FASStrack Asia: The Summer School

FASStrack Asia: The Summer School 2017 (19 June to 21 July 2017)

Welcome From The Vice Dean

The National University of Singapore with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) is delighted to offer FASStrack Asia: The Summer School in June 2017, which will take place in Singapore, one of the most modern and dynamic cities in the world.

As a leading university centred in Asia, NUS has ranked consistently as one of the top universities in the world that places a strong emphasis on a high quality, globally-oriented educational experience. As a Faculty, FASS is among the largest faculties at NUS with a rich history spanning over 85 years. We offer the most comprehensive education in the humanities, social sciences and Asian studies in this part of the world. Our strong international reputation for education and research excellence is a result of close to 500 highly respected professors and lecturers who are dedicated and passionate about their research and teaching. And they bring all their knowledge and expertise to bear in the courses to be taught at FASStrack Asia.

With Asia in the world’s spotlight as it undergoes rapid growth, the summer programme will tap into our research strengths in the region and offer students an enriching knowledge and understanding of various Asian-related topics and issues. Taught over a 5-week summer period, students will attend classes, participate in active discussions and learn from academic experts specializing in their area of study. In 2017, FASStrack Asia will also continue to offer courses and field trips that will complement each another for a more holistic summer experience.

Besides NUS students, FASStrack Asia also welcomes university students from all over the world to join us for the summer so as to enhance the cultural exchanges and diversity of the programme.

We look forward to seeing you at FASStrack Asia: The Summer School in June 2017.

A/P Ong Chang Woei

International Relations & Special Duties Division, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS)

Highlights

Study at NUS, a world-class university in Singapore – a cosmopolitan hub of Asia
Many courses with a 5-9 day field trip to a country in Asia
Local Singapore field trips
Experiential learning out-side classroom
Language studies for in-depth field trip immersion
UTown on-campus residential college experience
Study & live with NUS and international students from overseas partner universities
Social Events – Welcome session, heritage tours, food trails, fireside chats & farewell dinner
Housing subsidy available to NUS students (T&C apply)

Programme Overview

FASStrack Asia started in 2013 and was developed with the rigorous academic standards which NUS is known for. You will be attending classes held in a dynamic and multi-cultural learning environment with NUS and international students from various universities from all over the world.

FASStrack Asia comprises courses from the Faculty’s Asian Studies Division, Humanities Division and the Social Sciences Division. Courses are focused on Asia, and some of these courses will feature a 5-9 days’ field trip to the country of study. Our Centre for Language Studies will also offer relevant Asian language courses that will complement the field trips for a comprehensive learning experience and in-depth cultural immersion.

You can read up to 2 courses, including one that offers an extended overseas field trip. Other courses may also offer local day trips in Singapore or to nearby overseas location over the weekend in order to facilitate experiential learning outside the classroom.

FASStrack Asia will be based at the University Town (UTown for short) at NUS. This recent campus expansion of NUS is a high-tech, modern educational hub that integrates environmental-friendly building features with the learning, social and cultural aspects of the NUS community. Besides classrooms, UTown is also well-equipped with IT and multimedia facilities at the Education Resource Centre, seminar rooms and study clusters, and a world-class research and innovation hub. For recreation, there are also sports and performing arts facilities, as well as a wide array of dining and retail outlets. Students staying on-campus at the residential colleges can live, study and play in NUS as part of an exciting summer programme experience.

Admission & Application

Application Period: 15 December 2016 to 15 March 2017

A. NUS Students

Click here to apply online.

Admission Criteria:

No CAP restriction
No pre-requisite required

Please then submit the following documents to Ms Letitia Thng/ Ms Jane Toh/ Ms Catherine Lee via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or in hardcopy at AS7 Level 6, Shaw Foundation Building, International Relations Division by 15 March 2017.

Deadline for NUS students is extended till 07 April 2017

a copy of your unofficial transcript (Printed from NUS Integrated Student Information System (SIS))
a CLEAR photocopy of your passport with the page showing your nationality and personal details (if you choose a module with field trip)

Housing Subsidy

For NUS students who want to stay at UTown during the summer school, there are some housing subsidy offered towards the cost of the stay if you volunteer as student assistants (also known as FASStrack buddies). Students will be required to help out with room check-ins, social events or as buddies to incoming international students during the summer school. You may This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Ms Letitia Thng/ Ms Jane Toh if you are interested.

B. International Students

Click here to apply online.

Admission Criteria:

No pre-requisite required
Full-time enrolled university student
Have completed at least one semester or year of study at your home university
Non-exchange students from non-English medium univerisites (who are also non-NUS partners) are required to meet English proficiency requirements. For details, please refer to this link from the NUS Registrar's Office.

Application fees of S$200 is applicable for non-NUS students.

Fee-paying international students who apply by 15 February 2017 will enjoy the early bird application fees of S$100.

Invited fee-waived international exchange students who apply by the application deadline will enjoy the application fee of S$100.

* For international students under IARU, please refer to www.iaruni.org/gsp/how-to-apply for details and submit your application to the GSP contact of your home uni-versity by the stipulated deadline.

Modules for FASStrack Asia 2017

Please note that you can only read up to 2 courses in the following combinations:

1 Field Trip course & 1 Non-Field Trip course
2 Non-Field Trip courses

Note:

Modules are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis
Southeast Asia in Context: Priority will be given to IARU and NUS students reading 2 Southeast Asian Studies modules

View the class schedule here (subject to changes).

S/N	Module code	Department	Module title	Field Trip	Remarks
1)	CH2293	Chinese Studies	Introduction to Chinese Art	Taiwan	Taught in English
2)	GEH1009/ GEM1050	South Asian Studies	Framing Bollywood: Unpacking the Magic	N.A
3)	GEK2001/ GES1003/ SSA2202	Geography	Changing Landscapes of Singapore	N.A	Fully Subscribed.
4)	LAK1201	Centre for Language Studies	Korean 1	Korea	Please indicate if you are interested/ not interested to go on the field trip to Korea before we decide if the field trip will be made compulsory.
5)	MS2210	Malay Studies	Malay Culture and Society	N.A
6)	SC2212	Sociology	Sociology of Deviance	N.A	Fully Subscribed.
7)	SPH2201	Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (SSHSPH)	Health of the Poor in Asia	India	Fully Subscribed.
	As part of Southeast Asia in Context Summer School (IARU GSP)
8)	SE2222	Southeast Asian Studies	Southeast Asia in Context: The Region at a Glance	N.A	IARU students: Please choose 2 out of 3 modules among 8) to 10). NUS and Non-IARU students: You may choose to read either 1 out of 3 OR 2 out of 3 modules among 8) to 10). Fully Subscribed.
9)	SE2880A	Southeast Asian Studies	Southeast Asia's Cultural Mosaic: Religious Spaces, Village Faces	Indonesia	IARU students: Please choose 2 out of 3 modules among 8) to 10). NUS and Non-IARU students: You may choose to read either 1 out of 3 OR 2 out of 3 modules among 8) to 10). Fully Subscribed.
10)	SE3214	Southeast Asian Studies	Marketing Southeast Asia's Heritage	N.A	IARU students: Please choose 2 out of 3 modules among 8) to 10). NUS and Non-IARU students: You may choose to read either 1 out of 3 OR 2 out of 3 modules among 8) to 10).

Courses listed above are correct at time of update, but may be subjected to changes.
There may be further updates to the curriculum of the courses listed and new courses may be added.
FASS reserves the right to cancel any modules if there is insufficient enrollment to start a class.
International students from IARU partner universities receive a 50% tuition reduction for SE2222, SE2880A and/ or SE3214.
NUS students reading 2 out of 3 modules from SE2222, SE2880A and/ or SE3214 will receive a 50% tuition reduction. However, if you only read 1 out of these 3 modules, the 50% tuition reduction is NOT applicable.

Classes, Credits and Assessments

Field trip courses will offer 4 weeks of 3-hour classes twice a week. Courses with a field trip component will be travelling within the period of 1 to 9 July 2017, although some trips may be longer.

Non-field trip courses will offer 4 weeks of 3-hour classes thrice weekly. There are no formal classes during the field trip week but there may be additional assignments, local fieldtrips in Singapore or e-learning options for students.

Courses are graded based on assessments and class participation, and there are no final exams. We expect each course to have a class enrollment of not more than 25 to 50; less for fieldtrip modules and more for non-fieldtrip ones.

Each course carries 4 Modular Credits awarded by NUS; which is the equivalent of a 3-credit hour course under the North American credit system or 6 ECTS under the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System. Formal contact hours per course are a minimum of 36 hours. For courses with field trip, this excludes the contact hours for the field trip component and which can be as much as 5 or 6 hours per day for a 9-day trip. Courses with no field trip component will offer 36 contact hours with additional assignments during field trip week.

*Please contact your home university for credit recognition of NUS courses.

Fees

A. NUS Students

Please refer to the Registrar Office website below for Special Term fees. http://www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/edu/UG/fees.html

Please note that fieldtrip costs will apply if you read courses with an overseas fieldtrip component. The estimated cost of the trip is set out in the summary table below.

While we encourage NUS students to stay on-campus as part of the summer school experience, this is not a compulsory option for you. If you wish to stay, the on-campus accommodation fees listed below will apply. Some housing subsidies are available if you volunteer as students assistants in social activities or buddies to international students during the summer school.

Please also note that these costs will still apply:

Study materials
Additional meals in the country(ies) where the field trip is conducted if you are reading a field trip course
Participation in social events such as the Singapore Heritage tour and visits to attractions in Singapore.
Transport and entrance fees (if any) of any local field trips that lecturers may organise on the weekends for the students.

B. International Students

(i) Exchange (By Invitation Only)

For international students who are nominated by their home university under an exchange arrangement with NUS, the tuition fee of S$2,590 per course will be waived. All other costs will still apply.

(ii) Non-Exchange

If you are coming under a non-exchange arrangement, the tuition fees of S$2,590 per course will apply, together with all other costs.

(iii) IARU

For International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU) international students who wish to join the IARU Global Summer Programme under the Southeast Asia in Context as part of the summer school, please refer to www.iaruni.org/gsp for application details. Students from IARU partner universities enjoy a 50% tuition grant for the 2017 session.

For international students, please note that the above costs do not include:

Cost of applying for Singapore student pass fee imposed by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore
Personal expenses such as study materials, meals, entertainment and local travel in Singapore
Additional meals in the country where the fieldtrip is conducted if you are reading a fieldtrip course
Participation in social events such as the Singapore Heritage tour and visits to attractions in Singapore
Transport and entrance fees (if any) of any local fieldtrips that lecturers may organise on the weekends for the students
Return airfare between your originating destination and Singapore

Summary of Costs (Applicable to NUS & Non-NUS Students)

COSTS (all denoted in Singapore dollars)

Remarks

Application Fees

Waived for NUS students

S$100 (Early bird fee by 15 February 2016 for fee-paying students/ invited exchange students)

S$200 (After 15 February 2016 for fee-paying students)

One-time application fee. Fee is payable with the rest of the cost via online payment after students have submitted the FASStrack acceptance forms to us.

Tuition (per course)

Special Term Tuition Fees (for NUS students)

S$2,590 (for non-exchange students)

Waived for invited exchange students

Students can read one or two courses.

Overseas Field Trip (if applicable)

S$1,800 to S$2,000 (For SE Asian countries, Taiwan and India)

SS$3,300 to S$3,500 (For Korea)

Includes airfare, accommodation throughout field trip, transportation, some meals & admission fees to field sites. Subject to changes. Only applies if the student reads a field trip course.

Mandatory Miscellaneous Fees (Student Services Fee + Health Service Fee)

Student Services Fee

S$32.80 (For non-exchange students)

S$25.86 (For exchange students)

Health Service Fee

S$32.70 (For both non-exchange & exchange students)

Subject to changes.

Accommodation

You will stay on-campus at the UTown residential colleges in single 1-bedroom along cooridors with your peers. Each room comes furnished with furniture, air-conditioning and internet access (via ethernet cable). In addition, each residential college has shared facilities within the building such as kitchenettes and laundry rooms that encourage social, educational and cultural interaction. The residential colleges are also located within close proximity to classrooms, study areas, sports facilities and dining amenities within UTown.

Students can check in from 2pm on 15 June 2017 and must check out by noon on 22 July 2017. There will be a Welcome and Registration Session on 16 June 2017. Social activities will also be organized during the summer school such as local tours in Singapore on weekends, and a Farewell Dinner on 21 July 2017.

Cost of the accommodation is based on the check-in and check out dates indicated above.

COSTS (all denoted in Singapore dollars)		Remarks
On-Campus Accommodation*	S$1,300 (includes 7% GST)	5 weeks (based on 37 nights) on-campus accommodation. Subject to changes.

*For NUS students who wish to stay on-campus for FASStrack Asia, the same accommodation costs above will apply. However, NUS students who volunteer as student assistants for FASStrack Asia may be entitled to substantial housing subsidies for the summer.

Frequenty Asked Questions (FAQ)

APPLICATION MATTERS

1. How long does it take to process my online application? All applications and documents received in good order will be processed within 3 - 4 weeks. You will receive an offer of acceptance email which you are required to reply to confirm your place in the choice of course(s) you have selected.

2. Are there any scholarships or financial assistance for NUS students and international students who are interested in FASStrack 2017? I’m afraid there are no scholarships or financial assistance for both NUS and international students at the moment. International students may check with their home universities if there are any scholarships or grants to apply to for summer school programmes.

3. I have participated in previous FASStrack programmes. Can I still enroll for the programme? Yes, as long as you are reading different courses from those you have read previously.

4. I'm an international student. Do I need to apply for student visa or tourist visa on my own? You are not required to apply for any student or tourist visa on your end. Once you have been accepted into the FASStrack summer school, NUS will apply for student visa on your behalf and will guide you through the entire application procedure via email prior your arrival in Singapore. It is compulsory to have the student visa before you are allowed to embark on the summer school. Please note that you are required to pay the student visa application fee imposed by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (ICA).

5. How do I apply for visa for my overseas field trip? (For international students who are taking field trip courses) International students are highly encouraged to apply for visa in their home countries before arriving in Singapore. The tentative travelling dates for overseas field trips are 1 – 9 July 2017. You are still able to apply for visa through respective country embassies in Singapore. Please note that it is important that you do so as soon as you reach Singapore as most embassies take time to process visa applications.

COURSE MATTERS

6. Can I switch courses after application? Change of course is on a case-to-case basis, subjected to availability before FASStrack summer school starts. Please kindly email your request to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Change of course requests will not be entertained after 31 March 2017.

7. Can I transfer credits to my home university? For NUS students, modular credits and grades for the courses read during FASStrack Summer School will be counted towards your graduation requirements and Cumulative Average Point (CAP). For international students, please kindly check the credit transfer process with your home universities. An official transcript will be mailed to either your home university or home address sometime in October 2017.

ACCOMMODATION MATTERS

8. Is the on-campus UTown accommodation compulsory? No, the on-campus accommodation is optional for NUS and international students. For international students, it is optional if you are able to find your own accommodation in Singapore for the entire 5-week programme.

9. Does the accommodation cost include meal plan? No, meal plan is not available during school vacation and summer school programmes. There are several dining options in UTown for students to choose from.

10. My family and friends are visiting me in Singapore. Can they stay in my room at UTown? Due to space constraint and security reasons, no sharing of rooms are allowed.