Five Things Monash SASS has Given
Me and Two Things I Have Become
Yoshua Chua
Ancaro Imparo! ▶
Whilst there, I also created havoc in some of my
classes by trying to undermine my lecturers’ lessons.
For some I succeeded, for others, not so much. But
as a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Monash
University and it has contributed not a little to what I
am currently working as – a managerial position in a
mid-sized education institution, shaping educational
and administrative policies, and passing on
unconventional ideas to impressionable young minds.
On the occasion of SASS’s 10th Anniversary, I reflect
on what exactly it was that the wonderful lecturers at
SASS of yesteryear have done in helping me obtain
the skills and mindset needed to become the person
I am today.
1. Skills to Learn Anything
The wonderful teaching team and educational ethos
of Monash (“Ancora Imparo”) engendered a sense of
wonder and curiosity into the fields I was engaged
in, whether it be Communication, Journalism or
Contemporary History. The lecturers taught us how to
search for information, how to find credible sources
and how to even process some of the information
once found. It has almost served to immunize me from
the epidemic of #fakenews.
2. Ability to Digest Obtuse Material
Part of the Communication course required copious
academic reading. Whether it was Foucault,
Baudrillard, the Frankfurt School or Marshall McLuhan,
the materials were oftentimes dense and difficult to
comprehend. Only after a few re-reads could one
actually begin to grasp the main ideas. But this
discipline of wading through seemingly unnecessary
verbiage taught me patience, determination and many
new (almost unneeded) words.
3. Writing Precision
The writing lecturers of SASS at the time – Joanna
Kujawa, Philip Dearman and a few others – struck
fear into some of our young hearts when they gave
us challenging works to study and work through.
I can still remember trying to take in VS Naipaul’s
boring and staid prose (my view of it at the time),
and almost puking at Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges
for its irresponsible religious mischaracterizations. It
was unpleasant at times but necessary to gain an
appreciation to how some people view the world. But
more importantly, reading some of these works made
me seek to use more measured and precise words
and ideas in my writing, which has helped me in my
writing ever since. Seeing how they handled difficult
subjects and concepts made me hopeful that anyone
could do it, if they did it right.
4. Politics and International Relations
We studied history, politics and international relations;
I loved all of the classes and the materials we had
to deal with. Whether it was the histories of the 20th
century (Ms Bavanee), Australian and American
politics or even having to study some theories
on international relations made the news come
alive to me. My American Politics lecturer in the
Gippsland Campus was a knowledgeable grandpa-
like figure who knew his material in and out and I
had fun learning more about how the U.S. system
21
My hunger
and curiosity
have not
abated;
I have
persisted
in nurturing
the seeds
that were
planted
while I was
in Monash.
I graduated from Monash University Malaysia (MUM)
in 2003 with a Bachelor of Communication. Along the
way, I received a Golden Key, a scholarship for studying
Honours, multiple Merit Scholarship Awards, and
obtained an average grade of Distinction in all my units.