Society

Societies, especially the modern ones we live, are constantly changing. Its demographic makeup, its racial mix, ethnic, gender etc. are always in a constant state of flux. Returning to the mean streets of KL after a long sojourn abroad, I felt like I had become a foreigner in my own land. Driving in and out of the Chinatown area, I was met with a throng of people speaking languages which were far more different to the ones I had grown accustomed to as a child. These crowds were speaking, Urdu, Burmese, Indonesian, Javanese, Nepali and the list just goes on. My parents and their parents themselves were from the far reaches of the Orient, arriving some hundred years ago to seek a better life, both for themselves and their descendants. But I have always grown up feeling that I am as every part Malaysian and that where my ancestors hailed from did not matter anymore. So seeing what I saw that fateful day in KL reminded me just how, fluid societies are, and perhaps even one day I may become a minority in my own country as the country becomes increasingly ‘metropolitan’. The Singaporeans themselves are facing this problem in a country where the population size of foreign expats and permanent residents are increasing whilst its own ‘native’ groups are on the decline. So, reading Singaporean dailies, it is not hard to find articles deriding, lambasting the government’s liberal policies towards immigration.

Here in good ol’ sunny Malaysia, you would find also angry union groups, telling off the government and insisting that jobs in palm-oil plantations should only be reserved for Malaysians and not foreigners from certain neighbouring countries. The thing is, it’s the minimum wage requirement that is making it less attractive for these plantation companies to hire local labourers. Foreign labourers are more abundant and much much cheaper.

So this sparks off another issue. With the increasing visibility of foreigners, locals are beginning to feel that their ‘turf’ is ‘taken over’. Just like the Singaporeans, Malaysians are developing a siege mentality, over the hordes of ‘invaders’ flooding into the country. Because of their presence everywhere, and due to their relatively low status in society, these foreigners are being blamed for everything , from durians not ripening to the rising crime rates. It’s easy to blame them. These foreigners are transient and occupy the fringes and the peripheries of Malaysia society. Their social position in Malaysia is unstable and uncertain, constantly being targeted by immigration officials and abused at the hands of their employers. The more of these foreigners we see, the more we begin to imagine how they’re going to rob, rape and murder us, our paranoia increasing. But more often than not, we will find that most of the crimes committed, are those by our fellow Malaysians and not the ones coming from outside Malaysia. Nonetheless the trickle down effect is that Malaysians, by a nature a wary and paranoia bunch, are becoming increasingly so. They are becoming a fearful lot. Many advertisements in the print media showcase ‘gated’ communities and housing projects where houses and living spaces are essentially fenced up. This is supposedly to deter ‘undesirable elements’ from entering and ostensibly causing havoc and chaos. Even certain neighbourhoods in KL are resorting to the use of private security companies to man each end of the street they live on. It seems as if Malaysians are becoming more and more alienated from their government and turning insular into themselves. There is very little feeling of security living in such hard economic times as these. As is the case with developed, modern societies, as the economy plunges deeper into crisis, more people will resort to criminality to make ends meet. The higher classes, the middle classes and especially the lower classes are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. Therefore the have-not’s will resort to extreme measures to survive, whilst the have’s will continue about their business returning to live lives in security camps. Sequestered and separated, there is very little of kampong spirit that has been so typical of life outside of urban areas. But what is this thing called the Kampong Spirit? Well we could say that its that mechanical solidarity that people have in preindustrial society where social bonds based on shared moral values are of more importance. Shared moral values? Do we have that? Or have we lost our moral compass?

Academic Writing

How we mark:

a) appropriateness of the title

b) substance (thoroughness/depth of exploration into topic, clear, independent thought)

c) coherence of discussion (systematic development of argument/ideas, connections between parts of the essay)

d) organization (clear structure, concise and fluent writing)

e) use of evidence/data/illustrations

f) citations and references (including ability to select materials, completeness, accuracy and usefulness)

1. Planning and Executing a written project

· Spend time to plan and think about the essay. Plan ahead and develop an answer.

· Do an outline: it gives the essay a skeleton and makes selection of materials easier. Arguments also flow in a more coherent way.

· Make sure you answer the question.

· See your essays in blocks of arguments. (have an introduction, body and conclusion) Have arguments consistently throughout your essay. Avoid giving chunks of data without arguments and only leaving the analysis to the end.

2. Making an argument and expressing an opinion
• The difference is whether you have evidence to support your views. Support your arguments with evidence!
• Focus on presenting your own views and arguments, not criticizing other authors’ arguments.

3. Sources and Materials
• Materials: primary vs secondary
• Sources: library (books, journals, articles, digital library), web.
• Refer to your reading list for guides.
• Learn how to do proper research. It is a skill that will prove essential. Do not limit yourself to the assigned readings.

Note: a lot of things are on internet are garbage. Do make sure that your source is reliable and always read with a critical eye and be selective!

4. Writing the essay

· Formulate a question to answer and an outline to guide you.

· Answer the question that you set out to do!

· Don’t write everything. You usually read more than you can use! Be selective!

· It is not a “write all you know” essay!

· Understand what the question wants and continuously reinforce the conclusions / arguments that you have made.

· Argument and examples must help answer the question. Do not include unnecessary information.

· Coherence in your essay is very important. Do not let your arguments jump around. Make sure that your argument is clear, concise (not long-winded), and not confusing. Plan your essay!

· Always give the argument first before illustrating and supporting it with evidence.

· Introduction: Make sure you have a clear introduction. Prepare the reader for what’s coming in the rest of the essay. State your aims clearly and limit your scope of argument. Then, make sure you fulfill the promises made in the introduction! Do not lose your focus halfway through the essay!

· Conclusion: Sum up your arguments and reinforce your aims stated in the introduction. This is a good time to check if you have answered the question and fulfilled the aims spelt out in the introduction. Make sure you have a clear, concise conclusion.

5. Referencing and Citations

For reader to read / refer to the original source. References and citations should always be consistent and comprehensive. Choose only 1 style! We recommend the APA style!

6. Plagiarism

• Quotations and Paraphrasing
• Acknowledge all your sources. If direct words from author is to be used, make sure that they are in quotation marks and that the author is duly acknowledged.
• Even if you paraphrase an idea or argument of another author, do acknowledge it!
• Example: According to XXX, …. Or XXX says that …. Or XXX points to…. (and then cite it in your footnotes!)
• Always cite the sources of facts (except those which are obvious)
• Reminder: Plagiarism is a serious offense which may result in a grade of zero for your paper and/or other forms of disciplinary action from the university. We need to say that you have put in the effort to cite all your sources!

7. Finally,
• Always do a read through and grammar check.
• Be concise. Choose words that are simple, precise and best suitable to describe or present your arguments. Avoid using “flowery” or “big” words. You want your arguments to be clear and comprehensible.
• Format: Times New Roman, Font Size 12, Double Spacing, 1-inch margins at all sides.