New Arts and Humanities modules explore and blend artistic traditions

Experiential learning is very much part of the Yale-NUS curriculum. More than simply reading about or listening to professors discuss theories and concepts, Yale-NUS students often take a hands-on approach to their courses. Two new Arts and Humanities modules at Yale-NUS, Acting II and Writing Hybrid, do just that by challenging students to perform plays and write innovatively. In doing so, students are also presented with the opportunity to explore the boundaries of tradition and learn how to incorporate a modern twist into their works.

Acting II which is divided into three main units – Ancient Greek Tragedy, Classical India, and Classical China – encouraged students to investigate the scripts and approach the plays using contemporary acting techniques, while integrating some traditional training. Lecturer of Humanities (Theatre) Jonathan Vandenberg began teaching Acting II to complement Acting I. “While Acting I focuses on modern plays, Acting II explores classical scripts from around the world. A global approach seemed befitting to Yale-NUS,” Mr Vandenberg noted.

For students like Billy Tran (Class of 2024), this spread of classical traditions drew on familiar ideas while introducing exciting new ones. “It was illuminating to explore the similarities and differences between these theatre traditions across the world. In fact, it complemented our Common Curriculum as I was able to leverage on my knowledge from Philosophy and Political Thought, and Literature and Humanities, which had similar focuses.”

The Acting II students attend a classical Indian movement workshop presented by a master teacher from Bhaskar’s Arts Academy. Photo by Yale-NUS College.

Through the course, Mr Vandenberg hoped that students would be able to bring classical dramas from different traditions to life, resonating intimately with the material and with the people they were written about. “Plays are written to be performed. There are always revelations when you rehearse a scene or play. That kind of communal investigation is rewarding,” he said. “Also, I hoped the course would increase students’ sense of empathy, allowing them to connect to people of the past, whether real or imagined.”

Indeed, it was easy for some students to resonate with these ancient plays in a way they are unable to with modern plays, which do not often feature the same intensity, drama, and high stakes that characterise their earlier counterparts. Morgane Ropion (Class of 2022) remarked, “People do not write plays like this anymore.”

The Acting II students in their costumes to perform their Greek Tragedy scenes. Photo by Yale-NUS College.

In a similar vein, the new creative writing course, Writing Hybrid, also challenges students to not only investigate the traditions of different writing genres but to work with and push past those traditions to create a writing project that hybridises the different genres of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.

When asked about his reasons for introducing this course, Senior Lecturer of Humanities (Creative Writing) Lawrence Lacambra Ypil explained that most of our notions of writing pedagogy are very tied to form and genre, something he did not want to impose on students. “I am interested in the ways in which those traditional forms of teaching were missing out on interesting ways of thinking about writing, and I feel that comes from projects that are either in between genres or seem to go beyond genres,” he elaborated.

Apart from embracing the fluidity of genres, the course also required students to navigate their personal boundaries. “The running theme throughout this course on hybridity is the notion of stepping out of oneself, of crossing a border, or of doing something you otherwise would not. It is an invitation to step out of comfort and limits,” Mr Ypil shared.

The idea of stepping out of oneself was reflected within the course structure. Each week, students were tasked with a writing assignment that experimented with genre, while also intentionally allotted little time to complete it. The purpose of such an exercise was to deconstruct expectations, dismiss fixed notions of self, and encourage the “discovery and construction of the self via the spirit of trying things out”.

Experiencing this course structure was exciting for Dawn Lim Gin (Class of 2023), who said, “Writing Hybrid was all about writing freely while learning about the different choices around expressing what you want to say. Within your choices, you find your voice.”

Writing Hybrid student Dawn Lim Gin (Class of 2023) presenting her final project during the class’s end-of-semester reading. Photo by Silvia Suseno (Class of 2024).

At the end of the course, what emerged were several projects that explored students’ relationship to Singapore. While unexpected, Mr Ypil found the hybrid form that blended different writing genres to be quite apt for discussing “the multiplicities of identities and cultures that constitute Singapore”.

By embracing experiential learning, Acting II and Writing Hybrid served as avenues for Yale-NUS students to examine and understand their own identities and the world they live in.