Designing a Historical Immersion course: A collaborative effort between faculty and alumnus

At Yale-NUS, learning is never a one-way affair. Students can look forward to vigorous debates in seminars, walk into faculty offices for discussions on any topic, or even—in alumnus Marc Koo’s (Class of 2019) case—design a course with a professor.

Image provided by Marc Koo (Class of 2019)

The course – The Birth of the Japanese Department Store – focused on how department stores came into being in Japan in the early 20th century. In particular, it examined their role as a periscope into Japan’s modernisation, and how visual art in their advertisements reflected popular attitudes towards a rapidly changing Japan.

Image provided by Assistant Professor of Humanities (Art History) Nozomi Naoi.

Through this course, Assistant Professor for Humanities (Art History) Nozomi Naoi wanted students to learn about the “many forms of change that Japan went through during the modern era,” and also understand how to treat history in broader terms, such as the creation of historical narratives, and how our treatment of history reflects on our contemporary society.

Marc, a former research assistant for Asst Prof Nozomi, played an integral role in designing the course by helping to conduct background research and suggesting readings according to the course themes. Throughout the process, Marc’s undergraduate years at Yale-NUS proved to be immensely helpful, as he was “familiar with the art history courses and how they were structured, and the kind of language that is used in art historical academia”. Having been an undergraduate, he was also able to tap into his insights about students’ needs and their likely expectations for the course.

“I knew what I liked about my courses and what kind of readings students were generally more interested in or could digest more easily, especially when coming into art history with absolutely no background in the field,” he elaborated. This allowed him to bring fresh ideas into the course design process— tailoring readings to students’ interests while ensuring coherence in the overall course structure.

Yale-NUS’ pedagogy and low faculty-student ratio promote faculty interaction at every opportunity, and Marc credited the partnership to this uniquely collaborative structure. “I think the relationship with Asst Prof Nozomi would not have been possible if we were not in Yale-NUS, with the amount of contact time we had,” he explained. Asst Prof Nozomi, who also advised him on his academic pursuits beyond the College, spoke favourably of the personal connection Yale-NUS cultivates. “The bonds that we form with our students last a lifetime, and we are always here for our students, both current and past. I think this collaboration was a wonderful way to experience this first-hand.”

The course is part of the Historical Immersion component of the College’s innovative Common Curriculum, where students dive deep into a particular moment in history and its significance across disciplines. The Common Curriculum is a set of courses which all Yale-NUS students study in their first two years, which introduces them to foundational concepts and modes of inquiry across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.