L01: Introduction: What Does it

Mean to be Human?
HSH1000 The Human Condition ▪ A/P Loy Hui Chieh
Agenda
• The Humanities in CHS Common Curriculum (Slides #3-9)
• How the module works (Slides #10-18)
• More about the assessments (Slides #19-24)
• A word about survey data (Slides #25-29)
• Introducing the teaching team, Q/A (Slides #30-31)
• An activity and some concepts (Slides #32-33)
• Next Week (Slide #34)

• Today’s main agenda = Helping you understand how the

module works, and by implication, how you can best
participate in it to gain the most value for yourself!
Humanities in CHS Curriculum
HSH1000 The Human Condition
What is the essence of being human? Across the intellectual traditions of
the world, fundamental concerns relating to the triumphs and problems of
social organization and what a worthwhile life is have persisted through the
changing circumstances of every historical age. This module introduces
students to some of these enduring concerns and gives them the
opportunity to engage critically with them through the discussion of
selected texts and other media. Through this process, students develop an
appreciation for the complexities of being human.
HSH1000 in the CHS Common Curriculum
6 General Education Modules
Writing Quantitative Reasoning

Community & Engagement Artificial Intelligence

Unrestricted CHS
Design Thinking Computational Thinking Electives (12 Common
modules) Curriculum
5 Integrated Modules 2 Interdisciplinary Modules 48 MCs (13 modules)
Integrated Asian Studies Interdisciplinary Module I 52 MCs
Integrated
Integrated Humanities
Humanities Interdisciplinary Module II Major
Integrated Social Science requirements
(15 modules)
Scientific Inquiry I Foundation in learning capabilities: transferrable 21st
60 MCs
Century Skills useful in different contexts and an
Scientific Inquiry II introduction to interdisciplinarity
The Humanities
• Q: What are the “Humanities”?
• A: Administratively, within NUS: Philosophy, History,
English Literature, English Language and Linguistics, The natural
Theatre and Performance Studies, and Global world, people,
Studies are tagged as the humanities majors. society, etc.
• (Global Studies is technically multidisciplinary)

• The study of the human experience.

• More specifically, aspect6s that cannot be subjected
to scientific, mathematical, experimental approaches.
• Language and qualitative critical thinking.
• (See also the courseblog. )
Science Humanities
What about Philosophy, History, Literature?
• Q: Will I be learning philosophy, history, and literature?

• A: This module isn’t about those disciplines themselves; it

aims to teach you interdisciplinary humanities related
concepts/skills that are useful in a variety of contexts, by
having you read-think-discuss humanities texts and themes.

• You will find deeper/more technical treatments of the

concepts/skills/themes in those disciplines; but not
everyone wants or needs that training.
• Hint: If you do find yourself highly enjoying the kinds of
reading/ thinking/discussing found in this module…
I’m a _____ student…
• Q: I’m a physics/chemistry/biology/mathematics/etc. major and I was from
the “science stream” back in JC/Poly too, should I be worried?
• Q: I’m a History/English/Philosophy/etc., major and I was from the “arts
stream” back in JC/IB too, can I slack off?

• A: The module is designed with both of you in mind:

• The human experience isn’t an arts vs. science thing… being able to reflect
upon the experience of our condition is part of what it means to be educated.

• The activities and assessment are designed to be accessible to both groups:

The science students did just as well (or slightly better in some areas) than
the arts students last semester. (More later.)
Why should this matter for you?
Engaging the material can be enjoyable—
• Being alive to the whole range of human expression and to appreciate
both the commonalities and the sheer diversity—this can be enjoyable
and interesting.

The skills learned are pragmatically useful—

• To critically reflect upon the human experience, you need the ability to
analyze qualitative information and make a rational and persuasive case;
the soft power in the “soft skills” is useful in a variety of contexts.
This power doesn’t come
from ‘watching’: you need
to know actual moves!
How the Module Works
Essential Texts
• Ursula Le Guin, The Ones who Walked Away from Omelas
• Mahatma Gandhi, Hind Swaraj
• The Epic of Gilgamesh
• Xunzi (selected passages)
• John-Paul Sartre, No Exit
• Carol Adams, Sexual Politics of Meat (extracts)

• There is a Reading Guide for each text; also includes the

learning objectives of the lectures, tutorials, quizzes, and
a list of possible additional readings. All linked from
LumiNUS > Files or via Module Outline.
About the texts
• Q: Why these texts?
• A: We wanted texts that are not too long, accessible
without much background training, that represent a
good range of the human experience, and that can serve
as platforms for us to “Read-Think-Discuss the Human
Condition” and practice humanities-related skills.

• Q: Why don’t you cover _______?

• A: See above. There are many potential texts and only
so much time in a 4MC module for first year students…
We expect to change texts periodically; your suggestions
always welcome.
Don’t confuse the finger for the moon!
• Q: Am I expected to agree with the contents of the texts?
• A: Don’t “agree” with anything you are not rationally
convinced of! The texts are the platforms for us to “Read-
Think-Discuss the Human Condition”; not “final truth”!
• Diversity of opinions is part of life, and you will have to
learn to deal with it in a rational and charitable way—and
that’s part of the module’s point.

• Q: Am I expected to master the contents of the texts? Are

the assessments based on that?
• A: You are expected to grasp, in an accurate way, what is
introduced and discussed in class (the quizzes will also We are here to read-think-
direct your attention). It’s not possible to “master” these discuss the human condition,
texts in a short time, nor is it necessary. the texts serve that purpose!
 Texts, Themes, Kungfu
Texts and Themes Concepts and Skills (“Humanities Kungfu”)

Omelas—a morality tale about utilitarianism Definitions, descriptive/prescriptive distinction, genres

Hind Swaraj—a radical idea of freedom and Argument basics, metaphors, rhetorical questions
civilization, history
Gilgamesh—the oldest epic about the human Close reading, anachronism
condition Concepts and
skills closely
Xunzi—a debate about human nature and Inference to the best explanation,
what it means to live well ambiguity connected to
critical thinking
No Exit—a play about personal identity Primary/Secondary sources (tentative)
with words…
 The Strategy of the module

Themes: morality,
Texts representing
a range of the human
experience, platforms
Read civilization, freedom, human
nature, relationship with the
natural world, etc.
Tutorial Activities

Group Discussion
Summaries
to “Read-Think-
Discuss” human
condition themes, and
Think Kungfu: concepts
and skills relating to the
Individual Final
Essays
practice humanities
kungfu.
Discuss careful attention to
language and critical
thinking with words.
Quizzes
Intended workflow
• Read (at least skim) the assigned text before the Lecture (see LumiNUS).
• Guiding questions that help you focus your attention are available via LumiNUS.
• Attend the Lecture and take part in the in-class activities. (Recording available.)
• Reread sections of the texts more carefully before tutorial.
• Attend and participate in Tutorials (applies to weeks 3-12).
• Work on the Group Discussion Summaries with your small group after the tutorial.
• Work on the Online Quiz on the same topic in the same 2-week window.
• Review feedback/debriefs from tutor / Courseblog after each Quiz closes.

Reading Thinking Discussing

Assigned text Lecture Quizzes Tutorial Group Discussion
Some Words of Advice
• Take the 2 Week Process seriously (don’t try to “master” everything on day 1):
• Reading, thinking on your own
• Thinking along with lecture
• Closer reading, thinking of specific parts
The schedule of participation
• Tutorial discussion and assessments closely
• Peer discussion (to work on summary), quiz aligns with this process!
• Quiz debrief, follow up reading of your own

• A cumulative and partly recursive process.

• Consistent work throughout the semester is more effective.
• Reach out to peers, tutors, lecturers when you need things clarified.
• Make use of the additional resources created to help you.
 Additional Resources

Look in LumiNUS > Files > Additional Readings [Link]

More about the Assessments
A word about the assessment components
Assessment Components (see LumiNUS for more details):
• Participation in Tutorial Activities (5 Tutorials) - 15% (individually scored)
• Group Discussion Summaries x 5 - 25% (group scored)
• Online Quizzes Best 5 of 6 - 25% (MCQ/MRQs; individually scored; discussion allowed)
• Final Quiz - 10% (MCQ/MRQs; individually scored)
• Final Individual Reflective Essays - 15% (individually scored)
• Group Competition - 5% (group scored; by voting)
• Peer Reviews and Surveys - 5% (individually scored)

• The module only has a very modest amount of individual scored writing.* Focus on
Reading-Thinking-Discussing the Human Condition.
• (*Even the bit that we ask for is not strictly an “academic essay”.)
“Participation” vs. “Performance”
• In this module, “participation” is always about your
making a good faith effort to complete a defined task.
• For example, in a tutorial, submit a poll response,
contribute a sentence to a form, etc. (It is never “speak
eloquently in a class discussion.”)
• You get the score for completing that task on time; we
don’t check for “quality”.
• Analogy: the Kungfu master asking you to punch that
piece of wood X number of times. He’s not concerned
about whether you break the thing.

• Performance is about how well you do something,

measured against standards.
• Analogy: let’s see if you punch through the wood…
Increasing degree of differentiating power
• Participation in Tutorial Activities 15% We are ok with the
Difference purely
• Peer Reviews and Surveys 5% entire class scoring
driven by participation ≥45 out of 50pts.
vs. non-participation.
• Group Competitions 5% Poll: Let’s see if you
Difference mainly driven can guess the spread
by participation vs. non- for Semester 1…
• Group Discussion Summaries x 5 25% participation, minimally
by “performance”.
• Final Quiz Reflective Essays x 2 15%
Difference almost all
• Final Quiz 10% driven by “performance”.
• Online Quizzes best 5 of 6 25%
[Link]
About the Quizzes
• Online Quizzes Best 5 of 6 - 25% (MCQ/MRQs; individually scored; discussion allowed).
• You have 2 whole weeks to do Quizzes 01-05 (1 week for Quiz 00).

• Test whether you understood the concepts and can apply them in different contexts.
• Every option is right/wrong for a specific reason; each will be explained in the debriefs.
• My standard practice: If you really think that you made an honest mistake because of an
(unintended) ambiguity on our part, write in! (See Primer Section 1.6 for “Ambiguity”)
• ([Link]

• See [Link] for a

summary of last semester’s quiz results (note the differentiation by courses).
• There’s nothing wrong with not scoring full marks!
• Poll: What do you is the median quiz score for the A/A+ students in Semester 1?
About the writing components
• Even though the Group Discussion Summary is more in
the “participation” category, students are
(understandably) anxious.
• See Primer Section 5 for some tips and a sample!

• The Final Essays are not academic essays; they are short
response essays. Like the GDS, we want to see your
thoughtful engagement with the matter of the module.
• The GDS prepares you for the final essays, but only if you
take part in the crafting process.
• Overall comments for the final essays last semester:
[Link]
al-essays-debrief/
A Word about Survey Data
Surveys, Peer Reviews, Feedback There is also the Official
NUS Student Feedback,
but that’s not administered
within the module…
• Survey 1: Getting to know you (anonymous)
• Survey 2: How’s it been so far? (anonymous)
• Survey 3: The closing Survey (anonymous)
• Your feedback matters as they provide valuable
data for understanding your learning in the module,
things we can work on to improve, etc.
• [Link]
survey/ (analyses and summaries)

• 2 Peer Reviews (mid-semester, end-semester)

(identities known only to the instructors).
• (But don’t wait for them to surface problems—talk [Link]
to your tutor early!) condition/2021/12/24/post-
semester-one-reflections/
Overall Impressions (Semester 1)

[Link]
Reported Workload

[Link]
humancondition/2021/1
2/01/analysis-of-the-
closing-survey-workload/
Assessment Spread
• Participation Activities (15%)
• Peer Reviews and Surveys (5%)
• Group Discussion Summaries x 5
(20%) (→25%)
• Group Competition (10%) (→5%)
• Online Quizzes x 5 (30%) (→25%)
• Final Quiz 10%
• Final Essays x 2 (10%) (→15%)

[Link]
21/11/13/most-probable-modifications/
 Introducing the instructors of
HSH1000 The Human Condition
Let’s do some Q/A
An activity
• Word Cloud: What defines a human being?
• Hang on to it; your tutor might want to talk more about your definition

• Poll: Are human beings special in the order of things?

• Poll: Does it matter (to us) whether human beings are special?

• Panel time
Let’s learn some concepts

Descriptive Claims/
Statements/accounts Prescriptive Claims/
Predictive Claims/
Statements/accounts
• A claim/statement/account Statements/accounts
about how things are. • A claim/statement/account
• They describe. about how things ought to be • A claim/statement/account
• They prescribe. about how things will be.
• They make predictions.

• All three kinds of claims can be true or false.

• All three kinds of claims can be general or particular.

• A significant class of prescriptive (or normative) claims = moral claims, more about this
claims about what behaviors are morally right or wrong, what social next week…
arrangements are morally just or unjust.
Next week
Read before lecture:
• Ursula K. Le Guin, The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas
• David Brook, “The Child in the Basement”
• See Unit Outline and Reading Guide on LumiNUS (Module Overview>W2)