AY14/15 Semester 2

Sorry for the late post! Here's the modules I took for Y1S2. Those modules with an asterisk * are the core modules Econs majors need to clear. Actually, you can find the core mods to take online, just Google. Fyi, I have notes for EC2101, EC2102 and EC2104. If you're interested, PM me on carousell. (My username: memorylane)

EC2101: Microeconomics 1*

Lecturer: Zhang Yang
Components: Class participation (present at least once) and attendance, midterms, 2 problem sets, finals.
Webcast: Available
Difficulty Level: 3/5
Textbook: Can be found online in pdf. Never used it at all.
Comments: This mod wasn't very intuitive for me, not sure why but I found it quite hard initially. The content delivered in lectures by Prof Zhang seems simple and easy to understand, but she's really good in setting questions that are anything but easy. So be careful, the concepts aren't hard to grasp but the questions can be tricky. Prof Zhang is very helpful and approachable, so do not be scared to find her and ask questions! You'll have to do 2 problem sets, around 10-15%? People tend to get close to full marks for this, so if you're unsure, do find a friend to discuss. Quite a bit of math is involved in this course. Nothing much to say cos this is a core mod which Econs majors have to take anyway. If you're not an Econs major, er... just be aware of the competition.


EC2102: Macroeconomics 2*

Lecturer: Serene Tan
Components: Class participation & attendance (20%), midterms (30%), finals (50%)
Webcast: Not available
Difficulty Level: 3/5
Textbook: Online pdf available. Quite useful to understand certain concepts.
Comments: Dr Serene is very good in delivering the material, she only teaches in Semester 2 so I would highly recommend you to do this mod in sem 2. She's very clear in delivering the concepts which can be quite difficult for some. Many drawing of graphs, minimal use of math (only differentiation?) and since there's no webcast, if you missed out what she said during lecture, then it's really your loss. Do be proactive and clarify any doubts. Don't let it snowball. This module is quite interrelated among chapters, so it'll be great if you can see the big picture! Again, it's a core mod so no choice gotta take it!


EC2104: Quantitative Methods for Economic Analysis

Lecturer: Chua Yeow Hwee
Components: Class participation & attendance, midterms, finals
Webcast: Available
Difficulty Level: 2/5
Textbook: Not useful. To me, lecture notes are sufficient.
Comments: Definitely has the most "math" among the other level 2000 econs mods. Wouldn't be too tough if you like math (I think?) although new concepts are taught like partial differentiation and Gaussian elimination for matrices. Quite interesting and fun for someone who likes math aka me :) Take note that this module can be replaced by other math mods, like MA1102R and some others. Check IVLE. I would recommend you to take this though, cos it gives a glimpse of how math is connected to econs and there's no competition from math majors, so you can learn it at your own pace. Mine was the first batch Mr Chua taught, although it started off shaky, it got quite good afterwards and he's really helpful and approachable! Technically it's a core mod, but as mentioned, it can be replaced by other modules, so I'm not putting an asterisk for this one.


LAJ2201: Japanese 2

Lecturer: Morita Sensei
Components: CA (70%) and finals (30%)
Webcast: Available, but there's lecture tests which you have to hand in after each lecture so if you don't turn up, then it'll be your loss.
Textbook: Minna No Nihongo 1-2 (no need to buy the Kanji textbook and workbook cos you'll reuse these from Jap 1)
Comments: One of the modules which I had the most fun in and I absolutely enjoyed it! Honestly, if you're a prospective freshie/freshie reading this, I really encourage you to take a language mod in NUS. Despite it being very vigorous, the fact that it is so, forces you to learn the language even better. Tutorials don't feel like classes at all, because it's practising and conversing with your classmates. Everyone is very helpful and I just love the environment so much :') Then again, there's the downside to taking this module. There's vocabulary quizzes every week, and there might also be lecture and listening quizzes too. A lot of preparation at home, you need to study the textbook before going to class otherwise you'll be really lost. Jap 2 is quite a huge jump from Jap 1, in terms of the grammar structures, but vocabulary wise it isn't a lot more. There's a skit component which is the best project I've done thus far lol. Basically you and 2 other tutorial mates are grouped together to perform a skit entirely in Japanese! You write it yourself, and perform it in front of your class. Sounds daunting? Honestly, you would have memorised it by then and I guess everyone just had fun! Do consider continuing on to Jap 2 if you've taken Jap 1 because you really learn a lot more grammar structures which helps you to converse even more effectively. Fyi, I didn't continue to Jap 3 because I felt that the jump from Jap 2 to 3 would be significant and I was worried about not being able to cope with higher level econs mods with Jap 3.


GEK1018: Economic Issues in the Developing World

Lecturer: Connie Chung
Components: 2 group essays (one of them has a graded presentation too), class attendance, finals
Webcast: Not available
Textbook: NIL (no readings either)
Comments: Most say they save the best for the last, but on the contrary, this mod is (to me) the worst module I've ever taken so far in NUS. The good parts: no readings, no textbooks, no midterms (since I had 4 mid terms this sem, this was a saving grace) The bad parts: where do I start? *do note that whatever I say here is my own opinion* It's not what the module name is about at all. I thought I would be learning about interesting case studies of developing countries, understanding how and why these issues arise. Instead, you learn about economics and growth, corruption, population - basically very vague concepts. Hardly any analysis at all, everything was just skimmed through. She includes a lot of her own experiences in her lectures that aren't relevant, in my opinion. Fyi, only a handful attends her lectures, perhaps 10+ students while almost the entire LT12 was filled on the first lecture. Tutorials are super slack though, basically groups present their essays and you just listen. No need for any Q&A or input, although she does ask questions sometimes. Essay questions required research, and it'll be good to write it properly to score. This module has a lot of exchange students taking it, so do be aware that you might not get very helpful groupmates. (happened to me, but no choice, suck thumb lo) I guess this happens at some point in your NUS life, so you just need to learn how to work around it and make the best out of it. Don't remember what I studied for finals. I don't even remember what I learnt from this module, yet got the best grade for this mod in this sem. What irony. Maybe it's because there's many exchange students in this mod, but I won't bank on this if I were you. I did put in effort in my essays okayyyy. (pretty much a lot of work, since this was the only mod I had assignments for) My rant is basically me not learning anything from it, especially no analysis in her arguments, if there were any.

Okay, that's the end for Y1S2 review! Stay tuned to Y2S1's. (just finished finals and IT FEELS SO GOOD)