Academic Programs: MA Structured 2 Years

MA PROGRAM IN HISTORY (Two Year - Structured) 887

The courses are problem orientated and the topic of the thesis is narrowly circumscribed.

Admission requirements

Candidates must:

be in possession of a BA degree in History with a minimum pass mark of 60%;
submit a written application before 30 November with a detailed study record and be available for a personal interview if required. Formal application for registration is only necessary once a student has been accepted for a program.
enter into a formal contract with the Department outlining the obligations and responsibilities of both parties.
Students who do not meet the required 60% standard could submit special considerations for admission.

Program structure and content

This two-year option comprises a structured component and a thesis component. The scope of the topic of the thesis is limited. This option follows on a B.A. Degree with History as a major.

The structured component

You are expected to complete EIGHT modules in the structured component. These entail four compulsory modules of a theoretical nature (see Menu) and four content modules presented by the Department from the specialised fields menu (see Menu).

Theoretical modules (compulsory)

Theoretical and Philosophical Issues
Methodology
Trends in International Historiography
Trends in South African Historiography

For cultural history consult the content modules on the menu

Content modules

A selection of FOUR modules from the Departmental Menu

If one of your choices from the menu includes the Cultural History module your internal choice within the Cultural History module must be discussed and approved in consultation with the relevant lecturer and the Departmental Chair.

Historical factors in minority community culture – the creation of white and brown identities in twentieth century South Africa
Afrikaner Diaspora – the changing rationale for migration, 1875-2002
Environmental history – community, nature and the changing environment [Click here to view the full course outline - this document opens in a new window]
Business history
Working class history and labour organization
War and Society – context and consequences
History/ies of the Body [Click here to view the full course outline - this document opens in a new window]
Cultural History. A choice from inter alia the following modules: Architecture, Furniture Science, Vernacular Science, Folk Science and Belief, Genealogy/Heraldry, Heritage Conservation, Western Cultural Trends, Research Methodology, Cultural History as Science

Methods and requirements with regard to the modules

All modules required for the structured component of an M.A. option are preferably, as far as it is practical, completed during the first year of the course. Part-time students have the option to transfer one of the content modules to the second year.
Each module is presented over a period of seven weeks (one term) and includes study materials, assignments and an examination. The lecturer determines the length of the assignment. (Cultural History is presented in block courses of one week each).
The lecturer determines the contact time. The lecturer also determines the exact dates on which assignments must be handed in. Students are welcome to arrange appointments with lecturers in addition to the formal contact time to discuss aspects of the work.
In addition to the assignments that must be completed for the modules, students also have to complete one research essay. The research essay must concentrate on an aspect of one of the four content modules (one of the assignments can be extended to an essay) chosen by the student from the menu of specialised fields presented by the Department. The general guideline is that the research essay should not be longer than 5 000 words and must be based on approximately 12-15 standard sources. General histories, encyclopaedias and reference sources, chronological dictionaries, etc. are not regarded as standard sources.
In addition to the research essay the student must develop a research proposal for the topic of his/her thesis consisting of the following components:
- Statement of problem and focus
- Preliminary study
- Objectives, theoretical framework and hypothesis/es or research questions
- Methodology and approach
- Research design and time scheme
- Impact
- Link with departmental programmes
- Bibliography.

The length of the research proposal: 2 500-3 000 words.

The technical care and layout must be in terms of departmental instructions introduced during the graduate courses. The research essay and research proposal must be submitted in typed format.
A class mark is allocated for each module based on the students’ assignments. In addition to the class mark the students also obtain an examination mark by writing an examination per semester on the modules completed during that semester.

The class mark and the examination mark constitute the final mark calculated for the module on the basis of 50% of the class mark and 50% of the examination mark. The average of the final marks of the eight modules forms the final performance mark for the structured component of the course. This represents 50% of the degree mark. The the research component represents the remaining 50%.

The thesis

Students should keep in mind that the wise choice of a research essay during the structured part of the programme is already one step in the direction of the thesis. The topic of the thesis can be chosen any time during the course of the study.

The student must submit a formal research proposal. The topic of the thesis must preferably be relevant in some way to the menu options of the structured component of the programme. The students are welcome to negotiate a topic for a thesis with any of the lecturers responsible for the structured component of the programme. If they experience problems to make a decision in this regard, they must consult the Departmental Chair. The length of the thesis must be limited. It can vary between 100 and 150 pages.

The thesis is managed in all respects according to the instructions in the Yearbook.