Week 2

Shahi Organisational Behavioural Model

One interesting point of our second lesson was when Professor Shahi introduced us to his behaviour model which for one instance, can be used to explain the rise and fall of dominance of nations in world history. As one of the most powerful victors of WWII, it heralded the age of America's dominance in the world. The model further went on to explain the concept of the Rising Star, in which a nation opens herself to new ideas and change, such as the rise of the Four Asian Tigers, namely: Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan; which saw rapid growth into high income and developed economies in relatively very short periods of time.

Skyline of Seoul
(2013, June). Seoul Skyline [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.amazingpicturesplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/seoul-skyline-1024x683.jpg

But what caught my attention was the concept of the Falling Star (while I could keenly see the rise of nations, I was quite oblivious to the fall of others). Many, including Professor Shahi point us to the perhaps inevitable possibility of China replacing America as the dominant nation in the world.

The Rise of China

Relevant to the behavioural model, we moved on to Vanessa Heng's presentation about the rise of China. The past decades, in living memory for most people saw the dramatic rise in China on the political, but especially on the economic stage. Under Deng Xiaoping's market reforms since 1978, China saw a dramatic and rapid economic increase.

China's Historical Economic Growth Mike, C. [The Deng Years: An Impressive Turnaround]. Retrieved from http://www.china-mike.com/chinese-history-timeline/part-15-deng-xiaoping/

Even in the past few years, as Professor Shahi taught us, China has been creating its own brands and labels, a poignant reminder of the need for willingness and openness to change that is crucial to be become dominant in the world.

Eugenics

What really caught my attention was Sylvester Yeo's presentation on Eugenics. I had not expected that topic to come up. As Professor Shahi pointed out, the term "Eugenics" has become somewhat of a dirty term, being ruthlessly put alongside Nazism. In our pro-meritocracy driven society, the idea that certain humans are born superior to others is unnerving to me. What's more frightening is that technology can be deliberately used in the hopes that there would be more genetically superior people as opposed to genetically inferior people.

I can see the connection that many people make with Nazism, as the Nazi regime had a belief that the Aryan race was superior to all others and thus proceeded to exterminate other people in order to create lebensraum (living space) for its superior people in the later years of WWII.

Medical Benefits
However, as what Sylvester pointed out, Eugenics can be seen as a possible frontier for mankind, with much potential, for both good and evil. What if we could use genetic manipulation to prevent diseases like cancer form ever occurring and what if we could eradicate hereditary diseases such as Huntington's Disease or Down's Syndrome, in the same way smallpox was eradicated?

Overall
I would rate the session as an overall 8 out of 10; there were much more in-depth discussions and I hope that we can continue the discussion on the Facebook group.

Week 1

Brief Thoughts
Having just concluded our first lesson of Technology and World Change, Professor Gurinder Shahi and students alike raised poignant and thought provoking questions with regards to the above-mentioned.

The first part of the lesson had students sharing their opinions on Technology and World Change. Many students automatically assumed that Technology was synonymous with Information Technology (IT), specifically the latest and newest gadgets that were in easy reach. This prompted Professor Singh to ask the question whether the word: "Technology" necessarily meant IT or electronic gadgets.

Technology
In fact, technology is simply application of knowledge to improve practical aspects of our lives. One of the take-away points that I have discerned is that technology is in fact one of the traits that sets mankind apart from the rest of the animal kingdom.

Guns, Germs and Steel
For the next part of the lesson we saw a brief documentary from National Geographic about Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel". This was immediately familiar to me, as I have seen the documentary before. It tackled the obvious yet difficult question of why certain civilisations managed to advance far more quickly than others.

Through further discussions between Professor Shahi and the students, another take-away point from the lesson was that civilisations had to remain open to trade, new ideas and technology or risk being left behind in the technological race.

Further Thoughts
I would have liked to further discuss the geographic positions of ancient civilisations that gave them natural advantages to prosper quickly, such as the existence of ancient civilisations near major rivers and tributaries. 

For example, the Nile River for the ancient Egyptian civilisation and the Yangtze River for China, which not allowed the flourishing of agriculture, but also opened up the respective regions to trade via the rivers, in an era before the railway and sea routes.

Closing Thoughts
I would rate the session as an 8; I managed to gain several new insights and a much-needed refresher on Jared Diamond's book. I would have appreciated greater student participation, in voicing their opinions on the issues at hand.