University of Cape Town

This course covers various applications of cognitive science to practical and theoretical problems in psychology. Lectures and research projects offered in the course are aimed at developing students’ appreciation and understanding of the research methodologies and real-world applications of cognitive science. Topics covered include connectionist architectures (neural networks), influences of biological cycles, drugs, and hormones on cognitive performance, the cognitive psychology of decision making, memory in the forensic arena, face recognition and reconstruction, clinical cognition, and evolutionary cognitive psychology among others. DP requirements: Completion of all coursework, as well as completion of 90 minutes in the Student Research Participation Programme (SRPP) or equivalent and attendance of at least 5 tutorials. Assessment: Coursework: counts a total of 50%. This coursework is broken down into weekly tests (25%), and a group field project (25%). Examination: the two-hour examination in June counts 50% towards the final mark Course entry requirements: Students must have passed PSY2015F and PSY2014S.

This course has a central focus on the psychology of identities. It engages students to explore the role of psychology in examining issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, etc. Theoretical concepts from liberation psychology, postcolonial psychology and feminist psychology are taught and discussed in relation to current debates in South Africa, and the African diaspora around identity differences. Tutorials may include practical exercises and case presentations. DP requirements: Completion of all coursework and attendance at tutorials as required. Assessment: Coursework (Tutorial assignments, group projects and individual written assignments) counts 100%. Course entry requirements: Students must have passed PSY1004F and PSY1005S and at least one 2000-level social science course. 

This course presents African music through practical and hands-on experience. Groups of five to six members learn a variety of indigenous musical instruments from the whole African continent. Practical music-making, which forms the mainstay of the course, serves as an introduction to a multi-faceted pan-African aesthetic experience. A theoretical component places this practical exploration in philosophical, historical, and cultural context. No prior knowledge of music or previous musical experience is needed. 

This course focuses on critical debates on the political economy of Africa, with specific reference to Sub-Saharan Africa. It is anchored in the works of Archie Mafeje. DP requirements: None. Assessment: Continuous assessment (essays, projects, tests, etc.) counts 100%. Course entry requirements: Third-year status. 

The course provides a practical and theoretical knowledge of spoken and written Spanish (all varieties) and to introduce the study of Spanish literature through basic texts. The module focuses on the consolidation of basic linguistic structures acquired during the first year of studies and the introduction of more complex ones at an intermediate level in order for the students to be able communicate in tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. The course is conducted mainly in Spanish. DP requirements: At least 80% attendance at lectures, tutorials, and language laboratory sessions; completion and timeous submission of all written assignments; attendance at all scheduled tests, written and oral examinations. Assessment: Students are evaluated by continuous assessment (80% of the final mark) and an end of-semester oral examination (20% of final mark). Course entry requirements: Initial Spanish B (SLL1074S) or a pass in Spanish (SC) or a 4 rating (NSC), or by arrangement with the Head of Department.

This course introduces the long pasts of the southern African region before the twentieth century. Instead of assuming that this history was inevitably leading to the emergence of a nation-state, this course examines the complex historical processes of making and unmaking of identities and territories. The topics include historiographical debates, the nature of precolonial societies and states, colonial conquest and violence, slavery and resistance, colonial governance, frontier narratives, missionary power, the mineral revolution and the South African War at the end of the nineteenth century. Rather than privileging the action of settlers, this course focuses on the ways in which African people remade and reformulated their polities and societies in the context of conflict and conquest. In drawing on historical materials from different interior regions of southern Africa, it also challenges the Cape-centric bias of the conventional historiography. DP requirements: 100% of required coursework and course evaluation. Assessment: Coursework counts for 50% of the final mark, and one examination at the end of the semester counts for 50%. Course entry requirements: At least two courses in historical, social science or cultural studies offered by the Faculty of Humanities, or by permission of the Head of Department.

This course explores the drivers of global change, both natural (e.g. Milankovitch cycles, tectonic drift) and anthropogenic (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, land-use change) and then examines how these drivers influence (and are influenced by) terrestrial and marine biological systems. A variety of topics, ranging from organismal and physiological responses to global change, biodiversity, global biogeochemical cycles, ecological function and ecosystem services are covered. While the majority of the class is focused on contemporary global change, this is contextualized relative to palaeohistorical environmental change. The course provides an integrated knowledge of contemporary environmental issues related to global change (e.g. carbon sequestration, climate change mitigation, land-use change) and its implications for biodiversity, ecosystem services and human wellbeing).  DP requirements: Completion of at least 70% of deliverables (tests, practicals, project report), including at least one class test and the project report; attendance of practicals; minimum of 40% for the class record. Assessment: A 3-hour examination written in June, with a sub-minimum of 40%, will count for 50% of the course. Coursework marks will be allocated as follows: Practical classes (assessed weekly) count 15%; research project counts 20%; class tests count 15%. Course entry requirements: BIO1000F/H, BIO1004F/S; approved 2000-level semester Science course. 

This course begins with an overview of the evolution, characteristics, diversity, morphology, and life histories of the different craniate classes, paying particular attention to adaptations underlying the success of the vertebrates. Distinctive or advanced biological features of each group are highlighted, and their ecological/economic importance briefly considered. The rest of the course comprises integrative, cross-taxonomic modules on the functional biology of vertebrates, notably locomotion, sensory systems, metabolism, homeostasis and behavior. The course includes a strong practical component to demonstrate the links between form and function; as well as a 4-day compulsory field camp during which students are trained in methods for studying the diversity, ecology and behavior of selected vertebrate groups. Attendance is compulsory for all lectures and practicals. DP requirements: Completion of at least 70% of deliverables (tests, practicals, project report), including at least one class test and the project report; attendance of practicals; minimum of 40% for the class record Assessment: A 3-hour theory examination written in June, with subminimum of 40%, will count 50% of the course mark. Coursework marks will be allocated as follows: practical tests (three deliverables) count 15%, project report based on projects counts 15%, two class tests together count 20%. Course entry requirements: BIO1000F/H, BIO1004S.

This course explores issues related to ideologies of gender and sexuality in the history of religious traditions, with particular attention to the role of women in religion. Special attention is given to how gender is symbolized in religious myth and ritual practices, exploring how this relates to women's experiences. Connections between sexuality, embodiment and spirituality are addressed through case studies in African, Abrahamic, and Asian religions. Drawing on examples from the beliefs and practices of different religious traditions, the course aims to engage with cross-cultural and interdisciplinary scholarship in religious studies, gender studies, women's studies and feminist theory. Theoretical reflections on gender in religious traditions are addressed throughout the course.  Continuous assessment (essays, projects, tests, etc.) counts 100%.

The course examines the social theories of modernity or the role of the post-Enlightenment Scientific Revolution in the formation of the theory of the subject. Against this backdrop, examine how Descartes goes about establishing the existence of the subject and then examine some of the POLITICAL STUDIES 373 different forms assumed by the new subject (including colonial, democratic, fascist, and totalitarian forms). When it comes to colonial modernity, consider the effects of the modern episteme in the history of colonialism and the modes of resistance assumed by the anti-colonial subject and the 'post'-colonial subject. DP requirements: Tutorial attendance is compulsory and students who attend fewer than 85% of the tutorials will not be allowed to write the final examination. In addition, completion of all written assignments, essays and tests are a requirement for a DP. Should students fail to hand in written assignments by due date, they will be penalized according to the grading formula of the Department. All required work for DP purposes MUST be submitted by the last day of the course. Assessment: Coursework counts 50%; final two-hour examination counts 50%. Course entry requirements: POL1004F and POL1005S or with special permission from the Head of Department.