University of Botswana

The course incudes the patterns of language use in Southern African, and Botswana in particular, the factors which influence language change and maintenance and the various efforts, both formal and informal, which are beings made in order to preserve, promote, and empower languages. 

The course explores the purposes, substantive issues, and content of the primary social studies curriculum. It further examines innovative approaches to designing and implementing social studies curricula for primary schools.

This theoretical course develops knowledge and understanding of the roles and impacts of media in society, including elements of media, issues of power and control, representation of social groups and cultures, and communication theories.

This course advances historical knowledge and understanding of contemporary developmental issues from an economic point of view. The course uses economic tools of analysis to capture the economic past of select developing regions and the economic problems facing poor parts of the world. The course focuses on market distortions and obstacles to industrializing peripheries and the implications for internally directed developmental trajectories and discourse in the long term.

The course examines social problems and social policy challenges created by the existence and persistence of social inequality and associated factors such as social exclusion, inequity, vulnerability, marginalization and discrimination. To this effect, current policies and programmes to reduce social inequality in Botswana will be critically assessed to determine the extent to which they alleviate social problems that may arise due to inequality. Dimensions and causes of social inequality will be analyzed within several theoretical frameworks. The course adopts a historical and comparative perspective in examining the forms, manifestations, persistence and changeability of inequality structures as they are found within and between societies cross-culturally, however focus will on the issues relevant to most developing countries especially Botswana. Some of the specific topics covered include inequalities based on; class, status, power, race and ethnicity, gender, and age.

The course provides a critical understanding of the political rationale for economic development through community projects, along with the basic skills necessary for ensuring their community effectiveness as economic development facilitators. The emphasis worldwide is on promoting community enterprises and economic projects that are relevant to the circumstances of local communities. The course provides a critical understanding of the place of community entrepreneurship in community economic development and empowerment; and the critical role of community educators in the process.

This course introduces African oral and written literature in the indigenous languages. Students discuss literary aspects of both oral and written literature and the various functions and purposes they serve in society. The course includes a description and analysis of various genres of African oral and written literature.