Tembusu Undergraduate Research Opportunities (UROPs)

August 03, 2016

SIGN UP FOR UROPS!

Interested in learning more about research? Would you like to gain experience working with a College Fellow? If so , please think about reading a Tembusu College Undergraduate Research Opportunity (UROP) this coming semester. In order to read this 4-MC module you should have read at least one Senior Seminar and at least one Ideas and Exposition  module or a faculty-based writing course (writing module). Applications from students who have read one Junior Seminar and one writing module will also be considered.

Please contact Dr Connor at rctccg@nus.edu.sg by Saturday 6th August at 10.00 a.m. if you are have any questions about the UROP module and/or are interested in pursuing one of the projects below. 

1. Artificial Intelligence, Singapore, and the "Asian Century"

The 21st century has been dubbed the "Asian Century" whereas the 19th and 20th centuries belonged respectively, to the British and the United  States. Singapore’s hub status in Southeast Asia poses a unique position to investigate techno-cultural changes, specifically those  techno-cultural dimensions related to the advent of "broad" AI or "Artificial Intelligence.” Students are invited to submit proposals for research on the topic of broad AI as it is pertinent to Singapore, the region, and beyond. This project is supervised by Dr Adam Groves.

2. Audiencing Social Media: Gendered Perceptions Of Bloggers In Singapore

What do young Singaporean women think of female bloggers in Singapore? How 'normal' are they perceived to be? This project will explore these questions through contributing towards an academic paper in progress. Specifically, the work will involve writing a proposal, contributing to a literature review and analyzing interview data from young Singaporean women about bloggers in Singapore. This project is supervised by Dr Connor Graham and will involve working with an Australian anthropologist of the Internet.

3. Reading 'Dead' Places

What do abandoned theme parks in Japan mean? How they are displayed online and how does this display relate to the 'real' places? This project involves theorizing about and developing a minor history of abandoned theme parks in Japan through focusing on how one site is displayed through photographs online. The work will involve writing a proposal, sourcing and analyzing photographs and developing an understanding of the historyof theme parks. This project is supervised by Dr Connor Graham and will involve working with an interaction designer from SUTD. 

4. 'The User' in Studies of ICTs, 1990-2010

What does the term "user" really mean? How is it used and what assumptions does it make about people? This project will focus on examining studies of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as discourse in order to develop answers to these questions. Specifically the work will involve assembling a body of literature and helping with its analysis to trace trajectories and changes in the meaning of the term "user". The work will contribute to a co-authored paper with an American anthropologist. This project is supervised by Dr Connor Graham.

The Tembusu (Fagraea fragrans) is a large evergreen tree in the family Gentianaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia. Its trunk is dark brown, with deeply fissured bark, looking somewhat like a bittergourd. It grows in an irregular shape from 10 to 25m high. Its leaves are light green and oval in shape. Its yellowish flowers have a distinct fragrance and the fruits of the tree are bitter tasting red berries, which are eaten by birds and fruit bats.