LANGUAGE POLICY AND ISIXHOSA FOR JOURNALISM COURSE

As communicators we enjoy the linguistic and cultural richness of our country and we are alert to the challenges and opportunities presented by our 11 official languages. For practical reasons, the language of teaching and learning of the school is standard SA English. At the same time, we want to empower our students to engage with our local context in Makhanda and the broader South African milieu as capably and sensitively as possible. Furthermore, our aim is to maximise students’ future job opportunities - which entails additional language capacity, and sensitivity to questions of cultural diversity.

For these reasons, all students who wish to complete a major in JMS are required to complete ‘IsiXhosa for Journalism’.

The purpose of this course is to enable students to work confidently and sensitively as journalists in multilingual and multicultural environments. It focuses on what it means to work as a journalist in the environment in which Rhodes University is based. Because isiXhosa is the primary language of communication for the majority of people in this context, the course aims to strengthen students’ ability to communicate in this language. This aspect of the course is designed to accommodate students with widely different proficiency levels in isiXhosa, from those who are fluent to those who have no experience in speaking the language. The course also assists students in strengthening their ability to reflect in an informed way on how journalism is produced and circulated in multicultural contexts. Students explore cultural and linguistic questions and debates of relevance to the South African context, especially as this pertains to environments in which isiXhosa is spoken. The knowledge students acquire in this way is, however, more widely applicable, strengthening their ability to engage with the languages and cultures that are of relevance to any work environment. 

The course is credited separately from the Journalism and Media studies programme, and must be taken during the second year of the JMS degree. If students fail the course at the end of this year, they will be allowed to repeat the course during their third year of study.

The course must be completed before a student can graduate from their third year in JMS. Once the course has been passed, students can also proceed to isiXhosa 2. Students who plan to proceed to isiXhosa 2 in this way may apply to complete the isiXhosa for Journalism course during their first year.

Last Modified: Fri, 18 Feb 2022 17:06:35 SAST