Singapore University of Social Sciences

What does it mean to be a part of a community? How do we negotiate between individual impulses and broader community wellbeing? How have diverse groups built and sustained relationships, evolving and learning together as one community? How has the concept of community evolved to include even the physical environment? This course invites students to discuss these questions and related issues concerning the dynamic relationship between the individual and community. Students will be encouraged to study the evolving concept of community through philosophical examinations, historical and sociological investigations, socio-cultural analyses, and other discourses and methods. This interdisciplinary approach is grounded by case studies of issues concerning Singapore and similar societies, namely the multifaceted realities of nation-states with diverse communities and their various mitigations. These include military defence, regionalism and internationalism, multiracialism and other strategies of managing diversity, the use and impact of digital technologies, ESG and related measures for sustainable development (such as the UNSDG and the Singapore Green Plan 2030). Students will also have the opportunity to test their knowledge through experiential assessments designed to give a deeper appreciation of community engagement and collaboration.