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23 February 2022 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Rian Horn
Willem Boshoff
There could be nothing better for Fine Arts students than learning and experiencing art with and from Prof Willem Boshoff. Pictured here is Prof Boshoff with some of our students on their trip to the Javett Art Centre in late 2021.

Towards the end of 2021, a group of Fine Arts students – both undergraduate and postgraduate – were among the first visitors to the Word Woes exhibition by Prof Willem Boshoff, affiliated UFS A-1 NRF-rated scholar, at the Javett Art Centre in Pretoria. It was as if a new world had opened to experience the art first-hand, and the VIP tour by Willem Boshoff was definitely the cherry on top. The exhibition opens on 13 March 2022

Prof Boshoff, South Africa’s only NRF A-rated scholar in the arts, is an affiliated scholar and artist in the Department of Fine Arts at the University of the Free State (UFS).  The ‘enriching’ trip was made possible through generous funding from Dr Engela van Staden, Vice-Rector: Academic. The purpose of the trip was twofold; it was an opportunity for students to visit an art gallery, and also to “enrich the learning and teaching of the Fine Arts programme by exposing the students to a large art gallery and excellent art exhibitions”, according to Lecturer Adelheid von Maltitz. 

“The educational value and professional exposure to high-level experts in their field are the most important input for the students,” Dr Van Staden said. The department plans to conduct annual visits to art galleries outside of the Free State. 

UFS Fine Arts privileged to be associated with Prof Boshoff 

Prof Willem Boshoff is an enigma in his own right; he is an internationally renowned artist and academic who has been involved with the UFS for more than 10 years, and his involvement with the Department of Fine Arts brings an invaluable opportunity for students and staff alike. “This allows our students to gain insight into his artistic practice, which in turn may positively impact their own,” says Vol Maltitz.  

The duality of the Word Woes exhibition 

The title of the exhibition reflects the very brand of Willem Boshoff and is a retrospective of the works spanning his artistic practice, as per the Javett Art Centre website. The words ‘Word Woes’ can be understood in English or Afrikaans. “In either language the two words look identical, but their meanings differ sharply. Read in English, the title WORD WOES bemoans difficult issues around words and language. Read in Afrikaans, the same words liberate, prompting us to let go and be wild.” 

Visit the Javett Art Centre website for more information. 

Video by: Rian Horn (Odd Looking Tree)


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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