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| The Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ascribes to the mission statement of Stellenbosch University emphasising that focussing on knowledge is the fundamental and distinctive reason for the existence of the University and that this focus, at the same time, should be understood as a responsibility to apply this knowledge for the welfare of the community. Teaching and research must be to the advantage of the broader community with mutual benefits for the institution and the community. This ties in with the SU business plan wherein community interaction is referred to as an integral part of both teaching and research. The model is grounded in two broad focus areas:
(Source: Strategic Task Group minutes, SU). On a department level, distinction is made between Community Interaction and Teaching, Community Interaction and Research and also those aspects directly related to community interaction in our roles as professionals and engaged academics. This best reflects the CI activities and roles of academics in our Department. Community interaction and teaching One of the first service learning modules in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences was introduced in the Department in 2006 by redesigning an existing module, Sociology 354: Community development, as a service learning module. This process was initiated through a JET-CHESP partnership with the University that included a service learning capacity building process for academics at this institution. Service learning can be defined as “a course-based, credit-bearing educational experience in which students participate in an organised service activity that meets identified community goals and reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility” (Bringle & Hatcher, 2004). For more information on service learning see the HEQC HE document Service-Learning in the Curriculum. A resource for Higher Education Institutions (pdf) published in 2006. Sociology 354 is facilitated by Jacob du Plessis and Nerina du Toit. Students do service learning at partner organisations (listed below) which becomes the academic classroom and experiential learning context within the community where the partner organisation is located. Students from various academic programmes enrol for this module, including BA (Humanities), BA (Social Dynamics), BA (Environment and Development), BA (Socio Informatics), BA (Resource Management) and B in Social Work. All these students have Sociology as a common major, but provision is made to place the students according to both their majors with an appropriate service learning organisation which would benefit both the student and partner organisation. Student enrolment for the module has gradually increased. There are 80 students registered for this module in 2008. The community partner organisations for 2008 include:
For more information on service learning in the Department, contact Jacob du Plessis. Community interaction and research The following research projects, including contract research activities, reflect the Community Interaction related research initiatives of the academics of the Department. Hondeklipbaai development project The Division of Aquaculture in the Faculty of Agri-Sciences has received a grant from the Department of Science and Technology in support of the development of aquaculture initiatives across South Africa. One of the projects includes the establishment of commercial abalone production in Hondeklipbaai and adjacent areas in the Northern Cape . These areas are experiencing economic strife due to the decline in fisheries and mining activities. Initiatives include the establishment of viable business entities, with full participation of rural communities, in partnership with industry. This requires the development and transfer of appropriate technologies and skills to communities in these outlaying/rural areas. A multi-disciplinary team, including various departments from Stellenbosch University was established to assist in this project. Honours students from our department, under guidance of Jan Vorster, conducted a socio-economic survey of Hondeklipbaai during January and February 2008. Results from this study are utilized by various role players, including the Hondeklipbaai community, to inform development initiatives in the area. Occupancy of state housing projects in the Western Cape Province This project is undertaken by Jan Vorster for the Department of Local Government and Housing in the Western Cape. The impact of housing projects on beneficiary households is considered in terms of the economic situation of households, social capital formation and participation in the property market. A research report is due by the end of the year. Staff from the Department of Local Government and Housing are involved in all phases of the project to strengthen their skills in social research. They will also receive training in the analysis of the quantitative dataset. Pebbles Project: Community Interaction, Teaching and Research This is a project involving Jacob du Plessis in collaboration with Pebbles Project, an organisation in Somerset West working in the field of special needs education, Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), youth issues and community development on wine farms in the Stellenbosch and Helderberg areas of the Western Cape. The initiative aims to showcase the integration of the scholarship of teaching and research within the community context. The teaching component was established in 2006 with a service learning partnership between Pebbles Project and the Department. This working relationship was expanded to include an Honours student's thesis work within the organization's scope of practice. This student has consequently been employed at Pebbles. A community development project has been established in 2008 on a wine farm community, which involves both a research component and a community development initiative aimed at enhancing the quality of life of this specific community. Apart from benefiting the specific community, the intention of this project is also to create more spaces for service learning and research collaboration. Poverty Alleviation and Social Security This is a project being run by Jan Vorster which is analysing, inter alia, the South African government's biggest poverty alleviation programme, the incentive structures of social assistance grants, social security for women and children, teenage pregnancy, the disability grant and HIV/AIDS, the predicament of the foster care system, and kinship care and orphanhood. Prof Robert Walker from Oxford University , UK acted as an adviser on one of the projects. Activities include various presentations at conferences and preparation of papers, ongoing input into a national panel study on social assistance grants and an analysis of Social Pensions data (SOCPEN). Two research reports are available on the website of the Department of Social Development, one providing the first national profile of grant beneficiaries in South Africa. An article was recently published on the child support grant. Results from this project contribute to the evaluation of the deployment of developmental social welfare in South Africa. Community interaction and professional academic work CI related Teaching and training activities Training of researchers from the Research Division of Parliament in quantitative data analysis and report writing (Jan Vorster) CI related Research group activities Stellenbosch youth asset building multidisciplinary research group (Jacob du Plessis) Membership of CI related professional organisations
Stellenbosch University Service related to CI
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