Yearbooks

Programme: BSocSci Industrial Sociology and Labour Studies

Kindly take note of the disclaimer regarding qualifications and degree names.
Code Faculty
01130064 Faculty of Humanities
Credits Duration
Minimum duration of study: 3 years Total credits: 374

Programme information

The increasing prominence of people in the workplace who possess the in-depth analytical skill and knowledge with respect to the evermore exacting challenge of the contemporary globalised world of work – both inside of South Africa and internationally – means that there is a growing demand for Industrial Sociology and Industrial Sociologists. This programme aims to equip graduates with understanding, critical knowledge and the thinking abilities to respond to the many problems and challenges of and in the workplace, in a proactive, creative and useful fashion.

Admission requirements

  • Candidates are advised to apply early, due to limited space availability in all programmes. As soon as a programme reaches its full capacity, applications of the specific programme will be closed before the official closing date.
  • The following candidates will be considered for admission:
  1. 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 recognised 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
  1. Candidates who have completed the National Senior Certificate with admission to degree studies or a certificate of conditional exemption on the basis of a candidate’s non-South African (“foreign”) qualifications, the so-called “Immigrant” or “Foreign Conditional Exemption”. The only condition for the “Foreign Conditional Exemption” that is accepted is: ‘completion of the degree course’. The exemption certificate is obtainable from Universities South Africa (USAf). Detailed information is available on the website at mb.usaf.ac.za.
  • 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 above-mentioned is not applicable to selection programmes.
  • To retain admission, learners will be expected to obtain an APS of at least 28 in Grade 12, except BA (Speech-Language Pathology), BA (Audiology) and BSocSci (Philosophy, Politics and Economics). The required APS for these three programmes is 32 in order to retain admission. Prospective students who have already been granted conditional admission in these programmes, but obtained at least an APS of 26 or 27 in Grade 12, will be considered by the Admissions Committee should space be available. The Admissions 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 NBT is not applicable to selection programmes. Candidates who apply for selection programmes or BA (Law) are required to meet the minimum admission requirements.
  • Applicants who meet the minimum APS requirement, but who do not comply with the subject requirements must write the NBT.
  • 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.
  • Life Orientation is excluded when calculating the APS.
  • The language of communication and correspondence is English only.
  • For more information, please consult the Faculty yearbook on the UP website.
  • Note: The A and IB HL levels are not included in the APS Conversion Table. Faculty requirements for admission based on these equivalent international qualifications are a D for the A level and 4 for the IB HL level.
  • Non-NSC candidates who have already completed the equivalent of Grade 12, are advised to submit their Exemption certificates obtained from USAf (www.usaf.ac.za) along with their applications.
  • Non-NSC candidates who do not have English Language in Grade 12 are advised to write the NBT or submit their SAT results. Please note that English Literature is not considered as a substitute for English language.

Minimum requirements

Achievement level

English Home Language or English First Additional Language

 

APS

NSC/IEB

AS Level

 

5

 

C

 

30

Candidates will be expected to achieve an APS of at least 28 in Grade 12 to retain admission.

*  Cambridge A level candidates who obtained at least a D in the required subjects, will be considered for admission. International Baccalaureate (IB) HL candidates who obtained at least a 4 in the required subjects, will be considered for admission.

 

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).

ABV 320 – may be selected in any year of study, but preferably in the first year.
ABR 311 – May be selected in any year of study, but preferably in the second year.

Choose one of the following disciplines and select two semester modules at each year level. Modules not taken as core modules can also be selected as elective modules:

  • Antropology: APL 110,120 [12 each] APL 210,220 [20 each] APL 310,320 [30 each]
  • Philosophy: FIL 110,120 [12 each] FIL 210,220 [20 each] FIL 310,320 [30 each]
  • History: GES 110,120 [12 each] GES 210,220 [20 each] GES 310,320 [30 each]
  • Politics: PTO 111,120 [12 each] together with
  • International relations: IPL 210,220 [20 each] IPL 310,320 [30 each]
  • Politics: PTO 111,120 [12 each] together with
  • Political science: STL 210,220 [20 each] STL 310,320 [30 each]

Additional elective module options
Select modules to the value of at least 48-64 credits from the list of disciplines above or from the following additional electives:

  • Sepedi: SEP 110 [12] SEP 120 [12] SEP 210 [20] SEP 220 [20]
  • IsiZulu: ZUL 110 [12] ZUL 120 [12] ZUL 210 [20] ZUL 220 [20]
  • Business management: OBS 124 [10]

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: 130

Electives, where applicable, must be at least 54 credits in total.
ABV 320 – May be selected in any year of study, but preferably in the first year.
ABR 311 – May be selected in any year of study, but preferably in the second year.

Fundamental modules

Core modules

  • Module content:

    The theoretical basis of Labour Relations
    In this section the basic concepts, historical context and theoretical approaches to the field of labour relations will be discussed. The institutional framework in which labour relations operates, will be addressed with particular emphasis on the structural mechanisms and institutional processes. The service relationship that forms the basis of labour relations practices, will also be analysed.
    Labour Relations practice
    In this section students are taught the conceptual and practical skills related to practice aspects such as handling of grievances, disciplining, retrenchments, collective bargaining, industrial action and dispute resolution.

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  • Module content:

    This module deals with the core principles of economics. A distinction between macroeconomics and microeconomics is made. A discussion of the market system and circular flow of goods, services and money is followed by a section dealing with microeconomic principles, including demand and supply analysis, consumer behaviour and utility maximisation, production and the costs thereof, and the different market models and firm behaviour. Labour market institutions and issues, wage determination, as well as income inequality and poverty are also addressed. A section of money, banking, interest rates and monetary policy concludes the course.

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  • Module content:

    The entrepreneurial mind-set; managers and managing; values, attitudes, emotions, and culture: the manager as a person; ethics and social responsibility; decision making; leadership and responsible leadership; effective groups and teams; managing organizational structure and culture inclusive of the different functions of a generic organisation and how they interact (marketing; finance; operations; human resources and general management); contextualising Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in each of the topics.

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  • Module content:

    Part 1: The individual and society
    An introduction to sociology, the classical sociological paradigm and the principles of sociological research.

    Part 2: The making of the South African order

    This section explores key factors involved in the making and shaping of the contemporary South African social order and considers the sociological implications thereof. Students will be introduced to the political economy of South Africa, with an emphasis on the nature of South Africa’s industrialisation, the process of proletarianisation and the introduction of the migration labour system. In addition, the racial state, the foundations of its social project, and the spatial form of its 20th century racial modernity will be considered.

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  • Module content:

    Part 1: The sociology of institutions
    An introduction to the social dynamics of institutions such as the family, the state, the economy, religion, education, and civil society, with specific focus on Southern Africa.

    Part 2: Social stratification: Race, class and gender
    The nature and dynamics of social stratification and inequality will be explored. Race, gender and class are the foci of the section. The South African reality in this regard is highlighted.

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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:

    Introduction to Philosophy

    The two semester modules at first-year level introduce students to four main subfields of philosophy, namely metaphysics, epistemology, ontology and ethics. This module introduces students to two of these subfields, namely epistemology and metaphysics with reference to the work of a range of scholars from the Global South and the West. 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 four main subfields of philosophy, namely metaphysics, epistemology, ontology and ethics. This module introduces students to two of these subfields, namely ontology and ethics and the emphasis is on texts by African and Western scholars. 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:

    The making of the Modern World: a survey
    A selection of themes on Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe and their contribution to the making of the Modern World.

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  • Module content:

    Africa and South Africa: a survey
    An overview focusing on the making of African and South African societies from the earliest times to the present with emphasis on the most significant historical forces, factors and events.

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  • Module content:

    Value chain management: functional strategies for competitive advantage; human resource management; managing diverse employees in a multicultural environment; motivation and performance; using advanced information technology to increase performance; production and operations management; financial management; corporate entrepreneurship.

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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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  • Module content:

    *For absolute beginners only.
    *Only students from the School of Healthcare Sciences may take this module during semester 2. All other students must  take this module during semester 1. Also note that students from the School of Healthcare Sciences, who already possess the language skills taught in this module, may write an exemption examination.
    The acquisition of basic Sepedi communicative skills with emphasis on everyday expressions and suitable high frequency vocabulary, within specific social situations.

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  • Module content:

    Sepedi - communication and grammar
    The acquisition of more advanced communication skills in further social situations. More extensive vocabulary and more advanced language structures are acquired and used. Further awareness of the nature and function of language structures. Writing and spelling rules. Dictionaries and dictionary use. Reading and comprehension of basic texts.

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  • Module content:

    * For absolute beginners only.

    The acquisition of basic Setswana communicative skills with emphasis on everyday expressions and suitable high frequency vocabulary within specific social situations.
     

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  • Module content:

    Setswana – communication and grammar
    The acquisition of more advanced communication skills in further social situations. More extensive vocabulary and more advanced language structures are acquired and used. Further awareness of the nature and function of language structures. Writing and spelling rules. Dictionaries and dictionary use. Reading and comprehension of basic texts.

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  • Module content:

    *For absolute beginners only
    *Only students from the School of Healthcare Sciences may take this module during semester 2. All other students must take this module during semester 1. Students from the School of Healthcare Sciences, who already possess the language skills taught in this module, may write an exemption examination.
    The acquisition of basic isiZulu communicative skills with emphasis on everyday expressions and suitable high frequency vocabulary, within specific situations.

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  • Module content:

    isiZulu - communication and grammar
    The acquisition of more advanced communication skills in further social situations. More extensive vocabulary and more advanced language structures are acquired and used. Further awareness of the nature and function of language structures. Writing and spelling rules. Dictionaries and dictionary use. Reading and comprehension of basic texts

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Minimum credits: 132

Core modules

  • Module content:

    Basic principles of the employment contract. Collective labour law. Statutory conditions of employment. Individual labour disputes. Collective labour disputes. Settlement procedures.

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  • Module content:

    This module consists of two sections (Gender, family and households and Sociology of work: Changing worlds of work); the order in which these are taught may change from time to time.

    Gender, family and households

    This section focuses on theories and issues relevant to the understanding of households, families and gender. It addresses thematics such as dynamic family structures, poverty, the survival strategies of poor households, gender-based violence and the ways in which the aforementioned affect family life and forms as well as children and youth in particular. A special emphasis is placed on exploring these issues in a Southern African context.

    Sociology of work: Changing worlds of work
    This section focuses on the changing world of work over the last century.  It focuses on themes such as the conceptualisation of work, workplace restructuring and reorganisation and the consequences for work and employment. An emphasis is placed on exploring these issues from a southern perspective.

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  • Module content:

    Part 1: Demography, health and society
    This section explores the dynamic relationship between demography and health, with examples drawn from South African and international case studies. The substantial increase in world population during the past century compounds key issues faced by contemporary societies. Interplay between demographic processes, such as morbidity, mortality, fertility and mobility, impact on the size of a population. In turn, these are to an extent shaped by the structure of a population as well as the cultural context of a society. Central to this are concerns around health and disease. 

    Part 2: Cultural Sociology

    This section explores themes in cultural sociology, with an emphasis on the ways in which meaning is constructed in everyday life by individuals as well as collectives, on the one hand, and the intersection between culture and institutional forms and social structure on the other. Students will be introduced to the work of some of the key thinkers in the field, and will be provided with the opportunity to write an independent essay on a theme in cultural sociology.

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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:

    This module engages the historical emergence of modern African philosophy in relation to the Western canon. The first module traces the history of modern western philosophy as the history of different conceptions of First Philosophy – from the claim that it is epistemology (Aristotle through eg. Kant and Hegel), to ontology (eg Heidegger), to the ethical (eg. Levinas) to the claim that it is the political (eg Grosfoguel, Mignolo). The second module traces the historical process through which the modern African subject is constituted in a struggle for recognition with reference to the work of theorists such as Hegel, Du Bois, Fanon and others.

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  • Module content:

    In this module contextually relevant aspects of human reality are reflected on through philosophy considered as practical activity. Students will engage issues of socio-political relevance in contemporary (South) Africa, the Global South and beyond. The focus is on key themes and texts in debates of contemporary relevance and may include issues from any of the sub-disciplines of philosophy such as political philosophy, moral philosophy and philosophy of science. 

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  • Module content:

    Themes from African History
    A selection of themes on the history of Africa and its people during pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial times, focusing on the social, political and economic forces that helped shape the African historical experience.

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  • Module content:

    Rise and fall of segregation and apartheid
    Focuses on the origin and theoretical foundations of these policies and their entrenchment in SA legislation. The resistance against the institution of these respective policies and the subsequent dismantling of apartheid. The impact on social, cultural and economic terrain.

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  • Module content:

    International theory and organisation
    What causes war and peace? Can international order and justice be reconciled? Does the international structure matter? The answers depend on the theoretical lenses through which world politics are viewed. An overview is provided of competing theoretical perspectives of international relations. It includes mainstream and alternative perspectives, as well as the underlying ideas, theories and variants of each. These theories also propose different approaches to global peace, amongst others peace through international organisation. A comprehensive analysis is made of selected international organisations with a universal or regional scope, such as the United Nations, the African Union and the Southern African Development Community, and of international law that underpins these organisations and their activities.

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  • Module content:

    Foreign policy and diplomacy
    A short introduction to the study of foreign policy is followed by an explanation of the use of the comparative method and a framework for foreign policy analysis and evaluation. This allows for a comparative study of the foreign policies of selected states from the major regions of the world, amongst others of South African foreign policy. In each case study the policy environment, the formulation and implementation processes, as well as the substance of the particular state’s foreign policy are covered. Thereafter the focus narrows to diplomacy: the oldest, most versatile and universally used instrument of foreign policy. The nature, history, modes of diplomacy and legal framework of the institution are explored. Examples are drawn from global practice, with specific consideration of the evolution of diplomatic practice within the African and South African context.

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  • Module content:

    Sepedi - communication and grammar
    The acquisition of advanced communication skills in further social, occupational and educational situations. More extensive vocabulary and advanced language structures are acquired and used. Heightened awareness of the nature and function of language structures.
    Sepedi - reading and writing
    Writing of coherent, idiomatic and grammatically correct texts in order to impart ideas and information for a selected range of communicative purposes. Writing entails creative writing as well as reduplication. Reading and comprehension of texts which contain reasonably extensive vocabularies and a relatively large variation of language structures. Commence with the reading of fairly simple literary works. Students are also further trained in the use of the dictionary.

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  • Module content:

    Sepedi  -  communication, grammar, reading and writing
    The further acquisition of advanced communication skills in further social, occupational and educational situations. More extensive vocabulary and advanced language structures are acquired and used. Heightened awareness of the nature and function of language structures. Continuation of the writing of coherent, idiomatic and grammatically correct texts in order to impart ideas and information for a range of communicative purposes. An introduction to Sepedi speech sounds / phonetics.  Reading and comprehension of texts which contain more extensive vocabularies and a larger variation of language structures. Reading of further literary works.

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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:

    isiZulu - communication and grammar
    The acquisition of advanced communication skills in further social, occupational and educational situations. More extensive vocabulary and advanced language structures are acquired and used. Heightened awareness of the nature and function of language structures.
    isiZulu -  reading and writing
    Writing of coherent, idiomatic and grammatically correct texts in order to impart ideas and information for a selected range of communicative purposes. Writing entails creative writing as well as reduplication. Reading and comprehension of texts which contain reasonably extensive vocabularies and a relatively large variation of language structures. Commence with the reading of fairly simple literary works. Students are also further trained in the use of the dictionary.

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  • Module content:

    isiZulu - communication, grammar, reading and writing
    The further acquisition of advanced communication skills in further social, occupational and educational situations. More extensive vocabulary and advanced language structures are acquired and used. Heightened awareness of the nature and function of language structures. Continuation of the writing of coherent, idiomatic and grammatically correct texts in order to impart ideas and information for a range of communicative purposes. An introduction to isiZulu speech sounds/phonetics.  Reading and comprehension of texts which contain more extensive vocabularies and a larger variation of language structures. Reading of further literary works.

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Minimum credits: 144

Core modules

  • Module content:

    Part 1: Social theory

    This section focuses on contemporary social theory, in order to extend and broaden students’ understanding of social theory beyond the classical canon. Students will be introduced to key conceptual vocabularies, theoretical paradigms and contemporary bodies of work in social theory. In addition, the way in which scholars who work on South Africa have drawn on social theory to inform and enrich their work is emphasized. 

    Part 2: Labour studies

    The section addresses sociological approaches to the workplace. It will critically assess labour market policy and examine issues such as management practice, employment and unemployment, and discrimination and flexibility in the labour market in South Africa.

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  • Module content:

    Part 1: Rural and urban sociology

    This section considers the relationship between the rural and urban, against the backdrop of the emergence and development of both capitalism in its various guises and globalisation within the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in the global North and South. Questions on the nature of social interaction in communities, changing ways of relating, inequality and livelihoods, collective action, local cultures and modernities are considered.


    Part 2: Sociology of religion

    This section looks at religion and secularism in social context. Specific emphasis is placed on religion and secularism as forces for social change.

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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:

    In this module the focus is on understanding humankind and its relation to reality and knowledge. The focus of the module as a whole is philosophical anthropology or contemporary metaphysics, and it trraces the development of the conceptions of ‘self’ and ‘subjectivity’ in any given philosophical tradition in Africa, the West or more generally the Global South by focussing on questions such as the relation between consciousness, self-consciousness and the human unconscious; the meaning of life; the nature of personal identity and the issue of free will. 

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  • Module content:

    In this module students will philosophically engage issues of socio-political relevance in contemporary (South) Africa, the Global South and beyond. A range of themes may be investigated, such as structure and agency, social imaginaries, new social formations, institutional cultures, gender and sexuality, subject constitution, and others. These issues will be be framed in a spectrum of approaches that may include Critical Theory, Theory of Ideology, Contractarianism, Social Action Theory, and Critical Race Theory. 

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  • Module content:

    Historical trends in the modern world
    A selection of political, economic and social themes.

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  • Module content:

    Globalisation, diversity and change
    Theories and interpretation on the process of change. Globalisation and its significance for, inter alia, the global economy, the nation-state, nationalism, ethnicity and culture.

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  • Module content:

    International political economy
    The nature and functioning of the international contemporary political-economic order are analysed against the background of the process of globalisation. The focus is on the interaction of political and economic trends and issues such as the economic importance and political impact of regional trade blocs; the debt burden of states; international aid; the role and influence of multinational corporations; and the transfer of technology to less-developed countries; the rise of new economic powers in the Global South; and global economic governance.

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  • Module content:

    Security and strategic studies
    A study of traditional and contemporary approaches to security and strategy. Attention is paid to new theories on war, security and strategy; military and non-military security issues and threats; the national security of developing states; as well as the relationship between policy, strategy and tactics. The latter includes an introductory overview of the nature, levels, patterns, forms and instruments of strategy, and the laws of war. The national, regional and continental security situation in Africa and modes of multilateral security cooperation in particular are analysed, also in relation to extra-continental trends. Regarding the aforesaid, emphasis is placed on the legal and institutional framework, national security policy and strategic posture of South Africa.

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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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The information published here is subject to change and may be amended after the publication of this information. The General Regulations (G Regulations) apply to all faculties of the University of Pretoria. It is expected of students to familiarise themselves well with these regulations as well as with the information contained in the General Rules section. Ignorance concerning these regulations and rules will not be accepted as an excuse for any transgression.

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