Getting A for CC0001 Inquiry and Communication in an Interdisciplinary World
- christabel teo
- Jul 20
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 4
Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
CC0001 Inquiry and Communication in an Interdisciplinary World
Faculty | Language and Communication Centre |
Semester Taken | AY2024-25 Semester 2 |
Instructor(s) | Ms Zaidah binte Rahmat |
Credits | 2au |
Delivery Format | Weekly: 1 tutorial (1hr 50min) |
What is CC0001 Inquiry and Communication in an Interdisciplinary World about?
This course is essentially an introduction to op-ed writing. Throughout the semester, you will focus on developing one main piece, an opinion editorial, from start to finish. You will choose a topic related to a place, a community, or your own writing habits, and build your argument through observation, research, and class discussions. The module places a strong emphasis on revision, and you will receive feedback from both your peers and your tutor as you refine your draft. By the end of the semester, you will submit a final op-ed that reflects your thinking, writing, and communication skills.
Assessment Breakdown
Component | Weightage |
Assignment 1 | 20% |
Assignment 2: Presentation | 25% |
Assignment 3: Final Op-Ed | 40% |
Class Participation | 12% |
Reflective Exercise | 3% |
I’d like to preface this post by saying that my CC0001 work is going to be published in Pioneer Road, SOH’s student journal that showcases outstanding undergraduate writing.
I’ll be linking it here once it has been published, so do keep an eye out for it!
I am SO grateful to my tutor for having faith in my work and supporting me throughout the semester, from its nascent stages to the final submission.
My Experience
Almost every tutorial in CC0001 is conducted workshop-style. You will sit with your group and work together on various tasks during class. Participation is important, and the tutor frequently prompts discussion and encourages everyone to share their thoughts. So it's not a mod whereby you can sit back and zone out.
Although there are three topic options – a place, a community, or your own writing practices – everyone in my class chose to write about a place. My tutor strongly advised against choosing the “writing practices” option, as it tends to be too abstract and difficult to handle. I chose to write about Kampong Lorong Buangkok, Singapore’s last kampong, but your chosen play can be anywhere really, such as your neighbourhood playground, your gym, or even your hall canteen.
The module kicks off with you going down to your chosen location to observe and take notes. You will need to record every little detail and fill up an observation table (which can be found in the course guide).
No detail is too small, so be as extensive as you can. These notes will form the foundation for your first assignment, which involves descriptive writing based on your observations, so it really helps to be thorough from the start.
The biggest pain point of this module is that you will constantly be refining your work. There is always feedback, and there is always something to change – sometimes even things you thought were already solid. ❗ Be prepared to put in the work every week because this is not a one-and-done assignment. The process can be exhausting, but if you commit to it and take the feedback seriously, your final op-ed will be something you can be genuinely proud of.
Study Tips
Assignment 1 is where the real work begins. You’ll need to describe and analyse your chosen place in about 400 to 450 words, ending with a strong research question. The most important thing to remember is that your description and analysis should be balanced and as strong as each other. When analysing, ask yourself, What does this tell me about the place? Look out for recurring patterns or details that reveal something deeper. As for the descriptive part, don’t hold back on being a little lyrical! Here's where you can get creative as your goal is to immerse the reader in the setting, so include the most vivid details like what you see, hear, smell, and notice.
Your research question should flow naturally at the end of the piece and not just be placed there abruptly. By which I mean, avoid writing something like “Research Question:”. Instead, ease into it with a phrase like “This then led me to think…” or “I began to wonder…”. Keep your question open-ended and nuanced. It should not be something that can be answered with a simple yes or no. Keep in mind that your final op-ed will be over a thousand words, so your question needs to leave room for exploration and interpretation!
After submitting Assignment 1, you’ll need to find two sources that help you explore your research question. I fumbled a little here because my two sources ended up being too similar in perspective, and my tutor asked me to change one. So make sure your sources are clearly distinct and touch on different angles of the topic. This will make your synthesis much stronger later on.
In your final op-ed, you’ll need to summarise the two sources, evaluate them, apply them to your research question, and then synthesise their ideas. The synthesis part is VERY important. You need to show how the two sources are in conversation – whether they agree, disagree, or offer different takes on the same issue. I literally wrote that there was a “subtle tension” between my two sources just to make the contrast clear.
After that, comes your own insight. Yes, you need a paragraph that is completely your voice and your perspective. This is an opinion piece, after all, so it is the place where you are encouraged to say “I think…” or “I believe…” and present a fresh take that builds on what you have learned. I highly recommend checking out the Pioneer Road Journal to see how seniors wrote theirs.
My biggest advice? Stay humble and refrain from thinking you've put your best work out. You will definitely receive lots of feedback, and your draft will go through multiple revisions. If you take the comments seriously and refine your work consistently, you will be fine. Be willing to put in the work!
There is also a presentation component worth 25%. You’ll present your op-ed to the class, so apart from the usual good presentation habits like maintaining eye contact and speaking clearly, I would say your hook really matters. My tutor emphasised this A LOT and showed us a lot of TED talks and examples in class. For my presentation, I roped my sister and mom in to film a short skit on neighbour interactions and started my talk by asking the class who could relate to the video. It was honestly slightly cringe, meme-style with over-the-top sound effects like Wah!Banana or Jian Hao videos 😭 but the tutor appreciated the effort to grab the class’s attention, which is what really matters.
My tutor also made it very clear that it is essential to have, in her words, “pretty slides.” She even said that if your content is not perfect, you could at least get marks for putting in visual effort. So if design is not your strong suit, please pleasee ask a friend for help. PowerPoint slides that look like they’re from the Windows XP era will NOT fly.
Lastly, class participation is graded too. So try your best to speak up, even if it’s just responding to a question or sharing a small thought. I made it a point to raise my hand and say things like, “Oh, can I also share that I saw something in the news last week…”. Life's too short to be shy!
Final grade: A✨
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