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UFS awards joint degrees, giving graduates a competitive edge

10 December 2021 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

Two students, Jenny Josefsson and Janie Swanepoel in the Faculty of the Humanities at the University of the Free State (UFS), graduated with joint degrees during the December graduation ceremonies.

Josefsson received her degree from both the UFS and Radboud University in Nijmegen in the Netherlands, and Swanepoel was awarded her degree by the UFS and the University of Cologne, Germany.

According to the Office for International Affairs (OIA) at the UFS – with a joint degree, the candidate receives an academic qualification from more than one institution at the same time.

Zenzele Mdletshe from the OIA explains that a student will register at two different institutions at the same time, with the goal of obtaining one qualification. “Upon completion, the home institution will issue a joint degree certificate while the host institution will issue a degree supplement. For both Josefsson and Swanepoel, the UFS was the home institution.”

The UFS also awarded two joint degrees in 2020.

Social change, inequality, and land issues

Josefsson, who was born in Sweden, matriculated at Ljusdals Gymnasieskola in 1997. She obtained both her Environmental Science and Development Studies degree and her cum laude master’s degree in Environmental Science at Södertörn University. As an exchange student, she spent one semester in 2006 at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and two years later started her career as an environmental consultant in Cape Town.

She proceeded to do her PhD, and as part of her academic journey towards completing her doctoral degree, she joined a group of doctoral students from South Africa and the Netherlands, whose research fell under a project titled ‘Farm Dwellers, the Forgotten People? Conversions to Conservation in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape’. The Dutch science-funding organisation, NWO-WOTRO Science for Global Development, funded the research.

Based in the Department of Geography at the UFS, she continued with her research and started fieldwork in KwaZulu-Natal in 2013. During and after her fieldwork, she wrote several articles, which – together with an introductory chapter – formed the body of work submitted for her doctorate.

Josefsson received her Doctor of Philosophy, specialising in Geography. The title of her study is: Battles over boundaries and belonging: violence, wilderness and spatial reconfigurations in the conversion of farm landscapes in KwaZulu-Natal, and highlights the ground-level politics of land issues. Her research is an important contribution to the wider debate around social change, inequality, and land issues in South Africa.

Her thesis was examined by the UFS according to South African examination procedures, and then by a body of examiners appointed by Radboud University. She defended her thesis during a Zoom session with Radboud University in October 2021.

Josefsson, who has worked on various projects in Southern Africa and South Asia, is currently working as a programme coordinator for a climate services project in the SADC region.

Rethinking commercial ranching in rural Southern Africa

Completing school in Bloemfontein, Swanepoel obtained her BA at Stellenbosch University, and her BA Honours in Social Anthropology at the University of Cape Town. In 2013, she received her master’s degree in Social Anthropology at Stellenbosch University.

Seven years later, she successfully submitted her PhD dissertation in Social Anthropology at the UFS. Her PhD forms part of a co-tutelage agreement with the University of Cologne.

Swanepoel, who is working in social compliance, received the Doctor of Philosophy with specialisation in Anthropology. The title of her dissertation is: In the land of the jackals: Postcolonial aridity in Southern Namibia. She investigates multispecies relations in a changing Namibian Boer community.

Her dissertation suggests the need to rethink commercial ranching in rural Southern Africa. “Given the glocal increase in aridity, this research shows the limitations of engaging with the decolonisation of land and the impact of climate change in ways that perpetuate the relation between nature and culture.”

She was invited to rework her dissertation into a book.

Advantages of joint degree

According to Mdletshe, there are several advantages to a joint degree. “The students involved in this programme have a chance of pursuing an international academic programme while enrolled at the UFS.”

He adds: “The students will also have a chance to be mentored and guided by supervisors from different institutions, bringing different perspectives. Such programmes will not only expose students to different lifestyles and cultures – as they will travel to the host institution from time to time – but it will also introduce them to different methods of teaching and learning.

He believes that with the input of international institutions, the joint degree will give students a competitive edge.

“We encourage students and academics who are interested in this programme to contact Kagiso Ngake (ngakekm@ufs.ac.za) or myself (mdletshezp@ufs.ac.za) in the Partnership Office at the Office for International Affairs,” says Mdletshe.

News Archive

Student leaders 2012/13 announced

2012-08-30

Ready for the task - Sabelo Khumalo, SRC President of the Qwaqwa Campus and William Clayton, SRC President of the Bloemfontein Campus.
Photo: Johan Roux
31 August 2012

The 2012/13 elections for the Student Representative Councils (SRC) of the University of the Free State were completed successfully and show meaningful support for the changes in student governance adopted by students across campuses over the past two years.

The SRC elections at the Qwaqwa Campus were completed on 23 August 2012, while the elections at our Bloemfontein Campus took place on 27 and 28 August 2012.

The SRC Elections at our Bloemfontein Campus showed a voter turnout of 4516 votes (30.8%), with the elections at the Qwaqwa Campuses showing 1753 votes (46%) – both campuses reached the required quorums and the IEA (Bloemfontein Campus) and IEC (Qwaqwa Campus) declared the elections free and fair and announced the results as a true reflection of the will of the student bodies at the campuses.

The full SRC at Bloemfontein Campus now consists of 62% black and 38% white, and 53% female and 47% male members.

In the Qwaqwa elections, SADESMO achieved 46, 38% of the vote, with SASCO, PASMA and NASMO each achieving 30,23% and 8,39% and 14,26%, respectively.

The successful elections at Bloemfontein Campus show that the detailed transformation of student governance introduced by students at the Campus in 2010 and adopted by the university in 2011, succeeded in mobilizing greater participation of students in governance and representation. These changes in the main included a shift to independent candidacy for elective portfolios (12 seats) and organizational candidacy in nine sub-councils that holds ex officio seats on the SRC. Changes also included the establishment of student representative seats in faculty governance and management forums and the adoption of a reviewed Central SRC Constitution. Ex officio seats hold full and equal constitutional authority in the SRC.

Students at Qwaqwa Campus introduced additional portfolios to its SRC, including ex-officio seats for academic affairs, arts and culture, commuter students, Rag Community Service, religious affairs, residences and sports.

A joint sitting of the Campus SRCs will establish the Central SRC 2012/13 on 9 September 2012.

As a further opportunity for participation in and the development of student governance and representation, the current Central SRC herewith also announces its recent adoption of a student governance advisory programme, namely the UFS Student Elders Council (SEC).

The SEC is established as a combined programme between the Central SRC and the Dean of Student Affairs and will consist of selected senior student leaders from all campuses who completed their terms of office, apply and are appointed to the Elders Council by the Central SRC.

The Council will serve as an advisory structure to the Central SRC and other student structures in support of the continuous development of student governance and representation of the student body at the university.

The SEC will advise the Central SRC to be constituted following the constitution of the respective Campus SRCs.

The SRC members at the Bloemfontein Campus are:

President: Mr William Clayton

Vice-President: Mr Bonolo Thebe

Secretary: Ms Karis-Robin Topkin

Treasurer: Mr Pieter Coetzee

Arts & Culture: Ms Chanmari Erasmus

Accessibility & Student Support: Ms Gene McCaskill

First-generation Students: Ms Tanya Calitz

Legal and Constitutional Affairs: Ms Nokuthula Sithole

Media, Marketing & Liaison: Ms Neo Chere

Sport: Mr Tshepo Moloi

Student Development & Environmental Affairs: Ms Thabisile Mgadi

Transformation: Ms Koketso Mofokeng

Dialogue & Ex officio: Associations Council: Mr Anesu Ruswa

Academic Affairs & Ex officio: Academic Affairs Council: Ms Nombuso Ndlovu

Residence Affairs & Ex officio: Residences Council: Mr Johann Steyn

City Residence Affairs & Ex officio: Commuter Council: Mr Michael van Niekerk

Postgraduate Affairs & Ex officio: Postgraduate Council: Mr Fadeyi Akinsuyi

International Affairs & Ex officio: International Council: Ms Tumelo Moreri

Student Media Affairs & Ex officio: Media Council: Mr Jamal-Dean Grootboom

RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Fundraising Council: Mr Jaco Faul

RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Community Service Council: Ms Keneue Mahloana

The SRC members at the Qwaqwa Campus are:

President General: Mr S Khumalo

Deputy President: Mr P T Lenka

Secretary General: Mr D Khethang

Treasurer General: Mr S I Sithole

Media & Publicity: Mr S N Ntombela

Politics & Transformation: Tbc

Student Development & Evironmental Affairs: Tbc Academic Affairs: Mr T Molawude

Arts & Cultural Affairs: Mr T Nkohli

Off-Campus Students: Mr B Mtshali

RAG, Community Service & Dialogue: Ms S F Mlotya

Religious Affairs: Ms D C Khau

Residence & Catering Affairs: Ms Z Mzolo

Sports Council: Mr S Mngomezulu

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