University of the Witwatersrand Literature Language Department
University of the Witwatersrand Literature Language and Media Department
University of the Witwatersrand Literature Language Department – See Details Below:
History of the School
Language and Literature Studies has always been a key contributor to the University’s academic activities. Since the University began in 1922 the School has made many important contributions. Today the School is known as the School of Literature Language and Media (SLLM).
Prominent Faculty Members
- B. Vilakazi, who joined what was then the Department of Bantu Studies in 1935. Vilakazi was the first black academic at Wits Vilakazi collaborated with C Doke on a Zulu-English dictionary.
- C. Doke was a leading scholar of African languages. One of his most notable works was the Zulu-English Dictionary, one of many seminal works that Doke, as a leading scholar of African languages, produced during his lengthy tenure at Wits.
- D. Cole was the head of African Languages for 28 years.
- Guy Butler joined the University as a novice member of staff in the 1940s. Years later, the South African ” man of letters” would describe the intellectual environment at Wits in the post-war era as an abiding influence on his career.
Literary Studies
At Wits, the discipline of literary studies, or what is usually called ”English’‘, has been associated with various significant figures in South African literary history.
Prominent literary figures associated with WITS
Herman Charles Bosman was a student at the university in the 1920s; his protege and, later, editor Lionel Abrahams also studied at Wits some twenty years later. (Thus, began a line of continuity linking Wits and ”Jo’burg writers” that stretches to contemporary urban writers such as Ivan Vladislavic.)
Nadine Gordimer enrolled at Wits as an undergraduate. Although she did not complete her studies, she cultivated a lifelong connection to the University. The Nadine Gordimer Lectures have brought such luminaries as Susan Sontag, Amartya Sen and Carlos Fuentes to the Wits campus.
The Department of African Literature
This was established in 1983 under the leadership of Es’kia Mphahlele.
The Department of Afrikaans
The Department had strong links with distinguished figures in Afrikaans literary studies (in the 1950s and 1960s, for instance, N.P. van Wyk Louw was finishing his academic career at Wits, while Ampie Coetzee was starting his). Other significant Afrikaans writers who taught in the Wits Afrikaans department included Ernst van Heerden, John Myles and Marlene van Niekerk. Unfortunately, the Department was closed in the early 2000s.
Changing Names
In 2001 the School of Literature and Language Studies was founded.
In 2012 the School’s name changed to the School of Literature, Language and Media (SLLM) to reflect the importance of Media Studies and Journalism.
To compensate for the loss of certain languages in the early 2000s, the African Language, Creative Writing and Translation programmes encourage scholarship and writing in a wider range of languages at Wits.
The Linguistics Department
The department is known for ground-breaking instrumental phonetics work on Khoisan languages.
It has also been a national centre for studying the phonology, morphology, and semantics of:
- Zulu
- Venda
- Other southern African languages
- South African English
Disciplines added since 2000
In 2002, Media Studies became the latest addition to the School’s disciplines. The addition of media studies aimed to equip students with critical and analytical skills to understand the institutional role of the media, media production and media audiences.
Another recent addition to the School is the Department of South African Sign Language.
The Journalism Programme at Wits, which became part of SLLM in 2008, is an innovative and premier postgraduate teaching and research unit. It is led by Prof Anton Harber, celebrated South African journalist and co-founder of the Weekly Mail (later the Mail & Guardian).
University of the Witwatersrand Literature Language and Media Department Contact
MORE FROM ONLINEAPPLICATIONS24.CO.ZA ON THE ONGOING 2024-2025 APPLICATIONS
Apply at University of the Witwatersrand
How to Apply to Wits University
University of the Witwatersrand Undergraduate Application Forms
University of the Witwatersrand Postgraduate Application Forms
University of the Witwatersrand Undergraduate Online Application
University of the Witwatersrand Postgraduate Online Application
University of the Witwatersrand Online Application
University of the Witwatersrand Application Forms
University of the Witwatersrand Online Application Forms
University of the Witwatersrand Application Procedure
University of the Witwatersrand Application for Accommodation
COURSES
University of the Witwatersrand Courses Offered
UWC ONGOING 2024-2025 ACADEMIC YEAR APPLICATIONS
How to Apply at University of the Western Cape UWC
University of the Western Cape UWC Application Procedure
University of the Western Cape UWC Application Forms
University of the Western Cape UWC Online Application Forms
University of the Western Cape UWC Undergraduate Online Application
University of the Western Cape UWC Postgraduate Online Application
University of the Western Cape UWC Online Application
University of the Western Cape UWC Postgraduate Application Forms
University of the Western Cape UWC Undergraduate Application Forms
University of the Western Cape UWC Online Application Status
University of the Western Cape UWC Application Status
University of the Western Cape UWC Application for Foreign Applicants
University of Western Cape UWC Application Closing Date
University of the Western Cape Important Application Dates
University of the Western Cape Admission Requirements
University of the Western Cape Application Transport
University of the Western Cape Other Important Information
How to Calculate Your APS at the University of Western Cape (UWC)
COURSES
University of the Western Cape UWC Courses Offered
FEES STRUCTURE, BURSARIES AND SCHOLARSHIPS
University of Western Cape Fees
University of the Western Cape UWC Examination Fees
University of the Western Cape UWC Banking Details
University of the Western Cape UWC Tuition for South African Student
University of the Western Cape UWC Tuition Fees Foreign Students
University of the Western Cape UWC Bursaries and Loans
University of the Western Cape UWC NSFAS Application
University of the Western Cape UWC Scholarships
PROSPECTUS
University of the Western Cape UWC Prospectus **
University of the Western Cape UWC Undergraduate Prospectus
University of the Western Cape UWC Postgraduate Prospectus
CONTACTS, LOCATION, AND CAMPUSES
Where is University of Western Cape Located
University of the Western Cape UWC Accommodation Office Contact
University of the Western Cape UWC Contact Address
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND REGISTRATIONS
University of the Western Cape UWC Admission Requirements
University of the Western Cape UWC Registration
University of the Western Cape UWC Online Registration
University of the Western Cape UWC Registration process
University of the Western Cape UWC Diploma Admission Requirements
ACADEMICS
University of Western Cape UWC Faculties.
University of the Western Cape UWC Distance Education
University of Western Cape UWC Accommodation
University of the Western Cape UWC Career
University of the Western Cape UWC Job Vacancies
University of the Western Cape UWC Graduation Ceremony Date
University of the Western Cape UWC Graduation List
University of the Western Cape UWC Acceptance Letter
University of the Western Cape UWC Blackboard Learn Login
University of the Western Cape UWC Student Portal Login
University of the Western Cape UWC Hostels
How to Check University of the Western Cape Examination Results