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06 November 2019 | Story Legopheng Maphile | Photo Legopheng Maphile
Best assigment winners
At the prize-giving were from the left, front: Christoffel de Lange and Ms Nombulelo Shange (who accepted the prize won by De Haan). Back row, from the left: Prof Neil Heideman, Professor in the Department of Zoology and Entomology; and Betsy Eister, UFS LIS Director.
The University of the Free State Library and Information Services (UFS LIS) is partnering with faculties in acknowledging top-performing students at the university. Together with the Faculties of the Humanities and Natural and Agricultural Sciences, the Best Assignment project was launched – meant to inspire, motivate, and encourage students to put extra effort into producing assignments of high quality.

Legopheng Maphile, Assistant Director: Library Marketing and Community Engagement at UFS LIS, says the project is meant to harness and nurture undergraduate research in line with the university’s research-led vision. 

“There are requirements as to how assignments should be presented. This demonstrates the level of knowledge acquisition and academic writing skills. The library contributes to this activity by training students in library research skills to access scholarly, academic, specialist, and expert information resources to support academic excellence. This is a collaborative practice between the library and academics.

“In 2019, only third-year assignments were considered in a pilot project, and at this stage, students are expected to understand what is required for writing assignments.”

Recognising the effort that students put into their assignments, the UFS LIS, in collaboration with the Departments of Sociology and Zoology and Entomology, recently handed out prizes of R2 500 to deserving students. 

Johandré J de Haan and Christoffel de Lange each received gift vouchers to the value of R1 250, courtesy of Van Schaik and Sherwood Books, in collaboration with Juta and Oxford University Press. De Haan was recognised for his assignment titled Marx and the impact of his theoretical concepts in the South African context and its relevancy and De Lange received a nod for his Differences in Heat Uptake Rate between White and Black Sand-filled Cans of Similar Size. 

Legopheng says going forward, the best undergraduate research assignments will be considered for publication in the Kovsie Undergraduate Research Journal, the library’s open-access journal that is being developed. 


News Archive

Faculty of Theology hosts conference on theology and science
2010-03-25

 
At the conference were, from the left: Prof. Rian Venter, Department of Systematic Theology at the UFS and organiser of the conference; Prof. Isabel Phiri, University of KwaZulu-Natal; Prof. André van Niekerk, Stellenbosch University; Prof. Francois Tolmie, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at the UFS; and Prof. Wentzel van Huyssteen, Princeton, USA.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs


The Faculty of Theology at the University of the Free State (UFS) presented an interdisciplinary conference with the theme faith, religion and the public university this week.

The conference was preceded by a public lecture: Human Uniqueness? In Search of the Image of God by Prof. Wentzel van Huyssteen of Princeton in the United States of America (USA). In his lecture he asks: What makes humans different from animals? He also discusses the statement: Is there something that science can teach theologians and something that theologians can teach science?

In his lecture Prof. van Huyssteen refers to the prehistoric paintings in, among others, Spain, France and also Mossel Bay in South Africa. According to him these rock paintings shed some interesting light on the nature of humankind. “It seems as if there is a possible religious connotation to these paintings. Among others it becomes clear that man has the ability to ask deeper questions about his existence,” said Prof. van Huyssteen.

This find of prehistoric paintings is also an example of an interdisciplinary search for answers to the question: What makes man different from other species?

The rock art also shows that man sees himself as part of nature. “Being the image of God” has also to do with an awareness of nature and man’s special task therein as image bearer of God,” said Prof. van Huyssteen.

These are interesting perspectives given by other sciences on the nature of man. From the theology the perspective of “man created to the image of God” is added. At this occasion speakers from different disciplines such as law, physics, sociology, philosophy and theology participated in the discussion about the position of religion at a public university.

Other main speakers at this occasion were Prof. Isabel Phiri from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Prof. Anton van Niekerk from Stellenbosch University.
 

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