A/P Philip Holden (email: ellhpj@nus.edu.sg)

Week 12: Literature Today, and Literature's Futures

Today we will bring our brief history of literary study in Singapore up to the present. We'll be looking at a variety of material about Literature in contemporary Singapore, and also welcome a panel of teachers who will talk about their ideas of the place of Literature in school and beyond. If we have time, we'll also look poems written bya younger generation of Singaporean writers: if not, we'll hold these over to the final week.

Reading

1. The following poems by a younger generation of Singapore Writers:

Alfian Sa'at, "Train Ride to Malaysia"

Grace Chia, "Mermaid Princess"

Toh Hsieh Min, "Grandmother Thng"

2.  The following Straits Times Articles:

[Available from the IVLE Workbin: please print out and bring to our class meeting]

• "Value of Literature." 16 October 2002 .
• Susan Long, "Is literature relevant in the new economy?" 23 August 2000.
• Asad Latif, "Literature's creative destruction can stop terrorism." 19 November 2001.
• Wong Chee Meng, "MYOPIC' TO MAKE STUDENTS GIVE UP LITERATURE." 30 May 1997.
• M. Nirmala, "Big drop in students studying O-level literature." 16 August 1997.

3. MOE Guidelines for Literature In English (1998)

[Available from the IVLE Workbin: please print out and bring to our class meeting]

4. MOE Guidelines for Infusing National Education into Literature Teaching (1995)

[Available from the IVLE Workbin: please print out and bring to our class meeting]

IVLE Questions

1. From readings 2, 3, or 4, raise any issue of interest to you that you would like your classmates or the panel to discuss.

Last updated: 7 October, 2003