Dengue virus (DENV) is a mosquito-borne disease that sees 390 million cases of infection occurring annually worldwide. There are four dengue serotypes (DENV1 to DENV4), and while infection with one elicits immunity to that serotype, it offers transient or lowered protection against the other serotypes. Infection with any of the four serotypes causes acute symptoms such as dengue fever or dengue haemorrhagic fever, which in some cases may result in mortality. The question remains – can we successfully differentiate DENV serotypes? This study aims to answer the question using monoclonal antibody-based methods. The clinical implications of detection and differentiation of dengue serotypes are estimating the distribution of DENV serotypes within Singapore and potentially South-East Asia. Such knowledge can prove useful in cases of patients infected with DENV for a second time, as it can lead to quicker decision making and more lives saved from the clutches of dengue.

This study aims to analyse the Christian-Singaporean culture and how this may produce a cultural web involving Chinese privilege, Indian-Chinese relations, Islamophobia, or anti-Malay-ness that are unique to Singapore. It will concurrently delve into the historical coloniality of Christianity in Singapore and how it has shaped these racial-religious dynamics and notions of privilege and power in the country. Furthermore, the notion of Christian privilege is not unique to Singapore—but what is unique is the racial dichotomisation that Singaporean-Christian privilege produces, drawing a line separating Malay-Muslims from Chinese and Indian Christians. Through interviews and anthropological methods, the study will also attempt a look at micro-level cultural experiences of Christianity that may shape macro-level racial-religious dynamics.

The burning of joss paper is a traditional Chinese religious custom often practised in the public areas of Singapore’s public housing estates. As these estates are home to the country’s multiracial and multireligious population, one would expect that the Singapore government would have resolved any concerns with this custom to achieve its national goal of religious harmony. This is especially because the burning of joss paper has public consequences such as producing smoke and ashes that can spread around the neighbourhood. However, after six decades of political independence, criticisms of this custom persist and have recently gained prominence in social discourse. This Honours Thesis research hence aims to investigate how the practice of burning joss paper has been managed by the Singapore government and its effect on the people practising it.

Jonah’s project aims to investigate anti-Westernism in the post-Cold War. With the end of the Cold War, the West transformed from an imagined necessary protector and role model to an imagined threat to the identities, social structures, and ideals of Singaporeans. Starting in 1989, a new wave of anti-Westernism emerged, dominated by imaginations of irrepressible Western culture corrupting Singaporean children and virile Western men seducing Singaporean women. This study accordingly aims to contextualise various events usually considered independently – the emergence of “Asian Values” diplomacy in 1993, the Michael Fay vitriol in 1994, and the contested and controversial responses within Singapore to the 2001 World Trade Center attacks. Through examining how Singaporeans perceived and discussed the West in a time of geopolitical transformation, social change, and leadership transition, this study thus hopes to offer an approach to understanding 1990s Singapore that is fresh, meaningful, and timely.

Maternal and reproductive health outcomes in Southeast Asia reveal significant disparities, particularly in rural and underserved regions, due to socio-economic, geographical, and systemic barriers. These challenges include financial constraints, geographical inaccessibility, cultural norms, and shortages of skilled healthcare professionals, contributing to poor health outcomes, reduced healthcare utilisation, financial hardship, and worsened health disparities. This research seeks to identify and analyse key barriers to maternal and reproductive healthcare in Southeast Asia. It will also evaluate the effectiveness, scalability, and sustainability of community-based strategies aimed at improving access in diverse socio-cultural contexts. By providing a holistic, cross-country perspective on these challenges and assessing the feasibility of existing interventions, the study aims to equip various stakeholders with a deeper understanding of healthcare disparities. This understanding will guide future research, policy formulation, and the development of sustainable solutions to improve maternal healthcare access across the region.

This project explores the evolution of banking in Singapore from 1945 to 2025, tracing its significant transformations that laid the nation’s financial foundation. Beginning in the post-war period, the project examines the influence of British colonial banking systems on Singapore's recovery and the early development of local banks. Following independence in 1965, Singapore undertook significant financial reforms, including the establishment of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) as the central regulator. The steady and resilient growth of local banks enabled the sector to weather several financial crises throughout the late 20th century, while also driving their expansion into regional and global markets. In the modern era, the rise of digital banking and fintech innovation has propelled the city-state’s banking industry to the unprecedented forefront of global finance. This project provides a deeper understanding of Singapore’s banking history and emphasises its increasing relevance in today’s complex global landscape.

Global environmental health threats (GEHTs) are risks to human health of a global scale that arise from disruptions in the natural environment, which could be traced back to human activities and/or natural phenomena. Examples of such threats include zoonotic diseases like COVID-19 and Mpox, environmental pollutants like haze, and climate-related threats like heat stroke. Singapore, as a well-connected global city, remains susceptible to GEHTs, and therefore it is crucial to understand how current and future generations of Singaporeans would approach this issue. Specifically, the link between risk perception (“what one thinks and knows”) and action (“what one does”) in the Singapore context must be made clear. Through semi-structured interviews with Singaporean parents of young children, this project aims to uncover how parents, representing the current generation of Singaporeans, would perceive, manage and inculcate values with regards to GEHTs as they nurture the next generation of Singaporeans.