General Information

REQUIREMENTS

All students need to register with the University before they can take the course. Students need to have checked with the Dean whether their curriculum has been approved before they attend the classes. Students are allowed only one clash in their timetable. In the case of a student having a clash he/she will need to write a letter to the department declaring the clash and how the student intends to make up for the classes missed.

Students are expected to:

  • Attend all lectures and tutorials (the department uses an attendance register for all lectures and tutorials). Also see DP (Due Performance) requirements.
  • Be on time.
  • Present the department with a leave of absence form if the student has missed a lecture or a tutorial.
  • Miss only 12 lectures a year without a valid reason.
  • Prepare for all tutorials in advance
  • Active participation in discussions is expected and strongly recommended.
  • Hand in written prescribed tutorial completed exercises on time at a satisfactory level and in the case of IsiXhosa 1 Non-Mother Tongue students the exercises should be handed in before the Tuesday lecture every week.
  • Ask for help when it is needed (Dept has an open door policy)

 SUPPORT

During the course of their studies research students are encouraged to resolve all problems or difficulties by liaising with their supervisor/s, Head of Department’s or Deans. In addition, the Dean of Research convenes Postgraduate Forums for students to discuss their ideas and ways of enhancing their research. It is often necessary for research students to travel during the course of their studies to present papers at local conferences. Support for these activities can be requested from the Joint Research Council Student Travel fund administered by the Dean of Research.

 PLAGIARISM

Candidates are warned against taking somebody else’s work and pretending as if it is their own. This is a serious fraud which comes with a heavy punishment. You are advised to visit the following Rhodes University website on plagiarism policy http://oldwww.ru.ac.za/intranet/policies/plagiarism_policy.pdf). Students need to sign a declaration form confirming that they have not plagiarised when handing their assignments.

 REFERENCING

The Department uses the Harvard style of referencing. In order to avoid plagiarising you need to acknowledge your sources. Referencing is also a way of showing that you have read widely on your topic and you are supporting your comments by using relevant sources. Here is an example:

Alexander, N. (1989) Language Policy and National Unity in South Africa/Azania. Cape Town: Buchu Books

 For books referencing the following style should be followed:

  • The author or editor’s name (or names)
  • The year the book was published
  • The title of the book
  • The edition if it is not the first
  • The city the book was published
  • The name of the publisher

 For Journal articles:

  • The author or editor’s name/ names
  • The year the journal was published
  • The title of the article
  • The title of the journal
  • The page number/s of the article in the journal
  • The volume and issue

 For electronic resources

  • Use information usually written on the left of the page
  • The date you accessed the source
  • Electronic address or e-mail
  • The type of electronic source (e.g www page)

 CITATION

When you copy direct quotations or you put the author’s ideas in your own words (paraphrase) you have to write the author’s name, year of the publication and the page. For example: (Maseko, 2007:12)

 ASSESSMENT

Tests

There are four tests per year and students are expected to write all four tests. The tests are written at the end of each term and they count towards end of the year mark. Note that the tests are a very important part of continuous evaluation. (See ‘DP Requirements’).

Essays, Assignments and Exercises

Essays, Assignments and Exercises have to be handed in on time. All work handed to the department should be typed using a 12 font size. MT students are required to write eight assignments per year. The MT course is composed of four modules and this means that the students will have two assignments per module. These students have to submit tutorial exercises fortnightly. This course is a write off course therefore the June exam will be composed of two papers with a 100 marks for each paper and module.

All students will be given an extension ONLY if there is a valid reason to do so. All the essays, assignments and exercises contribute to the final mark for each course. (See ‘DP Requirements’)

 

Last Modified: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:59:04 SAST