Bachelor of Arts Honours in English (BA Honours in English)

Purpose

The purpose of the Bachelor Art Honours in English (BA Honours in English) qualification aims to fulfil the following requirements of English Studies. Learners will be equipped to:

1. Construct and continue elaborating on a firm knowledge base concerning a range of imaginative writing, literary genres and milieus, by utilising appropriate critical theory in order to expand their understanding of the complexity of human society.

2. Implement and develop research skills in close and careful reading, thinking critically and creatively about meanings, gauging the value of ideas independently, assessing the applicability of ideas to contemporary and local contexts, and formulating coherent logical arguments in response to current literary and theoretical debates for use in forums and submission to journals.

3. Become independent, critical and creative thinkers who actively contribute to local communities, and broader national and international contexts.

This qualification aims to:

• Offer learners an opportunity to study a range of modern, postcolonial and postmodern texts from African, North Atlantic, Diaspora, Latin American and Asian contexts, in various genres.
• Address existing gaps in the need to decolonise English literary studies in the interest of building a strong focus on literature from local African and South African contexts, thus contributing towards the development of a worthy contemporary ethos.
• Conduct individual research, within a field selected by the learner, which utilises appropriate critical theory in reading specific texts and engaging with current literary and theoretical debates.

Rationale

The Bachelor of Arts Honours in English is replacing the existing Honours qualification that is not registered on the National Qualifications Framework. The existing qualification, as it stands, is not aligned with Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework (HEQSF) specifications and, in content, it expands and widens much of what is taught in the Third-Year Modules.

This qualification is part of an effort to recirculate English Studies at the University in a structurally coherent manner whereby first, second, and third year modules build upon one another in a gradated way.

Research has indicated that learners with a BA Honours in English Degree are increasingly sought after because of their specific training in transferable skills - that is, the skills that employers seek out across a wide range of professions including and beyond academic and research settings, such as law, finance, government, media, teaching, writing and business.

After completing the qualification, learners will not only be equipped with such transferable skills, but will also be prepared to do high-level theoretical research, to function effectively at all levels of education, and to assume leadership roles in various establishments and organizations.