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Why did you choose to study the Environmental Justice module as part of your Philosophy degree?

I was actually allocated EJ because a different course (Philosophy of Law) that I wanted had no vacancies. It was on my list of backups. I thought it would be interesting to take EJ simply because of the urgency and importance of the issues discussed. Philosophy classes have a tendency to remain in hypotheticals and idealised situations – but from the beginning, EJ confronted us with real issues with dire consequences happening now. I believe philosophers should be trying do their part in applied ethics issues such as environmental injustice – and similar ones like in medical ethics, political philosophy, and inequality.

What was the module about?

It was about the kinds of environmental injustices faced around the world. There were many questions that revolved around this central theme – who pays for the injustices? What kinds of injustices are there? What our emotional response to environmental injustices should be, what kinds of actions help, which seeming just actions actually produce unjust outcomes. It was a really diverse course.

What surprised you most during the module?

Two things. One, the presence of Less-Commonly Taught Philosophies (LCTPs) in the material. It seems natural that a class on Environmental Justice would have LCTPs, but if you know anything about undergraduate Philosophy, often our classes involve material written by old white men, who are seen as trusted authorities on big issues that involve everyone around the world. So, having LCTPs from the get-go was a breath of fresh air.

The second thing was Megan’s insistence on us using real case studies in our final paper. Philosophy tends to drift to hypotheticals with no tether to what actually happens. What you get is an essay full of assumptions and niche scenarios. Again, it is so refreshing to be in Philosophy class where I felt like the problems were real problems, and that maybe my arguments surrounding them could one day be useful. I’ve turned one of Megan’s classes into the subject of my final year Honour’s Thesis!

In your opinion, does Philosophy play an important role within global sustainability discussions? 

It definitely does. I think Philosophy helps the people who engage with and study it become better decision-makers – not because Philosophy gives you the right answers, but because you see nuance and all the consequences that your decisions can have. You can’t run from Philosophy, it’s always there (unless you intend on making decisions without any concern for nuance). Sustainability discussions are about big, complex issues, and you can’t just achieve a singular outcome with a singular action. Scientists gather the data and inform us, Philosophers help decide what the right thing to do is, Sociologists can measure outcomes and tailor actions, and Politicians can make all these actions concrete.

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��«Ӱҵ your exchange year at ��«Ӱҵ

Why did you choose to study at ��«Ӱҵ during your exchange year? 

I had several reasons. First, I had a friend studying full-time at TUoS, and I wanted to see them again after not having seen them for such a long time. Two, I wanted to be somewhere that wasn’t a big bustling city. I come from Singapore, one of the richest countries in the world. London and Manchester remind me too much of my home. Three, I saw really interesting courses in TUoS’ syllabus! Not just in Philosophy, but in Creative Writing and other departments as well (though I didn’t get the chance to enrol in them).

What did you enjoy most about your time in ��«Ӱҵ? 

What’s there not to love? I could write a book about all the things I loved about ��«Ӱҵ. I’ll give you five things. One, the history. I know ��«Ӱҵers may not appreciate it, but the architecture of some buildings and the history of Steel City is really interesting. My favourite building is Boots on West Street with a big clock and bell tower on the façade. It’s so strange.
Two, the animals and animal farms! Ducks, magpies, highland cows, alpacas. All amazing.
Three, Bramall Lane! Unfortunately I arrived when we were in the Premier League, setting all kinds of unwanted records, but I’ll never forget the feeling of walking into my first Premier League football game, and singing Greasy Chip Butty (just to watch ��«Ӱҵ United concede in 5 minues).

Four, the Peaks. I don’t need to elaborate on this, but personally scaling different mountains in the Peaks and walking past sheep and cows gave me a feeling I’ve never felt before. Singapore has the 5^th lowest average elevation of any country in the world, beaten only by countries that are practically in the sea. Being on top of Mam Tor, Stanage Edge, Bamford Edge, Malham Cove (I know this isn’t the Peaks) gave me a constant feeling of “what am I doing with my life?” that I can’t shake till this day. Just driving through the greener side of ��«Ӱҵ towards the peaks (towards Manchester and the B29 crash site) were amazing too. Some people come to the UK on exchange to visit the rest of Europe. I came to ��«Ӱҵ to be in ��«Ӱҵ. If I could, I’d spend my last moments on one of the peaks near ��«Ӱҵ.

Fifth, the people! ��«Ӱҵers are absolutely lovely. They’re just some of the best people I’ve ever met. Warm and welcoming – also lively and strange (in a good way). I miss all the store owners I talked to regularly during my time there. The idea of retiring in ��«Ӱҵ and giving something back to the city is a nice one.

What was the teaching like here compared to your home university?

Eerily similar (in a good way)! The Philosophy department in my home university is full of quirky characters – and they’re all extremely friendly (I’ve eaten lunch and dinner with many of them, many times). The Philosophy faculty I’ve met in ��«Ӱҵ are no different. Warm and funny. I think that’s more important than the content of the course (though the teachers I had were great at that as well. Shoutout to Jim Chamberlain). I get much deeper into the material of classes when I find the professor’s to be great people.

Did you join any clubs or societies during your exchange year? 

In typical philosopher fashion, not really (I am more of an introvert). I did attend a Southeast-Asian combined society event (Balik Kampung), and it was great. I also attended a Philosophy Undergrad conference by the Philosophy Society at ��«Ӱҵ. Apart from that, I did notice two clubs that were really interesting to me – one, the mycelium club (they’re interested in mushrooms if I’m not wrong). The idea of loving mushrooms so much that you start a university club for them is just amazing to me. Dedication to passion. Two, the assassination club/society. Having random university students (who sometimes don’t know each other) run around shooting each other with NERF guns is really funny. I don’t know if the ��«Ӱҵ students find it a bother, but it just reminded me of the fun that we used to have as teenagers in school. A lot of that is lost in university.