SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES
PROGRAMME
Bachelor of Social Science Honours with specialisations in Anthropology, Archaeology, History, Heritage Studies and Sociology
Period of study: 1 Year (Full-time); 2 Years (Part-time)
Bachelor of Social Sciences honours graduates are equipped to become researchers or practitioners in a variety of professional domains.
This role may be at museums and other heritage organisations, language-based positions (translation and editing), teaching, communication, journalism, creative writing, media work, community development, tourism and the diplomatic service.
Admission requirements
- The General Rules of SPU in respect of admission to Bachelor Honours Degrees (aligned with the HEQSF) are applicable to this degree.
- Admission into the Honours programme is subject to departmental approval on the advice of the School of Humanities Postgraduate Committee.
- All students will be required to provide a motivation for admission.
- To be admitted to the BSoc Hons programme, a student must have a Bachelors qualification (NQF Level 7), with an average pass of not less than 60% for the degree and an average of 60% and above in the chosen discipline of specialisation.
- Candidates below 60% may be admitted at the Head of School’s discretion, following a motivation from the applicant.
- Candidates who apply from cognate disciplines in relevant Humanities and Social Science disciplines will be admitted at the Head of School’s discretion, following sufficient motivation from the applicant.
The formal SPU RPL Policy applies in instances where applicants do not meet the minimum admission requirements for entry into the Honours Degree.
For detailed Bachelor of Social Science Honours information per specialisation, click on the tabs below:
The purpose of the Bachelor of Social Science Honours in Anthropology is to engage students, on both theory and practice in particular, on how people understand the world around them.
The programme seeks to engage students on both local and global problems to invoke debates more critically.
At this level, students are encouraged to not take social and political problems for granted but should engage with these issues and critically read and present texts which seek to speak to debates beyond the contexts.
This degree consists of compulsory courses and elective courses.
Course Structure
The Bachelor of Social Science Honours in Social Anthropology is a postgraduate qualification at NQF Level 8 and consists of 128 Credits.
The course consists of:
Three compulsory modules:
- Research Project: Mini-thesis/Mini-dissertation
- Research Methods and Ethnographic Practice
- Theory in Anthropology
Two elective modules:
- Belonging and the body
- Gender Studies
The language of instruction is English.
Compulsory | Electives (Choose any two) |
HANT84032: Research Project: Mini thesis/Mini dissertation (32 credits) | HANT84624: Gender Studies (24 credits) |
HANT84124: Research Methods and ethnographic practice (24 credits) | HANT84424: Media, messaging and representation (24 credits) |
HANT84324: Theory in Anthropology (24 credits) | HANT84224: Belonging and the body (24 credits) |
The purpose of the Bachelor of Social Sciences Honours in Archaeology programme is to expose students to current issues within the discipline, both in southern Africa and internationally.
The Honours programme is designed to consolidate the learning in the undergraduate programme. This focuses on research and methods, as well as contextual-specific approaches and skills in critical thinking, conducting research, and presenting findings to both the academic community and the larger public.
The electives will deepen knowledge and engagement in more specific fields, and the mini-thesis offers a practical application of research that will contribute to research and offer a platform for further postgraduate study or work in diverse settings.
The degree will allow graduates to apply for membership with the Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists.
Course Structure
The Bachelor of Social Science Honours in Archaeology is a postgraduate qualification at NQF Level 8 and consists of 128 Credits.
Compulsory | Electives (Choose 2) |
SEMESTER 1 | SEMESTER 2 |
HARC84032: Research Project: Archaeology (32 credits) | HARC84224: Geo-spatial Archaeology (24 credits) |
HARC84124: Research methodology, fieldwork and practice (24 credits) | HARC84424: Environmental Archaeology (24 credits) |
HARC84324: Critical Archaeological Theory (24 credits) | HARC84624: Rock art and Ontology (24 credits) |
| HARC84824: Historical Archaeology (24 credits) |
HHRM84224: Advanced Heritage Resources Management (24 credits) |
The Bachelor of Social Sciences Honours in Heritage Studies will consolidate and deepen students’ expertise in Heritage Studies and develop research capacity in the methodology and techniques of Heritage Studies and, in particular, chosen elective specialisations.
The programme will demand a high level of theoretical engagement, intellectual independence and practice-based learning.
The Bachelor of Social Sciences Honours in Heritage Studies will allow graduates to apply for membership with the Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists.
The programme should enable graduates to be critical and reflective practitioners and specialists in their respective areas of specialisation.
Further, it will equip them to be agents of change in their respective local community contexts as well as in the broader South African and international contexts.
The programme has an applied focus and is interdisciplinary in nature – linking heritage with conservation, archaeology, tourism and museum studies.
This programme will provide students with a broader knowledge and understanding of the built, cultural and natural heritages of South Africa and the world.
Course Structure
The Bachelor of Social Science Honours in Heritage Studies is a postgraduate qualification at NQF Level 8 and consists of 128 Credits.
Compulsory | Electives (Choose any two) |
HRPM84032: Research Project (32 credits) | HMCM84224: Museum Curatorship and Collections Management (24 credits) |
HCHT84124: Critical Heritage: Theory and Methodology (24 credits) | HHET84124: Heritage Tourism (24 credits) |
HHPR84124: Heritage Practice (24 credits) | HIKS84124: Indigenous Knowledge Systems (24 credits) |
| HHRM84224: Advanced Heritage Resources Management (24 credits) |
| HMOC84124: Materials and Objects Conservation (24 credits) |
The Bachelor of Social Sciences Honours in History will focus on the theoretical aspects of History as a scholarly discipline and provide a link between undergraduate studies and future enrolment in a Master’s programme.
The course is developed for students who have a passion for historical knowledge and the study of the past.
It will develop students’ skills through the study of historical debates, historiography, and methodology and will also provide students with an opportunity to develop their own interest of historical enquiry by offering them the opportunity to conduct independent research on an approved research topic.
Students will gain broad ranging historical knowledge, theoretical competence, and a range of specialised skills.
Students will engage with different perspectives of the past to understand how historians analyse historical events and contribute to our understanding of historical continuities and changes.
After completion of their studies, students will have an understanding of some of the major themes in the history of modern South Africa as well as major developments in the contemporary history of Africa and the world.
Course Structure
The Bachelor of Social Science Honours in History is a post graduate qualification at NQF Level 8 and consists of 128 Credits.
Compulsory | Electives (Choose any two) |
HHIS84032: Research Project (32 credits) | HHIS84224: Themes in Land and Labour History (24 credits) |
HHIS84124: Historical Method and Approaches (24 credits) | HHIS84424: Conflict Studies in historical perspective (24 credits) |
HHIS84324: Historiography (24 credits) |
The purpose of the Bachelor of Social Science Honours in Sociology is to consolidate, deepen and intensify the students’ theoretical and conceptual knowledge and expertise in the chosen discipline. The qualification provides students with advanced intellectual education in research, analysis, writing and communication.
The programme prepares students to be able to undertake approved independent research projects and construct new knowledge in their fields of specialisation.
The degree enables graduates to be critical and reflective practitioners and specialists in their respective fields of specialisation.
The electives will deepen knowledge and engagement in more specific fields, and the research project (mini-thesis) offers a practical application of research that will contribute to research and offer a platform into further postgraduate study or work in diverse settings.
Course Structure
The Bachelor of Social Science Honours in Sociology is a post-graduate qualification at NQF Level 8 and consists of 128 Credits.
Compulsory | Electives (Choose any two) |
HSOC84032: Research Project (32 credits) | HSOC84224: Social Organisation and Structure (24 credits) |
HSOC84124: Advanced Research Methods (24 credits) | HSOC84624: Feminist Theories and Intersectional Feminist Debates (24 credits) |
HSOC84324: Advanced Social Theory (24 credits) |
Graduates are equipped to become researchers or practitioners in a variety of professional domains.
This may be at museums and other heritage organisations, language-based positions (translation and editing), teaching, communication, journalism, creative writing, media work, community development, tourism and the diplomatic service.
To apply or to enquire about the Bachelor of Social Science Honours degree, send an email to the School Registrar at postgrad.hum@spu.ac.za.
You can download a comprehensive list of all our qualifications that will be offered in 2022 by clicking here.
