continued working closely with the TLPD. The Science team we try to provide more guidance.
in the LCC is currently working with TLPD on a TEL course to
be introduced in AY18/19.
SHER LI
Interview with Student Coaches Often it’s just a case of the student needing
another pair of eyes to tell them constructively
After speaking with Prof. Bolton, we decided to talk to some how to improve in their communication in
of the student coaches at the Communication Cube who their assignments, presentations, or tasks.
15
provide the undergraduate and postgraduate peer coaching.
Huda and Sher Li completed their Masters degrees in English HUDA
in 2018.
We don’t touch on content, because it’s still
their work.
Both coaches agreed that the most rewarding part of their
jobs is the collaborative aspect. In an environment like the
CommCube, coaches are exposed to the work of their peers SHER LI
in different schools and get to collaborate with them in the It’s just a matter of how they convey their
creation and presentation of their projects. argument.
The Cube trains all its peer coaches and believes it should not
be giving out fishes, but teaching to fish. Working together, as opposed to writing them down.
the coach and the student hone in on key issues and the
coach provides strategies that may be applied to address Anyone can benefit from the coaching service offered by the
those issues. The coaches emphasise that it is not content CommCube. Dissertations, journal submissions, essays,
they engage with, but communication. presentations—the coaches are glad to provide advice on
how to communicate more lucidly and efficiently, whether in
Students from all over NTU utilise the Cube’s service. writing or speech. To book an appointment, log on to NTU’s
Since the coaches do not provide content, not possessing Facilities Reservation System via Student Link and briefly
subject-specific knowledge does not hamper their abilities. describe what you would like to work on.
For example, according to Sher Li, they regularly get
appointments with Engineering students who want help The Cube is open throughout the year from Mondays to
with their technical proposals. The students are tasked with Fridays and occasionally on Saturdays. For full opening
identifying and solving a problem and want to ensure that the hours, please visit the LCC CommCube website.
way they have organised their papers properly addresses the
question. If the coaches do not understand certain jargon, they If you are interested in becoming a coach, do keep an eye out
ask. Working with their fellow students is a bidirectional effort for the recruitment announcement blasts that are sent out
and often the very act of articulating their ideas in a simplified regularly. n
manner helps both parties to better understand the thought
processes that went into the crafting of the argument. As
Sher Li says, there is a marked difference between describing
The LCC CommCube is located on Level 1 (6th
one’s thoughts and ideas spontaneously storey) of The Hive. To learn more about LCC
CommCube, visit www.lcc.soh.ntu.edu.sg
constellations | 2018 issue 2DECLARATIVES
Margaret Devadason
The moon is a streetlight; you lean into its stem.
God is a gardener; she welds the soft veins apart.
This pavement is a boneyard; I found the river here.
17
That bed is empty; a bird picks through the stones.
A stone bench rests. A man rests on it. A moth rests,
its gentle wings unmoving, up there on the moon.
constellations | 2018 issue 2KEVIN THE BACON WHO WANTS
TO BE EATEN BUT IS STUCK IN
THE HOUSE OF A VEGAN
By
Josiah Tan How Rong
Kevin knows his destiny. He knows it like an astrologist knows “Cornelius Siow Bai Cai! Stop corn-plaining and come help me!”
his horoscopes. He knows it like a cat lady knows how all rom-
coms end. Kevin, the bacon, was made to be eaten and he would Just after Cornelius drags his feet away from the kitchen, Tofu,
do anything in his power to achieve this. This, he knows. Beetroot and Lettuce come to life! As do all the foods in the kitchen!
Except King Edward, who was ever the couch potato.
What he does not know- is why he is in a vegan’s kitchen. The
vile stench of soy products and quinoa intrudes the air. As Kevin Tofu remarks, “Oh shucks, Cornelius left. Do you think he’ll be back
lies on the edge of the kitchen countertop, he thinks aggressively, soon?”
“What kind of sick bastard leaves a piece of bacon in the house
18 of a vegan?” But he knows in his little bacon heart that there is Beetroot replies, “Beets me.”
no sense in trying to solve this mystery; that there is little point
in complaining about his predicament. Who is going to listen to “Lettuce start without him then,” Lettuce declares.
the troubles of a piece of bacon, anyway? A bacon therapist? No.
There are no bacon therapists in this vegan house. Tofu
How do we prepare a vegan meal? Start with some vegetables to
The time for talk is nigh. In order for Kevin to have any hope of get a feel. Step into the Tupperware, don’t be scared, or Cornelius
being eaten, he has to take action. He needs wit, grit, and mobility. will be spanked by his dad.
Unfortunately, just like worms, bacons have no limbs, which
makes moving around especially challenging. For Kevin to move, Respective vegetables
he relies on his own grease to slide around. It is a sad sight to Celery, eggplant, chickpea, avocado! Broccoli, spinach, turnip and
behold. tomato!
The final remnants of chatter between young chaps and lasses Tofu
fade into Prepare to be eaten by Cornelius the vegan! Sliding down to his
abdomen and out through his colon!
Beeeep, beeeeep, beeeeeep. A young vegan chap trudges into the
kitchen and towards the microwave oven. He opens it up and takes Kevin
a deep breath, “Finally, some peas and quiet.” True enough to his That’s the idea. That much is clear. I gotta find a way into the entree.
well-thymed joke, the vegan chap is having microwaved peas.
Tofu
From beyond the kitchen, a female voice nags, “Cornelius, don’t This vegetable spread looks really cute, We even fit in some
forget to prepare your lunch for tomorrow.” bamboo shoots, Now let’s take a look at some juicy fruits, Before
we move on to meat substitutes!
Groaning, Cornelius puts down his peas and reaches for a
Tupperware from the shelf next to the fridge. Respective fruits
Pineapple, raisin, orange, mango! Grapefruit, kiwis, blueberries,
“When life gives you lemons,” Kevin thinks. tomato!
Cornelius opens the fridge and lets the cool air tickle his supple Vegetables
vegan skin. Scanning the contents of the fridge, he groans and Tomato is a vegetable!
laments, “Why can’t food just prepare itself?”
Fruits
“Cornelius, come help mommy clean the living room first.” Tomato is a fruit!
“Ugh! Now I have to prepare lunch and clean the living room?”
constellations | 2018 issue 2Vegetables I’m nice and snug, and now we wait...
Vegetable!
“What are you doing here,” a commanding voice reverberates
Fruits through the Tupperware. Kevin looks around and the voice
Fruit! repeats, “What are you doing here?”
Kevin asks, “What are you talking about? Who are you?”
Vegetables
Vegetable! “This meal is for the vegan chap Cornelius, and you are not vegan.”
Fruits “I’m facon. Vegan bacon. I know, it’s confusing. Even I fool myself
Fruit! sometimes.”
Tofu “Who are you trying to fool, little bacon? I felt your grease as soon
Guys! Let tomato decide. What do you want to be? as you slid inside me.”
Tomato Kevin freezes. “Mr. Wholemeal Bread, please don’t kick me out. My
All my life I have never known. Do you have any proof? Where is name is Kevin and I am just trying to fulfil my destiny.”
it shown?
“Your destiny?”
Fruits
You have seeds like a fruit! These are facts you can trust. “Yes Mr. Wholemeal Bread. My destiny. The same destiny as yours:
to be eaten,”
Vegetables
But you behave like a vegetable, you belong with us! “Hm, Kevin the bacon who wants to be eaten but is stuck in the
19 house of a vegan. You don’t see the simple truth,” Mr. Wholemeal
Tofu Bread pauses, giving Kevin a moment to contemplate, then
Why not both? A fruit-getable! ... I see it is not my place to speak, continues, “Tofu, Grapefruit, Beetroot - they are vegan foods in a
I’ll just go handle the fake meats. Tofu patties, veggie burger, Tofu vegan house.”
meatballs, add some flavour! Facon in your FLT,
Kevin stares blankly at Mr. Wholemeal Bread, unsure why he was
Kevin stating the obvious.
It’s really called a BLT.
“You are a piece of meat in a vegan house. No one is going to eat
Tofu you, yet you insist on being eaten. Tofu? He never wanted to be
Who said that? Was it you, chickpea? eaten, but here he is.”
Chickpea Kevin looks over at Tofu who is gingerly trying to scrape off the
I’m making falafels with fava beans. burnt parts of Falafel with a knife.
Tofu “Tofu looked ecstatic to prepare the vegan meal.”
Hmm. I must be hearing things.
“The world is absurd and cruel, but Tofu has managed to find a way
Kevin to accept it. You, on the other hand...You struggle against it and
I have to be quiet or risk being seen. I must be eaten, that much is don’t even know why. If you’ll accept that you won’t be eaten, then
true. Lettuce and Tomato, right on cue. you will discover a life worth living. Just some food for thought.”
Lettuce “You’re just trying to convince me to leave.”
Lettuce make haste, Cornelius is returning
“But the choice is still yours.”
Tomato
Set aside your hate. Oh Gourd! Falafels are burning. Lettuce and Tomato approach the Tupperware with Tofu, who has
now transformed into a real facon, merrily sliding along. As they
Falafels hop inside, Kevin wriggles out.
OH MY GOURD! Stop drop and roll! Stop drop and roll!
Kevin looks around the countertop. All the vegan foods have
Lettuce gone and all the Tupperwares have closed. The kitchen no longer
Somebody put out the fire! smells of burnt falafels anymore. Any trace of sentient food activity
that was there is now gone. The kitchen is as it had been before
Kevin Cornelius left, quinoa stench and all, except for the packed vegan
Gonna slip right in into this wholemeal slice, while the others are meal.
saving the falafel guys. Over-grease the pan, that plan was great.
constellations | 2018 issue 2Squeak.
NTU Creative Writing
From the far corner of the countertop, Kevin spots a rat scanning
the area and taking a whiff of the room, faintly catching the scent
Competition
of bacon.
Over the last few years, NTU has established itself as a
“I’m not going to be eaten by a dang rat,” Kevin thinks to himself.
vibrant centre for Creative Writing with its exciting array
He slowly slides towards the windowsill, trying to avoid grabbing of writing courses, a Writing Residency Programme that
the attention of Dang Rat. Suffice to say, he was in a bit of a pickle. has housed many award-winning writers, and a growing
list of student and alumni writers who have published
Dang Rat whiffs and creeps- it slips on a trail of grease and takes their first book. To further enhance the nurturing and
a moment to find its footing. Its dang eyes follow the grease trail. inspiring qualities of our programme, the NTU Creative
Kevin stops in his tracks, turns back and looks dead into Dang Writing Competition was introduced last year, with
Rat’s eyes. the focus on two categories – poetry and short fiction.
The response was wonderful, with many excellent
Dang Rat breaks into a scurry. To think that something came along
wanting to eat Kevin only after he decided that he did not want to
submissions in both genres, making the judging process
be eaten after all. Fate is cruel. difficult for our writers-in-residence: British novelist
Helen Oyeyemi and Singapore poet Tse Hao Guang.
Just then, Dang Rat slides on the grease again. Squeeeak.
Immediately, Kevin starts sliding around over and over on the These are the results and the judges’ comments:
same spot as Dang Rat continues charging ahead at full speed.
SHORT FICTION
Before Dang Rat attempts to bite at him, Kevin flips himself out
20 of harm’s way, while Dang Rat slides across the pool of grease
Josiah Tan How Rong’s ‘Kevin the Bacon Who
created by Kevin. That Dang Rat skids past Kevin, hopelessly
grabbing at him as it slides out the windowsill. Wants To Be Eaten But Is Stuck In The House Of A
Vegan’ is a formally adventurous tale with a riotously
Kevin slides to the windowsill, looking down to see where Dang engaging voice that made it such a pleasure to read.
Rat landed, but it was nowhere to be found. Dang Rat survived. The
vegans would be happy. Paul Victor Patinadan is commended for the stark and
startling poeticism of his story ‘’The Sugar Skull Man’,
Kevin looks to the open world; the sun radiating gold on the deep
blue canvas as birds chirp on gold-tipped trees. As Kevin relishes Alexis Alexis Ong En Na is praised for the subtly yet
the moment, he thinks to himself, “Now, I am my own bacon. Now,
stubbornly probing prose of her story ‘When I Grow
I am just Kevin the ba-”
Up’.
A toucan swoops down on Kevin and picks him off.
And thus, Kevin the Bacon will be eaten, not by human but by POETRY
toucan.
Declaratives by Margaret Louise Devadason: Quiet,
understated power in sharp images of night. The
structure reminds me of Old English poetry, each line
broken into two halves, which makes the rhythmic
change at the end all the more delightful. A clear
winner.
Tiara binte M Hamarian’s Persian Rugs: Prose
poetry is tricky, but I think this piece deftly balances
the demands of both sides of the equation. There is a
tendency towards exoticising, but the lullaby repetition
of the first and last lines helps me buy in.
Love for English Breakfast Tea Explained by Sarah
Tan Shu Ling: I love how, especially in the early parts
of the poem, the poet has chosen to be matter-of-fact,
explanatory. Too often such subject matter becomes
sentimental in the hands of someone less sensitive.
Other winning entries are available on:
www.constellations.sg
constellations | 2018 issue 2DIGITAL HUMANITIES
21 AT NTU
By
Asst Prof Michael Stanley-Baker
The question is often asked: what is Digital Humanities (DH)? projects at NTU.
Is it the study of humanistic questions with the aid of digital
tools? Is it the study of how digitization and algorithms are Second, the College of Humanities formed a DH research
changing human relations and human culture? Is it the cluster, coordinated by Associate Professor Francis Bond
study of machine-human interactions, such as how humans and Assistant Professor Michael Stanley-Baker. Researchers
and artificial intelligence (AI) respond to one another? Is from across the College of Humanities, Arts and Social
it experimentation in new forms of visualization, art and Sciences have come together to share their research
sound? Rather than delimiting the question, DH researchers questions, methodological approaches and technical tools.
at NTU have adopted an inclusive attitude to form a space Gathering together these researchers and their interests will
where researchers coming from any of these approaches result in a new website portal to showcase DH research and
and more can come together to share ideas and approaches. new workshops and conferences. A new book chapter titled
“Digital Humanities in Singapore” by Miguel Escobar Varela,
2018 has seen three new developments that will significantly Andrea Nanetti, and Michael Stanley-Baker will be published
increase the profile and potential of Digital Humanities in the forthcoming volume, Digital Humanities and Scholarly
research at NTU, within Singapore and Southeast Asia. First, Research Trends in the Asia-Pacific.
the new NTU Institute of Science and Technology for Humanity
(NISTH) identified Digital Humanities as a fundamental Third, the DH Cluster coordinators, together with Tan
component of the institute and a key methodological interest. Choon Keng, Assistant Director (Research Affairs) in
As part of this initiative, a Digital Humanities lab has been CoHASS, successfully bid to host the Pacific Neighbourhood
allocated and will be unveiled later this year as part of the Consortium (PaNC) conference in 2019 (pnclink.org). Winning
NISTH offices. This will include space and equipment for this bid puts NISTH, NTU and Singapore on the world map as
visiting researchers to come and work as well as a bank of a center for cutting-edge DH research. One of three major
computers and large screens for training workshops and DH conferences in the Pacific Rim, PNC has been previously
informal sharing sessions. The newly appointed DH Project hosted at such prestigious sites such as the Getty Centre, the
Manager will support and coordinate existing and new DH University of Macau, the National Palace Museum Taipei, and
constellations | 2018 issue 2Kyoto University. Originally founded at Berkeley, and now
based in Academia Sinica, Taipei, PNC encourages scholars,
academic institutions, and universities to collaborate and
exchange their academic resources and research expertise.
Graham Matthews and Hallam Stevens are working with
colleagues at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of
Intelligence, based at the University of Cambridge, to host a
workshop on AI Narratives in Singapore. As AI and robotics As AI and robotics begin
begin to fulfil their promise, they arrive with a host of meanings
and cultural associations that significantly influence their
to fulfil their promise,
development, regulation and place in public opinion. This
workshop brings international experts into dialogue with
they arrive with a host
researchers from a wide range of subject areas across the of meanings and cultural
university as well as representatives from heritage, industry,
and the arts in order to explore the evolving relationship associations that
between AI, culture, and society in Singapore.
significantly influence their
What follows is a selection of innovative Digital Humanities
projects currently underway in the School of Humanities.
development, regulation
There are many more bold and exciting DH projects across
NTU encompassing subfields such as machine-human
and place in public opinion.
22
interactions and digital arts. For a more complete list,
please see our online portal: http://class.cohass.ntu.edu.sg/
Research/Pages/Digital-Humanities-Research-Cluster.aspx
The study of humanistic questions
with digital tools
The most well-heeled form of approach in Digital Humanities,
these projects span the disciplines of history, linguistics,
literature, heritage and anthropology. of production. National Taiwan University and the Max Planck
Institute for the History of Science worked with Michael to
History develop the engine called Docusky, part of a close ecology
of tools and datasets being developed within the Sinological
Engineering Historical Memory (EHM), started by Andrea community. Michael is developing the project to work in
Nanetti in 2007, focuses on how to engineer the treasure of other corpuses, in order to extend the study across multiple
human experiences to serve decision making, knowledge historical regions, periods and languages.
transmission, and visionarios. Research derived from this
project develops and applies computationally intensive Heritage and Linguistics
techniques (e.g. pattern recognition, data mining, machine
learning algorithms derived from other disciplines, interactive Aung Soe Illustrations is an open-access online database
and visualization solutions), tools that can be readily adopted of periodical and book illustrations by Bagyi Aung Soe (1923–
by users to visualize high volumes of data through maps, 1990), Myanmar’s trailblazer of modern art and most prolific
timelines, tag clouds, and/or interconnected graphs on illustrator of the twentieth-century. It seeks to conserve the
different scales. memory of this artistic, cultural and intellectual heritage,
uncover and reinterpret the (hi)story of a country’s modern
Drugs Across Asia, by Michael Stanley-Baker, develops art through digitisation, visual analysis, ontology creation,
tools to examine the distribution of drug knowledge (and by data curation, database design and data visualisation of 6,000
extension, any other similar knowledge set) across the entire illustrations and 60 texts sourced from private and public
Buddhist and Daoist canons, as well as pre-modern Chinese libraries.
medical texts. The project provides tools to philologically
identify the distribution of large-volume term searches, using The Open Multilingual Wordnet based at NTU is a project
Post-Search-Classification (PSC) to filter them according to by Francis Bond of the Linguistics and Multilingual Studies
meta-data such as time, genre, author and geographic site Programme in NTU’s School of Humanities. The project
constellations | 2018 issue 2provides access to open wordnets in a variety of languages, in collaboration with Dr Ronan Crowley from the Centre for
all linked to the Princeton Wordnet of English. WordNet® is Manuscript Genetics, University of Antwerp and will involve
a large lexical database of a given language. The resulting input from postgraduate students.
network of meaningfully related words and concepts can be
navigated with a browser, and its components are open: they Katherine Hindley is exploring the medieval belief that
can be freely used, modified, and shared by anyone for any spoken and written words — in the form of charms and
purpose. textual amulets — could physically change the world. She
has collected over a thousand examples of charms copied
The Archaeological Linguistics and the Prehistory in England between the eighth and the fifteenth centuries
of Northeast India project currently being developed by and intends to create an illustrated database to make these
Alexander Coupe digitizes a corpus of language materials charm texts publicly searchable. It will be possible to search
collected in Nagaland. This includes annotated texts that are both by full text and by categories including date, purpose,
time-aligned to transcriptions, plus electronic dictionaries manuscript call number, the languages of the instructions
from a number of minority language communities. The kind and incantations, and whether the efficacious words should
of textual data that the project will make publicly available be spoken or written.
can be sampled through the Pangloss platform.
Koh Tai Ann’s compilation, the comprehensive Singapore
The Digital Intangible Heritage of Asia (DIHA) portal Literature in English: An Annotated Bibliography,
incorporates archival projects which record tradition and attempts to be a complete archive of English-language
transformation in language use and textiles. Among these, Singapore literature, identifying, classifying and describing
Exploring the Crossroads of Linguistic Diversity: books, periodicals and other materials. Based at NTU and
Language Contact in Southeast Asia addresses gaps in created in collaboration with the NTU library, it is Singapore’s
23
our knowledge of endemic multi-lingualism by documenting first digital bibliography of national literature in one of the
four endangered languages while simultaneously exploring official languages, and may be the first of its kind in Southeast
four language contact situations in Southeast Asia. Also Asia.
associated with DHIA, AILCA 2.0 – The Archive of
Indigenous Languages and Cultures of Asia is the first As of 1 August 2018, the site has received 36,236 user-visits.
digital archive for endangered languages to be set up in Asia. The numbers per year have been growing annually since
Emphasis is placed on the maintenance or even revitalization its launch in October, 2013 with an average of 750 visits per
of languages through the creation of educational material month. 65% of user sessions are from Singapore and a
and by supporting local/regional language centers. significant percentage, 35%, is global: in the top 10 in order of
number of visits are USA, Philippines, Malaysia, India, United
The Armenian Church Project, headed by Michael Walsh, Kingdom, Australia, China, Japan, Indonesia, and Canada.
applies cutting edge visualization technologies to the historic
city of Famagusta in the non-UN recognized country of Digital Mapping the Literary Epigraph by Graham
Northern Cyprus, and is setting a model for cultural heritage Matthews and Francis Bond investigates the intellectual
preservation in post-conflict zones. The project aims to study genealogies of English-language literary works as ascribed
and protect the fragile cultural heritage of Famagusta with by their authors in epigraphs — the short quotations
the full understanding that the applied VR, AR, immersive, (sometimes misquotations) of other authors in the initial
interactive and 4D story-telling technologies are serious pages of a published work. By tracking the epigraphs’
academic tools that contain immense, largely unharnessed, appearance through recording the meta-data in thousands
pedagogical potential. Michael Walsh is now turning his of books, the project seeks to trace networks of influence and
attention to Singapore and its heritage sites, in particular their geographic distribution over time.
Waterloo Street.
Ethnography
Literature
In her forthcoming Spatial Ethnography project, Kristy
Richard Barlow is creating an online research platform Kang investigates how ethnic communities are changing in
to gather links to the available digitized scholarship on cities. Building on insights from her previous project, Seoul
Finnegans Wake (1939) and to connect this scholarship to of Los Angeles, this project focusses on Singapore, asking
a digitized version of the text itself. This will show readers how migration and movement are changing our experience of
what analysis is available on specific passages. The project cities, their peoples and our own sense of identity. Examining
will also create a research ‘map’ of the Wake showing the history of Singapore’s multi-ethnic communities, this
which sections have been covered extensively and which project aims to tell the story of how overlapping stories of
areas have received less attention. Work will be carried out migration transform the way we understand urban ethnic
constellations | 2018 issue 2communities. Concluding Remarks
How digitization and algorithms are changing These diverse interests and approaches at NTU promise to
human relations and human culture inspire new research and new approaches in the coming
years. As the conversation around DH grows, through
These projects do not necessarily use digital tools to conduct support from NISTH, in the new DH lab, and in forthcoming
their analysis, but they all engage critically with the ways the workshops and conferences, no doubt more patterns will
digital is changing human culture, relations and ethics. emerge as well as thicker continuities across these existing
Melvin Chen is coordinating a research group on AI projects. These developments are just the beginning of
from the perspective of analytical philosophy and ethics. greater things to come. n
Examples of the questions his group is pursuing include:
should ethical decision-making in AI systems be modelled
on human beings? Should ethical decision-making in AI
be fully autonomous or should there always be an element
of human oversight? Conversely, might AI systems be
developed to help detect and reduce human biases and
let’s get
prejudices? This group is planning symposia, white papers
and journal articles on various aspects of the ethics of AI,
which will also inform policymakers about the key ethical
issues and challenges surrounding AI.
24
Michelle Chiang of the English Department at NTU
examines how VR breaks down the fourth wall. By analyzing
the way virtual reality environments like Unity Engine and
connected
Oculus reposition the viewer within the field of dramatic
action, she reevaluates Beckett’s use of the absurd and
Deleuze’s multiplicity of differential processes. Describing the
subject position of the viewer within the virtual environment
as a position akin to that of a ghost, she has developed the
framework of “hauntology” for analyzing VR performance
and audience interactivity.
Alton Chua is investigating the spread of “fake news” and
how rumors spread in different languages across different
platforms such as Twitter and other web platforms. His
research asks how “fake news” spreads through word of
mouth, how quickly rumors spread through digital media
compared to word of mouth, and how clickbait functions to
anticipate cognitive, affective and pragmatic responses.
Hallam Stevens and Shirley Sun are studying data.gov.
sg to investigate the Singapore government’s intentions and
vehicles to become a leader in data science and analytics. Hear about all the latest updates in the
In 2011, the government created the website to make large
quantities of data available to the public in various formats, School of Humanities by following us
currently including demographics, traffic, crime, economics, on our social media platforms!
geographic/GIS data, health data and a wide variety of other
kinds of data. This project asks what steps Singapore can
take to ensure not only that everyone in Singapore has
equal access to data, but also that the benefits of data use /ntuhumanities/
are distributed as equally as possible and that everyone is
represented as equally as possible within data sets. This
project aims to explore the ways government data are /ntu_humanities/
collected, stored, and analyzed in Singapore so as to develop
strategies for socially responsible and just data use.
/ntu_humanities/
constellations | 2018 issue 225
constellations | 2018 issue 2OUTCOMES BASED
26
TEACHING AND LEARNING
By
Divyata Raut & Lavinia Tang
Students, get ready to see your modules in a different light reap greater benefits as they have a clearer understanding of
very soon. Nanyang Technological University is taking the exact skill set their modules have equipped them with.
considerable measures to fine-tune its academic curriculum The OBTL movement has been in the works for the past
structure to heighten students’ interest in their modules. two years at NTU and focuses less on the specific content
You will gain greater control over your module planning and that the educator aims to cover in their courses, and more
course selection by accessing the module learning outcomes on the exact skills that students can confidently take away
via NTU Learn. This is why the University’s Teaching, Learning with them. The learning outcomes also address the 5 C’s
and Pedagogy Division (TLPD) is in the process of rolling out that the University aims to instill in all students by the end
Outcomes Based Teaching and Learning (OBTL) for all of of their academic programme: Character, Civic-mindedness,
NTU’s modules by 2020. Creativity, Competence and Communication.
OBTL is a curriculum structure that requires educators to In order to help professors align their courses’ learning
inform students about the specific details of their educational outcomes with appropriate assessments, TLPD takes on an
goals before they start the course itself. This greater advisory role for the various faculties in NTU. Dr. Peter Looker,
emphasis on learning outcomes means that students will be Head of TLPD, tells Constellations, “Going to University is not
introduced to the precise skills that each course will equip just about memorising things. This initiative ensures that
them with. However inconsequential this minor change students will be able to critically evaluate exactly what they
might feel, these outcomes give students a roadmap that can do as students.” He believes that in order to gauge the
guides them from the start to the end of the course. true capacity of students, it is crucial to include higher-order
thinking skills in the list of learning outcomes.
Why is it so important to know the learning outcomes
before the course begins? Clarifying outcomes through To test this belief, Dr. Looker has conducted focus groups to
pointers like “By the end of the course, you will learn the examine the success-rate of OBTL, and has found that most
following skills... ” gives students faith in the quality of their students respond well to knowing the learning outcomes. It
educational experience at NTU with a tangible list of skills gives them more confidence when approaching the module
learnt. With this new curriculum structure, students stand to as they know the precise skills they will be equipped with.
constellations | 2018 issue 2You can also read
