Welcome to the Faculty of The Humanities! And if you have been admitted to the faculty, then congratulations on making an excellent choice for your future.
Our faculty, the second-largest at the UFS, comprises 24 academic departments and centres/units, ranging from the Creative and Performing Arts to Languages, Social Sciences (e.g. Sociology, Political Studies, Psychology, Criminology and Anthropology), and the traditional disciplines that constitute the foundation of a liberal arts training, such as History, Art History, Philosophy, and many more. We are also home to two vibrant interdisciplinary centres: the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies and the Centre for Health Systems Research and Development. The acclaimed Odeion String Quartet also falls under the auspices of the Faculty of The Humanities. We also boast a high number of NRF-rated researchers and strategic agreements with several international partner universities across the world. And we are gradually expanding our African footprint.
As Dean, I am supported by a Vice-Dean: Student Affairs and Engaged Scholarship, as well as a Teaching and Learning Manager and a Faculty Manager. Together we constitute the core team, ably assisted by a number of academic advisers, research coordinators, community engagement, and other administrative staff.
The current global uncertainty as a result of COVID-19 has forced us to reflect on how we do things, how we teach, how we learn, and how we engage with one another. Be that as it may, and regardless of these unprecedented circumstances, as a prospective student in this faculty, you will learn what it means to be (and become) human in a South African and African context as these relate to global developments. All our academic departments actively seek to cultivate global citizens with a strong sense of loyalty to the local and its peculiar needs and issues. In the various academic departments, you will learn how to make sense of all these connections, not only inspiring and enriching our everyday lives in our interaction with others, but also helping us to understand our role and responsibilities to address the challenges that come with a rapidly changing multicultural world.
In the Humanities, we teach our students to become critical thinkers – able to write and construct arguments, as well as engaging in ethical and analytical reasoning. We teach our students to ask difficult questions, pushing the boundaries of what is possible, while also daring to use our imagination in crafting alternative futures.
I hope that you will enjoy your time with us. Do make use of the resources available to you. This website, for instance, is designed for current and prospective students to navigate their way through the diversity that constitutes the Humanities. For further information on study options and research focus areas, you can go to the dedicated web pages of each department/unit/centre. I further encourage you to spend your time fruitfully learning from your professors as well as your peers.
Stay safe!
Prof Heidi Hudson
Dean: Faculty of The Humanities