1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 These regulations shall be read in conjunction with the University’s General Academic Regulations for Undergraduate and Postgraduate degree programmes, hereinafter referred to as the General Regulations.

2. PREAMBLE

2.1 The vision of the department is to contribute towards the education and training of professionals, university education, national capacity building of countries in the Southern Africa Development Community in fields modular packages to meet specific demands of students and organizations.of cultural and natural heritage

2.2 The department is conceived as a catalyst for developing partnership between academic centres and professional organizations at all levels from international to local, with an emphasis on strengthening regional centres for capacity building.

3. AIMS

3.1 The department seeks to develop and maintain a global network of professional and collaborating organizations and centres.

3.2 It is also committed to the production of educational and training modules and to make such educational materials available in different formats, including multimedia, to the public, professionals and other tertiary institutions.

3.3 The department hopes to achieve this vision through the study of and research in African and global heritage and culture, African and world prehistories, historical archaeologies, museums and cultural institutions and

4. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

4.1 Normal Entry

4.1.2 A candidate must have obtained at least five `O’ Level passes including English Language, and History. A pass in Mathematics at `O’ Level’ will be an added advantage.

4.1.3 A candidate must also have obtained a pass in History at `A’ level and at least ONE of the following subjects or their equivalent: Shona, Ndebele, Geography, or Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science

4.2 Special Entry

Refer to Section 3.2 of the General Regulations

4.3 Mature Entry

Refer to Section 3.3 of the General Regulations.

5. CAREER PROSPECTS

The degree programme prepares students for career options in museums, cultural heritage, global heritage and non-governmental organizations, cultural development planning, and government departments.

6. GENERAL PROVISIONS

6.1 The degree programme shall consist of 136 credits with at least 60 percent of these coming from the department under which the degree will be conferred.

6.2 The degree programme offers core and elective modules at each level.

6.2.1 At each level, with the exception of level 3, a student shall register for 6 core modules and 4 elective modules from other departments within the faculty and outside the faculty.

6.2.2 Normally, where a prerequisite module is involved, a candidate shall be required to pass it before taking higher modules.

6.2.3 Each module offered in the department shall carry a total of 4 credits. A dissertation shall be worth two modules and carry a total of 8 credits. Work Related Learning shall be examined in three modules with a total of 40 credits.

6.2.4 During Work Related Learning, the student shall continue to observe the regulations of Midlands State University and also abide by the rules of the place where one is placed.

6.2.5 Students may be required to attend oral examinations for certain modules offered in the degree programme.

6.2.6 Dissertations shall be assessed by examiners appointed the Departmental Board of Examiners. The dissertation shall be between 9000 to 10000 words.

 

7. ASSESSMENT

7.1 For each module, expect for Work Related Learning, the final mark shall be determined by a combination of continuous assessment and examination marks.

7.2 Continuous assessment shall normally constitute 25% of the final examination mark, while the formal examination constitutes 75%.

7.3 Archaeology field work and laboratory practice, museum practice and cultural heritage management projects shall constitute 50% of continuous assessment.

7.4 A student who fails the final assessment for Work Related Learning but has passes the continuous assessment component may be allowed to resubmit his or her work within two months and be re-assessed. The maximum mark allowable for such referred work is 50%. A student who fails to meet the required date for submission of the final report will normally be considered to have failed the final level.

7.5 In the case of dissertation, the final mark shall be weighted as 50% for continuous assessment (presentation of the project) and 50% for the final project.

7.6 To be admitted to university examinations, a candidate must have completed approved modules of study, including all continuous assessment. Attendance of lecturers, tutorials, laboratory practical sessions, approved field work components of certain modules count towards admission of a candidate to the university examinations.

8. WORK RELATED LEARNING GENERAL GUIDELINES

Refer to Section 10 of the General Academic Regulations.

9. FAILURE TO SATISFY EXAMINERS

Refer to Section 9 of the General Academic Regulations.

10. GRADING AND DEGREE CLASSIFICATION

Refer to Section 5 of the General Academic Regulations.

11. PROVISION FOR PROGRESSION

Refer to Section 6 of the Faculty of Arts Regulations.

12. DEGREE WEIGHTING

Refer to Section 11 of the Faculty of Arts Regulations.

 

13. PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

NB. In each semester, candidates must register for three core modules from their respective degree programme and elect any two modules from within the department or any approved equivalent from other departments in the faculty or outside the faculty.

Code	Module Description	Credits
Level 1 Semester 1
CHS 101	Introduction to Cultural Heritage Studies	4
ARC 112	African Prehistory	4
MUS 101	Introduction to Theoretical and Practical Museology	4
MUS 104	Collection Management	4
CS 101	Basic Communication Skills	4
HSC 115	Introduction to Information Technology	4
Level 1 Semester 2
MUS110	Introduction to Archiving	4
ARC 101	Introduction to Theoretical and Practical Archaeology	4
MUS 112	Management of Archives	4
CHS 104	Documentation of Cultural Property	4
ARC 113	Prehistory of Southern Africa	4
CS 102	Extended Communication	4
Level 2 Semester 1
CHS112	Conservation of Cultural Property	4
ARC 204	Prehistory of Zimbabwe	4
MUS 202	Conservation of Museum Collections	4
GS 201	Introduction to Gender Studies	4
SVG 109	Basic Principles and Applications of Surveying	4
Level 2 Semester 2
MUS203	Archival Administration	4
MUS204	Preservation and Conservation of Archives	4
MUS206	Museum Communication	4
ARC111	Research Methods in Archaeology	4
Level 3 WORK RELATED LEARNING
ARC 301	Work Related Learning Report	15
ARC 302	Academic Supervisor’s Report	15
ARC 303	Employer’s Assessment Report	10
Level 4 Semester 1
ARC 404	Archaeological Laboratory Methods	4
CHS 411	Heritage Management and Sustainable Development	4
MUS 401	Management of Information Centres	4
MUS 402	Museum Visitor Studies	4
MUS 414	Curatorship	4
Level 4 Semester 2
ARC 403	Archaeology and Geographic Information Systems	4
CHS 401	Heritage Interpretation and Presentation	4
MUS 413	Visual and Fine Arts	4
ARC 420	Dissertation	8

 

13. MODULE SYNOPSES

CHS 101 Introduction to culture Heritage studies

The module examines the broad aspects of culture and development, management of cultural and natural resources, heritage policies and legislation.

ARC 112 African Prehistory

The development of human societies, from the foragers of the Early to Middle Pleistocene, through gathers and hunters of the Middle, Late and Terminal Pleistocene, and the Holocene, are examined.

Human technological achievements during the past 2-3 million years are presented and the student of African prehistory is given the opportunity to deconstruct the notion which has always presented pre-moderrn humans as undeveloped, background and uncivilized. The module concludes by surveying the development of metallurgy and agriculture in Africa, leading to the emergence of complex societies in some regions.

MUS 101 Introduction to Theoretical and Practical Museology

The module exposes students to the various theories on the role and functions of museums.

MUS 104 Collection Management

The module exposes students to case studies of countries with a long tradition of artifact management.

CS101 Basic Communication Skills

Refer to Faculty of Arts Regulations

HSC 115 Introduction to Information Technology

Refer to the Faculty of Science and Technology

MUS 110 Introduction to Archiving

The module provides students with a solid foundation in archival studies and understanding of why societies cultures, organizations and individuals create and keep records.

ARC 101 Introduction to Theoretical Archaeology

Students are introduced to the basics of archaeological date: artifact, feature, structure, site, groups of sites and the cultural landscape. The conceptualization of these structures of archaeological data is taken as the basis for detailed archaeological theory taught to subsequent modules. To appreciate the value of archaeology in Zimbabwe, local, regional and African examples are used as case studies.

MUS 112 Management of Archives

The module examines principles and practices archivists use to facilitate all aspects of archival work.

CHS 104 Documentation of Cultural Property

The module examines case studies of heritage legislation in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

ARC 113 Prehistory of Southern Africa

This module compares and contrasts the archaeological traditions in Southern Africa, with a particular focus on Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana and South Africa. It assess the level of archaeological development in each of these countries in terms of research done, the archaeological infrastructure, public education with regards to the past, and the use of the past in shaping the present and future. A brief survey of cultural heritage management practices in each of the countries will give the students an idea of current and future trends in fields allied to archaeology and need to strike relevance with the past.

CS102 Extended Communication Skills

Refer to Faculty of Arts Regulations

CHS 112 Conservation of Cultural Property

The module examines issues involved including the legal frameworks in which conservation and restoration are conducted

ARC 204 Prehistory of Zimbabwe

This module examines the wide range of archaeological evidence found in Zimbabwe with a bias towards Stone Age sequences. These are presented essentially as archaeological remains, but also as pre-colonial towns representing historical and complex developments within the Zimbabwe Culture. The module also examines how the present has been inspired by this rich archaeological past.

MUS 202 Conservation of Museum Collections

The module focuses on principles that enhance appreciation of the value of national collections be they movable or immovable and their conservation

GS201 Gender Studies

Refer to the Department of Gender Studies

SVG109 Basic Principles and Applications of Surveying

Refer to the Department of Surveying and Geomatics

MUS 203 Archival Administration

The module highlights the administration and management styles employed in both private and public archival institutions with a diachronic perspective.

MUS 204 Preservation and Conservation of Archives

Students are introduced to the context of preservation and conservation in the documentation centers. The module exposes students to the challenges encountered in preservation planning. It also examines the role ad importance of aspects such as storage, disaster planning, reformatting in the preservation of various media of documentary heritage.

MUS 206 Museum Communications

The module explores how museums speak to the people, communicating their functions and their role in society.

ARC 404 Archaeological Laboratory Methods

Building up on archaeological fields surveys and excavations, the module explores museum as repositories of raw archaeological data and site databases for use by archaeologists for purposes of research. Drawing on examples of research done on the basis of museum collection, the module attempts a critique of the methodologies involved, the implication on sampling, and the research questions that normally arise from such approaches.

CHS 411 Heritage Management and Sustainable Development

The module promotes the study of cultural approaches to sustainable development, capacity building and respect of bio diversity conversation.

MUS 401 Marketing Museums and Archives

The module prepares students to understand the importance of using information obtained from the two types of institutions and how this may be presented for public benefit.

MUS 402 Visitor Studies

The module explores the concept of user and tourist and their differences. It focuses on the exploration of the history and current status of research and evaluation studies in archives and other cultural and educational settings.

MUS 414 Curatorship

The module examines all curatorial processes, including designing a collections policy, ethics of collecting and the roles of ICOM, ICOMOS etc in managing collections or heritages. These collections range from artifacts from archaeological field research, crafts and or objects of art.

Issues of preservation, conservation and exhibition designing will also be explored.

ARC 403 Archaeological Geographic Information Systems

The module examines the use of computers in archaeology, from data structuring to data processing and presentation using complex hardware and software including Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and muti media

CHS 401 Heritage Interpretation and Presentation

The module examines regional and global trends in the area of heritage presentation and interpretation from museum exhibitions and displays to the use of heritage in matters relating to the reinterpretation of the past often misrepresented during colonial times.

MUS 413 Visual and Fine Arts

The module examines the nature and the production processes of visual and fine arts and the role of museums and galleries of collecting these as collections. It also explores the influence of culture and how it may be presented, curated and marketed for public consumptions. A line will be drawn regarding the relationship between fine and visual arts and their importance as forms of heritage.

ARC 420 Dissertation

The dissertation will be 15 000 to 20 000 words based on wide research in the field of Archaeology, Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies