Week 1: Course Introduction

This course introduces the focus of the course and explains the origins of the British system in the political and judicial systems of contemporary Singapore. A brief introduction to the history of the British Channel Colony and local Singaporean history.

Week 2: Two Hundred Years of the Lion City

Two hundred years after Singapore’s foundation by Stamford Raffles in 1819, this course reflects on the historical development of the city, putting forward much new research and new thinking. It discusses Singapore’s emergence as a regional economic hub, explores its strategic importance and considers its place in the development of the British Empire.

Week 3: Singapore Politics System

Singapore was a ‘hybrid’ system which combined many formal elements of democracy — multiparty electoral competition, universal suffrage, fair counting of the votes on election day, a highly developed rule of law in many sectors of society and economy outside of politics, relatively little overt coercion in daily life …

Week 4: Political Parties

Currently, there are more than 20 registered political parties in Singapore, including the PAP. Opposition parties in Singapore like the Workers’ Party (WP), Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), Progress Singapore Party and the Singapore People’s Party (SPP) can be characterized as mass-based political parties.

Week 5: National Building and National Identity

Nation building is of great importance to a small state like Singapore. Its short history has been colored by episodes of racial tensions and social unrest. These were brought about by the struggles against Communism, communalists and labor unrests as well as economic recession. To ensure national harmony, it has been vital to build a nation and promote a modicum of a national identity amongst its diverse people so that the society remains united in times of crisis.

Week 6: New Issues in Singapore Politics

This week focuses on a number of interrelated topics that have been of increasing concern in the recent years: immigration, housing and public infrastructure, economy and the issue of income inequality and need for a minimum wage, democracy, and the issue of race and religion.

Week 7: ASEAN’s History

This course provides a comprehensive political history of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the ten members of which are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Week 8: Term Paper Topic Submission and Discussion

Each graduated student submits a term report on the topic of Singapore and ASEAN research and discusses it.

Week 9: Singapore in the Global Value Chain

In this course, we evaluate how intensively Singapore’s economy has participated in the global value chains (GVCs) and characterize its key upstream and downstream trade partners in the international production network, at the country aggregate and at the sector level.

Week 10 : Singapore as a Sustainable City

In this course, we provide an overview of the major sustainability challenges Singapore has experienced and the policies that have been adopted to address them, particularly in the areas of land use, transportation, waste management, water, and energy.

Week 11 : Evolution of ASEAN

The course review the historical evolution of ASEAN’s economic agenda, capture its achievements, examine the challenges that have surfaced in the last decade, and recommend a way forward. The course emphasize that, while there have been notable successes, the remaining challenges suggest that ASEAN is still on its transition path in achieving full economic integration.

Week 12 : Legal Development of the ASEAN Community Building

The building of the ASEAN Community has been realized through law. As of today, more than 1300 laws and legal measures are working for the ASEAN Community. Legal analysis of the ASEAN Community is thus critical to understand, design and pave its future way. This course will examine the legal development for the ASEAN Community building comprehensively. The main part of this paper will address the major legal instruments (treaties, declarations and initiatives) adopted for constitutional measure, AEC, APSC, and ASCC.

Week 13 : The Future of Informalism in the Economic Integration of ASEAN

While informal governance has been a more accommodating way for individual countries to liberalize trade, it also raises questions about the continuing viability of such liberalization. It has been strongly argued that in order to achieve long-term stability and sustainability, international organizations dedicated to this task must progress toward a rules-based framework of rights and obligations which goes beyond the aspirational declarations and understandings which have traditionally characterized the bulk of ASEAN’s work.

Week 14 : Singapore and the Universal Periodic Review

Singapore was reviewed for its Third Review cycle during the thirty-eighth session of the Working Group on the UPR in Geneva from May 2–13, 2021, and based upon its National report. The national report will thus be a rare expression of how Singapore feels it has adhered to international human rights law, and ways in which it can further refine its domestic laws and practices.

Week 15 : Term Paper Presentation and Discussion

Each graduated student presents his/her term on the topic of Singapore and ASEAN research and discusses it.

Week 16 : Term Paper Presentation and Discussion

Each graduated student presents his/her term on the topic of Singapore and ASEAN research and discusses it.