ENG 211 American Pluralism in Literature and Culture
Instructor: Dr Mark Lempke
As part of the UB Curriculum (under Diversity Learning), you have a choice of picking either SOC 101 (Introduction to Sociology) or ENG 211. I decided to go for ENG 211 due to preference. For those that feel that they may not do well in Sociology, I would definitely recommend taking ENG 211 instead. It is a relatively chill/relaxing module.
Introduction: In general, ENG 211 covers the development of the United States with respect to its pluralism over the decades. Certain topics covered in this module include Gender Roles, LGBT Movement, Cold War, Civil Rights, Race/Discrimination and Minority Groups. This module can be considered a mix of history, sociology, and literature/English. If that sounds like a terrible mix to you, I can guarantee that it is not as bad as it seems. What makes this module unique from others that I have taken so far is its assignments. In particular, the 3 essays and short reflection that you have to write on would require you to read a book. Each book would cover a specific topic/issue related to materials covered in class. You have to integrate materials covered in class with what you read off of the books.
The four books we had to read were:
- The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit by Sloan Wilson (The rising middle-class in the US following the Second World War)
- The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (US and USSR, Cold War, Vietnam War)
- A Kind of Freedom by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton (Racial discrimination in the US throughout the decades)
- The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (The Asian-American experience and the model-minority archetype).
The four books were each an interesting read. As we were not the first class to take ENG 211, Dr Lempke had a couple of semesters to test out different sets of books. The four books were a result of semesters of feedback and opinions from past students. As someone who does not read books often, it was easy to start and continue reading the books, so do not worry about that. Reading the books were probably the most tedious/difficult part of the module. Apart from that, you’re good as long as you are attentive in class and participate.
Assessment:
Attendance and Participation (30%): Includes attendance quizzes (simple, random, questions to prove that you were in class. e.g. what colour is the sky?) and quality of participation in class or online discussion boards.
3 Integrated Paper/Essay (55%): Highest 2 marks counts as 20%, the other counts as 15%.
1 Short Reflection (10%): Instead of an Integrated Essay, you can choose to write a short reflection for one of the books.
1 Mid-Term Self-Evaluation (5%): Just a short personal reflection piece of what you have learnt, some things that you want to improve on, and your general feelings of the class.
Instructor: Dr Lempke is an absolutely amazing instructor. The way he carried out his lessons – especially his story-telling – were always engaging and compelling. I thoroughly enjoyed his classes as they were laidback and chill. Out of all the modules I have taken this semester, Dr Lempke’s lessons were my favourite and one where I had the most fun in.
Doing well: What worked well for me and took me some time to realise was that when writing the Integrated Essays, try your best to incorporate what Dr Lempke covered in class. Listen out to some keywords/issues that he would place emphasis on and incorporate them into your essays. Also, though his essay questions may seem vague at times, try your best not to deviate from what he has taught in class.
Grade: A
MTH 121 Survey of Calculus and its Applications 1
Instructor: Mr Arthur Cho Weng Wee
Introduction: This is not me being lazy, but there really is little to be said about this module. If you are taking MTH 121, I am guessing that you must have already taken MTH 115. MTH 121 is basically an advancement of MTH 115 and covers slightly more intermediate (but still manageable) topics. Examples would include differentiation, integration, logarithms and exponentials. If these are things that you have learnt in the past, this module would simply be a refresher course. Also, again, I hope you do not get complacent as this is a course that is relatively easy to do well in. Don’t waste it.
With the syllabus shifting online, Mr Cho has been doing online assignments to replace exams as it is quite difficult to conduct a maths exam online. These online assignments are similar to weekly math homework where you are given a set of questions relating to the topics covered in lessons. They are usually released 1 week before its due date and can be quite tedious to do. This would mean that you need to keep up with the weekly lesson videos that he posts out and not cram everything a few days before the exam. You will be required to use the equation function from Microsoft Word to complete the assignments.
Assessment:
Pre-Covid Grading:
Covid Grading:
Instructor: Mr Cho is an amazing teacher. He actively seeks out advice/feedback on how he can better conduct his classes. The lesson structure is incredibly progressive and is one that everyone can keep up with. Also, with MTH 121 being of a smaller class than MTH 115, his teaching/jokes get a bit more personal, which is a good thing. Do not be afraid to go up to him if you have any questions or doubts, or if you just want someone to talk to. He is almost always willing to answer any math question that you may have even if it falls outside the syllabus.
Doing well: The materials covered in class are not too complicated. I strongly believe that even if math isn’t your forte, you would still able to decently well for this module. Just make sure that you pay attention in classes, ask questions when you need to and practice before exams.
With the online syllabus, make sure that you treat every assignment like your baby (with care and concern). It is not wrong to go the extra mile and provide additional steps and explanations to showcase your understanding of the topic to Mr Cho. Make sure you do not make any careless mistakes!
Grade: A
NTR 108 – Human Nutrition
Instructor: Prof Sonal Manek
Introduction: I think there is little to be said about this module that is not already covered by the other authors. This module is a basic introduction to biology, specifically human nutrition. Should you have some prior Biology background, it would prove to be advantageous to you in this module. However, that is not to say that it is impossible to do well without it.
You will be required to purchase the NTR 108 textbook (either physical or e- copy) so that you can access the Online Homework Assignments on Pearson. The textbook will cost you about $70, so don’t be surprised when you need to pay.
Assessment:
3 Exams (90%): 30% per exam, all questions were MCQ.
Online Homework Assignments (Mastering Nutrition) (10%): Homework assignments that you have to do weekly. They are tedious but very simple to do.
Bonus (Extra Credit of 2%): Free credits. For my semester, the cohort earned the extra 2% when 90% or so of students did the end-sem course evaluation.
Instructor: I found Ms. Sonal Malek to be quite a humorous professor. During face-to-face lessons, she always tries to make the seemingly dry material easier to digest through the use of funny stories and other jokes. It is clear that she does her best to engage students as much as possible and it is a shame that online classes will not be able to experience her mannerisms.
Doing well: The biggest tip I can give you that has worked for me is to follow (almost religiously) the study guide that she releases before every major exam. After taking the three exams, I found that the topics she specified in the study guide proved to be incredibly accurate. Make sure that entering each exam, you are familiar with the exam guide by both reading the textbook and watching her lectures.
Also, I feel that with classes shifting online, studying for the exams have been made much easier as you are able to rewatch her lectures (Prof Malek often covers materials a bit too fast in an attempt to stay within the timings). Pay attention to when she says if something is important for the exam (which she will) and others when she says will not be tested.
Apart from that, do your best to minimise mistakes during exams as it could mean a grade difference. Treat the online assignments (though it might seem bothersome) seriously because it is something you can easily score for (you tend to have 1-2 weeks to do the assignment). Same goes for the extra credit stuff.
Grade: A
PSY 101 Introductory Psychology
Instructor: Dr Reena Dabas
PSY 101 is another module that has been reviewed quite a lot by the other authors. To those taking a degree in Economics, do note that PSY 101 is not required. If you are thinking of taking PSY 101 as a free elective, I would highly recommend it as it is an incredibly interesting and mind-blowing class. Dr Reena is an amazing and captivating lecturer. However, in terms of doing well, it would require quite a bit of effort. There is a lot of content covered and Dr Reena likes to test your true understanding of the topic by giving application questions (tricky) for exams.
Introduction: Just as the title of the module suggests, this module is a basic introduction to psychology. Certain topics would include the psychology of Motivation, Learning, Sight/Hearing/Touch, Conditioning, Memory and Development.
Assessment:
Class Assessment (15%): Class assessments are 1-2 short-structured questions after a class. They will test what you have gone through in that specific class, so make sure you pay attention. The good thing is that Dr Reena will inform you when there will be a class assessment. So, if you can, read ahead and enter the class with some knowledge of the topic. The assignments would be easier to do. The assessments would likely be case studies to apply what you learnt.
Mid-Term (30%): 30%, all MCQs.
Final Exam (30%): 30%, a mix of MCQs and short-structured questions.
Group/Individual Project (25%): We did not have a group project. Rather, we were given 2 individual assignments. For both assignments, it was a case study where we had to apply the things we had learnt in class. (e.g. Person A acted a certain way. Based on the different psychological perspectives, what are some reasons why he behaved in such a manner?)
Instructor: Like I said, Dr Reena is a captivating instructor. She has many years of experience in teaching and holds various degrees/masters. Her lessons are always interesting and fun.
Doing well: Make sure you are attentive in class and take notes well. This is important as there are certain things Dr Reena will cover in class that is not available in the textbook. Pick out certain keywords that she uses often in class, especially the names of experiments she goes through (e.g. Asch, 1946). Familiarise yourself with these cases as they would often be brought up in exams. As she does not record her lessons, it would be useful to record the lectures yourself so that you can refer back to them again on a later date.
I would also recommend reading the textbook. The textbook can provide a clearer explanation and other examples/perspectives that would help you with the application questions in exams.
Grade: A-
Spring 2020 Semester Review: Other Tips
Thank you for reading the semester review, I hope I was able to help you. Here are other things that you might find useful in your educational journey:
- SIMUnicorn: SIM (CareerConnect) hires some industry professionals to come to the school to conduct workshops for students. These workshops aim to provide you with knowledge outside of your school’s curriculum. Examples include Adobe Photoshop, Public Speaking, Resume Building, Interview Tips, Managing Finances, and Investing. Often times the workshops are free and other times, they are subsidised. Try your best to make use of what the school provides considering we are paying a lot more than what local schools are charging. Also, grades can only take you so far. Based on my personal experience, these workshops are quite well-conducted and can also serve as a platform for you to make friends/network with, especially those in other schools (e.g. RMIT, UOW, UOL). The website also provides some job/internship listings and other events happening in school, so make sure you check it out. (Workshops are now conducted online as a result of Covid-19)https://simge-csm.symplicity.com/
- (I’ll add when I think of something)
My SIM-UB Academic Journey 