Yearbooks

Programme: BA Visual Studies

Kindly take note of the disclaimer regarding qualifications and degree names.
Code Faculty
01130133 Faculty of Humanities
Credits Duration
Duration of study: 3 years Total credits: 360

Programme information

With the increasing importance of the visual medium in the communications and cultural media, informed interaction with all forms of visual culture has become imperative. This programme aims to promote visual literacy by offering instruction in the analysis, interpretation and evaluation of various aspects of visual culture, in both an historical and contemporary context.

Closing date for applications: 30 September annually.

Admission requirements

  • The following persons will be considered for admission: a candidate who is in possession of a certificate that is deemed by the University to be equivalent to the required Grade 12 certificate with university endorsement; a candidate who is a graduate from another tertiary institution or has been granted the status of a graduate of such an institution; and a candidate who is a graduate of another faculty at the University of Pretoria.
  • Candidates who comply with the minimum subject requirements and achievement levels as well as the APS requirements of these programmes will be granted placement in the programmes, subject to the availability of space. The abovementioned is not applicable to selection programmes.
  • To retain admission, learners will be expected to obtain an APS of at least 28 in Grade 12. Prospective students who have already been granted provisional admission in these programmes, but obtained at least an APS of 27 in Grade 12, will be considered by the Admission Committee should space be available. The Admission Committee of the Faculty of Humanities will consider these students once the results of the National Benchmark Test (NBT) are available and depending on the availability of space.
  • The Faculty will assess satisfactory performance in the NBT in the light of its commitment to ensure that an appropriate proportion of the applicants will be drawn from the disadvantaged category of the population.
  • Applicants who meet the minimum APS requirement, but who do not comply with the subject requirements must write the NBT.
  • Life Orientation is excluded when calculating the APS.

 

Minimum requirements 

Achievement level

APS

Afrikaans or English

NSC/IEB

HIGCSE

AS-Level

A-Level

5

3

C

C

30

Other programme-specific information

  • Students who are deemed to be at risk of their level of academic literacy are compelled to take ALL 110 and ALL 125.
  • Students who are deemed NOT to be at risk of their level of academic literacy are compelled to take language modules to the value of 12 credits from the list of language modules (see Academic literacy).

Elective modules for the first year
Select any three disciplines (subjects) at year level one and do two semester modules from each of these disciplines (to the value of 66 credits). If the DFK and/or BEM modules are selected, an additional module must be taken to meet the minimum credit requirement of 66.

Yr level 1 modules:
APL 110,120 [12 each] DFK 110,120 [10 each] EFK 110,120 [12 each] FIL 110,120 [12 each] INL 110,140 [12 each] BEM 120 [10] GES 110,120 [12 each] REL 110,120 [12 each]

(See Language Groups)
 
Elective modules for the second year
Select two disciplines (subjects) which were successfully completed at year level one and do both semesters at year level two (to the value of 80 credits). If DFK and/or BEM are selected, an additional semester module must be taken to meet the minimum credit requirement of 80.

Yr level 2 modules:
APL 210,220 [20 each] DFK 210,220 [15 each] EFK 210,220 [20 each] FIL 210,220 [20 each] INL 240 [20] BEM 212,224 [16 each] GES 210,220 [20 each] REL 210,220 [20 each]

(See Language Groups)

Elective modules for the third year
Select one discipline (subject) which was successfully completed at year level two and do both semester modules at year level three (to the value of 60 credits). If DFK and/or BEM are selected, an additional semester module must be taken to meet the minimum credit requirement of 60.

Yr level 3 modules:
APL 310,320 [30 each] DFK 310,320 [20 each] EFK 310,320 [30 each], FIL 310,320, INL 360 [30 each], BEM 314*,321 [20 each] GES 310,320 [30 each] REL 310,320 [30 each]

*Please note that STK 110 is a prerequisite for BEM 314 and should already be taken in the first year of study.

(See Language Groups)

LANGUAGE GROUPS FOR SELECTION IN PROGRAMMES

Note: You should consult the alphabetical list of modules for full information on all the language modules listed below, as some of these modules have specific requirements/prerequisites.

Module group 1 – Afrikaans
Year level 1
• As a first language: AFR 110,120
• For speakers of other languages (also for speakers of other languages who are registered for qualifications in education and law) AFR 114
• For law students (first language): AFR 110 Note: AFR 120 may be taken additionally.
• For students following a programme in education: AFR 110,120; (first language); AFR 114 (speakers of other languages)

Year level 2
• As a first language: AFR 214, AFR 210,220
• For students following a programme in education: AFR 214, AFR 220
• Language, culture, communication and media: LCC 210,220

Year level 3
• As a first language: AFR 311,321
• For students following a programme in education: Any modules with alpha codes AFR and LCC offered at year level 3.
• Language, culture, communication and media: LCC 312,320,322

Module group 2 – English
Year level 1
• For special purposes: ENG 118
• For academic purposes: ENG 110,120

Year level 2
ENG 210,220

Year level 3
• ENG 310,320
• ENG 311,322

Module group 3 – French
Year level 1
• For beginners: FRN 104,181 (LLM students)
• Cultural-professional (for students who have passed French in Grade 12): FRN 113,123

Year level 2
FRN 211,221

Year level 3
Cultural-professional: FRN 361,362,363,364

Module group 4 – German
Year level 1
• For beginners: DTS 104
• Cultural-professional (for students who have passed German in Grade 12): DTS 113,123

Year level 2
DTS 211,221

Year level 3
Cultural-professional: DTS 361,362,363,364

Module group 5 – Greek
Year level 1
GRK 110,120

Year level 2
GRK 210,220

Module group 6 – Hebrew
Year level 1
HEB 110,120

Year level 2
HEB 210,220

Module group 7 – Latin
Year level 1
LAT 110,120 (students who passed Latin in Grade 12 may start immediately with Latin at year level 2)

Year level 2
LAT 210,220

Year level 3
LAT 310,320

Module group 8 – IsiNdebele
Year level 1
For speakers of isiNdebele as home language or first or second additional language
NDE 110, AFT 121

Year level 2
NDE 210, AFT 220

Year level 3
NDE 310, AFT 320

Module group 9 – IsiZulu
Year level 1
• For beginners: ZUL 110,120
• For speakers of isiZulu as home language or first or second additional language: ZUL 111, AFT 121

Year level 2
• For students who did ZUL 110,120 at year level 1: ZUL 210,220
• For students who did AFT 121: ZUL 111 at year level 1: AFT 220, ZUL 211

Year level 3
ZUL 310, AFT 320

Module group 10 – Sepedi
Year level 1
• For beginners: SEP 110,120
• For speakers of Sepedi as home language or first or second additional language: SEP 111, AFT 121

Year level 2
• For students who did SEP 110,120 at year level 1: SEP 210,220
• For students who did AFT 121, SEP 111 at year level 1: AFT 220, SEP 211

Year level 3
SEP 310, AFT 320

Module group 11 – Setswana
Year level 1
• For beginners: STW 110,120
• For speakers of Setswana as home language or first or second additional language: STW 111, AFT 121

Year level 2
• For students who did STW 110,120 at year level 1: STW 210,220
• For students who did AFT 121, STW 111 at year level 1: AFT 220, STW 211

Year level 3
STW 310, AFT 320

Module group 12 – Spanish
Year level 1
For beginners: SPN 101,102

Year level 2
SPN 211,221

Year level 3
SPN 311,321

Module group 13 – Portuguese
Year level 1
• For beginners: PTG 101
• Portuguese language and culture (for students who have passed Portuguese in Gr 12): PTG 113,123

Year level 2
PTG 211,221

Year level 3
PTG 311,321

Academic literacy
The academic literacy of all students who enrol at the University of Pretoria for the first time and all new students enrolling with the Faculty of Humanities for the first time will be assessed at the start of the academic year by means of their NSC marks.

  1. Students following a degree programme in English: The NSC Grade 12 English mark will be used to determine whether students in the Faculty of Humanities should register for the academic literacy modules (ALL 110 and ALL 125 in English):
  • Home Language: Students with a 4 or lower register for ALL 110 and ALL 125.
  • First Additional Language: Students with a 5 or lower register for ALL 110 and ALL 125.
  1. Students following a degree programme in Afrikaans: The NSC Grade 12 Afrikaans mark will be used to determine whether students in the Faculty of Humanities should register for the academic literacy modules (VAG 110 and VAG 125 in Afrikaans):
  • Home Language: Students with a 4 or lower register for VAG 110 and VAG 125.

All students in the Faculty of Humanities who are identified as being at risk in terms of their level of academic literacy, are compelled to obtain at least 12 credits in the academic literacy modules ALL 110 or VAG 110 and ALL 125 or VAG 125.
All students in the Faculty of Humanities who are not at risk in terms of their level of academic literacy, are compelled to obtain at least 12 credits in language modules:

Department of English
ENG 110 Introduction to literature in English (I) 
ENG 120 Introduction to literature in English (II) 
ENG 118 English for specific purposes 

Departement Afrikaans
AFR 110 Afrikaanse taalkunde en letterkunde 
AFR 120 Afrikaanse taalkunde en letterkunde 
AFR 114 Afrikaans vir sprekers van ander tale (I) 

Department of African Languages
NDE 110 Introduction to isiNdebele grammar – Capita selecta 
* Students who want to take isiNdebele in the second semester, should also register for AFT 121 (African languages literature: Capita selecta)
ZUL 110 IsiZulu for beginners 
ZUL 111 Introduction to isiZulu grammar – Capita selecta 
* Students want to take isiZulu in the second semester, should also register for AFT 121 (African languages literature: Capita selecta)
SEP 110 Sepedi for beginners 
SEP 111 Introduction to Sepedi Grammar – Capita selecta
* Students who want to take Sepedi in the second semester, should also register for AFT 121 (African languages literature: Capita selecta)
STW 110 Setswana for beginners
STW 111 Introduction to Setswana Grammar  – Capita selecta
*Students who want to take Setswana in the second semester, should also register for AFT 121 (African languages literature: Capita selecta)

Department of Modern European Languages
DTS 104 German for beginners 
DTS 113 German: Cultural-professional (1) *Prerequisite: Grade 12 German
FRN 104 French for beginners 
FRN 113 French: Cultural-professional (1) *Prerequisite: Grade 12 French
SPN 101 Spanish for beginners 
SPN 102 Spanish for beginners 
PTG 101 Portuguese for beginners

Department of Ancient Languages and Cultures
HEB 110 Hebrew 
LAT 110 Latin 
GRK 110 Greek

Minimum credits: 120

Fundamental modules

Core modules

  • Module content:

    Foundations of visual culture
    This module introduces art and visual culture theory using a wide range of texts and ideas. The module gives students wide exposure to visual discourses and includes a variety of visual culture examples e.g. artworks, advertisements. These discourses may include:  exploring what visual culture is; modes of analysis; introducing terminology such as ideology and myth; dealing with selected periods from history contextually; introducing cultural icons and themes from popular visual culture.

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  • Module content:

    Images across media: current issues
    This module presents an introduction into the ways in which images appear across media in contemporary visual culture from a specific African perspective within the global. This is done by means of exploring key modes, themes, genres, platforms and visual texts. Among the media and mediums that may be covered are photography, art, graphic design, advertising, film, documentaries, video, digital and social media. 

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  • Module content:

    Images across media: historical perspectives

    This module presents a historical overview of the ways in which images have appeared across media in visual culture from a specific African vantage point within the global. This is done by means of exploring key modes, themes and visual texts with the aim of fostering an understanding of how historical events and cultural and ideological trends underpin the visual. Among the topics that may be covered are the progression of graphic and industrial design from the Industrial Revolution, photography, art, fashion, dress, magazines, printed culture and postcards. The module also provides an introduction to research approaches and methods in the field of visual culture. 

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Elective modules

  • Module content:

    Introduction to Anthropology
    This introduction to anthropology introduces basic themes of the discipline including ritual, religion, marriage and sex.  It combines classic studies with recent scholarship, and asks the 'big question' about human society and human cultures that offer challenging perspectives on the world we live in.

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  • Module content:

    Small places, Large issues
    This module builds on the ethnographic and theoretical themes introduced in APL 110, asking particular questions about how we may think about the relationship between the local and the global; indigenous and universal; public and private; the real and the possible.

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  • Module content:

    This module provides an overview of the fundamentals of marketing by considering the exchange process, customer value, marketing research and the development of a marketing plan. It also addresses the marketing mix elements with specific focus on the seven service marketing elements namely the service product, physical evidence, people, process, distribution, pricing and integrated marketing communication.

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  • Module content:

    The languages of drama and film
    This module introduces the languages of drama and film as well as approaches to drama and film analysis. In addition, historical and contemporary drama and film theories will be used to read various drama and film texts.

    A & B: For students who enrolled for the BA Drama programme prior to 2016, as well as for students entering the BDram programme in 2016.

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  • Module content:

    Drama and film genresThis module introduces the notion of genre as part of a wider concept of narrative building and storytelling in both drama and film. Different types of genre are introduced and discussed with regard to film and drama and furthermore linked to the idea of emerging identities in contemporary storytelling. All these parts are conceptually introduced and provide an introduction to reading, interpretation and giving meaning to various discourses in film and drama narratives.

     
    A & B: For students who enrolled for the BA Drama programme prior to 2016, as well as for students entering the BDram programme in 2016

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  • Module content:

    Introduction to the study of Heritage and Cultural Tourism; overview of South African resorts and nature conservation areas as tourist destinations within the broader context of heritage and cultural tourism. An introduction to the basic research skills in the HCT domain.

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  • Module content:

    Archaeo-tourism
    Analysis of tourist and other visitations to archaeological sites. Topics cover international and local legislation, ethics and best practices debates on who interprets and who ‘owns’ the past and profits from it.  Also covered are site management plans, condition assessment and a consideration of the politics and ethics of ‘heritage’.  Case studies range from large UNESCO World Heritage Sites to small, almost forgotten ‘places of the past’ scattered across the globe.

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  • Module content:

    Introduction to Philosophy
    The two semester modules at first-year level introduce students to the four main subfields of Philosophy, namely epistemology and metaphysics, ethics and political philosophy. This module introduces students to two of these subfields. Students must contact the Department of Philosophy to ascertain which two subfields are covered in each semester as the choice may change from time to time due to availability of teaching staff. Students will become acquainted with the nature of philosophical reflection by exploring a number of classical philosophical themes in each subfield. Throughout the module there is an emphasis on developing those critical thinking, reading and writing skills that are required in Philosophy, while students become acquainted with the power of critique as critical judgment and discernment.

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  • Module content:

    Introduction to Philosophy
    The two semester modules at first-year level introduce students to the four main subfields of Philosophy, namely epistemology and metaphysics, ethics and political philosophy. This module introduces students to two of these subfields. Students must contact the Department of Philosophy to ascertain which two subfields are covered in each semester as the choice may change from time to time due to availability of teaching staff. Students will become acquainted with the nature of philosophical reflection by exploring a number of classical philosophical themes in each subfield. Throughout the module there is an emphasis on developing those critical thinking, reading and writing skills that are required in Philosophy, while students become acquainted with the power of critique as critical judgment and discernment.

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  • Module content:

    This module is an introduction to the study field of information science and its various professions. Key concepts that will be discussed include the following: the human as information processor and user; the life-cycle of information in terms of processes, products and role-players; as well as the communication of information. The social-ethical impact of globalisation is included as a key concern, with reference to Africa.

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  • Module content:

    Information and communication technology. This module offers a brief overview of hardware and software, telecommunications technology, LANs, WANs and intranets, the information highway, the internet and the World Wide Web, computer ethics, ICTs, e-commerce, mobile computing technology and the influence that new trends and developments have on the distribution of information.

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  • Module content:

    The world of religion
    What is religion? The functions of religion. Studying religion. Perspectives on religion. Common concepts and key terms in various religions will be dealt with - also generic dimensions and aspects.  The interdependence of religion, culture and society.

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  • Module content:

    Kaleidoscope of religions
    The occurrence of religion in societies. Types of religion. Primal religions. Christianity, Judaism, Islam.  A variety of religions will be addressed: capita selecta will be made from Christianity; Hinduism; Buddhism; New Religions; New Age; main developments in the world and South Africa.

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  • Module content:

    An introduction to the study of organised political society at national and international levels with specific reference to political concepts, approaches and methods. The emphasis is on state and governance as frameworks for analysis in light of the salient changes brought about at national and international levels by globalisation. Attention is paid to the corresponding dynamics of regime development, performance and change at national and international levels considering increasing challenges to national sovereignty from within and without states in a context of a growing global agenda dealing with transnational issues and challenges, such as the environment, human rights, development and humanitarian intervention.

     

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Minimum credits: 120

Core modules

  • Module content:

    Gender, sexuality and visual representation
    Introduction to the representation of sex, gender and sexuality in visual culture.  Gender theory and terminology related to feminism, masculinity studies and lbgtq theory (lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgendered, queer) are unpacked. Themes and issues in gender and identity politics such as the male hero, the nude in late 19th century art, the femme fatale, hysteria, androgyny and transsexuality are dealt with. Sexuality and gender issues across a range of visual cultural such as soaps, sitcoms, artworks, advertisements, fashion, music videos and films are addressed.

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  • Module content:

    Visual (Post)colonialisms This module investigates aspects of Africanness, Afrocentrism, multiculturalism, transnationalism and the African diaspora and studies a cross section of work including traditional art, tourist art and the hybrid aesthetics of contemporary African art and visual culture. The module also focuses on the ideology of imperialism and colonialism and its influence on art and visual culture from the nineteenth century onwards. The influence of postcolonial thinking on the deconstruction of the ideology of colonialism is highlighted with reference to landscape and memory, the exotic and primitivism in South African visual culture.

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Elective modules

  • Module content:

    Sex, gender and healing This module explores sex, sexuality, gender, sickness and healing. It entails analysing the ways in which these concepts are understood in diverse social contexts and studies how anthropologists think about them in contemporary society.

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  • Module content:

    Power and wealth This module explores anthropological perspectives on politics, power and wealth in colonial and postcolonial contexts. Key concepts that are discussed include anthropological approaches to citizenship, cosmopolitanism, hegemony, human rights, neoliberalism, sovereignty, civil society, gender, race and class.

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  • Module content:

    Historical modes of Western performance
    The module involves a study of the socio-political contexts of Western Classical and Renaissance theatre, redirecting the focus to the notion of violence in performance during the age of Enlightenment.

    A & B: For students who enrolled for the BA Drama programme prior to 2016, as well as for students entering the BDram programme in 2016. 

     

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  • Module content:

    Realism and contemporary South African performance
    Concepts of naturalism and realism will be interrogated in relation to dramatic texts and performance values in both drama and film. Ways in which dramatic realism emerges from and reflects historical perspectives since the „Age of Reason? will be offered. Against this background, the concept of „realism? will be interrogated in relation to performance texts and performance values in the emergence of interdisciplinary framework of performance studies. Ways in which dramatic realism emerges from and reflects historical perspectives will be offered and discussed, so as to draw connections between realism, and contemporary South African performance.

    A & B: For students who enrolled for the BA Drama programme prior to 2016, as well as for students entering the BDram programme in 2016. 

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  • Module content:

    Utilisation of SA cultural historical heritage for tourism
    Remembrance and commemoration and its utilisation in the tourism industry. Introduction to the historical-constitutional development of South Africa and inter-group relations in the country in the context of the heritage and tourism sector. An introduction to field research in the HCT domain.

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  • Module content:

    Community-based tourism Development theories and tourism theory: relation between development and tourism. Pro-poor tourism: Opportunities for and constraints on tourism development. Case studies in sub-Saharan Africa.

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  • Module content:

    History of modern philosophy I and II

    A concise history of modern philosophy. The following are examples of themes that may be explored: The Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, the foundations of the modern worldview (in contrast to the premodern), the European Enlightenment, Romanticism, German Idealism (Kant and Hegel), Marx and Marxism, Kierkegaard and Existentialism, the philosophy of Nietzsche. A selection of contemporary critical responses to modern philosophy may be explored; these may include for example African philosophy, analytical (Anglo-American) philosophy, postmodernism, neo-Marxism, etc.

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  • Module content:

    Political philosophy and ethics
    In this module the ways in which human reality is reflected on in practical philosophy, are examined. Both the analytical, interpretative perspective and the normative perspective are covered. This is done with the aid of a selection of key themes and texts from the history of philosophy, but with special attention to their contemporary relevance. The first of the two foci of this semester module will be on political philosophy. Among the issues that may be covered are justice, power, ideology, authority, the social contract, law, legitimacy, recognition, etc. The second focus of this semester module will be on ethics. Among the issues that may be covered are the formation of rules, principles, ideal, dispositions and the capability to judge that regulate such diverse phenomena as freedom, equality, rights, distribution, oppression. pluralism, and others. The classical approaches to ethics - virtue ethics, deontology, consequentialism - will form the backdrop against which moral philosophy will be discussed. In this module, in general, the student can expect to be exposed to the work of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Sidgwick, Nietzsche, Weber, Mead, Arendt, Habermas, Rawls, Ricoeur, Walzer, Young, Sen, Honneth, and others.

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  • Module content:

    Social and ethical impact. This module examines moral and legal regulation practices related to information in print and digital environments. Different ethical theories are identified and applied to privacy, access to information, information poverty and censorship. The interpretation and enforcement of rules and regulations are discussed.

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  • Module content:

    Focus on religion
    Part 1: Christianity
    Jesus as founder of Christianity; Images of Jesus; current research on the ‘historical Jesus’; core issues in the debate on the ‘historical Jesus’. Capita selecta from themes like: New Testament Christianity; Christian history in survey; Christian missions; After the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment; Christianity in a secularist age; The rise of Third World Christianity.
    Part 2: Traditional African religiosity
    Primal religion and traditional African religion; Traditional life and world view. Key elements like: Concept of time; Concept of God; Ancestral cult; Power doctors, healers and cultic leadership; Ethics: Examples of African religion; San religion; Zulu religion; Shona religion.

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  • Module content:

    Part 1: Myth, symbols and other phenomena
    Religion in diachronic and phenomenological perspective; Cosmologies and theologies; Myth and narrative; Ritual; Spirituality; Offices; Symbolism and communication. The module will focus primarily on mythical motives and thought patterns in the Old and New Testaments. By means of a capita selecta the chosen texts are analysed within the timeframe and world view of their own origin.
    Part 2: Ancient religions
    The content, characteristics and influence of religions in the Ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean worlds will be studied: e.g. Egypt, Canaan, Mesopotamia, Greece etc. (A selection will be made every year.)

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  • Module content:

    Political dynamics (Micro)
    The study of the theory and practice of behavioural phenomena in politics. With reference to appropriate examples, the emphasis is on the study of political culture, leadership, communication, interests groups, parties and party systems; on elections, electoral systems, voting behaviour; and on public opinion and direct popular control techniques.

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  • Module content:

    Political dynamics (Macro)
    A theoretical basis and framework is provided for the description, analysis and classification of political and policy problems. The emphasis is on the nature of the state, governance and conflict in Africa. Amongst others a study is made of the issues of colonialism and post-colonialism, democratisation, authoritarianism and the development of the state in Africa, in the context of a globalising world.

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  • Module content:

    Internal and external influencing factors of consumer behaviour, the consumer's decision process and application fields of consumer behaviour, consumerisms and social responsibility, buying behaviour of consumers in both product and service related industries, consumer psychology and the influence thereof on buying behaviour, psychology of pricing, influencing factors in consumer buying behaviour, the impact of various forms of marketing communication on buying behaviour.

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  • Module content:

    Integrated brand communications approach, marketing communication planning, objectives and budgets for integrated marketing communications, principles and strategising of marketing communication elements, new media, the brand name communication process, marketing metrics and evaluation for marketing communication effectiveness.

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Minimum credits: 120

Core modules

  • Module content:

    Post/Modernities: Contemporary discourses
    This module investigates Modernism and Postmodernism as the dominant aesthetic, discursive and visual paradigms of the 20th and 21st centuries. Key concepts in these discourses and counter-discourses are highlighted and explored, such as the creation of modern subjectivity, the beautiful and the sublime, the avant garde, the metaphysics of presence, originality, authorship, hermeneutics, the “language turn”, différance and the so-called “end of art”. Theorist may include: Kant, Heidegger, Derrida and Foucault.

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  • Module content:

    Visual and virtual spaces 
    Critical decoding of culturally encoded ideas and ideologies embodied in the construction of space, place, and cyberspace in selected Modernist and Postmodernist cultural practices. Topics include spaces of consumption and entertainment such as shopping malls; gender and spatiality; symbolic spaces; surveillance and the architecture of fear. Land art, environmental art and related debates are also addressed. The ways in which real space is virtualised through new technologies; the history and development of virtual reality, virtual communities, the cyborg and cyberpunk, as well as post humanism, are all engaged with specific emphasis on how embodiment and disembodiment are represented visually.

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Elective modules

  • Module content:

    Africa: anthropological perspectives Contemporary ethnographic studies in the African continent, with particular reference to politics, war, resettlement and refugees, religion, identity formation and identity politics, ethnicity and class, and consumption.

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  • Module content:

    Fieldwork, ethnography and theory This module reviews themes such as conducting fieldwork, writing ethnography and developing theory in anthropology. The module allows the opportunity to gain experience with ethnographic field methods in order to develop insight into the implications of methodological choices and their relationship to research questions and settings.

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  • Module content:

    Strategic issues in marketing, strategic marketing, strategic analysis (market analysis, customer analysis, competitor analysis and internal analysis), market strategies (competitive strategies, strategies in the product life cycle and relationship building strategies) and strategy implementation and control.

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  • Module content:

    Reading cultural representation
    Against the framework of post-colonialism, issues of signification, representation and meaning in performance will be considered in relation to selected theoretical approaches to performance and their concern with gender in theatre and film. Representation and subjectivity and how they are revealed as gendered fictions rather than „natural?, inevitable realities will be explored through various drama and film texts. The student will explore how the body, as codified cultural product, can become a symbolic battleground for cultural supremacy in and through performance.

    A & B: For students who enrolled for the BA Drama programme prior to 2016, as well as for students entering the BDram programme in 2016. 

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  • Module content:

    Counter discourses
    Social relations, material conditions, discursive practices, identity and representational structures will be studied in relation to Marxist Materialism, cross-cultural theatre, postmodern discourse and post-theory ideas. Key figures and ideas from relevant critical theory will guide an interrogation of popular performance and cinema as well as non-dominant cinemas and modes of performance.
     
    A & B: For students who enrolled for the BA Drama programme prior to 2016, as well as for students entering the BDram programme in 2016. 

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  • Module content:

    Part 1: Reflecting on religion
    Theories about religion; Religion and ideology; Secularism; Uniqueness; Doctrinal issues, etc.
    Part 2: Topical issues
    The relationship between religion and various topical issues in society will be addressed, like: Religion and society; religion and gender; religion and economics; religion, politics and the state; religion and the environment, etc.

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  • Module content:

    Part 1: Religions as neighbours
    Plurality; Religious interaction; Practical issues, e.g. Themes to be addressed are: conflict, propaganda, indoctrination, dialogue, syncretism, respect and tolerance. Models of dealing with plurality will be studied, e.g. fundamentalism, relativism, pluralism, inclusivism, exclusivism, secularism and co-responsibility and cooperation.
    Part 2: Religion and the arts
    Iconography; overview on the exposition of biblical themes in the expressive arts and music; religious aspects of well-known artefacts and musical compositions; function of art and music in worship.

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  • Module content:

    Political theory
    A theoretical and normative study of political ideas. This includes the study of key political thinkers such as Plato, Thomas Hobbes and John Rawls as well as the contemporary manifestations of ideologies such as liberalism, socialism, conservatism and nationalism. This normative assessment of politics concludes with a critical evaluation of the development, nature and practical value of prominent democratic theories including participatory, legal, and deliberative democracy.

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  • Module content:

    Part 1: Democratic studies
    A high level critical analysis of democratic theory and practice. The analysis of democratic theory will include themes such as classical, radical, deliberative and feminist perspectives. The analysis of democratic practice will include aspects such as democratisation, democratic consolidation, democratic citizenship and society, the role and importance of civil society, the institutions and procedures for democracy and “good governance”.
    Part 2: Political analysis
    The methods and practice of political analysis is the focus of study. The principles and problems underpinning different approaches and methods of political analysis are described and explained. This includes the nature, methods and use of comparative analysis, forecasting, risk analysis, performance evaluation and the political audit. These analytical methods are positioned in a political and policy context, with emphasis on practical application. Applicable examples and case studies are used throughout.

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  • Module content:

    The role of marketing research, the process of marketing research, interpretation of secondary research, qualitative research, survey research, observation, measurement and attitude scaling, questionnaire design, sampling design and sampling procedures, basic data analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, interpretation and reporting of results, research report writing.

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