By Sim Tng Kwang
I stepped into Heritage Studies class one overcast January afternoon with little knowledge of what to expect. What I did know was what could be gathered from the short course description: Heritage Studies was the inaugural edition of a course specially offered for NTU University Scholars Program (USP) students.
It would entail an exploration of concepts like culture, tradition, memory and digital technology. Two specially selected students would enjoy full sponsorship to attend the premier Professional Lighting and Design Convention (PLDC) conference to be held in late October in Rome, Italy. But beyond that, I knew little else about the course.
Looking back, I treasure the chance to have taken Heritage Studies not just because it provided an unparalleled opportunity to attend the PLDC conference in Rome, but for the insightful learning experiences that it promoted throughout the academic semester.
Heritage Studies has taught me the importance of reassessing what I have always held to be true, and the value of adopting a multidisciplinary approach in tackling the challenges encountered in our contemporary world.
SP0038 Heritage Studies Term Presentation (Photo: Sim Tng Kwang)
For me, what distinguished Heritage Studies from other university courses was the manner in which it was structured and taught.
The focus was not so much on academic assessment, but a genuine desire to ensure that students were able to relate what they learnt to the real world. Can one say this for all undergraduate courses nowadays?
Having the opportunity to visit the Asian Civilisation and ArtScience Museums during the course of the semester is an experience I still remember and treasure for the insights that it lent to my understanding of the world.
Previously, I had thought of historical artefacts as inanimate objects whose primary value lie in how they serve to corroborate the existence of past time periods.
It was only during my time in Heritage Studies class that I realised that artefacts, like many other things in life, take on a different meaning when one slows down sufficiently to examine them in a different light.
Osa Osa stone seat from the Nias Tribe in Sumatra, Indonesia (Photo: Sim Tng Kwang)
An artefact like the Osa Osa stone seat may not seem to be of much value by itself to the average museum visitor, particularly in view of how there are many other artefacts competing for one’s attention.
But if one were to examine the Osa Osa stone seat more carefully, deeper links can be drawn to the past. What can we deduce about the place of religion in a culture and society with such intricately carved ritual pieces? How did the stone seat get to where it was ultimately discovered? How were the different parts of Southeast Asia connected together?
In this manner, Heritage Studies has taught me the value of questioning my long-held assumptions to achieve a better understanding of the world.
Furthermore, being able to listen to the keynote addresses and interact with the various conference participants at PLDC 2015 proved to be a fitting climax to all that has been taught in the course.
PLDC Conference (Photo: Sim Tng Kwang)
Taking part in a professional conference in a land so far away from Singapore really brought home the message that education is a process that never really ends in our contemporary world.
Arguably, the ability to keep up-to-date with industry developments, collaborate with individuals from other nations and cultures and provide holistic solutions to emergent challenges are traits that future employers will value much more than the degree that one studied for in university.
Ponte Sant’Angelo, Rome (Photo: Sim Tng Kwang)
In this sense, Heritage Studies has been much more than a course I took to fulfill the general education requirements of my degree. It has taught and enabled me to experience so much more about education, work and life than I ever imagined possible. For that, I am most grateful.
