Bachelor of Arts Honours in Language Practice
Communication Studies and Language - Language
Purpose and Rationale
Bachelor of Arts (BA) Honours in Language Practice Qualification
Purpose
The purpose of the Bachelor of Arts (BA) Honours in Language Practice qualification is to enable students to acquire a sophisticated, diverse, and progressive range of professional language-practice skills coupled with an advanced theoretical foundation. This will enable them to successfully participate in the professional language industry and critically reflect on the discipline and its role in society through lifelong learning. The programme aims to deliver students who can contribute to communication facilitation, multilingualism, and literacy development in South African society, emphasizing innovation and ethics in language professions.
Rationale
The Bachelor of Arts Honours (BAHons) Language Practice qualification aims to educate learners in the theory and practice of Language Practice to become relevant role players and practitioners in South African society. Graduates will be equipped to solve problems in Language Practice, contributing significantly to the field. This qualification seeks to help potential employers, current students, and parents understand the criteria for job possibilities in languages and humanities, specifically in Language Practice. The term 'generic' signifies that the minimum outcomes and assessment criteria have been identified. The standard is developed abstractly, not bound by discipline-specific knowledge, focusing on the depth and complexity of learning and competencies. This allows students to design a learning program using various disciplines to achieve desired outcomes. To enable progression to more complex post-graduate work, study programs should ensure depth and alignment with level descriptors. The generic qualification standard sets a minimum of 128 Credits within the 'general track' of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) for the Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in languages and the Humanities.
Outcomes
- Demonstrate advanced scholarly and scientific knowledge and understanding of approaches to, as well as terms, concepts, facts, principles, rules and theories typical to Language Practice at advanced level.
- Identify, analyse, and solve problems akin to Language Practice in a critical and creative manner.
- Control, apply, analyse, and integrate knowledge independently, as well as evaluate it in a responsible and well-grounded manner.
- Understand the need for life-long learning.
- Demonstrate the ability to report on research and communicate it in writing and orally, with the use of appropriate Information Technology (IT), to an audience of peers.
- Critically evaluate ethics and practices akin to Language Practice.
- Articulate and communicate the value of being a competent and critical Language Practitioner within a vocational context as well as within a culturally-diverse South African and world population.
Assessment Criteria
The following Associated Assessment Criteria will be assessed in an integrated manner across the Exit Level Outcomes:
-
Demonstrate a systematic and integrated knowledge and understanding of, and an ability to analyse, evaluate and apply the fundamental terms, concepts, facts, principles, rules and theories.
-
Apply appropriate discipline-related methods of scientific inquiry and independently validate, evaluate and manage sources of information.
-
Demonstrate critical reflection on, and understanding and application of, appropriate methods or practices to resolve complex discipline-related problems and thereby introduce change within related practice.
-
Demonstrate professional and ethical behaviour within an academic and discipline-related environment with sensitivity towards societal and cultural considerations.
-
Effectively communicate scientific understanding and own opinions/ideas in written or oral arguments, using appropriate discipline-related and academic discourse as well as technology.
-
Demonstrate effective functioning as a member and/or leader of a team or a group in scientific projects or investigations, with self-directed management of learning activities and responsibility for own learning progress.
Integrated Assessment:
- Continuous formative assessment ensures feedback to learners on progress towards the achievement of specific learning outcomes.
- Summative assessment focuses on the Exit-Level Outcomes of the qualification and includes integrated assessments, among others a mini-dissertation, which assess the students' ability to integrate the larger body of knowledge, competencies and attitudes that are represented by the Exit-Level Outcomes, either as a whole or as components of the qualification.
- Integrated assignments focus on assessing whether the purpose of the qualification as a whole has been achieved, either in to or in the component parts of the program of study and on the demonstration of applied competence.
- It is essential that a wide range of knowledge, skills, competencies and attitudes be integrated using innovative methods - and in the assessment of outcomes due recognition should be given to criteria and methods of assessment that assess these appropriately and adequately.
The students are further assessed through a written literature review and project reports, practical tests, oral presentations and final oral and written examinations. This assessment aims to evaluate the holistic knowledge and interpretative skills of the students.
Qualification Details
- Type
- Honours Degree
- NQF Level
- 08
- Min. Credits
- 136
- SAQA Source
- More Information
Education Cost Calculator
This page includes information from the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) . Builtneat Pty Ltd trading as Study Start, has modified all or some of this information. SAQA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.