Welcome to the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Richards Bay Campus

We aim to produce generations of graduates who can think with dexterity and reshape the current social, economic and political spaces and systems for Africa and globally. Our programmes are geared towards scholarship that informs equity and inclusion, challenging historical systems of oppression and privilege on multiple levels. Our faculty is diverse in discipline and background. We come together through our commitment to thoughtful, critical and indigenous scholarship while exploring varied perspectives.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION SCIENCE

Co-ordinator

Dr TG Mokgosi,

Tel: 035-9026942

D.Phil (NWU), MA (NWU), BA (Hons)(NWU), BA (UNW)

Lecturers

Mr JM Magagula, MA (UNIZULU), BA (UNIZULU)

Dr A Moonasamy, D.Phil (UNIZULU), MA (UNIZULU), BA (Hons) (UNIZULU), BA (UNIZULU)

Mr MW Molefe, MTech (CUT), BA (Hons) (UNISA), Dip. STD (BOCHUM)

Ms JB Ngubane, MA, BA (Hons) [UNIZULU], Dip Info. Sys. & Tech

Mr G J Zondi , MA(UNIZULU), BA(Hons), PGDHE(UKZN)

 

1CMDP1/ACMDP1

Diploma in Media Studies

The purpose of this qualification is to provide competent and responsible Public Relations Practitioners with market-related skills which are relevant to the private and public sectors of the economy.  This course is suitable for students seeking employment in the following areas: Advertising; Communications Officers; Public Speaker/Spokesperson and Journalism.

MODULE DESCRIPTIONS

YEAR 1

SEMESTER 1

MODULE CODE

MODULE NAME

MODULE DESCRIPTION

1COM141/ACOM141

 

Communication Skills 1

 

The purpose of this module is to guide the student or learner towards becoming an effective communicator where communication refers to all four communication skills: speaking, writing, listening and reading.

1COM151/ACOM151

 

Digital Communication 1

 

The purpose of this module provides students with an understanding of basic electronic communication methods.

1HIV111/ AHIV11

 

 

HIV & AIDS

Literacy 1

 

This module seeks to empower students to make a difference in dealing with HIV and AIDS crises. It aims to provide students with information on HIV and AIDS prevention and management. To expose students to various areas on which HIV and AIDS impacts

1CCS111/ ACCS111

 

Communication Studies 1

 

The purpose of this module is to provide learners with knowledge of various forms of communication theory and research.  It examines the principles and contexts of human communication. Some of the principles surveyed are perception, listening, non-verbal communication and persuasion. The primary contexts examined include interpersonal, group, organisational and public communication.

SEMESTER 2

1CMS112/ ACMS112

 

Media Skills 1

 

The purpose of this module is to provide learners with knowledge of media institutions, functionalist and critical media theories as well as media issues. It also aims to enable them to research topics such as media institutional practices, ownership, regulation, censorship, media and democratization as well as the power and functions of the media.

1CPR112/ ACPR112

 

Public Relations Skills 1

 

The purpose of this module is to provide learners with knowledge of the theory and practice of public relations and to enable them to plan the execution of public relations events, campaigns and programmes for media.

1CAS112/ ACAS112

 

Advertising Skills 1

 

Learners will understand the purpose of advertising within the scope of media studies. They will learn that advertising is the paid, public, non-personal announcement of a persuasive message by an identified sponsor; the non-personal presentation or promotion by a firm of its products to its existing and potential customers.

1CJS112/ ACJS112

 

Journalism Skills 1

 

This course has been developed for learners who are interested in pursuing a career in journalism.  The qualification is designed to assist students to write news reports in accordance with the requirements of specific media news agencies.  Journalism Skills I gives the learner insight into newspaper journalism and the responsibilities of a journalist, the code of journalism standards and ethics of journalism.  Learners will understand the various approaches to writing news.  Furthermore, learners will be introduced to developing the art of questioning for press conferences and story construction.

YEAR 2

SEMESTER 1

 

 

ACJS211/ 1CJS211

 

Journalism Skills 2

 

This course teaches how to write in the basic news style – who, what, when, where, why and how as well as so what? From the fundamental news format, the course moves onto many other types of writing such as features, sports, interviews, investigative reporting, backgrounders and broadcast news, etc. Interviewing and news-gathering techniques are covered, along with ethics and libel. Students learn to write by writing a lot. Final project is a news or feature story suitable for publication.


 

 

 

ACCS211/ 1CCS211

Communication

Studies 2

 

The purpose of this module is to provide learners with knowledge of various forms of communication theory and research.  It examines the principles and contexts of human communication. Some of the principles surveyed are perception, listening, non-verbal communication and persuasion. The primary contexts examined include interpersonal, group, organisational, and public communication.

 

ACMS211/ 1CMS211

Media Skills 2

 

The purpose of this module is to provide learners with knowledge of the theories and skills to analyse media texts, genres and audiences as well as the effects of the media. Through the module, learners are intended to plan the use of media for educational purposes.

 

 

APHS211/ 1PHS211

Philosophy of Communication

 

The purpose of this module is to introduce Communication Science students to the philosophical theories of hermeneutics and deconstructivism. Both these theories on language show how open-ended language can be and students can gain by being made aware of this. Basic logic and logical fallacies will also be taught to provide students with more solid foundational communication skills.


SEMESTER 2

 

 

ACPR212/ 1CPR212

 

Public Relations Skills 2

 

This module provides students with the skills to understand media relations, analyse public relations problems, plan, implement and evaluate public relations campaigns and to distinguish between public relations practice in business, government and community based organisations

 

ACOM252/1COM252

 

Digital Communication 2

 

The purpose of this module provides students with an understanding of basic electronic communication methods.

 

 

ACAS212/ 1CAS212

Advertising Skills 2

 

Learners will understand the purpose of and different types of advertising within the scope of media studies. They will gain insight into how an advertising agency works.  Learners will also be introduced to the consumer audience and the impact of social and cultural influences on consumers.  They will learn the steps in the decision-making process.  Furthermore, learners will learn to create print, broadcast and internet advertising. Media selection procedures and negotiation techniques will be introduced to complete the marketing and advertising concept.

APHS212/ 1PHS212

 

Media Ethics

 

The purpose of this module is to introduce students to ethical theories within media; ethical issues related to media studies and communication; and critical thinking. Students will learn to identify ethical issues within a communication context and critically apply ethical theories to those issues. This module will equip students with skills both for making ethical decisions within the media and communication fields as well as for effectively communicating the impact of certain decisions.

YEAR 3

SEMESTER 1

 

ACOM341/1COM341

Business Studies 1B

 

This module provides students with the skills to manage or start up a small business. It is intended to provide students with an understanding of the relationship between business and the public.

 

 

ACMS311/ 1CMS311

 

Media Skills 3

 

The purpose of this module is to provide learners with knowledge of the theories of and skills to analyse media texts, film theory and criticism as well as adaptation of reception theory to analyse media audiences and the knowledge of media production.

ACOM351/1COM351

 

Communication Research Methods C

 

This module seeks to introduce theoretical guidelines to practices of conducting research in human and social sciences. Due emphasis is on historical and institutional contexts of research methods and methodologies. In this instance, consideration is focused on synthesising key concepts in social theory as well as actual practice of social and cultural research.

Various associated relationships will be teased out. These include connection between research and social policy; research and social theory; the philosophy of social-human sciences and subject positions (reflexivity of social researchers).    This module will highlight basic and applied research methods in this challenging and opportune era of globalisation, interdisciplinary and mass democratisation.

This course examines research methods in mass communication in response to innovations in communication. The role of Communication Research Methods (CRM) is to ask and answer questions about use of media technologies, consumption of media contents and media audience stratifications. In effect, CRM attempts to find out what a particular media field is about, how it is used, what its effects are and also what its potential is. Learners will therefore engage with arising issues in a background of evolving communication like the World Wide Web, corporate communication and e-commerce as well as knowledge incorporation from a range of studies such as the critical paradigm, information science, linguistics.

ACJS311/ 1CJS311

 

Journalism Skills 3

 

This module seeks to provide learners with the theoretical foundation of public speaking.  It aims to enable learners to carry out an audience analysis, teaching them how to adapt the information to the audience.  The module will enable learners to write and present news as well as programmes for radio, television and the Internet.  To inform the learner about broadcast regulations and restrictions.

SEMESTER 2

 

 

ACEL312/ 1CEL312

 

 

Experiential Learning 1A

 

This module provides students with real-world work experience as well as skills to plan and analyse mass communication problems. It will equip students to implement and evaluate broadcasting/mass communication campaigns as well as to distinguish between corporate and community mass communication strategies.