College of Humanities School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics Postgraduate Studies INSPIRING GREATNESS
WELCOME Prof JA Smit, Dean and Head of School Dear Students It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics. We are a proud cross-campus school with nearly 6 000 students taking our modules and over 200 postgraduate students. We have thirteen NRF-rated researchers, and nearly 70% of our staff have completed their doctoral degrees. All excel in research, teaching and learning and community engagement. We are one of the foremost research-led schools at the University of KwaZulu-Natal with a proud complement of alumni. Students who enrol for our programmes and modules will be empowered to both critically analyse and understand the socio-cultural systems and intellectual processes that we have inherited from the past as well as how we are constructively and practically engaging them. Since we are a research-led university, our ultimate aim is to cultivate a critical, inter-disciplinary and transformative research environment. This feeds into our Teaching and Learning processes as well as constructive Community Engagement. Some of our primary aims are the advancement of students intellectual and academic aspirations; the empowering of previously disadvantaged communities; the facilitation of social transformation processes; advancement of inter- and cross-cultural understanding; and the fostering of the collaborative, effective and efficient functioning of our diverse South African society. In all our work, we strive for quality and excellence. Students are empowered to learn and master the foundational requirements of our disciplines, and to freely pursue their own related scholarly and career interests. Amongst others, we have educated and trained students in a large number of areas in the professions and working life, such as critical and transformative research, religious ministry, governance, the legal professions, education, administration and management, and a wide variety of cultural and non-governmental institutions. Our graduates are assertive intellectuals who can critically analyse and constructively contribute to the challenges communities face. I sincerely hope that you find your period of study with us inspiring, enriching, and empowering.
WELCOME Dr Simangaliso Kumalo, Academic Leader; Research and Postgraduate Studies Dr. Simangaliso Kumalo is Senior Lecturer and the Academic Leader for Research and Postgraduate Studies in the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics. He is also Senior Lecturer in the Religion and Governance Programme. Dear friend of SRPC In this first edition of SRPC s Research and Postgraduate Brochure we seek to share with you information about the leadership of our School and the different study options that are available to potential students, sponsors and partners. This is crucial since the 2011 reconfiguration of institution. The recurring question from some well-wishers and critics is: what is happening at UKZN? One of the outcomes of the reconfiguration was the establishment of the Research and Postgraduate Studies Office at a school level, to support research and postgraduate studies. I am privileged to have been appointed as the first Academic Leader for Research and Postgraduate Studies in the School. Another question that we seek to answer is: How has the reconfiguration into a School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics impacted on the study of the study of Theology and Ethics? Our school is unique in the way it embodies the vital pole that Centers play in research and community development. My hope is that the information that we share will result in increased recruitment of post-graduate students and a deepening of our cooperation with partners.
The School of Religion, Philosophy & Classics comprises 3 main disciplinary complexes, namely Religion, Philosophy and Classics (in Howard College, Durban) and Religion and Theology, Philosophy and Classics (in Pietermaritzburg). Vision and Mission Vision To be a centre of excellence in African scholarship in the fields of Religion, Philosophy and Classics. Mission Statement To critically and constructively advance excellence in African-led scholarship through research, teaching and learning, and community engagement in a global context. Cognitive Science Cognitive Science is the name for a coalition of separate disciplines that together attempt to understand the nature of information processing in humans and other systems. Traditional core disciplines in cognitive science include computer science, linguistics, psychology and philosophy. Ethics Ethics Studies deals in an inter-disciplinary way with behaviour, traditions and institutions that seek to foster that which is judged to be right and good by society s main value-systems, drawing on historical, comparative, philosophical and scientific insights, with a strong emphasis on applied ethical issues. Philosophy Philosophy means the love of wisdom. Students of Philosophy explore ideas about our world and ourselves, examining them systematically and critically, in order to work out what we should believe. Philosophy gives you the opportunity to carefully question, think about, write about, and discuss fundamental aspects of your existence. At the same time it fosters essential skills in analysing, constructing and evaluating arguments, critical reading, problem solving, and independent thinking. Religion The study of Religion encompasses the scientific study of the major world religions in context. Focused on the African continent, it engages the study of religious phenomena in terms of the significance of their historical, ritual, moral, organisational and belief systems. Contextually, the discipline engages a wide range of fields, as religion intersects and engages with Development Studies, Politics, Economics, Human Rights, and Health and Environmental Studies. Classics Classics is the study of the mythologies, art and archaeology, history, culture, languages, and literatures of ancient Greece and Rome within their wider historical and geographical context.
ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY AND CLASSICS The new School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics is known for its vibrant postgraduate programmes. It has an excellent track record in competitive research output and is interested in attracting the best prospective postgraduate students. Students can look forward to studying with a group of internationally-recognised scholars in a school with a high level of collegiality and national and international research recognition and collaboration. When you register for a postgraduate degree with us, you will find that you are part of an energetic and exciting scholarly community of people who are pushing academic boundaries on the African continent. The School has a wide African footprint, with postgraduate students from 22 different African countries. The School comprises a variety of exciting disciplines that contribute to the study of religion, philosophy and classics in interdisciplinary, comparative and contextuallyrelevant ways on the African continent. It offers a unique opportunity to critically develop central aspects of the disciplines in teaching and learning as well as research and constructive community engagement. Prospective students are invited to become part of and participate in the vibrant academic life of the school. The School has 13 National Research Foundation (NRF)-rated researchers and houses five national scholarly journals, edited by staff. These include: Alternation: Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Arts and Humanities in Southern Africa; Journal of Gender and Religion in Africa; Journal of Theology for Southern Africa; Neotestamentica: Journal of the New Testament Society of South Africa; and Nidan: Journal for the Study of Hinduism. The School is also home to five research centres and a museum: Ujamaa Centre for Community Development and Research; Sinomlando Centre for Oral History and Memory Work; Centre for Constructive Theology; Islamic Studies Research Unit; the Centre for African Ethics; and the Classics Museum.
PARTNERSHIPS The School has a range of partnerships that give it a creative role in the wider community. These include: The Pietermaritzburg Cluster of Theological institutions links the School to St Josephs Theological Institute (Catholic) and to ESSA, the Evangelical Seminary of SA, the Lutheran Theological Institute, Anglican House of Studies and Congregational House of Formation provide a relationship to churches that are training their ministers in the School. NETWORKING Networks with faith based organisations in the region provide an ongoing link between theoretical reflection and practical engagement. Research and teaching collaboration is undertaken with a range of International Universities and Global networks. The School has a wide range of international, national and local partnerships with religious bodies, funding agencies, academic institutions and community organisations. We have research and exchange partnerships with universities such as Yale, Humboldt, Oxford, Rice, Emory, Duke and Toronto, and Stellenbosch, UCT and Wits in South Africa. DEMOGRAPHICS The demography of our graduates, shows wide diversity: The profile is 69% male, 31% female; 50% from the rest of Africa, 45% from South Africa, and 5% from outside Africa; 62.5% black, 21% Indian, 12% white and 4.5% coloured. The school has a wide African foot-print, with post-graduate students from 22 different African countries. It is accepted as the centre of preference for the training of post-graduate church leadership for many Christian denominations in Africa, and continues to attract other international students who are interested in studying in this context. The programmes in Islam, Hinduism and Africa Traditional Religions are drawing from this energy to make a similar contribution to the training of leaders on our continent. AFRICAN EXCELLENCE Our Staff and Graduates are well respected throughout the world, and contribute in a wide variety of ways to discussions on the role of religion and religious communities in the world of the twenty-first century, making us truly a global centre of African excellence.
The School offers the following degrees: Masters of Theology (MTh) Masters can be taken full time (one year) or part time (two years). Students are located in one of the following programmes: African Christianity, African Theology, Bible Translation, Biblical Studies, Catholic Theology, Christian Spirituality, Gender and Religion, History of Christianity, Ministerial Studies, Systematic Theology, and Theology and Development. The School offers the following degrees: Master of Arts MA This degree usually follows the Honours degree. It can be taken full time (one year) or part time (two years). Doctoral Degree : PhD The School offers a PhD by research thesis in any of the disciplines and programmes mentioned above. Students are usually required to spend at least one semester in residence. Special Projects Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) This is unique to the School, as it is directed by an internationally accredited CPE supervisor. Students have the opportunity to work in Grey s hospital under supervision, learning skills of pastoral care and counselling. CHART The Collaborative for HIV and AIDS, Religion and Theology, provides a collaborative space to wide ranging research in the field, as well as a link for global links to religious agencies that are in the forefront of responding to the pandemic. Each year, CHART offers one Doctoral Fellowship to student in the School of Religion and Theology. The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, has a very vibrant chapter in the school. The Circle draws together women theologians and scholars of religion in Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone countries in the continent. ANHERTHA The African Network of Higher Education and Research in Theology HIV and AIDS offers some scholarships to post-graduate students in the field of research in Theology, HIV and AIDS. Religion, Governance & Africa in the World This programme facilitates research, lectures and seminars around the interface between religion and politics. It also runs postgraduate modules on religion and governance. UJAMAA The Ujamaa Centre is an interface between socially engaged biblical and theological scholars, organic intellectuals, and local communities of the poor, working-class, and marginalised. Together we use biblical and theological resources for individual and social transformation.
Academic Leaders Professor John Hilton is Academic leader for Philosophy and Classics and site leader for Durban campus. He was awarded his doctorate A philological commentary on Books 3 and 4 of the Ethiopica of Heliodorus by the University of Natal in 1998. His publications include Alma Parens Originalis: The Receptions of Classical Literature and Thought in Africa, Europe, The United States, and Cuba; Apuleius: Rhetorical Works, An Introduction to Latin 1-4, and numerous chapters and articles on various topics, including The Reception of Roman Law in South Africa with particular reference to slavery at the Cape of Good Hope, the ancient novel (especially Heliodorus), onomastics (the name Azania and the names given to the nations of Africa), Classical reception studies, and computer applications in Classical philology. Professor Gerald West is Academic Leader for Community Engagement and teaches Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and African Biblical Heremeneutics in the School of Religion and Theology. He is also Director of the Ujamaa Centre for Community Development and Research, a project in which socially engaged biblical scholars and ordinary African readers of the Bible from poor, working-class, and marginalized communities collaborate for social transformation. Among his recent publications are The Academy of the Poor: Towards a Dialogical Reading of the Bible, and an edited volume, together with Musa Dube, The Bible in Africa: Transactions, Trajectories and Trends. Dr. Roderick Hewitt is Academic Leader for Theology and Ethics and site leader for Pietermaritzburg campus. His most recent publication is Church and Culture: An Anglo- Caribbean experience of Hybridity and Contradiction. He was educated at Knox College, the United Theological College of the West Indies, University of the West Indies, University of London (Kings College) and University of London (Kings College). His publications include: Transforming Leadership; Dialogue for Disciples; Equipping Local Congregations in Mission and Post Colonial Mission: Power and Partnership in World Christianity that he co-edited with Desmond van der Water and four other scholars. He has also written many articles on Mission, Leadership Development and Theological Education that have been published in international journals.
A few of the School s publications and Journals
Masters in Religion Every candidate must choose a specialization from the following list: African Theology Biblical Studies Catholic Theology Christian Spirituality Gender and Religion History of Christianity Industrial Mission Ministerial Studies Systematic Theology Theology and development Every Masters candidate, regardless of specialization, must register for THE08RAPC Theology Research Article (32c). This module is designed to assist students to prepare their MTh dissertation proposal. Students may only proceed to register for their dissertation upon satisfactory completion of this module. The dissertation is 96 credits. Students in the Gender and Religion programme must take the core module in either Biblical Studies or Systematic Theology depending on their academic focus, and in consultation with the Programme Director. Additionally, every Masters candidate must take a compulsory ( core ) module that is specific to his/her specialization. Most of the core modules count 32 credit points; in a few instances, two compulsory modules, each worth 16c, are prescribed.
Senior Administrative Staff Calvin Thomas Manager: School Operations (o) 031 260 7282, (f) 031 260 7286 thomas@ukzn.ac.za Cathy Murugan Research and Postgraduate Officer 033 260 5560 murugancd@ukzn.ac.za
CONTACT DETAILS School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics Pietermaritzburg campus Tel: 033 260 5290/5540 Howard College campus Tel: 031 260 2292 Website: http://srpc.ukzn.ac.za