Malays – Tradition, Conflict and Change
Taken in: AY18/19 Sem 2
Expected Grade: A-
Actual Grade: B+
This module is the Malay Studies introductory module and to put it right at the beginning, I extremely recommend everyone to take it up because it is really super super interesting and easily my favourite module of the semester! It is also manageable as an exposure module (i.e. I did a lot of last minute work for this module because of commitments from other modules and still fared okay for this; honestly I think it was my class part that pulled me down but I will get back to this later) so do be open to taking up this module to clear your Asian basket and you will really be surprised!
What this module entails is really a very brief (brief since it is the teaching of a relatively long timeline within one semester) history on the Malay world from its very beginning until today. It is very well-structured with each week having a focus on a certain topic. So if you think about it another way, it is like Southeast Asian history but more focused on the Malay world which is essentially part of SEA. The prof really makes the lecture very interesting and he himself is a very animated speaker so it really helps in keeping you interested during lectures. The topics he touched on are also really interesting e.g. how the Malay culture has changed and remained the same with colonisation and modernism, and it really has given me more insights into Malay culture and heritages! This module also takes on, I feel, a very sociological way of tackling Malay history so that is one point to note as well. Okay, but truth be told, many do skip lectures because all of the important content are found in the slides that he uploads. But I still try to attend every lecture because of some of the extra stories he tells and because of his lecture style!
Assessment-wise;
Class Participation 20%
Term Paper 20%
Finals 60%
As mentioned above, I think class part pulled me down because I rarely engaged in any discussion that was class-based, only group-based. My tutor set tutorials in a way where we would have group discussion and then someone would present (and that was never me). As a result, I probably only earned credits for being present for tutorial so I can only blame my passive self if I got a low participation score. So, (try as I might to remind myself too) do always try to speak up even if it scares you or you are intimidated by it! Term paper was fun because you were free to choose a topic that you were interested in, I did mine on the role of sultanates in the Malay world and how they changed with the times. Finals might look intimidating since it is 60% (and it is also the first time for me that my finals weighed so much) but if you study the lecture notes and do your readings you will be fine! So just make sure you do your due diligence to do well for finals!
Overall, this is really a very very fun and interesting module for me so I highly recommend it! And it really is manageable because the only thing you have to worry about is your term paper for the semester, if your workload is really heavy throughout the sem, you can always leave studying for finals during reading week and the days before the exam (this is what I did). The bonus is that there is no presentation (if you hate this) and no group work of any form and it is completely individual! So, do consider it because the things you learn in this module is really really very interesting.
shenaniganswpie 