UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES - HISTORY (Potchefstroom Campus)
History
History is offered as a major in the following programmes:
Bachelor of Social Sciences degree (BSocSc):
• Individual and Society (L301P)
• Social Dynamics (L302P)
• Politics and Society (L303P)
• Culture and Society (L304P)
• Environment and Society (L305P)
Bachelor of Arts degree (BA):
• History and the Humaniora (L316P)
In order to major in History, all of the following six modules must be taken. Should History not be taken as a major, there are no prerequisites for enrolment for any of these modules, provided the student’s chosen curriculum allows for this and that it can be accommodated in the class timetable. A student may therefore enrol for any of the modules with the aim of acquiring additional credits for obtaining a degree, or register for a module as an occasional student.
HIST111: SOUTH AFRICA: FROM MRS PLES TO MANDELA
Highlights in South Africa’s history are covered, from the Iron Age until the present. The dynamic processes of dispersion, settlement and interaction are explained, with the political, economic and social developments of the twentieth century receiving special attention.
HIST121: THE ORIGIN OF THE MODERN WORLD
The influence of the major civilisations (including African civilisations) on the development of the modern world and contemporary society is covered. Attention is given, amongst others, to the role of factors such as industrialisation, imperialism, the Cold War and globalisation.
HIST211: SOUTH AFRICA AND AFRICA: POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT
The following is covered: democracy’s historic roots; the most important trends in the development of democracy in Europe, the United States and Africa; features of colonial systems; the process of decolonisation in Asia and Africa; the Cold War period and its effect on Africa and South Africa; and the salient features of political development in South Africa since the beginning of the twentieth century.
HIST221: SOUTH AFRICA AND GLOBAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC TRENDS
The following is covered: broad outline of the social and economic history of Africa and South Africa from circa 1800; important contemporary problems in Africa; links between social and economic developments in South Africa and the rest of Africa; and the interaction between socio-economic and political developments in Africa and South Africa.
HIST311: HUMANKIND IN INTERACTION WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
The following is covered: description of the field of environmental history; historical development of the interaction between humankind and the environment, from prehistoric times to the present; development of human consciousness and management of environmental issues; and the historical development of environmental management in South Africa.
HIST321: INTELLECTUAL HISTORY, METHODOLOGY AND HISTORIOGRAPHY
(1) Aspects of intellectual history are covered: most important schools of thought in the Western world since the Renaissance and its influence on society and culture; salient features of those ideologies that had a major impact on the history of the twentieth century; development of universities as centres of scientific study since the Middle Ages and their influence on society.
(2) Methodology of History is covered: description and application of the main steps of the History research process; the value of specific theories and their benefit to the study of history; the importance to the historian of interdisciplinary research.
(3) Historiography is covered: salient features of the interpretations and recording of history in the Western world prior to 1800; the manner in which the science of history found expression in the nineteenth century; the influence of liberal, Marxist and other worldviews on the modern Western recording of history; salient features of Afrikaans, liberal and radical views on the twentieth century South African recording of history; the influence of interpretations, in particular a Christian interpretation, on the recording of history.
Heritage and Cultural Tourism
The demand for practitioners in the field of heritage and cultural tourism
The strong growth in the tourism and heritage industry in South Africa has resulted in an increased demand for proper tertiary training of competent people for employment in these fields. There are a number of career opportunities in this field, amongst others:
• Managers
• Administrators
• Entrepreneurs
• Tour operators
• Tour guides
• Cultural officials in government service (at national, provincial and municipal levels)
• Researchers
• Educators
• Heritage impact assessors
Our comprehensive package
In collaboration with the Tourism Management subject group in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, we have developed a Bachelor of Arts Tourism Management programme with a regional focus on the North West Province. The comprehensive Tourism Management package, which includes the management and marketing of a tourism enterprise, eco-tourism, event management and game farm management, is supplemented with Heritage and Cultural Tourism. Students are thus provided with a comprehensive basis for their entry into the heritage and tourism industry and equipped to creatively address the challenges of this industry.
Academic, theoretical and practical training are combined to equip students with the knowledge, skills and values required for career success. They will, on the one hand, be informed on the theoretical and ethical issues in the industry, and on the other hand, acquire the management and marketing skills necessary to develop a range of tourism products for the market. Insight will be gained into the workings of the heritage and tourism industry in South Africa by noting the relationships amongst the various stakeholders in the public and private sectors, and the industry’s place at regional level in the global picture.
Undergraduate programme and modules:
The two majors for the BA in Tourism Management degree are Tourism Management and Heritage and Cultural Tourism.
Tourism Management is offered by the Tourism Management subject group in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, and includes the following modules:
• Introduction to Tourism Management (TMBP111)
• Hospitality Management (TMBP121)
• Applied Tourism Management (TMBP211)
• Tourism Marketing (TMBP221)
• Sustainable Ecotourism Management (TMBP311)
• Introduction to Event Management (TMBP312)
• Game Farm Management (TMBP321)
• Applied Event Management (TMBP322)
Heritage and Cultural Tourism include HIST111, HIST221 and HIST311 (refer to the above), as well as the following three specialised modules:
HIST122: INTRODUCTION TO HERITAGE AND CULTURAL TOURISM
The following is covered: important key concepts, rules, principles and theories applicable to heritage and cultural tourism; the organisation and operational environment (with identification of the stakeholders and their mutual relationships) of heritage and cultural tourism in South Africa, with particular reference to the North West Province.
HIST212: HERITAGE AND CULTURAL TOURISM AND VERSIONS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN PAST
The following is covered: the historical development of heritage and cultural tourism as a niche area in the South African tourism industry; trends in the industry; procedures, methods and techniques applicable to the critical analysis of the South African past from various historical perspectives; comparative and critical evaluation of the versions of the past of different groups in South Africa, in order to develop ideas on ways in which heritage and cultural practitioners could convey the contentious past to their clients in an ethically acceptable manner; case study analysis on the way in which heritage could be included as applied history in the tourism industry.
HIST322: HERITAGE AND CULTURAL TOURISM IN POST-COLONIAL SOUTH AFRICA
The following is covered: communities and heritage resources associated with twentieth- and twenty-first-century South African history; application of the procedures, methods and techniques of historical research in order to collect and present scientific information on an aspect of heritage and cultural tourism related to one of the following topics:
• industrial heritage (for example, heritage resources in the mining industry)
• township tours/cultural villages
• the potential of arts festivals, especially Aardklop, to promote heritage and cultural tourism.
Ancient Culture
The value of Ancient Culture
Ancient Culture is only offered at first-year level and covers aspects of the culture of the Ancient Near East (Sumer, Assyria and Babylon), the Greeks, the Romans, Islam and Africa. The legacy of the ancient civilisations is the foundation upon which modern society is built. By studying this legacy we gain greater insight into the origins of elements of contemporary societies. Many of the classical art forms and styles from ancient times, as well as the principles of philosophical thought and of government and law systems dating from that period are of a universal nature and unlock a wealth of knowledge on the functioning of people in society.
Career opportunities
Any student can study Ancient Culture, but it is especially beneficial for the following careers:
• Attorneys and advocates (Ancient Culture is an elective for the LL.B degree in place of Latin or another language subject)
• Tour guides
• Artists
• Teachers
• Diplomats
• Clergymen
Undergraduate modules:
AKLR112: ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND GREECE
The following is covered:
• Evaluation and discussion of the development of culture since the prehistoric period
• Discussion of the ancient culture of the Near East
• Discussion of the culture and political development of Ancient Greece
• Discussion of the history and daily life of Ancient Greece
AKLR122: ANCIENT ROME AND OTHER CULTURES
The following is covered:
• Roman social history, the development of the Roman legal system and the constitutional development of Rome
• Identification and translation of general Latin terms and basic Latin legal terminology
• Identification of the influence of Latin on everyday life
• Broad discussion of Byzantium culture, Islamic culture and certain African cultures
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