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Southeast Asia Friendship Initiative (SFI)
Program Overview
Introduction to the Southeast Asia Friendship Initiative
The Southeast Asia Friendship Initiative (SFI) is a program designed for undergraduates living in residential units, focusing on Southeast Asia (SEA) and addressing one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and/or Innovation and Enterprise (I&E). The program includes a study trip to an SEA country.
Program Details
- The SFI courses are credit-bearing, and students will receive a letter grade for the course.
- The courses are experiential and include a trip to an SEA country.
- The program aims to deepen students' understanding of the SEA country and explore specific local challenges and solutions related to SDGs and/or I&E.
- Students will have the opportunity to interact with local community partners, NGOs, and government offices.
- For SFI courses bearing 4 units offered to Halls and Houses, students will also learn a Southeast Asian language.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the SFI program, students must:
- Be a full-time undergraduate.
- Not have previously read an SFI course.
- Be living in a residential unit.
- Not be an exchange student.
- Not be a Year 4 student in their graduating semester. The program is open to all Singaporeans, Singapore PRs, and international students.
Course Structure
For Residential College (RC) Students
- Students can sign up for a course comprising seminars and discussions, culminating in a 10-day study trip.
- These courses will be worth 4 units and may be offered during regular and/or special semesters.
- Students should speak with their residential master to find out the offerings for the semester.
For Hall or House Students
- SFI courses offered by Halls and Houses are semester-long courses worth either 2 or 4 units.
- There are two components:
- Lectures and tutorials conducted by faculty at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) at NUS.
- A study trip led by the residential unit.
- If a student is a Malay Studies or SEA Studies major, SFI courses can count towards their major requirements. Otherwise, SFI courses can count towards their unrestricted elective requirements.
Course Comparison
The following table summarizes the content and difference between 2- and 4-unit courses:
| On-campus learning | Overseas trip |
|---|---|
| 2-unit course | |
| - 3 x 2-hour lecture | |
| - 2 x 2-hour tutorial | |
| - Introduction to the country, including history, society, politics, etc. | |
| - Weightage for assessment: 50% | |
| - 7-day study trip to the country | |
| - Experiential learning based on SDGs and/or I&E | |
| - Briefing on itinerary, assessment, and safety before trip | |
| - Weightage for assessment: 50% | |
| 4-unit course | |
| - 3 x 2-hour lecture | |
| - 2 x 2-hour tutorial | |
| - Total of 10 hours of language classes | |
| - Introduction to the country, including history, society, politics, etc. | |
| - Weightage for assessment: 50% | |
| - 10-day study trip to the country | |
| - Experiential learning based on SDGs and/or I&E | |
| - Briefing on itinerary, assessment, and safety before trip | |
| - Weightage for assessment: 50% |
Application Process
Students can apply for SFI courses via their residential unit's admin team. Once accepted, the residential unit will upload the student's enrollment onto CourseReg. Please note that students who have taken an SFI course previously will not be able to register for another one.
Cost of Trip
The Global Relations Office (GRO) provides financial support for SFI trips directly to the residential units, which in turn subsidize the costs of the trips. Students reading SFI courses can expect to pay between $200 to $500 (depending on the country) for the overseas component of the course.
