"Irrigation of the land with seawater desalinated by fusion power is ancient. It's called 'rain'." - Michael McClary
Random Playlist Song: Faure - Requiem - Pie Jesu (Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus/Carlo Maria Giulini)
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NUS is very eager to send its students on student exchange. However, besides the loads of paperwork needed, there is the curious requirement of module mapping: for modules taken abroad to be credited for your graduation requirements, you have to "map" them onto a similar module at NUS.
This was almost enough to put me off applying for exchange, not least because of the tedium required. It also makes it even harder to find enough modules to read, given such factors as timetabling and modules not being offered ever semester. Most important of all, though, were the pedagogical reasons.
The very point of going on exchange is to learn new things; to require students to map their modules seems to defeat much of the point of going on exchange to me. For example, I've a friend who wants to do Italian and Gender Studies in Antiquity at a certain unnamed university abroad, but last I heard, was unable to map them, even to UEs - Unrestricted Modules outside your major - which is a big irony since they are supposed to be unrestricted.
I understand that NUS might not want us to go to California and read modules like Surfing, but module mapping already has to be approved by the authorities, so there doesn't seem to be any reason why we cannot map non-core (ie Compulsory) major modules, and especially unrestricted electives.
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University of Copenhagen:
"Assessment: Four hours closed-book written exam. The exam questions will cover both theoretical and applied aspects of the course mirroring the distribution of lectures and exercises."
!!!!!!!!!!!
Damn Danes.
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My brother in law, inspired by all the Management Bullshit he's been reading, suggested numerous modifications to the NUS CORS system of allocating modules by bidding. He said those who got good grades and were on the Dean's List should get more points, and that people should be allowed to trade points for things like ECA points.
People already hate the NUS administration. If these proposals were implemented, no doubt there would be a riot, even in our apathetic, depoliticised campus (society). And he wonders why his office is so unreceptive to his suggestions.
Someone on the proposals: "your bro in law is a dickheadcockface, haha"
[Addendum: ur bro in law is a freaking elitist and oughts to be shot in the head heh]
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Tim informs me that in July, the Bukit Batok library still had a computer (or computers) using the OPAC with the old Octopus. I've asked him to take a picture.