Bachelor of Arts Degree in African Languages and Literature

Career Opportunities for the African Languages and Literature Graduates

There are several career opportunities for African Languages and Literature graduates (B.A. Single Major and B.A Combined degree [Single Major, Major/Major, Major/Minor]) and M.A in African Languages and Literature) in government, Parastatal organizations and the Private Sector. The career opportunities include: education (teaching in schools and colleges), University academic posts, translation and interpretation for public and private organizations, literary and textual expertise for publishing companies, curriculum development for the Ministry of Education, communication expertise in local languages for Mass media professions, creative writing, public relations, tourist guiding, and cultural expertise for culture-based organizations.

Programme Structure

Level 100

At Level 100 (Semesters 1 and 2), the Programme shall consist of a total of 6 credits made up of 2 core courses per semester.

Level 200

At Level 200 (Semesters 3 and 4), the Programme shall consist of a total of 6 credits made up of 2 core courses per semester.

Levels 300 and 400

At Levels 300 and 400 (Semesters 5 to 8), the Programme shall comprise a Single Major, a Combined Major, a Major/Minor, Minor/Major and Multi-disciplinary Streams.

a) Single Major in African Languages and Literature
The Single Major Programme shall consist of a total of 18 credits made up of 3 core courses and 3 optional courses per semester, leading to the award of B.A. (African Languages and Literature)
b) Combined Major/Major in African Languages and Literature
The Combined Major/Major Programme shall consist of a total of 9 credits made up of 2 core courses and 1optional course per semester, leading to the award of B.A.
c) Combined Major/Minor with African Languages and Literature as a Major
The Combined Major/Minor with African Languages and Literature as a Major shall consist of 12 credits made up of 2 core courses and 2 optional courses per semester, leading to the award of B.A.
d) Combined Minor/Major with African Languages and Literature as a Minor
The Combined Minor/Major Programme with African Languages and Literature as a Minor shall consist of a total of 6 credits made up of 1 core course and 1 optional course per semester, leading to the award of B.A, if the student is registered in the Faculty of Humanities.
e) Multi-disciplinary Combined Degree Programme
The Multi-disciplinary Combined Degree Programme in African Languages and Literature shall consist of a minimum of 6 credits in accordance with Departmental Regulation 07.3.5 and General Regulation 00.62.

General Education Courses

The Department of African Languages and Literature offers three (3) General Education Courses (GECs).

Assessment and Examination

1.3.1 Performance in each course shall be evaluated by a combination of continuous assessment and final examination marks.
1.3.2 Continuous assessment shall normally constitute at least two pieces of work or one long paper per semester.
1.3.3 The duration of the final examination shall be two hours.

Progression

In order to proceed from one semester to the next, a student must maintain a cumulative GPA in accordance with General Regulation 00.9.

Level 100

Semester 1

Core Courses

ALL122 The Characteristics of Human Language (3)
ALL141 Introduction to African Oral and Written Literature (3)

General Education Courses

COM111 Communication and Academic Literacy Skills I (3)
ICT121 Computer Skills Fundamentals 1 (2)

Optional Courses

ALL131 Language and Communication in Africa (3)
ALL132 Language Instruction I: (Beginners Course in one of the Botswana Languages) (3)
ALL151 Short Story Theory and Practice (3)
ALL152 Style in Writing (3)

Semester 2

Core Course

ALL121 Introduction to the Study of Language and Linguistics (3)
ALL142 The Study of Drama in Indigenous Languages (3)

General Education courses

COM112 Communication and Academic Literacy Skills II (3)
ICT122 Computer Skills Fundamentals 2 (2) (CORE)

Optional Courses

ALL134 Language Instruction II Pre: ALL132 (3)
ALL153 Introduction to the African Novel (3)
ALL154 Theory of Humour in Africa (3)

Level 200

Semester 3

Core Courses

ALL221 Sound Systems in African Languages (3)
ALL241 History and Structure of the Setswana Novel (3)

Optional Courses

ALL231 The Perception and Transcription of African Language Sounds (3)
ALL232 Language Instruction III Pre: ALL 134 (3)
ALL251 Folk Speech in Africa (3)
ALL252 Rites of Passage: A Study of Social Dramas (3)

Semester 4

Core Courses

ALL222 Structure of Words in African Languages (3)
ALL242 African Written Poetry (3)

Optional Courses

ALL233 Generative Phonology in African Languages (3)
ALL234 Language Instruction IV Pre: ALL 232 (3)
ALL253 The Sociology of Literature (3)

Level 300

Semester 5

Core Courses

ALL321 The Structure of the Sentence (3)
ALL322 The Structure of Meaning (3)
ALL341 Introduction to Literary Theory (3)

Optional Courses

ALL331 Introduction to Translation (3)
ALL332 Language Instruction V Pre: ALL 234 (3)
ALL333 Introduction to Research Methods (3)
ALL351 Politics and Southern African Poetry (3)
ALL352 Epic Performance in Africa (3)

Semester 6

Core Courses

ALL323 Introduction to Stylistics and Discourse Analysis (3)
ALL342 African Oral Narratives (3)
ALL343 Introduction to African Popular Theatre (3)

Optional Courses

ALL334 Introduction to Modern Theories in Grammatical Analysis (3)
ALL335 Language Instruction Course VI Pre: ALL332 (3)
ALL336 Field Research Preparation and Proposal Writing Pre: ALL333 (3)
ALL353 African Oral Literature and the Media (3)
ALL354 The Contemporary Setswana Novel (3)

Level 400

Semester 7

Core Courses

ALL421 Introduction to Historical and Comparative Linguistics Based on Africa (3)
ALL422 A Sociolinguistic Study of Southern Africa (3)
ALL441 World Literature in Setswana Translation (3)

Optional Courses

ALL431 Introduction to Psycholinguistics (3)
ALL432 Language Instruction VII Pre: ALL335 (3)
ALL433 Research Project: Data Collection Pre: ALL336 (3)
ALL451 Studies in African Aesthetics (3)
ALL452 Youth Culture in Africa (3)
ALL453 Women’s Literature in Botswana (3)

Semester 8

Core Courses

ALL423 The Bantu and Khoesan Languages of Southern Africa (3)
ALL442 Creative Writing, Theory and Practice (3)
ALL443 Oral Poetry in Botswana (3)

Optional Courses

ALL434 Introduction to Applied Linguistics (3)
ALL435 Language Instruction VIII Pre: ALL432 (3)
ALL436 Research Project: Data Analysis and Interpretation Pre: ALL433 (3)
ALL454 Children’s Traditions and Dramatics (3)
ALL455 Postcolonial Theory and African Literature and Globalization (3)
ALL456 Introduction to African Thought (3)

General Education Courses (GECs)

Semester 1

GEC261 Languages of Botswana (3)
GEC262 Introduction to Cultural Studies (3)

Semester 2

GEC361 Introduction to Rhetoric and Public Speaking (3)

In pursuit of academic excellence