Do you feed off fear and horror? Perhaps you have an almost unnatural affinity for gore and blood? How about a morbid fascination with the human body?
If your answer to all the above is ‘yes’, then the following modules are definitely for you. This Halloween season, The Ridge showcases five creepy modules which are bound to give you chills. Fret not, they have no prerequisites (though that means they may be rather costly in terms of bidding points), so all you need is a fascination with the unusual and lots of CORS bid points to cash.
1. AY1130 – Human Anatomy and Physiology 1
If you’re one of those people who get a thrill from watching gory scenes where crazed psychos slice humans in half or rip their ligaments out, then you’ll love this module.
AY1130 focuses on the forensic, anatomical study of the human body. It encompasses studies on cells, muscles, skeletons, blood, and immunology, just to name a few. While I don’t think you’ll be working with a cadaver in class, it’ll definitely give you some pretty gruesome insight into the human body! It is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
- Department: (Medicine) Anatomy
- Offered in: Semester 1
- Current class size: 211
2. GEK1534/GEH1043 – Microbes Which Changed Human History
Ever watched The Walking Dead? Or perhaps you once had a scare over pathogens and viral pandemics? If you want to freak yourself out even more, then this is the module for you.
Students taking GEK1534/GEH1043 will study infectious diseases and how it affects human activities. At the core of the module is understanding the interactions between humans and microorganisms, and understanding humanity’s role in the world – from a microbiological perspective, at least.
- Department: Microbiology
- Taught by: Assoc. Prof Lee Yuan Kun, Assoc Prof Timothy Mark Sebastian Barkham
- Offered in: Semester 1
- Current class size: 74
3. EN2204 – Reading the Horror Film
EN2204 is a very popular module, and with good reason. Worked into the module’s timetable is a three-hour slot after every lecture to watch the week’s horror film as a class. Covered films range from cult classics like Jonathan Demme’s Silence of the Lamb to older, pre-code films like Karl Frend’s 1932 film The Mummy. Students are even exposed to cross-cultural horror movies like Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-On: The Grudge.
The module isn’t about slacking off through watching scary movies, though. Students are expected to critically analyse the films. There are readings to be done every single week, some of them written by Assoc Prof Wee herself. Also, do note that this is a small class, so bidding can get competitive, with the lowest successful bid this semester reaching a whopping 1500. Prepare to empty your CORS accounts!
- Department: English Language and Literature
- Taught by: Assoc Prof Valerie Wee
- Offered in: Semester 1
- Current class size: 74
4. GEK1542 – Forensic Science
Forensic Science is another very popular module – the lowest successful bid for last year’s class was 900 points! For fans of Crime Scene Investigation (CSI), this module is sure to be a dream come true.
Classes cover topics such as the testing of blood and bodily fluids, paternity testing, DNA profiling and even death investigation. If that’s not enough to satisfy your curiosity, there are also subsequent modules that you can take (provided you get a good enough grade for this one, of course), including CM3301 – Advanced Forensic Science, and SP3202 – Evidence in Forensic Science.
- Department: Biological Sciences
- Taught by: Eugene Lee, Stella Tan, Teo Eng Swee, Cuthbert, Ng Yiwen, Lei Peipei, Majeed Khader, Tay Ming Kiong
- Offered in: Semester 1
- Current class size: 398
5. GEK1021/GEH1005 – Crime Fiction in English and Chinese
This is THE module for all lovers of crime and detective novels. This module provides a survey of the genre of crime/detective fiction in English and Chinese literature.
Through juxtaposing Western detective fiction with Chinese court-case fiction, students analyse and explore issues that surface when reading texts across cultures. Issues include the “Big Brother” figure, problems with the justice system, and how and why crime arises in society.
- Department: Chinese Studies (module is conducted in English)
- Taught by: Dr Lin Hsueh-Yi
- Offered in: Semester 1
- Current class size: 46
Know more creepy and unusual modules? Leave a comment below or on The Ridge’s Facebook page!
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