Inauguration Session of the JPJC Arts and Social Sciences Student Interest Programme
On 1 March 2021, 19 students selected to form the first batch of Jurong Pioneer Junior College’s (JPJC) Arts & Social Sciences Interest Programme (ArtsSSIP) met at the college’s Lecture Theatre 2 for an inauguration session to mark the start of their exciting two-year journey. Our Principal, Dr Hang Kim Hoo, gave the opening address and shared with students his interest and love for literature despite being a mathematician. He encouraged the students to view the world with a multi-disciplinary perspective using the example of how the National University of Singapore’s College of Humanities was set up in 2021 to promote an inter-disciplinary study of the two major fields of art and science.
During the session, the students were given time to propose a specific field of interest and research topic that they would like to pursue during the course of the programme. This allowed for a sense of ownership to be engendered among the students, and empowered them to chart the direction of ArtSSIP according to their passion and conviction. Our students exhibited creativity and ownership in coming up with a creative name for themselves: ‘JPASS Durks’, inspired by the French sociologist, Émile Durkheim.
The birth of ArtSSIP at JPJC is a humble but significant step towards promoting a flourishing culture of interest and passion in the arts and social sciences, as well as providing a conducive environment for interdisciplinary pursuits and learning in the college.
