Bachelor of Arts Honours

Purpose

The qualification provides the learners with knowledge, specific skills and applied competence in a number of fields of Communication Studies and Language, Human and Social Studies, Culture and Arts, Business, Commerce, and Management Studies, Education, Training and Development, and Health Sciences and Social Services that provide opportunities for continued personal intellectual growth, gainful economic activity and rewarding contributions to society. The qualification represents planned learning outcomes, namely that the learner will be qualified to render holistic, integrated and inter-sectoral services, reflecting the diversity, accessibility, and equal distribution of resources for all South Africans. These outcomes are designed to promote lifelong learning.

Learners will demonstrate knowledge, skills and applied competence in the field of study that provides opportunities for continued personal growth, gainful economic activity and rewarding contributions to society.

Rationale

The qualification will provide South Africa with significant numbers of learners in several social sciences to ensure that the local leadership base of innovative and knowledge-based economic and scholarly activity is widened.

Furthermore, the qualification will provide South Africa with a cadre of

• Social analysts.
• Researchers.
• Facilitators.
• Developers.
• Managers.
• Service providers.
• Experts in the field of Humanities.

These learners will have a clear and continuously growing understanding of the methods and progress of social sciences before acquiring specific postgraduate qualifications.

This qualification prepares learners for a Masters' qualification in a specialist field. In general, the purpose of this qualification complies with the overall purpose of the qualification for which it serves as a prerequisite or for which it serves as an entry point, i.e. all Masters' qualifications in the Faculty of Arts.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The University's Report of the Admissions Committee (AC): Policy on Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) will be applied where relevant.

Both admission and module credits may be granted through the RPL process.

RPL for Admission

RPL implementation will use a triangulated verification approach using academic records, portfolios and interviews conducted by a panel of academic and external experts. All RPL decisions are tabled at the Faculty Management Committee meeting for scrutiny and approval.

Learners who do not meet the admission criteria as stipulated, but who can demonstrate experiential or work-based learning at an equivalent level may be considered for RPL. The Faculty policy, derived from the institutional RPL policy, requires that each learner be assessed on an individual basis. The learner will approach the Head of Department regarding the RPL policy and process. The HOD will explain the RPL assessment process, the specific assessment criteria and the type and format of evidence(s) required. Learners who qualify to pursue this option will complete the standard application form upon which the HOD will nominate an assessor to be approved by the FMC.

Learners must provide a portfolio containing sufficient evidence of written material, produced independently.

This material must meet with the following academic criteria at NQF Level 7 and NQF 8 for module credits. The material must:

• Indicate adequate knowledge and comprehension of the fundamental principles of IT;
• Demonstrate the ability to gather and collate multiple sources of information and competing perspectives to support a theoretical understanding of relevant issues;
• Involve the application of discipline-based knowledge to the analysis of practical and conceptual problems.

Assessment of the learner's application will involve the following steps

• The learner must submit a portfolio containing evidence of all of the above.
• The internal assessor will assess the learner's portfolio and the outcome of the RPL process, including written reports by the assessor and a recommendation, will be submitted to the HOD.
• The final decision regarding the RPL status of the learner will be presented to the FMC. The FMC Secretary will communicate the FMC decision to the Faculty Officer, who in turn will communicate the outcome to the learner.

RPL for Credits

For learners who have already qualified with a cognate qualification and have done modules in their qualification within the Postgraduate Diploma may apply for the module/s to be credited. The learner will complete a Request for Module Credits form and must supply the curriculum of the module/s within their completed qualification. The outcome will be communicated to the learner.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 8 totalling 120 Credits.

1. Demonstrate the ability to achieve major skills.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the embedded knowledge that underpins the result/outcome.
3. Demonstrate the ability to integrate or connect performances and to reflect on, evaluate and adopt the above competencies.
4. Construct the discursive foundations of an independent perspective on the discourse, artefacts, actions and institutions in a special field of learning.
5. Apply this frame of knowledge in exploring and gaining critical insight into cultural and social issues.
6. Contribute to the understanding and solution of cultural and social systems and problems.
7. Demonstrate rudimentary research capabilities.
8. Develop report-writing capabilities.
9. Critically read texts on specialised topics.
10. Survey critical debates in the literature, evaluate current theoretical frames and confront dominant ideologies in selected fields of learning.
11. Explore sub-disciplines, special areas and unique cases in a field of learning; verbalise the disciplinary discourses.
12. Master specialised research procedure for accessing relevant information, analysing data, and interpreting cases and contextualising problems.

Integrated Assessment

Competence is achieved through continuous assessment by demonstrating the ability to achieve the outcomes of the qualification:

• Module course mark.
• Assignments.
• Projects.
• Examinations.

This will be supported by a module credit system, followed by a final exam on the modules for which credit was not obtained.

Assessments are

• To include confirmation of the Embedded Knowledge component to ensure that the Foundational Competency is achieved.
• To be verified by Internal Verifiers to ensure valid, credible, true and fair results.

Four to five three-hour written examinations paper.

Three to four three-hour written examination papers and a minor research project or a minor dissertation.

Certain disciplines have the option of an oral examination in one of the examination papers.