This SMU-XO course takes students to a country in Asia to study the cultural, economic, social and political life of the country at first hand. Each course will be designed around a theme or a set of issues to offer students an overseas experiential learning opportunity. Students will be given a number preparatory sessions in SMU in which they will discuss research materials and related literature centered on the chosen theme. This will lay the theoretical foundation for the parts of the course that will be carried out in the country they will be visiting. The purpose of the course is to allow students to unify theory and practice by combining what they have learned in the class room with on the ground empirical studies and fieldwork in a foreign country.
By the end of this course, participants should be able to:
• Understand and articulate the complexities of social change initiatives.
• Exercise interdisciplinary thinking in examining and addressing social change issues.
• Evaluate social change messaging and campaigns.
• Apply research skills through study design, data collection and data analysis.
• Understand the sociocultural nuances of working with local individuals and organisations