Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

The Humanities five: ‘doctoral degrees culmination of years of dedicated focus’

26 February 2021 | Story Rulanzen Martin

Read More Humanities 5 Phds 755x502 — Clockwise from left; Dr Alta Grobbelaar; Dr Merlene Esau; Dr Albertus Barkhuizen; Dr Helen-Mary Cawood and Dr Wade Goodrick.

“It (doctoral degrees) signifies the culmination of several years of dedicated focus amid the ongoing demands of their day-to-day work as academics in a dynamic and diverse faculty,” said Prof Heidi Hudson, Dean of the Faculty of the Humanities, about the conferment of doctoral degrees to five lecturing staff members in the faculty.

The newly capped doctors are Drs Alta Grobbelaar, Merlene Esau, Albertus Barkhuizen, Wade Goodrick, and Helen-Mary Cawood. “The Faculty of the Humanities strives to support its entire lecturing staff to obtain their doctoral degrees. I therefore take great pleasure in congratulating the five staff members in the faculty,” said Prof Hudson. Prof Hudson said what made their achievement even more special, was the fact that they obtained their degrees during unprecedented and challenging COVID-19 times.

The PhD degrees were conferred during a virtual ceremony on 24 February 2021.

PhD studies look extensively at social issues

It is important for PhD candidates in any discipline that their research theses should contribute new or additional information to their respective disciplines. Undertaking a PhD in the social sciences (humanities) can be loosely attributed to the curiosity of humankind – its connectedness, shared attributes, history, relations, or the deeper meaning of human existence.

The five research theses presented by the candidates look at various social themes, ranging from Dr Albertus Barkhuizen’s thesis on French as a possible teachable foreign language in South Africa, to Dr Helen-Mary Cawood’s argument that the collective memories of modern English football fans have been curated by contemporary ‘museal cultures.’ Dr Barkhuizen is a lecturer in the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French, and Dr Cawood in the Department of Philosophy.

In her thesis, Dr Merlene Esau makes a considerable contribution to the development of social-work practices by focusing on child-led households as a vulnerable group in South Africa. Dr Esau is a lecturer and head of the Department of Social Work. Dr Alta Grobbelaar from the Department of Political Studies and Governance looks in her thesis at the interrelationship between the media and terrorist groups in Africa, while Dr Wade Goodrick from the Department of Sociology focused his thesis on the risks associated with unconventional gas developments in South Africa.

News Archive

UFS law alumni presents gala dinner

2004-11-05

The Law Alumni of the University of the Free State (UFS) will present a gala dinner on Wednesday 17 November 2004 in honor of the Appeal Court and the Free State Supreme Court.

According to the chairperson of the Law Alumni, Mr Nico Botha, the function will be attended by more than 200 guests from across the country. The main speaker is Mr Pius Langa, acting Chief Justice.

“Through the years the Faculty of Law at the UFS has produced students who have made their mark – not only in the law profession – but also in the trade and industry. In the same sense there are former Kovsies who have even advanced to the Appeal Court and who have produced leading sentences which have contributed to the development of the common law,” said Prof Johan Henning, Dean of the Faculty.

According to Prof Henning the Faculty of Law aims to present students with practical education. To bring this about, close links are maintained with members of the judicial bench and other practitioners – some of whom have been appointed as honorary or extraordinary professors. These professors are obliged to present lectures from time to time and act as a promotor or moderator for postgraduate students.

“It is a priviledge for this Faculty to be involved with the dinner, which forms part of the UFS’s centenary celebrations. The dinner is presented in honor of all members of the different judicial benches – whether they are former Kovsies or not,” said Prof Henning.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
5 November 2004

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept