Bachelor of Arts Honours

Purpose

The purpose of the Bachelor of Arts Honours is to prepare learners for research-based postgraduate study. This qualification serves to consolidate and deepen learner's knowledge in a field of specialisation and to develop research capacity in the methodology and techniques of that field. The qualification demands a high level of theoretical engagement around specialisation and intellectual independence.

Learners will be prepared to continue into further research-based postgraduate studies or to seek employment.

Upon completion of this qualification, the learner will be able to

• Demonstrate an advanced understanding of and critical insight into the principles, theories and methodological approaches underpinning the area of specialisation.
• Communicate confidently and effectively orally and in writing, to professional and lay audiences using appropriate language, suitable audio-visual tools, and technology, as well as appropriate referencing conventions.
• Demonstrate an advanced understanding of professional ethics in general and as they apply to the area of specialisation, and apply this in their work, decisions, and actions.
• Undertake independent and original research in a field of specialization starting from identifying a research problem, collecting data, analysing the data, through to completion of the research and preparation of the research report.

Rationale

The need for this qualification is to promote and support the intellectualization of scholarly work in, the Humanities and Social Sciences. The qualification will produce an essential set of analytical skills and bodies of knowledge which our society and the wider world would be impossible to understand. "It is the humanities that nurture the lifeblood of a democratic project through powers of informed analysis, judgement, and creative critique." (ASSAF, 2011).

The Institution has acknowledged the central importance of the Humanities in its Bachelor of Arts Honours, and the proposed qualification will provide an opportunity for progression into Master's level studies.

The proposed Honours degree will contribute to the production of learners in the Humanities with higher-level skills, knowledge and research abilities who will be independent and critical thinkers with wide-ranging disciplinary knowledge and awareness and the ability to approach problems creatively and analytically.

Learners with this qualification will be able to work and contribute to many varied facets of the job market, depending on their area of specialisation including but not limited to all areas dealing with people, and in all areas demanding higher levels of language usage, interpretation, rhetoric, communication and meaning production. Learners will work for National and Provincial Governments and in the private sector and will be able to work for themselves or others as consultants.

This qualification is a bridge between undergraduate and postgraduate studies, and learners are prepared for further research-based postgraduate studies. Given that it is research that will identify the solutions to the many and diverse problems that we face, the rationale for the Honours degree is clear. In addition, the minimum entrance requirement for a career in academia is a master's degree, and the Honours degree can be seen as a crucial stepping stone for individuals wishing to become academics.

Learners will benefit through the development of advanced knowledge and skills and improved employment opportunities. The learner will possess the Institution's values including being socially aware agents of change which should bring benefits to society. We return to the views expressed in the Consensus Study on the State of the Humanities in South Africa, Prospects and Strategies (ASSAF, 2011) that the "Humanities are indispensable, producing an essential set of analytical skills and bodies of knowledge without which our society and the wider world would be impossible to understand."

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The institution has an approved Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy applicable to equivalent qualifications for admission into the qualification. RPL will be applied to accommodate applicants who qualify. RPL thus provides alternative access and admission to qualifications, as well as advancement within qualifications.

RPL for access

• Learners who do not meet the minimum entrance requirements or the required qualification that is at the same NQF level as the qualification required for admission may be considered for admission through RPL.
• To be considered for admission in the qualification based on RPL, applicants should provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that they have acquired the relevant knowledge, skills, and competencies through formal, non-formal and/or informal learning to cope with the qualification expectations.

RPL for exemption of modules

• Learners may apply for RPL to be exempted from modules that form part of the qualification. For a learner to be exempted from a module, the learner needs to provide sufficient evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that competency was achieved for the learning outcomes that are equivalent to the learning outcomes of the module.

RPL for credit

• Learners may also apply for RPL for credit for or towards the qualification, in which they must provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates prior learning through formal, non-formal and/or informal learning to obtain credits towards the qualification.
• Credit shall be appropriate to the context in which it is awarded and accepted.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Bachelor of Arts, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Bachelor of Social Science, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Bachelor of Arts in Humanities, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Advanced Diploma, NQF Level 7 in a cognate field.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory and elective modules at NQF Level 8 totalling 180 Credits.

Compulsory modules, Level 8, 135 Credits.

• Research Methodology, 15 Credits.
• Research Report, 30 Credits.
• Morphology and Syntax, 15 Credits
• Phonetics and Phonology, 15 Credits
• Philosophical Theories and Practice of Culture and Heritage, 15 Credits
• Modernity and the Modern World, 15 Credits
• State Building in Africa: Democratisation and Crisis, 15 Credits
• African Political Economy, 15 Credits

Elective Modules, Level 8, 45 Credits (Choose three electives)

• Modern IsiNdebele Literature, 15 Credits.
• Traditional IsiNdebele Literature, 15 Credits.
• Semantics and Sociolinguistics, 15 Credits.
• Language History, Planning and Policy, 15 Credits.
• Translation, Interpretation and Lexicography, 15 Credits.
• Current Discourses in Culture and Heritage in South Africa, 15 Credits.
• Themes of Culture, History and Heritage in the Modern World, 15 Credits.
• Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Contemporary Africa, 15 Credits.
• Biocultural Diversity, Sacred Natural Sites and Cultural Landscapes, 15 Credits.
• Policy, Power and Politics in Cultural Heritage and Representation, 15 Credits.
• Decoloniality: African Thought, Discourse and Critique in Cultural Studies, 15 Credits.
• African Feminism and Gender Studies, 15 Credits.
• Selected Topic in Political Studies: Public Policy, 15 Credits.
• Ethnicity, Conflict and Inequality in Global Perspective, 15 Credits.

Exit Level Outcomes

1. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of and critical insight into the principles, theories and methodological approaches underpinning the area of specialization.
2. Apply advanced knowledge and skills to critically discuss and debate complex issues in specialization.
3. Critically reflect on the diversity of approaches to the generation of knowledge and understanding deriving from the experience of the epistemologies of the social sciences and humanities, including Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS).
4. Use information from a diverse range of sources to address complex problems and issues.
5. Select and correctly implement an appropriate research paradigm, data collection methods and methods of analysis, including both qualitative and quantitative analytical methods.
6. Undertake independent and original research in a field of specialization starting from identifying a research problem, collecting data, analyzing the data, through to completion of the research and preparation of the research report.
7. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of professional ethics in general and as they apply to the area of specialization, and apply this in their work, decisions, and actions.
8. Communicate confidently and effectively verbally and in writing, to professional and lay audiences using appropriate language, suitable audio-visual tools and technology, as well as appropriate referencing conventions.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Critically review relevant theories, principles, procedures and practices, research methodologies, methods and techniques and used to support the development of convincing arguments and positions in assignments, the research report and examinations.
• Critically discuss current issues in the field of specialization and apply advanced understanding by reference to current literature and case studies and draw on examples from the World with an emphasis on Africa.
• Apply methods and techniques to support the development of convincing arguments and positions in assignments, research reports, and examinations.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Illustrate reviews of recent research articles and apply a full understanding of the area of specialization.
• Critically analyse and discuss case studies with reference to established theory and current literature.
• Contribute to debate and discussion of current issues in the area of specialization.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Illustrate critical awareness of relevant philosophies and research paradigms.
• Select and fully justify given familiar and unfamiliar research topics.
• Critically analyse knowledge and the nature of knowing in the social sciences with reference to relevant theory.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Critically evaluate information from a wide range of sources and include it in the research paper and all assignments.
• Critically review and analyse existing knowledge in the field of specialization.
• Manage contradictory information, alternative viewpoints considered and balanced conclusion reached.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Evaluate research paradigms used in the humanities and their application critically.
• Correctly apply routine and specialised methods.
• Clearly understand and describe the inherent weaknesses of an applied or recommended method.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Present the project question and scope.
• Identify appropriate methods including statistical methods, where a range of methods are considered, and the appropriate ones chosen.
• Collect and analyse data successfully.
• Interpret and discuss data in the context of the available information gathered in the literature review.
• Formulate recommendations supported by the data.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Identify ethical issues in specialization.
• Obtain ethical approval prior to research commencement.
• Make an informed ethical contribution to debates using theoretical knowledge, value systems, and principles of morality.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 8

• Communicate results from the research project to both professional and lay audiences using appropriate language and technology.
• Communicate oral arguments in a convincing manner.
• Communicate complex concepts, ideas and theories clearly.
• Use a standard referencing style accurately and consistently in the research paper.
• Communicate written arguments convincingly.
• Clearly present statistical results in the research paper.