All students are welcome to join Miriam in the series of poetry workshop to explore: • What is the “responsibility of the poet”? • How do poetry and the arts fit into a social justice framework? • What are the ways fieldwork can inform and enrich creative writing and academic scholarship? • What less tangible “ways of knowing “ can poetry offer that other fields do not?

This is a special game organised by the USP Residential Assistants (RAs) for all USP students to come together to have fun and bond. At $5/pax, you may sign up as a group of 5, or as an individual. There are also prizes to be won so don’t miss out on this large-scale bonding event!

Mr Ali Muhammad Sabeghi, Cultural Attaché at the Islamic Republic of Iran Embassy (Malaysia), will give a talk on Iranian culture and cinema. USP students interested in the upcoming International Programme “Civilisation of Iran” are encouraged to attend the talk. Please refer to the MEI website for further details and registration. The event is organised by the Middle East Institute (MEI) and supported by USP.

USP Career Services is organising a career discovery workshop for USP students who are exploring their career options.

USP writer-in-residence Miriam Bird Greenberg is organising a movie screening + discussion session every Friday night for the USP community. For this week, Delicatessen by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet will be screened. All are welcome, so bring along your friends and snacks!

This tour is co-organised by NUS Office of Environmental Sustainability, Raffles Hall and USP for NUS community to explore the various community gardens in NUS and share their gardening experience and knowledge.

USP Adjunct Professor Dr Mustafa Izzuddin has invited the Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam as a distinguished guest speaker for his module, “UCV2209: The Heterogeneous Indians of Contemporary Singapore”. In this session, Minister Shanmugam will be addressing the topic “Should Singapore Matter? Challenges and Opportunities of a Small State in a Complex World”. All are welcome, so come join this session for a lively discussion with our minister!

USP writer-in-residence Miriam Bird Greenberg invites a Zimbabwean advocate for refugee rights, Innocent Mutanga, who is also a former asylum seeker to share his own experience navigating the refugee process in Hong Kong. All are welcome, do join Miriam and her guest speaker for this session!

Organised by USP Career Services, this career discovery workshop is for USP students who are exploring their career options.

In this session, meet our four USP alums who are contributors to the 2017 and 2018’s The Birthday Book. They are: Christopher Chok (History + USP, Class of 2014) — “Always Becoming”, 2017 Edition Justin Daniel Pereira (Sociology + USP, Class of 2015) — “Meritocracy and the new Narrative”, 2017 Edition Varun Soni (Engineering Science + USP, Class of 2015) — The Birthday Book 2018 contributor Goh Wei Leong (Business + LKYSPP + USP, Class of 2017) — The Birthday Book 2018 contributor They will share their thoughts on Singapore’s future and discuss about the stories you would like to share about tomorrow’s Singapore.

As the semester draws to a close, USC invites you to the AY2017/18 End-of-Semester Dinner themed eos. There will be an exciting line-up for the dinner with videos, games and performances by USP students. Everyone is invited! Wine reception starts at 6.30pm. Dress code: White or light colours

USP has partnered with NUS Enterprise to offer the inaugural ‘Innovation Immersion Programme’ to Jakarta this December. Students will gain first-hand experience of the social, community and economic issues in Indonesia, as well as meet and network with innovative start-ups in and around Jakarta. The pilot run is a prelude to an NUS Overseas College (NOC) internship in Indonesia in the summer of 2018.

Since 2012, Forgotten Communities has brought students to Malaysia to engage in ethnographic research and contribute to mapping the community assets of rural New Villages. USP students will travel to two villages in the state of Penang this December and will stay in the villages for the course of the study.

Buddhism in Asia (BIA) was launched in 2009, initiated by a group of USP students who were inspired by classes on religion and religiosity. Since 2009, students have travelled to Taiwan, India, Thailand, Japan, Laos, Vietnam and China to explore various aspects of Buddhism, from its roots to contemporary social practices. Now in its 9th year, the 2018 iteration of BIA will take place in Singapore for the first time and will explore ‘syncretism’, the merging of different beliefs and practices from various traditions and schools of thought.

Organised by the University Scholars Club (USC), The January Thing is a welcome dinner for the new semester. There will be a sumptuous buffet, spring-themed performance by USClassical, and updates by the USC 17th Management Committee. Everyone in the USP community is invited!

Join USP students, who have been mentored by Singapore Creative Writing Resident Miriam Bird Greenberg, for an evening of poetry that rewrites the dictionary, experiments in documentary poetics, and delves into the familiar condition of the human soul. The Singapore Creative Writing Residency is co-organised by The Arts House and the National University of Singapore University Scholars Programme. Get your tickets HERE. 

Show time: • 2 February (Friday) and 3 February (Saturday), evening show @ 8pm • 4 February (Sunday), matinee @ 3pm The Dark Web plays host to the worst of human depravity and the best of its dreams, shielded from real life by the screen of anonymity. But the veil only goes one way: you don't know them, but they know you. Watch as one unsuspecting family finds their lives thrown into disarray by the insidious machinations of those behind the veil. The Dark Web is a play that examines the culture and implications surrounding the part of the internet known as the 'dark web', where users and their activities are concealed behind layers of anonymity and encryption, and content ranges from the innocuous and noble to the depraved and frightening. At its core, however, the play is centred around its characters and their stories, serving as a thought-provoking exploration of the human condition. Content Warning - This play contains mature and potentially disturbing themes. Viewer discretion is advised. Please click here for more information. Black Box, National Library Board

Organised by USP Career Services, this workshop will equip participants with first-hand knowledge about the “standard” formats in a typical assessment setting. Assessment Centre is used to simulate the working environment of an organisation and to assess if a candidate is able to perform in such simulated environment. Global organisations such as banks, consulting firms and multi-national corporations use assessment centre as a critical component in their recruitment process to recruit the best talents.

This informal sharing session is for students who are interested in pursuing the NUS-Waseda Double Degree Programme (DDP). This session is an opportunity for current DDP students (year 4 students) to share their experiences and for year 1 students to ask questions and gain a better understanding of the programme.

The QR Centre is organising two workshops for those in the USP community interested in programming. These workshops are run by USP students who are computing enthusiasts. The 1st workshop is Excel Visual Basic Applications (VBA). It aims to share some of the fascinating capabilities of Excel that can be unlocked through VBA, such as automation of tasks, so you do not have to sieve through tons of data or constantly type extremely long formulae. Participants will learn the basics of VBA programming, culminating in the development of a simple programme to calculate income tax.

The 2nd workshop is Intro to Python with Telegram Bots. Python is a general purpose programming language with wide applications such as game development, data processing and machine learning. It is easy to pick up, and many of its concepts are transferable to other programming languages as well. No experience is required for this workshop. Participants will learn the basics of programming in Python, followed by a hands-on development of their own Telegram bot.

Volunteering internationally is rarely just about doing good or being responsible to the "Third World". USP alum Prof Sin Harng Luh, now working in the NUS Department of Geography, has written critical articles questioning the role of voluntourism in encouraging performed dependencies, and in the inherently biased power structures in the host-volunteer relationships. Yet, rarely would she tell people not to volunteer - in fact, she often strongly encourage volunteering. Why? Come find out at our first Sessions event of the year! Sign up here: tinyurl.com/tourismsession

In this session under The Rector’s Programme, students can get to engage with A/P Simon Tay from NUS Law on the topic of “Environment and Transboundary Effects – How Should We Care?”. Prof Tay was formerly the Chairman of the National Environment Agency of Singapore, a Nominated Member of Parliament (focusing on Civil Society, Environment and Human Rights), Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (an independent think tank), and Eminent Expert to the International Advisory Panel on Transboundary Pollution and on the National Climate Change Network.

Ever googled “blockchain” to find pages full of technical jargon or conflicting stances? Dabbling in cryptocurrency or feel lost when your friends are talking about their investments? Perhaps just curious to learn about blockchain while bingeing on eclairs? The Sessions will be holding a discussion on "Blockchain and Cryptocurrency" to increase awareness of the technology, its opportunities and inevitabilities. The conversation will be led by these USP alums and student: • David Tan is a software developer who is guardedly excited about crypto and Artificial Intelligence (AI). He is currently exploring the possible use of technology to improve our mental and physical health. • Tomithy Too works with ST Telemedia as a seeker and investor in technology companies in AI, Cybersecurity and Cloud. He also dabbles in areas like crypto and angel investing. • Zhai Yunjie is a Year 4, Psychology + USP student who was a blockchain analyst in Intrepid Ventures, which invests in and builds blockchain-based entities.

Three USP students will travel to Tokyo to participate in the Global Next Leaders Forum. The student-led conference was initiated in 2010 by students from the University of Tokyo and aims to build international networks, create platforms for students from around the world to exchange ideas and develop leaders who tackle global issues. The 2018 conference will focus on the topic of “Gender”.

A USP student will travel to Tempe, Arizona to attend the “Desert Nights, Rising Stars” Writers Conference hosted by the Virginia G. Piper Centre for Creative Writing at Arizona State University (ASU). The conference provides an opportunity for participants to exchange ideas and share an appreciation for literature and writing.

Ms Coleen Angove: “How is the #metoo movement changing the society?” Dr Charles Burke: “Imagine a world where your basic needs are provided for and you only need to work for luxuries. Is Universal Basic Income just a Utopian thing?” Organised by Cinnamon Conversation and initiated by students, this is a series of informal and relaxed conversations over dinner, between a prof and 4 to 6 students on a topic that the prof is interested in.

ISMs are independent research opportunities to explore a specialised area of interest and an academic requirement for all USP students. This showcase is important for all first year students, as well as those who have yet to fulfil their ISM requirements. USP students who have done their ISMs will be sharing their personal experiences and providing practical advice for those who are embarking on an ISM. Do come and hear what these seniors have to say about the ISM experience.

USPolymath is a ground-up platform for USP students to showcase their ideas in an intimate setting. Speakers wlll present in a ‘Pecha Kucha’ format (20 slides x 20 seconds) about any topic they are passionate about. Join this session tonight at the USP Chatterbox as USP students present on a range of topics. “Character Development IRL - Liminal Spaces!” - Jaymee Justiniano “A Defense of Pessimism in the Face of Our Inevitable Deaths” - Zhang Yiyue “How to Get Away with Murder” - Cheah Wenjie “Beyond Reasonable Doubt: Society’s Reasonable Burden?” - Chester Su Check out USPolymath archive for past sessions!

In this new USP Lecture Series, we have Computer Scientist A/P Terence Sim from NUS School of Computing to share with us on “Getting Computer to See”. Cameras are everywhere, recording images of everyday life. But computers still don't understand very well what these images contain. Image understanding is the core problem in computer vision, and it is a much harder problem than meets the eye (pun intended). This session will give an overview of the different sub fields in computer vision, the progress so far, and why you should learn computer vision. All USP students are encouraged to attend this session. Registration is open to all NUS community. Read more about the talk and speaker HERE.

USPerspectives is a platform where USP students can come together to have conversations about what matters to them. In this session, they will be discussing on the topic "Love and Relationships".

Ten USP students will travel to Tehran on a programme led by USP faculty Prof Syed Farid Alatas. The programme aims to acquaint students with various aspects of Iranian civilisation, with particular emphasis on the relationship between Iran and the West in the areas of philosophy, literature and the social sciences. Organised jointly with the Faculty of World Studies at the University of Tehran, USP students will be hosted by their Iranian counterparts.

We will open our premises to visitors on NUS Open Day 2018. Our USP booth will be located at Chua Thian Poh Hall , and planned activities will happen throughout the day in and around USP. There will be four talk sessions at the nearby UTown Auditorium 3. Three sessions will focus on USP, at 11.00am, 1.00pm and 4.00pm. The fourth session at 3.00pm will focus on the NUS-Sciences Po Double Degree Programme. Of notable mention are four sample classes to be offered by USP professors, spread out between 10.00am – 4.00pm at USP Seminar Room 1. Open Day is important to USP and the entire NUS community so let us all welcome visitors enthusiastically on that day. For USP students, do invite/encourage your juniors to visit us!

Yuanpei College, Peking University is one of USP’s long-standing Student Exchange Programme (SEP) partners. USP alumna Bryna Singh / Sim (History + USP, class of 2009), now a Correspondent at the Straits Times, was the first USP student to pursue the exchange programme to Yuanpei College. Bryna will return to USP to share her experiences from her year-long SEP and the session will provide valuable insights to students considering China as a potential place for study. Students interested in Yuanpei College, Peking University, as a potential SEP destination* are strongly encouraged to attend the session. Bryna will be joined by full-time Yuanpei College students who are currently at USP on a semester-long exchange.

Organised by the Quantitative Reasoning (QR) Centre, this talk centres on how we process new information when we sleep and how it is integrated with our existing memories. There are many different types of memory and sleep is believed to benefit the overall consolidation of memory. However, recently it has been found that in some cases, certain memories are processed preferentially over others during sleep. Explore the relationship between sleep and memory consolidation, and examine data on which types of memories may be processed during sleep.

Are you interested in understanding how your passion can be used for meaningful advocacy? Ever wondered what does it take to sustain a social enterprise? Or even, how does one cope with mental illnesses? Love, USP has invited Ms Zhong Pei Rong, founder of Bakery Wellness to join us for a meaningful conversation addressing these questions. Do come on down and sign up via bit.ly/bakerywellness :) there will be cookies and all are invited!

In view of our transition into a technological era governed by Big Data, Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things (IOT), our economy and society is experiencing disruptions on many fronts and is in a constant state of flux. The Sessions student team has invited three panellists – Mr Amit Gupta (Chief of Electrical Rolls Royce), Mr Harveen (CEO, Kommerce) and Ms Jasmine Seng (Mangement Consultant, Accenture). The panel discussion will look into the issues of how the workplace is being disrupted, where are the bright spots that you can leverage on and how you can better prepare for the advent of a technological era.

Master’s Commons, USP Master’s Commons, USPMa Dou Dou is a recent graduate of the NUS-Waseda Double Degree Programme (DDP) who currently works at NSAID New Australian Institute of Social Development. Since completing the DDP, he has spent much of his time on qualitative research projects with non-profit organisations in Yunnan, and his work questions whether modernisation truly brings social development to rural villages in China. In this talk, Dou will share and discuss some of his experiences during his research in Yunnan, and will also touch on research opportunities for USP students. Dou will be joined by Li Aiyu, an experienced social worker, and USP alum Zhang Xintian (History + USP, Class of 2015) whose work at the DBS Foundation sheds some light on the application of innovative solutions to facilitate social development in China.

Laissez Faire IV, a Ground-Up Initiative (GUI) event, acts as a “free market” for our students and staff to share their talents and skills with our community for free. This event aims to foster our community spirit while allowing students and staff to showcase their talents, and hopefully, in the process, encourage meaningful conversations and relationships to be built. Come check out booths like USCovers, LiveCore, “Coffee, Tea or Mee”, hand lettering and doodling, watercolour calligraphy, and many more!

In this session under The Rector’s Programme, a small group of students will get to engage with Professor Tommy Koh to discuss on the issue of China's Role in ASEAN and its Impact on Singapore's Future. Prof Koh is the Chairman of the Centre for International Law, Special Advisor of the Institute of Policy Studies and was Singapore's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador to the US, and Director of the Institute of Policy Studies.

Join this conversation with USP faculty Dr Leung Wing Sze and two invited speakers – Mr John Gee (Transient Workers Count Too) and Mr Zakir Hossain Khokon (a construction supervisor and freelance journalist) – as they look at various issues of migrant labour in Singapore. Mr Zakir, also the winner of the 2014 and 2015 Migrant Worker Poetry Contest in Singapore, will read some of his poems during the session. All USP community are invited to attend.

Throughout our lives, we have internalised various narratives from the media and loved ones on the bodies society finds acceptable, enviable and even undesirable. Organised by Gender Collective, this closed-door discussion on body ideals hopes to give better clarity on body positivity.

The terms “Harmony” and “Social Cohesiveness” are often used interchangeably, but they mean differently. Join The Sessions as it invites Mr Viswa Sadasivan, CEO of Strategic Moves, for a lively debate with USP students on the correlation between these two ideas. Whilst harmony has benefitted society in terms of stability and economic growth, continued stress on this can and will erode the trust between Singaporean communities. Faults could appear along racial and socio-economic lines amongst others. We would need to find appropriate ways to deepen public trust and acceptance (beyond tolerance), without necessarily eroding the harmony we have achieved over the years.

As the academic year draws to a close, USC invites you to the AY2017/18 End-of-Year Dinner themed USP Nostalgia. There will be an exciting line-up for activities. Everyone is invited! Dress code: Pyjamas

What is Natural History? How is it relevant to a highly-urbanised Singapore? Combined with her colonial history, infrastructural capabilities and cultural biases, Singapore has a rich natural heritage story to tell. USP students of the module ULS2208 Biodiversity and Natural History in Singapore will be hosting an exhibition on Natural History in Singapore, and share with you the importance of knowing Nature, even in our urban lives. In challenging one’s ideas on Natural History, they hope to heighten awareness of Singapore’s diverse but oft-neglected natural heritage. This exhibition is the culmination of a journey that the USP students have undertaken to become budding naturalists. It also constitutes a part of their final assessment for the module. Do support your fellow friends and check out their works!

USP Career Services has invited USP alum Tan Weiqing (Psychology + USP, Class of 2016), currently a Product Manager at PlusMargin, to share more about a career that combines Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Psychology for non-IT students.

This event is to kick-start the launch of USP Alumni Mentoring Programme 2018. The programme goes beyond career mentoring where USP alumni mentors will guide the USP student mentees to discover their careers which are aligned with their life purpose, passion and competencies.

This is part of the "Dinner Conversations with Professors" initiative organised by USP students. It is an informal and chill conversations over dinner with students and a professor on a topic that interests him/her.

This is part of the "Dinner Conversations with Professors" initiative organised by USP students. It is an informal and chill conversations over dinner with students and a professor on a topic that interests him/her.

This is part of the "Dinner Conversations with Professors" initiative organised by USP students. It is an informal and chill conversations over food with students and a professor on a topic that interests him/her. This session with Dr Alexander will be held over lunch.

Ten USP students will participate in the Builders Connect Learning Programme. The students will work with two NGOs in the Philippines to gain a deeper and more critical understanding of what causes poverty, its complex and multifaceted nature, and what students can do about it.

USP will host 34 students from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Malaysia. The students will take part in a community development and social entrepreneurship study trip planned by Associate Professor Albert Teo. The visit is the reciprocal component of the ‘Forgotten Communities’ study trip held in Malaysia last December.

Nine NUS students will travel to Chiang Mai, Thailand led by Associate Professor Peter Vail. The field-based study programme is based on Prof Vail’s Special Term module USE2315: Participatory Social Development in Southeast Asia. Students will record the experiences and interests of the communities they visit to by creating a series of short, collaboratively produced films on topics of local importance.