| SU theatre complex to be named after Adam Small | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=5898 | | SU theatre complex to be named after Adam Small | Corporate Communication / Korporatiewe Kommunikasie (Martin Viljoen) | <p>The refurbished theatre complex of Stellenbosch University (SU) will be named after the award-winning poet and playwright, Adam Small.<br></p><p>The Drama Department proposed and motivated the naming after a considered and inclusive process. </p><p>The Executive Committee of the SU Council, which approves the names of buildings in accordance with the applicable SU policy, recently accepted the name at the recommendation of the Rectorate and the SU Committee for the Naming of Buildings, Venues and other Facilities/Premises.</p><p>Small's widow, Dr Rosalie Small, has already given her approval for the naming of the complex after her late husband.</p><p>“Stellenbosch University is grateful and proud to be associated with the rich legacy of Adam Small. We would like to see the vision of human dignity and healing justice to which he as an academic and playwright was committed, realised," says Prof Wim de Villiers, SU Rector and Vice-Chancellor.</p><p>Prof Nico Koopman, Vice-Rector: Transformation, Social Impact and Personnel said that Adam Small used his academic pursuit, and specifically his many works in Afrikaans as instruments of transformation. “During apartheid, he helped us to move away from apartheid towards a democratic society, and now his legacy helps us to put his democratic vision of human dignity into practice." </p><p>“With this name change, SU wants to pay tribute to an icon. Without denying the past, we are saying that in future, we will include, and not the other way round," says Dr Leslie van Rooi, Senior Director: Social Impact and Transformation. “The name change is part of a process of visual redress and representation to make even more people feel at home on our campuses."</p><p>The Hertzog Prize for Drama of the <em>Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns</em> was awarded to Small in 2012 for his entire oeuvre, and specifically for <em>Kanna, hy k</em><em>ô </em><em>huistoe </em>(1965).</p><p>“The name was tabled in initial discussions about a name change at the end of 2017 already. In 2015 SU awarded Small, who is regarded as a role model, an honorary doctorate. His commitment to Afrikaans and his contribution to specifically<em> Kaaps Afrikaans (</em>Cape Afrikaans) as poet and playwright served as further motivation for the proposal," adds Dr Mareli Pretorius, incoming Chairperson of the Drama Department at SU.</p><p><strong>Refurbishment</strong></p><p>The large auditorium in the theatre complex is currently known as the HB Thom Theatre and although this name will no longer be used, it will be contextualised in the building. Before the refurbishment, the theatre consisted exclusively of a single auditorium, but the creative space now includes a seminar room and a smaller laboratory theatre. The Adam Small Theatre complex thus refers to the multifunctional facility as a whole.</p><p>The newly-expanded large auditorium boasts a mechanised system to lift even heavy décor pieces during shows, modern lighting that is fully LED functional and sound system that all comply with international standards. In the auditorium with its 324 seats, the lay-out is ideally suited to provide the audience with a superb visual experience. </p><p>This theatre, as well as a second, smaller laboratory theatre and a brand new seminar room can be used commercially for both the performing arts and other functions such as conferences, lecture series and other events. </p><p>The adjacent Drama Department, which will now for the first time functionally join the theatre complex, has two new sound studios, a television recording studio and editor's suite; a computer user area; as well as refurbished and spacious rehearsal rooms and redesigned workplaces, including the theatre workshop, two props rooms and a costume studio and store.</p><p><strong>Inclusive process</strong></p><p>“An extensive and inclusive process was followed to determine the name for the theatre complex. Amongst others, meetings with the various year groups of the Drama Department delivered an overwhelmingly positive response," comments Pretorius. </p><p>She added that the Student Committee of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences was also consulted, while a notice of the proposed name was circulated amongst specific community structures within the broader Stellenbosch area – together with a request for feedback. These include the Stellenbosch Municipality, Stellenbosch 360, e'Bosch and the Stellenbosch Council of Churches. A similar notice about the process, context and motivation for the name change was also sent to festival directors of the various national arts festivals while personal conversations were held with a selected group of alumni.</p><ul><li>Contact Dr Mareli Pretorius at tel 021 808 3089 or by e-mail at <a href="mailto:mareli@sun.ac.za">mareli@sun.ac.za</a> for more information.</li></ul><p> </p><p>END</p><p><em>* The University conferred an honorary doctorate on Small in December 2015 for “shifting the boundaries of </em><em>South African literature, for enriching the Afrikaans language, and for becoming a voice for the voiceless by articulating once forbidden subjects </em><em> </em><em>sensitively though strongly."</em><em> </em></p><p><em>In awarding the honorary degree, the University described Small as a beloved and highly acclaimed poet and playwright who has </em><em>'written himself into' the very being of the South African nation as our compass and moral conscience poignantly commenting on the destructive apartheid system.</em></p><p><br></p> |
| COVID-19 is an opportunity to make our circles bigger | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=7548 | | COVID-19 is an opportunity to make our circles bigger | Judy-Ann Cilliers | <p>The COVID-19 pandemic should also be seen as an opportunity to reach out to vulnerable foreigners who try to make a living in South Africa, writes Dr Judy-Ann Cilliers from the Department of Philosophy in a doctoral-based opinion piece for the <em>Mail & Guardian </em>(31 July).</p><div><ul><li><p>Read the article below or click <a href="https://mg.co.za/coronavirus-essentials/2020-07-31-covid-19-is-an-opportunity-to-make-our-circles-bigger/"><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0">here</strong></a><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0"> </strong>for the piece as published.</p></li></ul><p><strong>Judy-Ann Cilliers*</strong></p><p>When President Ramaphosa announced the national state of disaster on 15 March, many breathed a sigh of relief. We were witnessing a world being consumed by a new virus with many world leaders failing to take sufficient action. Our government's early and decisive response communicated a desire to protect its people. Yet even then we knew that the cost will be high, and it will mostly be paid by those already marginalised in our society. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">These past few months we have seen more instances of domestic and gender-based violence, more people losing their jobs as businesses close, and as the number of infections grow, more people without sufficient access to healthcare. In a world that was already becoming more hospitable to xenophobic nationalisms, we read and hear about increased attacks on foreigners, especially of Asian descent, across the globe – any outsider is a threat, a potential carrier.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">While we speak of the 'unprecedented times' we are living through, this kind of attack is not unprecedented. It is a common narrative in South Africa that foreigners should be kept out because they bring disease into the country. All kinds of xenophobic discrimination, exclusion, and violence against foreign nationals have been justified by the claim that 'they' are the cause of real diseases, such as HIV/Aids, and moral 'diseases', such as drug addiction and crime. That this is true only in some cases is irrelevant to the xenophobe; humans easily extrapolate from 'some' or even 'one' to 'all'. The individual, collective, and systemic causes of xenophobia, and its intersection with racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression, are complex in ways I cannot do justice to here. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">Studying instances of xenophobic discrimination and violence, one thing becomes apparent: the choice of victim is not determined by the individual's guilt, actions, legal status, or even their real nationality. It is enough that they exist <em>here </em>(wherever 'here' may be), and that they are perceived as a foreigner by the xenophobe. Xenophobia is therefore not a response to a specific threat – despite our rationalisations about crime and job scarcity and viruses – but to a perceived threat, where the perception is shaped by the xenophobe's own prejudices and stereotypes, and by our political narratives around belonging, borders, nationhood, and membership. Such narratives shape our ideas about who has a right to belong or to exist here, and who does not.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">The fear underlying such perceptions may have different origins or motivations. In the South African context, migration and development expert Loren Landau identifies a deep apprehension about the meaning of belonging, an apprehension anthropologist Frances Nyamnjoh locates in a historically oppressed and excluded citizenry who, for the most part, still cannot meaningfully access the benefits and rights that come with membership. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">Xenophobia is a reaction to a sense of insecurity, of not having a place where one belongs, and an accompanying attempt to establish security. As we face the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic – rising unemployment, lower levels of food security, a weakened economy, and individual and collective trauma – the xenophobic violence that is already characteristic of contemporary South Africa may become more prevalent and entrenched. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">The irony is that the logic underlying such violence and such attempts to establish security and belonging preclude the possibility of establishing a more secure society, for it is a logic that seeks to exclude and even destroy that which is strange or new, and it inevitably becomes self-consuming. If belonging is rigidly defined and policed, the circle of who 'truly belongs' will inevitably become smaller and smaller. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">This logic stands opposed to what political theorist Hannah Arendt called the fundamental human capacity of natality – our ability to begin something new. This ability is the root of our freedom, as we constantly bring new things into the world through our actions and interactions with others. It is also necessarily unpredictable, which is why we often respond to it with fear and a desire to control. In asserting control, we banish the new and the strange and the unpredictable, and along with that our own ability to act and exist freely. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">The pandemic poses a challenge that, for most people, is radically new. We have reason to be afraid in our current circumstances – to fear for our lives and livelihoods, to worry about the country and the world's future. These fears have been closely tied to our fear of others for so long, and the pandemic makes breaking those ties so much harder. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">It is harder to conceptualise a form of belonging that is not exclusionary when we are isolated from one another, when the risks of sharing the world with others are so evident, and when we do not even feel safe in our own homes. We have seen examples of incredible selfishness and cruelty in this pandemic. Predictably, some of the regulations put in place to protect and support people in South Africa during this time negatively affected foreigners in ways citizens were not affected, especially those that initially limited the activities of informal traders and workers.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">Yet the newness and strangeness of our situation offers us an opportunity to reassess our assumptions, to create new world-shaping narratives, and to act in unpredictable ways. After hurricanes or earthquakes, great fires or terrorist attacks, when people are on the edge of life and access to resources cannot be guaranteed, we do not only see dog- eat-dog competition, but also altruism, solidarity, and empathy, often between people who under normal circumstances would not have reached out to each other. Uncertainty can make us hunker down, but it can also open our eyes to realities and injustices we were unable to see before. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">As we create meaning in this pandemic and from this virus, as we analyse and live through the implications of the lockdown, and as we try to rebuild and, perhaps, build anew, we need a critical awareness of the precarious position of foreign nationals in our society, as well as the true danger to a society when it does not protect its most vulnerable members.<br></p><ul style="text-align:justify;"><li><strong>Photo</strong>: A group of people gathering. <strong>Credit</strong>: Wikipedia.</li></ul><p style="text-align:justify;"><strong>*Dr Judy-Ann Cilliers is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Philosophy at Stellenbosch University (SU). This article is based, in part, on her recent doctorate in Philosophy at SU.</strong></p><p><br></p></div> |
| SU names building after Krotoa | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=8515 | | SU names building after Krotoa | Corporate Communication and Marketing Division | <p>The RW Wilcocks building of Stellenbosch University (SU) has been renamed the Krotoa building. This building on the Stellenbosch campus houses the departments of History and Psychology, the Division of Research Development, SU International, the SU Archives, as well as the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology.<br></p><p>Krotoa (1642–1674), a woman of the Khoe people, lived at the Cape in the time of Jan van Riebeeck, who came to establish a settlement for the Dutch East India Company (the VOC) at the tip of Africa in 1652. Named “Eva" by the Dutch, Krotoa served as, among others, an interpreter and interlocutor between her people and the VOC. <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/site-search?search_api_fulltext=krotoa"><strong class="ms-rteForeColor-1">Click here</strong></a> to read more about her.</p><p>SU's Executive Committee of Council (EC(C)) approved the renaming at its meeting of 16 August 2021 after the Rectorate received a shortlist of proposals from the Committee for the Naming of Buildings, Venues and Other Facilities/Premises in June. Following extensive debate and taking various aspects into consideration, including Krotoa's complex personal history, the Rectorate proposed the name to the EC(C). </p><p>“The name Krotoa is particularly significant now that we are celebrating Women's Month. Apart from a few residences, no SU buildings have previously been named after women," says Dr Ronel Retief, Registrar and chair of the Naming Committee. </p><p>“The Rectorate also considered it important that the name, although linked to a historical figure, has symbolic value and, as such, represents more than simply a person. The name Krotoa is not only linked to a woman, but also to an entire underrepresented group of people indigenous to Southern Africa and the area now known as the Western Cape. As such, it acknowledges the heritage of the First Nation people of our region, and we also acknowledge something of our shared and complex history.</p><p>“In addition, Krotoa's role as interpreter between different cultural and language groups is a demonstration of bridge building, which is particularly relevant to conversations on multilingualism, inclusivity and creating a mutual understanding between different groups of people," Retief concludes. </p><p>“So, with this name, we wish to send a strong message about our commitment to transformation and redress at SU."</p><p>Dr Leslie van Rooi, Senior Director of Social Impact and Transformation, and member of both SU's Visual Redress and Naming committees, adds: “SU acknowledges the role and place of the First Nation people in the broader history of Southern Africa. The significance of linking the name Krotoa to a prominent building on campus should also be understood against the backdrop of ongoing conversations about supporting and formalising Khoekhoegowab language-related courses at SU. </p><p>“SU decided in 2019 already to call the new dining hall of Goldfields residence Sada Oms, a Khoekhoegowab term for 'our home'. Therefore, this added symbolic acknowledgement through the Krotoa building forms part of our ongoing partnership and engagement with the First Nation people of Southern Africa.</p><p>“Conversations about the name, also with the relevant Khoe structures, gives recognition to Krotoa as an important figure, but does not ignore her complex, tragic history as a person."</p><p>Installations contextualising both the Wilcocks and the Krotoa stories are being planned for inside and outside the building.</p><p><strong>Process</strong></p><p>Back in 2019 already, the Rectorate gave approval for the Registrar and the Senior Director of Social Impact and Transformation to follow an institutional and inclusive process for the renaming of the Wilcocks building.</p><p>As part of the process, various stakeholders were interviewed. The University also notified more than 100 community organisations and institutions of the planned renaming. These included the Stellenbosch Co-management Forum (including Die Vlakte Forum), Stellenbosch Municipality, the Western Cape Education Department (Stellenbosch), the Stellenbosch Civil Advocacy Network, and the Stellenbosch Ratepayers' Association, all of whom have seats on the University's Institutional Forum.</p><p>A <a href="/english/rw-wilcocks-building"><strong class="ms-rteForeColor-1">call for proposals</strong></a> was distributed among all staff and students as well as members of the community (as represented by the structures serving on SU's Institutional Forum) in July 2020. In October 2020, the Naming Committee, which had been expanded for the purpose of renaming the RW Wilcocks building, agreed on the process to arrive at a short list. The 17 proposals received were subsequently whittled down to the most suitable options, which were presented to the Rectorate. </p><p>The Rectorate also requested that the relevant stakeholder groups be approached to determine whether there would be any opposition to using the name Krotoa in the context of SU. Keen support for the use of the name was expressed by the relevant leaders and representatives of the First Nations structures.</p><p>A date for the unveiling of the new name is yet to be determined. In the meantime, SU's new Visual Redress Policy will serve before Council for approval in September. </p><p><strong>More information</strong></p><p>The RW Wilcocks building was opened in 1966 and named after Prof Raymond William Wilcocks, who was Rector of the University from 1935 to 1954.</p><p>The renaming of the RW Wilcocks building forms part of a long-term and extensive visual redress process on SU's campuses in an attempt not only to remove certain symbols, but also to introduce new visual symbols that point to a shared history, our diverse stories, and public spaces that are welcoming to all.</p><p>This process was launched a few years ago, and much progress has been made in recent years to create student and staff-friendly living and work spaces that meet the needs of a diverse group of students, staff and other stakeholders, and at the same time promote a welcoming campus culture.</p><p><strong>Recent name changes at SU:</strong></p><p>Some name changes over the past few years include the Coetzenburg Centre (previously the DF Malan Centre), the Stellenbosch University Library (previously JS Gericke Library), the <a href="/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=6115"><strong class="ms-rteForeColor-1">Adam Small Theatre Complex</strong></a> (previously HB Thom Theatre), <a href="/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=5997"><strong class="ms-rteForeColor-1">Pieter Okkers House</strong></a> (7 Joubert Street, now named after the first resident of the building, Mr Pieter JA Okkers, 1875-1952) and <a href="/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=5315"><strong class="ms-rteForeColor-1">Simon Nkoli House</strong></a><strong class="ms-rteForeColor-1"> </strong>(39 Victoria Street).</p><p>Recently constructed buildings have been given the following names: Russel Botman House (named after the late Prof Russel Botman), Ubuntu House, <a href="/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=5662"><strong class="ms-rteForeColor-1">Nkosi Johnson House</strong></a> and the <a href="/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=5422"><strong class="ms-rteForeColor-1">Jan</strong> <strong class="ms-rteForeColor-1">Mouton Learning Centre</strong></a>.</p><p><strong>Other recent projects:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=6690"><strong class="ms-rteForeColor-1">“The Circle</strong></a><strong class="ms-rteForeColor-1">"</strong>, a bronze art installation featuring 11 phenomenal South African women thought leaders (including Krotoa), which was erected on the Rooiplein towards the end of 2019</li><li>Welcoming messages carved on benches in public areas on campus in 15 languages, including in Braille, South African Sign Language and San</li><li>Installation of a map of Die Vlakte at the entrance of the Arts and Social Sciences building, which is built on land from where families were evicted under the Group Areas Act in the 1960s</li><li>The creation of the <a href="/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=6727"><strong class="ms-rteForeColor-1">Lückhoff Living Museum</strong></a></li><li>Displaying the University's Centenary restitution statement at the SU Library<br><br><br></li></ul> |
| Don't let anyone tell you you can't | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=6022 | | Don't let anyone tell you you can't | Alumni Relations Office | <p style="text-align:justify;">Back in Grade 9, 15-year-old Jenny Pienaar had already decided that she was going to be a lawyer. However, when she found herself unable to pass Private Law 1 while studying towards a BA Law degree at Maties, she did what only a student with blind determination would do – she refused to listen to her lecturer. <br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">“I was struggling to get through Private Law 1 and I managed to fail it twice in two years. When I told my lecturer that I wanted to go into law, he told me outright 'you will never a become a lawyer'," says Jenny. <br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">“I knew then that I had to find another way to get into law, so I did a BA degree in Classical Culture and Political Philosophy, got my BA degree and then went to the University of Cape Town and did my LLB over three years because I did not have any law subjects," says Jenny who graduated with an LLB degree from UCT in 1991.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">Today Jenny is a qualified Trade Mark Attorney, a Partner and Co-Chair of the Trade Marks Department, and acting as the Chair of the Trade Mark Litigation Department at the well-known law firm, Adams & Adams. She practices in trade mark litigation, domain name registration, securing domains from unlawful proprietors, litigation related to copyright, passing-off, unlawful competition, and company name objections. She also has experience in advertising law and regulatory compliance. <br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">Adams & Adams represents 240 of the Forbes 500 companies in the United States as well as other countries, with a wide variety of clients from the FMCG (Fast-moving Consumer Goods) to the banking sector and pharmaceutical industry. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">On 24 October Jenny will tell students more about how she defied the limits others had set for her to become the lawyer she always dreamt of being. This TedTalk-styled event, known as the Careers Café, will take place between 13:00 and 14:00 in Room 230 on the second floor of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences building on the corner of Merriman and Ryneveld Street and is open to all students. <br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">The Careers Café series was launched in 2016 by the Alumni Relations Office to provide a platform for alumni to engage with the university in a different manner by offering their time and skills to help current students prepare for the careers they want. Through this interaction, current students are able to learn from the real-life experiences of Matie graduates in the corporate world and benefit from advice and tips from them as well. Other career development opportunities on campus are also promoted through this event, encouraging students to further improve their work preparedness. </p><p>If you want to attend this free talk, you can RSVP for the Careers Café here. <br></p><ul><li>For more information about the Careers Café, follow the Alumni Relations Facebook page at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/stellenboschalumni">www.facebook.com/stellenboschalumni</a> and the SU Facebook page at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/stellenboschuniversity">www.facebook.com/stellenboschuniversity</a>. </li><li>Two students can also win a seat at the dinner table with Jenny on the evening of the Careers Café by entering the Careers Café Facebook competition that will be advertised on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/stellenboschalumni/">Stellenbosch University Alumni page</a> or by submitting your entry to <a href="mailto:marvin@sun.ac.za">marvin@sun.ac.za</a>. <br></li></ul> |
| The new 2019 SU Woordfees festival programme drops at an all-night launch party | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=6078 | | The new 2019 SU Woordfees festival programme drops at an all-night launch party | Danie Marais - Woordfees | <p>On the night of 16 November, a whole troupe of dancing cats will be let out of a brand new bag at the 2019 US Woordfees festival progamme launch in Stellenbosch.<br></p><p>The festival theme is “Young" because the Woordfees is turning 20 in 2019, and a 20-year old is a rambunctious youngster. That's why we are going to party all night long – just like we did in 1999, the year when it all started.</p><p>The big launch bash is at the HB Thom Theatre (soon to be named the Adam Small Theatre) in Victoria Street with music, poetry, stand-up, theatre, dance and films. It starts at 22:00 and ends around 5:30 the next morning.</p><p>On the bill for this night of passion for the arts are, amongst others, the poets Bibi Slippers and Jolyn Phillips; stand-up with Shimmy Isaacs; party jams with Die Wasgoedlyn music collective; contemporary dance with Conway October, Yaseen Manuel en Ray Claasen, and an excerpt from the rip-roaring <em>Bal-oog en Brommel</em> with actors Richard September and De Klerk Oelofse. Andries Bezuidenhout, Danie Marais and Desmond Painter will also do <em>Ladies and Gentlemen, Leonard Cohen</em> – a tribute with acoustic versions of Cohen hits that sold out quickly at the 2018 Woordfees. Films will be shown continuously at the HB Thom Laboratoy. The festivities will end on a high and pure note the next morning with an organ recital by Zorada Temmingh at the Moederkerk.</p><p>Everybody is warmly invited to this variety concert of a launch party. Tickets are available through Computicket at R100 per person.</p><p>Come and be young and free together all through the hot summer night of 16 November.</p><p><em>For any further information, contact Danie Marais at </em><a href="mailto:danie_marais@sun.ac.za"><em>danie_marais@sun.ac.za</em></a><br></p><p><br></p> |
| SU academics visits Malawi to host writing workshop | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=4480 | | SU academics visits Malawi to host writing workshop | Corporate Marketing/Korporatiewe Bemarking | <p>There is a commonly-cited adage in academia, "publish or perish". Although an exaggeration, the phrase encapsulates a reality of contemporary research: publishing one's research – particularly in journals – is a cornerstone of a successful career. Further, as money, time, and effort go into conducting research, it is the responsibility of the academic to ensure that as many people as possible find out about what this work reveals.</p><p>Being published, however, is easier said than done: writers' block, submission deadlines, and challenging peer-reviews are but a few of the hurdles which lead papers-in-the-making to falter and fade away. In countries only recently beginning to contribute to the international academy, the ill-effects of these barriers are amplified. To ensure that global Southern views and news can enter the global academic space, there is an urgent need to cultivate understanding around publishing on the continent. </p><p>This October, Professor Leslie Swartz of the Psychology Department, and Masters student Xanthe Hunt, visited Zomba, Malawi, to address just such a need. The visit was funded partly by the Doctoral Capacity Development Programme at the African Doctoral Academy (ADA) at Stellenbosch University International, and was conducted under the auspices of the partnership agreement between Stellenbosch University and University of Malawi</p><p>A two-and-a-half day writing workshop was convened by Swartz, in collaboration with Professor Blessings Chinsinga of the Centre for Social Research at University of Malawi, and Professor Alister Munthali, and was attended by 14 academics from various departments at the University of Malawi. The group consisted of early career researchers, as well as seasoned academics, and had representatives from numerous fields, including political science, theology, library and information sciences, and anthropology. Prof Chiwoza Bandawe, outgoing editor of the Malawi Medical Journal, and former Head of the Department of Mental Health at University of Malawi was also in attendance on the final day.</p><p>The first day saw Swartz, who is on the editorial board of a number of prominent academic publications and is the editor in chief of the African Journal of Disability, introduce the group to the principles and purpose of academic publishing. This was followed by an interactive afternoon session, during which Swartz and Hunt worked with the attendees on their own.</p><p>Swartz, who has been conducting such trainings in South Africa and other African countries for some years highlighted the importance of working with attendees on their own manuscripts during such trainings. </p><p>"The best learning in this context comes from engagement with the actual experience of writing and especially in dealing with reviewer comments, which are often phrased in dismissive and unflattering terms. Sharing struggles around writing, using actual examples, helps to minimize anxiety and avoidance of the process," explained Swartz. </p><p>Swartz also noted that emphasizing interaction – and asking attendees to determine their own priorities for writing workshops – ensures that the sessions are relevant, and make the most of the time available. </p><p>In line with this, the second day involved a presentation by Hunt on the mechanics of writing a manuscript, which was followed by a feedback session from the group. They requested that the remaining time be allocated to a "crash course" on thematic analysis (TA). TA is widely employed in the social sciences as a qualitative research methodology, and involves analysing textual data (words from research subjects, in the form of interview transcripts, for instance). The course then concluded on the third day with a research methods session by Hunt, who is currently employing TA within her thesis. </p><p>Research methods are the building blocks from which good research is built; good writing puts polish on the finished product, and helps to ensure its dissemination. </p><p>"In the future, it will be important for workshops such as this one to incorporate day-long sessions on every step of the research process, <em>as well as</em> the presentation process," said Hunt, adding that short workshops are important in order to stimulate discussion around priority areas for future workshops. </p><p>The Malawian contingent have expressed their interest in a second, more detailed workshop, and Swartz says that he is optimistic about the prospect of piloting such an expanded agenda in Malawi.</p><p>"The quality of the research being conducted here is high," he concluded, "and I look forward to a continued collaboration with this engaged and engaging group."</p> |
| Arts Faculty shares its Language Implementation Plan 2017 | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=4613 | | Arts Faculty shares its Language Implementation Plan 2017 | Lynne Rippenaar-Moses | <h4 style="font-size:13px;"><span class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-2-0">The Language Implementation Plan 2017 of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences was recently approved by the University's Senate. If you would like to find out more about this plan, please <a href="/english/faculty/arts/Documents/FASS%20LANGUAGE%20PLAN%202017%20LSW%20TAALPLAN%202017(finaal-final).pdf?Web=1">click here</a> to download the full plan. Please note that the downloadable document contains both the English and Afrikaans versions of the plan. </span></h4> |
| TRU to expand its research on democracy in Africa with study of new data sets | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=3963 | | TRU to expand its research on democracy in Africa with study of new data sets | Lynne Rippenaar-Moses | <p style="text-align:justify;"><strong></strong><span style="line-height:1.6;">The Transformation Research Unit (TRU), a unit focused on research projects dealing with transformations from autocracy to democracy and the reverse, conditions for the persistence of democracy, and the quality of the democratic process, will soon be expanding its research on democracy in Africa by utilising new data sets at its disposal to do so.</span></p><p style="text-align:justify;">TRU was officially established at Stellenbosch University at the end of 2014 and is based at the Centre for International and Comparative Politics in the Political Science Department. The Unit focuses on examining democracy comparatively across cultures from an economic, political and social perspective. Within the regional context South Africa is being examined comparatively with Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. The wider global viewpoint is provided by the comparative study of the culturally vastly diverse cases of South Korea, Chile, Poland, Turkey, Germany and Sweden. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">"We have decided that the project we are currently working on and which is centred on South Africa within the global political and economic environment should be used as a stepping stone to a study we want to implement in the future" said Prof Ursula van Beek, the Head of TRU, following a recent four-day workshop where researchers from Africa and the rest of the world shared some of their preliminary findings on democracy in the sub-Saharan region. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">"Our future research will be centred more on the Southern African region and will draw on new data sets. So far we have relied primarily on the World Values Survey and on our self-generated data on elites and economic factors. We intend to expand the individual data sources by the inclusion of the Afrobarometr data while the proposed utilisation of the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) datasets will allow us to examine the connection between individuals and their political institutions."</p><p style="text-align:justify;">According to Van Beek, the V-Dem dataset comprises data on political institutions going back to 1900. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">"That is over a hundred years of data! This data can for instance show us how countries move into democracy, how some might regress into autocracy and then move back into democracy again. Essentially, the V-Dem data allows us to see how democracies are born and how they die. V-Dem data is considered globally to have taken the comparative assessment of democratic institutions to a new level because of its theoretical openness, its conceptual clarity, and its thorough measurement. The V-Dem project has been developed jointly by the Kellogg Institute at the Notre Dame University, USA, and the Department of Political Science at University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The V-Dem Director at the latter institution, Prof Staffan Lindberg, is keen to see the establishment of an institutional home for V-Dem data utilisation in Africa, and more specifically, at Stellenbosch University. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">In combination with the Afrobarometer that has surveyed 37 countries in Africa since the 1990s, the two additional datasets will assure that in its research TRU will draw on arguably the most comprehensive data collection on democracy in South Africa, if not on the African continent. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">The project TRU is currently focusing on is called <em>Global democracy: Political institutions and cultural contexts. It </em>investigates the key factors likely to obstruct a successful long-term democratic consolidation in countries like South Africa, Poland, Chile, South Korea and Turkey. This project, says Van Beek, is important because it highlights how South Africa is faring on its road to a democratic consolidated society in comparison with other younger democracies in the region and in the world. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">"In South Africa we are facing various problems, especially the problem of government failing to deliver services to the people and citizens that are unhappy with the status quo. A good way to understand the shortcomings of South African democracy is to study the political culture of the elite and the citizens of this country. Such analyses tell us how both the South African leaders and the people perceive democracy. Their respective attitudes, values and beliefs with regards to democracy can reveal whether they do or do not support the system, and therefore, whether it will or will not succeed," says van Beek.</p><p style="text-align:justify;"><em>Photo: Researchers and academics from Africa and the rest of the world recently met during a four-day workshop to share some of their preliminary findings on democracy in the sub-Saharan region. In the back row from the left are Dr Krige Siebrits (SU), Prof David</em><em> </em><em>Sebudubudu (University of Botswana), Mr Jerry Mathega (HSRC), Mr George Ott (SU), Prof Vello Pettai (University of Tortu, Estonia), Prof Yilmaz Esmer (University of Bahcesehir, Turkey), Prof Christer Jönsson (Lund University, Sweden), Prof Dirk Berg-Schlosser (Marburg University, Germany), Prof Henning Melber (Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala, Sweden), Prof Pierre du Toit (SU), Prof Hennie Kotze (SU). </em><em>In the front row from the left are </em><em>Prof Hans-Dieter</em><em> </em><em>Klingemann (WZB, Berlin), Ms Annemie Parkin (SU), Dr Nicola de Jager (SU), Prof Ursula van Beek (SU), Ms Nsisima Ncube (SU), Prof Ursula Hoffmann-Lange (Bamberg University, Germany), Dr Catherine Musuva (AU), Ms Heike Morkel (SU), Ms Helen Kroes (SU), Prof Lloyd Sachikonye (University of Zimbabwe), Ms Reinet Loubser (SU), Dr Marisa von Fintel (SU). (Anton Jordaan, SSFD)</em><em> </em> </p> |
| Departments in Arts Faculty and others collaborate for Women’s Day concert | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=5142 | | Departments in Arts Faculty and others collaborate for Women’s Day concert | Fiona Grayer | <p style="text-align:justify;">The Music Department in partnership with Stellenbosch University's (SU) Transformation Office, the Visual Arts Department and the Women's Forum presented a concert in celebration of Women's Day in August in the Endler Hall in Stellenbosch. The SU Jazz Band took centre stage under the direction of Felicia Lesch joined by South African jazz legend Gloria Bosman and jazz singer and poet Mihi-Tuwi Matshingana.<br><br>The evening was specifically dedicated to honouring the memory of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke – the first black South African woman to obtain tertiary education and who graduated in the USA in 1901. Her mantra, “When you rise, lift someone up with you", is a maxim that artists Felicia Lesch, Bosman and Matshingana all embrace.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">Lesch is passionate about music as a vehicle for social change and formed the SU Jazz Band as one of the ensembles of the Certificate Programme. The Certificate Programme is the pre-undergraduate programme of the SU Music Department which was created to empower students with skills to embark on a BMus or Diploma programme at tertiary level. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">Matshingana completed a BCom degree at SU in 2014, during which time she also studied in the Music Department's Certificate Programme, a programme to which she paid homage on stage. She is currently a third-year Jazz Studies student at Wits University in Johannesburg.<br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">South African author and journalist Zubeida Jaffer's third book “<em>Beauty of the heart</em>", which is a tribute to Maxeke and also provides fresh information on her life, was available for purchase at the event. Jewellery from an jewellery exhibition by Kutlwano Cele, a student in the Visual Arts Department, was also on sale.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">The SRC and many students from other departments and faculties supported the concert. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">“For some this was their first “Endler experience", which made it a particularly joyful event," said Monica du Toit of the Transformation Office.<br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">Special guests from within the Arts Faculty, the Women's Forum, the Gender Equality Unit, SU Museum, SU Transformation Office and community partners of the Music Department's own Certificate Programme also attended the Woman's Day Celebration Concert. <br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">“The event was a moment of institutional belonging and connection with new people at our institution."<br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">“We look forward to more meaningful collaborations in the future and honour the women (and men) on stage who are using music as a vehicle to liberate, educate, rage and dream," added Du Toit.<br></p> |
| Visual impairment does not deter Loandrie from excelling | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=7016 | | Visual impairment does not deter Loandrie from excelling | Asiphe Nombewu /Corporate Communication | <p><span style="text-align:justify;">After spending the last four years working on her</span><span style="text-align:justify;"> </span><span style="text-align:justify;">Bachelor in Social Work (BSW) degree, Loandrie Potgieter will be among the 5 853 students who will graduate at the 2019 December graduation ceremonies at Stellenbosch University (SU).</span></p><p style="text-align:justify;">Despite her visual impairment, Potgieter was one of the top academic achievers in the Department of Social Work since her first year in 2016. She will receive her Bachelor's degree in Social Work <em>cum laude</em> on Thursday.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">KC, her guide dog will accompany her as she walks up to receive her degree.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">Potgieter says her personal attributes played a significant role in ensuring what she describes as an exciting and fulfilling academic journey at Stellenbosch University (SU). </p><p style="text-align:justify;"> “SU has had a big impact on me as an individual; however, my personal traits – resilience, optimism, self-efficiency and determination – helped me to overcome barriers in the environment."</p><p>Potgieter was born with an eye condition and had functional vision up till 2013. “I did everything normally, except for when using a computer or reading a book (had to hold it closely).</p><p>In 2013, my eyesight deteriorated overnight, I had to figure out new ways of doing things."</p><p style="text-align:justify;">But, says Potgieter, being visually impaired did not change her personality. “I am still the person I always was and I still have the same outlook on life, and the same personality. Being visually impaired presents you with a different set of challenges to overcome and it makes life interesting in various ways."</p><p style="text-align:justify;">Although it can be very challenging at times, she says she gets by with the support of friends and family.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">The 30-year-old, who hails from Port Elizabeth, says that even though it took her a while to figure out what she wanted to study, her mind is made up now that Social Work is the career for her. She intends to do her Master's degree next year and eventually practise social work.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">“My Master's research topic is about measuring and building resilience in disabled persons," she says.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">“I am very passionate about social work and enjoyed my training. I also did various additional things besides academics, which contributed to the richness of my academic journey. These included a summer school in Belgium, completing some short courses and giving a presentation at a conference."</p><p style="text-align:justify;">She says graduation signifies an end of her undergraduate career, and although she feels a bit sad it also gives her a sense of satisfaction. Potgieter says she believes in doing things to the best of her ability. “I am passionate about everything I do.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">“SU is a resource rich environment that offers many opportunities such as summer schools and short courses. I used these opportunities, which brought me to where I am today." </p><p style="text-align:justify;">She says her degree course focused on practical education, where they were taught the theory, but were also expected to demonstrate in reports how they applied this theory in practice. “This means that SU social work students graduate with theoretical as well as practical experience, which makes them well-rounded professionals."</p><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p><p><br></p> |
