Study Abroad in Stellenbosch: Courses

Stellenbosch University expands its course offerings in English each year. Students should contact AIFS for an updated list of courses before the start of each semester, as the course listings change on a regular basis. This sample list of courses available in English is tentative and subject to change. Recommended credits are in parentheses.

University students begin at the equivalent of the U.S. sophomore level, therefore, the University's course numbers are equivalent to one level higher than the U.S. University course numbers are listed first, followed by the American equivalent.

July-November semester courses | January-June semester courses

Course Descriptions

New! Service Learning Certificate Program

July-November semester courses

African Studies 114/214 (3)
Introduction to South African Culture
Topics include: (1) The South African Wine Industry: History of Wine Making, Cape Wine Before the 20th Century and South African Wine Today; (2) South African Music: Township Music Styles, Traditional Musical Instruments in South Africa, The Role of Music and Dance in Rituals in South Africa; and (3) Studies and Issues in African and South African Art: Traditionalism in South Africa, Art and Material Culture Past and Present, Negotiating Identities in Post-Apartheid South Africa. Excursions to museums, wine estates and historic sites in the Western Cape.

Afrikaans: Language and Culture 104/204 (3)
Afrikaans for Beginners
Basic Afrikaans for foreigners. Enables students to listen with growing comprehension to everyday social conversation, speak and develop vocabulary as well as read basic Afrikaans.

Xhosa: Language and Culture 114/214 (2)
Xhosa for Beginners
A communicative approach develops the language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, within a cultural context. Students learn the basics of the Xhosa language and culture (includes visits to various Xhosa communities, restaurants and church services).

Biodiversity and Ecology 344/444 (4)
Population and Community Ecology
Students are taught how to use quantitative methods to analyze problems relating to natural populations and communities. The population ecology section covers factors influencing population growth, structure and dynamics; matrix modeling of populations; metapopulations; factors causing the extinction of species.

Conservation Ecology 242/342 (3)
Conservation Censuring
The basic skills in natural history and the identification of the most important plant and animal groups. Monitoring and survey techniques for major plant and animal groups. The importance of indicator, umbrella, keystone and flagship species for conservation; plant/animal-habitat relationships; indices of species richness and species diversity; indices of community similarity and differences.

History 144/244 (3)
Survey of South African History
Topics include: the settlement of population groups in South Africa; the historical significance of 19th century migrations; the Mineral Revolution and its impact on modern South Africa; Afrikaner nationalism as a historical factor; segregation and apartheid; black nationalism and politics in the 20th century; South Africa and the outside world.

History 241/341 (3)
South African History
An overview of the political and economic history of South Africa. A study of South African history from the early history of black people to the development of apartheid and South Africa as a developing country in Africa.

History 244/344 (3)
Africa and South Africa: Colonialization and the Rearrangement of Societies
Topics include: Africa and the West in the 19th century; colonial policies in Africa; political, cultural and economic impact of the colonialization of Africa in the 19th century; South Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries; the political and cultural dynamics of the 18th and 19th century Cape societies; the establishment of new black empires and white republics in the interior in the 19th century; and the Mineral Revolution: the making of a new political and cultural society.

Political Science 142/242 (3)
South African Politics
The process of political transition to democracy in South Africa, party policies, elections, the interim government of national unity and the constitutions of 1993 and 1996.

Political Science 152/252 (3)
Introduction to African Politics
State formation in Africa: the delimitation of land and boundaries; population composition and independence; the influence of external factors such as colonialism on state formation; decolonization and its internal dynamics, e.g. nationalism and resistance; the classification of modern African systems, e.g. multiparty, one-party, Marxist and military regimes; the most recent trends including external and internal pressure to democratize.

Political Science 244/344 (3)
Economic and Development Problems in South Africa and Africa
Main themes are the characteristics of the South African Economy, South Africa and Africa in the context of global capitalism, South Africa's prosperous years from 1934 to 1974, South Africa's political and economic crisis from 1974 to 1994, the socioeconomic legacy of colonialism, segregation and apartheid, the rise of the black elite and its relationships with the white elite and the black proletariat.

Political Science 252/352 (3)
Democratic Forms of Government
A global representative comparative analysis of the characteristics of both developed and developing democracies; aspects such as law-making institutions, parliamentary as against presidential systems of executive power, election systems and regional governments that function according to federal or unitary principles are emphasized.

Political Science 263/363 (3)
International Organizations
Theories of co-operation and multilateralism in the international system; the institutions and political dynamics of international organizations such as the United Nations, international organizations and international public law.

Political Science 311/411 (3)
Politics and Cultural Change in Contemporary South Africa
Topics include culture, ethnocentrism and relativism, the relationship between western medicine and traditional medicine, witchcraft and the state in Africa, conquest and migrant labor in South Africa, apartheid and Africans in the city and the cultural effects of urbanization on the African family.

Theater Arts 178/278 (3)
Introduction to Movement, Speech, Acting and Technical Theater

Theater Arts 278/378 (3)
Stage and Media Performance

Theater Arts 388/488 (3)
Advanced Training in Technical and Managerial Aspects of Theater Production

Theater Studies 352/452 (3)
Media and Film: Film Directors and Film Making

Theology 344/444 (3)
Public and Theology in Post Apartheid South Africa
The challenges of the young democratic society (state, market, civil society and the sphere of public opinion) in post apartheid South Africa is described and reflected upon from a theological perspective. Poverty, HIV/AIDS, racism, sexism, the morality crisis and the creation of a human rights culture.

English courses July-November

The following are taught as lecture courses or electives. Lectures are formal, with no written work, but require a final test. Electives are seminars, in small discussion groups with written work and one major essay.

Lectures

English 214/314 (3)
South African Poetry
Special attention to the works of Thomas Pringle, Roy Campbell, William Plomer, Guy Butler, Oswald Mtshali, M.W. Serote, Chris van Wyk, Jeremy Cronin, Ingrid de Kok, Tatamkhulu Afrika, Stephen Watson, Seitlhamo Motsapi, Lesego Rampholokeng and Malika Ndlovu. Topics include identity, home and exile, language and the land and politics and poetry.

English 222/322 (3)
South African Critical Theory
Addresses the way South Africans, through literature and philosophy, have dreamt the country into being, or because of the tendency towards prescriptive or grossly utilitarian procedures, have inhibited such progress.

English 241/341(3)
South African Literature
Damon Galgut’s 1991 novel The Beautiful Screaming of Pigs reflects the tensions and uncertainties of the 1980s, with South Africa in a state of war. The central character is faced with problems of sexual and political identity through his experience of the Border War, the aftermath of which finds him in a difficult readjustment process.

English 242/342 (3)
South African Literature
Mandla Langa's 1989 novel A Rainbow On The Paper Sky is concerned with region, racial-political issues and concerns of family and culture during a period of crisis and change in South Africa.

English 245/345 (3)
South African Cultural Studies
Examines the critical and cultural representations of South Africa within a domestic and global context. Set against the Manichean orthodoxies of colonialism and apartheid—regimes that continue to influence South Africa—this course addresses the critical and artistic visions of those who have paved the way for a "new" South Africa. Njabulo Ndebele, Nadine Gordimer, JM Coetzee and Leon de Kock.

English 255/355 (3)
South African Drama
Three South African plays are studied: Fugard, Kani and Ntshona’s The Island, Fugard’s Master Harold and the Boys and Brett Bailey’s Ipi Zombi? The production history of the plays and how they attempt to comment on issues relevant to South African society.

English 314/344 (3)
South African Literature
The changing face of the South African city. Illustrates some of the ways cities and stories are similar. Examines how the city of Johannesburg has been represented in South African writing. Phaswane Mpe’s Welcome to our Hillbrow, and Ivan Vladislavic’s Propaganda by Monuments, short stories by Njabulo Ndebele and Jonathan Morgan’s Great African Spider Writers.

Electives

English 210/310 (3)
Island Utopias
Overview of issues raised by Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver’s Travels in the 18th century. Explores different styles of writing. Main themes are: post-colonialism, island experiences, power in both the personal and public realm and gender issues. Texts for this course are J.M. Coetzee’s Foe, William Shakespeare’s The Tempest and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies.

English 211/311 (3)
Representations of Slavery in South Africa
Examines the way slaves have been represented over time in South Africa, particularly the Cape. The process of writing history, as well as the relationship between history and the novel that attempts to make sense of that history, will be examined. Main text is The Slave Book by Rayda Jacobs.

English 213/313 (3)
Travels in Africa
Analysis of 20th century African travel writings, examining the position of the traveler in relation to what is described, travel and the making of identity, construction of the other in a dialectic of negation and the crossing of borders as a form of translation and transgression. Graham Greene, Journey without Maps, Dan Jacobson, The Electronic Elephant: A Southern African Journey, Shiva Naipaul, North of South: An African Journey, Laurens van der Post, Venture to the Interior.

English 214/314 (3)
Post-Apartheid Narratives
Over ten years after South Africa’s first democratic elections, the question "what has changed?" could not be more relevant. Overview of the concepts of apartheid, democracy and transition.

Spanish 104/204 (3)
Spanish for Beginners
Games, music, role-playing, movies and even some gym are used to make this learning experience fun. The content is related to every day life situations. Functional use of the language, as well as grammar, lexicon and cultural themes.

Art 106/206 (4)
Photography
Examines three photographic practices that are relevant to the Southern African context, namely social documentary, portraiture and fine art photography. Combined with a practical photographic project to be completed during the course. Includes basic technical information about the camera and photography to enable students to complete the practical component.

Art 107/207 (4)
Jewelry Design
Introduction to the basic techniques of design and manufacture of jewelry as an art form. Demonstrations and guided work-time in the form of set projects. Creative design interpretations focus on the important elements of metal techniques, which are accuracy and precision, neatness in finishing and presentation. Both new trends and historic roots of jewelry are examined.

Political Science 324/424 (3)
Comparative Southern African Politics: Democratization in Africa
Contemporary political trends in Africa and Southern Africa (the SADC region and Africa south of the equator including Angola, Zaire, Tanzania, Mauritius and the Seychelles), patterns of democratization and election issues. South Africa compared with other countries in Africa. Case studies: Three African cases (Zimbabwe, Nigeria and South Africa) compared with three non-African cases (China, Turkey and Russia).

February-June semester courses

African Studies 114/214 (3)
Introduction to South African Culture
See description under July-November semester courses.

Afrikaans: Language and Culture 104/204 (3)
Afrikaans for Beginners
See description under July-November semester courses.

Xhosa: Language and Culture 114/214 (2)
Xhosa for Beginners
See description under July-November semester courses.

Conservation Ecology 212/312 (3)
Conserving Nature
Covers the importance of biodiversity for the maintenance of ecosystems; co-evolution and the collapse of ecosystems and ecosystem services; water conservation; the tragedy of the commons and tenure issues in resource conservation; the medicinal value of biodiversity; conservation decision-making; and the role of conservation in development and policy..

Conservation Ecology 314/414 (4)
Biome Ecology
Introduces students to the major biomes that occur in South Africa, including the ecology of tropical and afromontane forests, woodlands and savannas, grasslands and other treeless regions such as karoo and deserts. Emphasis is placed on understanding what mechanisms underlie the differences in these vegetation types, plusmosaic plant growth dynamics, wildlife-habitat interactions and the management and control of biological invasions.

History 114/214 (3)
Introduction to the Main Global Patterns and Developments in History
Topics include Nomadic societies, agriculture revolution and the emergence of established societies, the development of complex societies, the emergence of modernity and the industrial revolution, the historical construction of the modern globalizing world.

History 214/314 (3)
Key Processes in the Making of Western History
Topics include: State formation, the renaissance and revolutions; origins of the modern state; the renaissance as a cultural phenomenon; origins, dynamics and impact of historical revolutions; wealth and poverty in western history; and perspectives on systems such as socialism, capitalism and communism.

History 244/344 (3)
South African History
See description under July-November semester courses.

History 318/418 (3)
Wars, Decolonization and Globalization
Subjects discussed are international relations and cultural change; the social and cultural dimensions of WWI; the outbreak, course and aftermath of WWII; ecological problems in historical perspective; the Cold War; independence movements in Africa and India and Africa in a globalizing world.

Management 114/214 (3)
Introduction to Public and Development Management
The South African context of public and development management; the institutional role players in public and development management: government, private, nongovernment and international organizations; the integral problematic nature of development.

Philosophy 252/352 (3)
Philosophy of Culture
Topics include an overview of cultural history; the concept “culture” as a philosophical problem; modernism as cultural strategy; post-modernism and the critique of modernism; and complexity and postmodern ethics.

Political Science 212/312 (3)
Political Behavior
Introduction to the empirical analysis of individual political behavior. Students learn to understand and explain the relationship between political attitudes and political behavior, recognize everyday factors that shape political behavior, analyze political phenomena based on key attitudinal and behavioral concepts and interpret public opinion polls.

Political Science 244/344 (3)
Economic and Development Problems in South Africa and Africa
See description under July-November semester courses.

Political Science 311/411 (3)
Politics and Cultural Change in Contemporary South Africa
See description under July-November semester courses.

Political Science 324/424 (3)
Comparative Southern African Politics: Democratization in Africa
See description under July-November semester courses.

Sociology 142/242 (3)
Social Institutions
A study of one or more social institutions: the family, education, religion and belief systems, power, politics, government and the economy.

Theater Arts 178/278 (3)
Introduction to Movement, Speech, Acting and Technical Theater

Theater Arts 222/322 (3)
History and Characters of Eastern and African Theater

Theater Arts 278/378 (3)
Stage and Media Performance

Theater Arts 388/488 (3)
Advanced Training in Technical and Managerial Aspects of Theater Production

Theater Studies 352/452 (3)
Media and Film: Film Directors and Film Making

Theology 344/444 (3)
Public Theology in Post-Apartheid South Africa
See description under July-November semester courses.

English courses January-June

Lectures

English 211/222 (3)
African Literature
Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is used to discuss African literature more broadly. Ben Okri’s collection of short stories, The Stars of the New Curfew, are discussed in light of concerns of “post-colonialism” and the departures from “realism” towards “magic realism.” Bessie Head’s Maru and Shimmer and Chinodya’s Harvest of Thorns are also analyzed.

English 212/312 (3)
Post-Colonial Literature and Theory
Analysis of the different critical responses to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, George Lamming’s In the Castle of My Skin and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things. The authors’ own extensions of ‘post-colonial’ insights, including their trenchant criticism of indigenous power structures and of neo-colonial coaptation strategies are discussed.

English 213/313 (3)
African Literature
Works of the Nigerian Chinua Achebe, including No Longer At Ease, and the Zimbabwean Yvonne Vera, The Stone Virgins, balance perspectives from very different parts of the African continent, as well as contrast a largely urban setting with a largely rural setting, young male with young female experiences, government and bureaucracy with war and violence. Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s A Grain of Wheat examines the next phase in the history of colonialism: the transition to independence in Africa. Doris Lessing’s The Grass is Singing, a powerful exploration of late colonialism, examines the dilemmas faced by women in oppressive society.

Electives

Art 106/206 (4)
Photography
See description under July-November electives.

Art 107/207 (4)
Jewelry Design
See description under July-November electives.

English 214/314 (3)
An Awful, Triumphant Separateness? Apartheid and the Literary Imagination
Discusses the extent to which colonialism and apartheid succeeded in creating a Manichean divide between white and black, self and other, victim and oppressor. Explores these issues though a variety of literary texts, including poetry, short stories and a play.

English 215/315 (3)
Women Writers Interrogating Empire: Atlantic Crossings
Texts for discussion are Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Zoe Wicomb’s You Can't Get Lost in Cape Town and Bessie Head’s A Question of Power. Possible essay texts are Toni Cade Bambara’s The Salt Eaters or Gayl Jones’s Corregidora. Issues of power, race, gender, repression and representation are discussed.

English 216/316 (3)
Magical Realism and the Post-Colonial Novel
Explores historical and methodological issues that arise in trying to define magical realism. Main texts are Ben Okri’s The Famished Road and Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children. Concludes with recent magical realist short stories from Latin America and South Africa.

Spanish 104/204 (3)
Spanish for Beginners
See description under July-November electives