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14 June 2018 Photo Charl Devenish
June graduations to highlight graduates achievements
Graduates will be celebrating their accomplishments at the June Graduation ceremonies.

June 2018 graduates from the University of the Free State (UFS) Bloemfontein Campus are beginning to prepare for their upcoming graduations. The ceremonies are scheduled to take place at the Callie Human Centre from Wednesday 27 June until Friday 29 June 2018.

The UFS plans to document and highlight the special moments that graduates encounter at this time. A daily update accompanied by photos will be available on the UFS website.

Visit the UFS graduation ceremonies page for more information on the upcoming events. Graduates and students are free to familiarise themselves with the Graduation Guide Booklet which stipulates the necessary information for students to note during the graduation processions.
 
The Graduate Career Guide is also of vital importance as it equips graduates with fundamental knowledge and practical advice about preparing for the world of work.

A livestream link will be provided for the different graduation processions closer towards the time.

Graduation ceremonies for the different faculties take place on the following dates:

Wednesday 27 June 2018
09:00 School of Financial Planning Law
All qualifications.

Programme

14:30 School of Open and Distance Learning
Certificates

Programme

Thursday 28 June 2018
09:00 All faculties except for Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Master’s and doctoral degrees

Programme

14:30 Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Master’s and doctoral degrees

Programme

Friday 29 June 2018
09:00 NO SESSION

14:30 School of Open and Distance Learning
Diplomas

Programme

News Archive

Department of English changed to empower students
2017-07-05

Description:Department of English  Tags: Department of English

Lecturers from the Department of English at the University of the Free State have been working
hard to create a robust learning environment for students through continuous assessment.
Photo: Sonia Small


A new curriculum, exciting third-year seminars, and a transition to continuous assessment. These are some of the changes made by the Department of English at the University of the Free State (UFS) over the past few years. The department, which also boasts four National Research Foundation (NRF) researchers, did this to tailor the curriculum towards the needs of its students and to foster a better culture of engagement.

According to Prof Helene Strauss, Head of the Department, the advantages of these changes are clear. “Staff have noted a significant improvement in both the basic writing and critical deliberation skills of our students, and in the responsibility they are taking for their own learning.” The new curriculum empowers students to take a position in relation to the knowledge they encounter in the classroom, thereby strengthening their own critical voice.

Taking continuous responsibility

One of the most significant changes for students was the fact that they have to take responsibility all the time. Prof Strauss says continuous assessment changed “last-minute cramming to near-daily, student-centred activities of reading, writing, and critical discovery.”

Because students have to prepare for lectures and reflect on materials, they are in a better position to internalise difficult debates and critical concepts. “Rather than telling students what to think, we help them develop flexible, critical tools to make sense of a changing world.”

Third-year seminars are another way of including forms of instruction that concentrate on the links between education and democracy, but still improve students’ ability to speak and write English accurately. Every semester, students can choose seminars from a range of topics such as ‘Witchcraft’ (Prof Margaret Raftery) and ‘The Art of Dying’ (Dr Mariza Brooks).

Research and associates around the world

Dr Marthinus Conradie, Dr Rodwell Makombe, Prof Irikidzayi Manase, and Prof Strauss are all NRF-rated researchers in the department.

The department also has affiliated research associates from countries including Zimbabwe, the USA, and Canada. Dr Kudzayi Ngara currently holds a competitive NRF grant for a project on Southern African urbanity, and Dr Philip Aghoghovwia recently received the prestigious African Humanities Programme Fellowship.

Under the guidance of Dr Ngara, the department has been able to roll out a new Honours programme on the Qwaqwa Campus. The campus now also offers students the opportunity to pursue MA and PhD studies.

Other highlights:
• Hosted the international Institute of the Association for Cultural Studies in 2015.
• Books published: Dr Susan Brokensha (with Burgert Senekal). Surfers van die Tsunami: Navorsing en Inligtingstegnologie binne die Geesteswetenskappe (SUN MeDIA, 2014); Prof Iri Manase. White Narratives: The depiction of post-2000 land invasions in Zimbabwe (UNISA Press, 2016); as well as co-edited volumes with Cambridge Scholars Publishing (Dr Oliver Nyambi) and Routledge (Prof Helene Strauss).
• Publications include three special journal issues (of ISI journals Critical Arts: South-North Cultural and Media Studies; Safundi: The Journal of South African and American Studies; Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies).

 



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