PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAMME

The degree programme is designed to achieve the following objectives:

1.1 To teach literature in English, Linguistics and Communication, emphasising their interdependence, theoretical and practical aspects,

1.2 To arm students with analytical tools to enable them to study any literary text or poem,

1.3 To enable students to see the link between literature and society,

1.4 To make students better communicators both orally and in writing, and

1.5 To prepare students for the real world of work by exposing them to different modules,

Graduates of the programme are qualified to seek employment in areas including but not limited to publishing, public services, non-governmental organisations and communication-oriented fields, such as public relations and teaching.

MA and PhD studies in Literature, Linguistics/Communication or related field

PROGRAMME DELIVERY

Lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work, research project individual independent study

Normal Entry

To qualify for normal entry into the Bachelor of Arts English and Communication, a candidate, in addition to satisfying the minimum conditions as prescribed under the General Regulations for English and Mathematics must have passed Literature in English at `A’ level with at least grade ‘C’.

2.2 SPECIAL ENTRY

Refer to Section 3.2 of the General Academic Regulations for Undergraduate Degrees of the Midlands State University.

2.3 MATURE ENTRY

Refer to Section 3.3 of the General Academic Regulations for Undergraduate Degrees of the Midlands State University.

ROGRAMME STRUCTURE              

Code                        Module name                                                                  Credits

Level 1 Semester 1 

BAEH 132               Theories of Literature                                                           12

BAEH 139               Introduction to Linguistics                                                    12

BAEH 141               Literary Criticism                                                                 12

BAEH 142               Theories of Communication, New Media                               12

and Communication Technology

BAEH 143               Basic French 1                                                                     12

HCS 135                  Introduction to Information Systems                                      12

CS 131                     Basic Communication Skills                                                 12

Level 1 Semester 2

BAEH 130               Zimbabwean Literature                                                         12

BAEH 133               Organisational Communication                                             12

BAEH 134               Linguistics and Literature                                                     12

BAEH 136               English for Specific Purpose                                                 12

BAEH 144               Basic French 11                                                                    12

CS 132                Extended Communication Skills                                            12

Level 2 Semester 1

BAEH 232               Introduction to African Literature                                          12

BAEH 233               Language Policy and Planning                                               12

BAEH 234               Discourse Analysis                                                               12

BAEH 235               Research Methods                                                                12

BAEH 241               Introduction to Gender Studies                                              12

ENT 131                  Entrepreneurship 1                                                               12

Level 2 Semester 2

BAEH 231               Trends in Literature                                                              12

BAEH 236               Caribbean Literature                                                             12

BAEH 237               Public Relations Communication                                           12

BAEH 238               English as a Foreign Language                                              12

BAEH 239               African Cultures and Heritage                                               12

BAEH 242               Linguistic Theories                                                               12

 

Level 3 Semester 1 and 2: Work-Related Learning

BAEH 300               Work Placement Report                                                    20

BAEH 301               Work- Related Learning Report                                             40

BAEH 302               Academic Supervisor’s Report                                              30

BAEH 303               Employers Assessment Report                                              30

Level 4 Semester 1

BAEH 440               African American Literature                                                 12

BAEH 441               Creative Writing                                                                   12

BAEH 443               Advanced English Literature                                                 12

BAEH 444               Globalisation and International Communication                     12

BAEH 445               Theoretical Approaches to Multimodal Texts                         12

BAEH 446               Occupational Discourses                                                       12

Level 4 Semester 2

BAEH 442               Bilingualism                                                                         12

BAEH 447               Children’s Literature                                                             12

BAEH 448               Gender and Literature                                                           12

BAEH 449               Communication in Negotiation                                              12

BAEH 480               Dissertation                                                                          12

 

MODULE   SYNOPSES

BAEH 132 Theories of Literature

The module traces developments in literary theory from the Age of Enlightenment to the most recent theoretical discourses in literary studies. The module will also examine how different theories interact as they inform and explain our understanding of the world of literature today. Theories will be subjected to testing by reading them in relation to texts, with specific attention being paid to their strengths and limitations in addressing the historical, social, political and ideological nature of literary works and the contexts in which theory and text emerge.

BAEH 139 Introduction to Linguistics

The module serves as an introduction to the principal areas of modern linguistic enquiry. As such, focus will be laid on areas such as, but not exclusively, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and sociolinguistics. The module also acts as grounding for further specialised research and studies in such areas of linguistics as historical and comparative investigations, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics and applied linguistics. It also attempts to make the student a good communicator through the learning of basic rules of grammar.

BAEH 141 Literary Criticism

The course enables the learner to engage any literary texts to tease out meaning from them while appreciating the artist’s workmanship even for texts encountered for the first time. It exposes the learner to different literary periods, genres of literature key literary terms, the different literary techniques and how these convey meaning even beyond the simple text.

BAEH 142 Theories of Communication, New Media and Communication Technology

This is a 3-part module that examines the nexus between communication theory, new media development and communication technologies. As can be imagined, the three areas are intrinsically linked and, therefore, inform and feed into each other. The module is thereby divided into three parts which focus on each respective area of the module. After introducing the salient concepts and issues of the module, the focus is put on communication, the evolution of communication technologies and new media, in that order. Dwelling on real-life examples, the module will pose questions to do with the nature and use of communication. A number of activities will be carried out to complement and apply the ideas raised during discussions.

BAEH 143 Basic French 1

This module is meant for total beginners in French who wish to develop basic communicative competence in French. It will develop basic linguistic and communicative skills as well as concomitant intercultural awareness to enable the learner to interact with speakers of French at a basic level. The module therefore introduces students to the French language as well as aspects of French and Francophone cultures related to the communicative settings and situations within which linguistic structures are introduced. It focuses on an integrated development of the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) in French.

HCS 135 Introduction to Information Technology

Refer to the Department of Information Systems.

CS 131 Basic Communication Skills

Refer to Faculty of Arts and Humanities Regulations for Undergraduate Degrees of the Midlands State University.

BAEH 130 Zimbabwean Literature

The module is an introduction to leading works of Zimbabwean literature using relevant literary theories. It begins by giving the historical context of the development of literary creativity by black Zimbabweans and further traces ideological and generic shifts in Zimbabwean literary creativity up to 2000.

BAEH 133 Organisational Communication

The module introduces students to the concepts and the essential elements of communication since effective communication skills are integral to all successful human relationships. As the world becomes more ‘global’, the need and desire to know how to communicate effectively in a variety of contexts becomes paramount. Hence the module focuses on the development and improvement of students’ competence as communicators in various professions.

BAEH 134 Linguistics and Literature

The module explores how the ideas of linguistics may be applied to literary criticism. It explores the nature of the relationship that exists between linguistic form and literary function. It is an introduction to the study of stylistics and literary styles. The marriage that exists between language and literature if studied will nurture students who are better analysts, writers and teachers/ educators.

BAEH 136 English for Specific Purposes

The module introduces students to the specialised ways of using English in specific contexts. It emphasises the factors that relate to the origins and development of English for Specific Purposes as well as the role of the ESP practitioner. It aims at developing students’ skills in interpreting and analysing language used in specific contexts. The other aim is to develop student skills in linguistics and applied linguistic analysis.

BAEH 144 Basic French 11

Building on Basic French I, this module builds up the learner’s communicative competence in terms of conversation and writing up to reporting past events, stating wishes and expressing conditions. 

CS1 32 Extended Communication Skills

Refer to Faculty of Arts and Humanities Regulations for Undergraduate Degrees of the Midlands State University.

BAEH 232 Introduction to African Literature

This module introduces students to aspects of African Literature. In particular, it identifies and discusses the oral/indigenous and modern/written forms constituting African Literature. The module seeks to expose students to the major writers, their styles and thematic concerns and explore the pattern of development of African literature. The key thematic concerns to be explored largely centre on the impact of the colonial encounter, the conflict between tradition and modernity, the disillusionment of independence and the numerous challenges facing most postcolonial African societies that signal the discontinuities and continuities of colonialism on the African geopolitical and imaginative landscape.

BAEH 233 Language Policy and Planning

The module examines issues in the study of language policy and planning, including language choice and multilingualism. It explores how decisions concerning language policy and planning arise in response to socio-political needs. Thus, the module focuses on the ways and methods that are followed in coming up with a language policy for a particular society and the planning that is undertaken before coming up with a decision concerning a particular language situation.

BAEH 234 Discourse Analysis

The module examines the analysis of linguistic units larger than the sentence, including conversational structure, speech acts and the ethnography of speaking. It explores basic concepts in the study of discourse and the role of context in its study and introduces students to theories in the study of discourse. The module intends to nurture students who are better communicators and analysts. Taking context into cognisance, the module intends to cover varied areas of discourse analysis and train students to read texts by deconstruction.

BAEH 235 Research Methods

The module seeks to expose students to methods of gathering data, data handling, presentation, analysis and data correlation in the fields of literature, language and communication. It gives guidelines on how to design a proposal and how to write the report. Thus, the module introduces the student to major theoretical issues in research and also equips him/her with the basic tools of how to conduct a research project at undergraduate level. It also gives suggestions on how to incorporate research components into their other areas of investigation, for example, assignments. Students will also be exposed to standard referencing systems such as the American Psychological Association (APA) documentation style, and the Harvard and Oxford systems to prepare them for Report/Project writing during Work-Related Learning and Dissertation in the Fourth level.

BAEH 241 Introduction to Gender Studies

This module introduces students to the concept/study of gender and stresses the social constructedness of gender and gender roles. With a conceptualisation of gender and related concepts as its point of departure, the module traces the historical development of the discipline and addresses theoretical perspectives related to gender. Thereafter, the module looks at the concept of gender analysis and discusses strategies to redress gender imbalances. The module then explores gender issues in Southern Africa and concludes with a discussion on how both males and females can be empowered within the context of gender -responsive environments.

ENT 131 Entrepreneurship 1

Refer to the Department of Entrepreneurship.

BAEH 231 Trends in Literature

The module introduces students to literature by drawing attention to some of the milestone developments that have taken place in the field of literature. The emphasis is on familiarising the student with traditions, forms and approaches to literature. Because the field of literature is broad, the module will combine cursory and in-depth approaches r to provide a broad perspective of the field while zooming in on selected literary components.

BAEH 236 Caribbean Literature

The module examines a range of literary texts from the Caribbean Islands from the slave era to the present. The module aims to delineate the close links between the literary concerns highlighted in this literature with those of African and other Diasporan literatures. Knowledge of West Indian history is imperative to enable students to place the literature within its proper historical context and in relation to each other.

BAEH 237 Public Relations Communication

This module introduces students to Public Relations communication. The module proceeds to define the communicative aspects of Public Relations and map out their contribution to an organisation’s success or failure. Furthermore, the module seeks to establish a distinction between Public Relations communication and other communication disciplines to appreciate the part it plays in the overall communication programme of organisations.

BAEH 238 English as a Foreign Language

This module seeks to build the oral and written English skills of non-first language speakers of English. It equips students with skills in designing an English as a Foreign Language course, taking cognizance of the learner’s broad environment and their needs, the expertise of the teacher as well as the methodology. The module develops a solid background in critical aspects such as language and culture, language structure, and first and second language influence.

BAEH 239 African Cultures and Heritage

This module introduces students to the diversity of African cultures and heritage paying special attention to Zimbabwe. The aim is to provide critical consciousness to the learner on the centrality of culture and heritage in building just and good societies. Furthermore, the module provides a footstool for acquiring self-knowledge that is crucial for self-definition and unlocking the agency of the diverse cultural groups in Zimbabwe and even beyond. The module projects culture and heritage as resources that are integral to development, nation-building, gender relations, identity etc. Against the long-standing peripheralisation of African cultures and heritage, the module sensitises students to the decolonisation and African renaissance agenda.

BAEH 242 Linguistic Theories

The module is an exploration of linguistic theories. It intends to give students an appreciation of theories in phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics to lay a strong foundation in the study of pure linguistics. Students are expected to be informed of the proper linguistic ways of analysing language. Students will be introduced to key concepts found within phonological structures such as distinctive features within syntactic structures, concepts like constituent structures, grammatical functions and grammatical function, changing operations and semantic structures, argument and predicate.

BAEH 300 Work Placement Report

This is a report written by the student providing information on his/her placement. The Department provides the report format.

BAEH 301 Work-Related Learning Report

This is a report written by the student based on their activities and experiences during Work -Related Learning. The Department provides the report format.

BAEH 302 Academic Supervisor’s Assessment

The Academic Supervisor’s assessment looks at the student’s conduct at the workplace. The focus will be on the ability to link working and learning, being initiative, creativity, ingenuity and perseverance in identifying and communicating with colleagues.

BAEH 303 Employer’s Assessment

The host supervisor’s assessment looks at the student’s conduct and behaviour, interpersonal skills development, operational competencies and leadership qualities.

BAEH 440 African American Literature

The module will study works of literature that reflect the experiences, history and culture of people of African origin in America. Focus will be on themes of resistance and complicity, the race question, belonging and identity, double consciousness, gender struggle, the American dream and other related issues. The literary works will be examined in the context of the ideas of thinkers at each historical phase in the evolution of this literature. The students will be required to assess the success with which both writers and thinkers interpret the experiences and aspirations of these people.

BAEH 441 Creative Writing

This module is a practicum in skills required in creative writing. The module equips students with skills in writing, critiquing and evaluation of creative texts. It exposes students to literary trends and movements, and literary genres, their properties and construction for the purposes of enhancing writing style and creativity. The module positions creative writing as an academic discipline to nurture creative talent, creating a pool of skilled people for work in the area of creative writing.

BAEH 443 Advanced English Literature

The aim of the module is to expose students to a range of major texts from the literature of the United Kingdom. Texts will be categorised to reflect Medieval, Renaissance, Elizabethan, Romantic, Victorian and modern English novelists, poets and dramatists. The literature will be read as literary responses to changes in the socio-historical history of the United Kingdom. Emphasis will be on the historical background and literary features of each age.

BAEH 444 Globalisation and International Communication

The module places communication in the realm of globalisation and its impact and implications for Zimbabwe and Africa. The emphasis is on empowering the student with a full awareness of Zimbabwe’s and Africa’s positions in relation to the flow of information in the world. This allows the student to have a holistic picture of international communication and its impact on Zimbabwe and Africa.

 

BAEH 445 Theoretical Approaches to Multi-modal Texts

This module aims to theorise the notion of intertextuality to reveal how an interpretation of the multiple and multi-modal forms can expand the meaning potential of creative texts. Students should be able to identifyand explain the existence of literary forms within a single format like a play, novel, advert, poetry and song. The students should also examine the different levels at which the mixture of several genres in the plot and meanings of the text. The argument that the module highlights is that style, technique and form have autonomous existence and meaning outside the context of a work of art. This module further sensitises students to the fact that the meaning of form is embodied in the nature of the genre that it expresses and is expressed through.

 

BAEH 446 Occupational Discourses

The course surveys and differentiates a wide range of texts in English from professional and occupational genres. Based on the fact that discourse and/or genre analysis can be broken up into four basic categories: (i) rhetorical purpose and audience/speech community (ii) content (iii) structure and (iv) linguistic features, the module draws largely from stylistic studies paying particular attention to the relationship between linguistic form and textual function. The focus will largely be placed on the functional defining features of the various discourses and how their distinct linguistic forms are used to encode linguistic function within the occupational and professional settings of their use. The course moves through a theoretical review of the previous genre theoretic propositions, studies and discourse studies.

 

BAEH 442 Bilingualism

The module is an exploration of the notion of bilingualism. As such, effort is put into understanding the nature of bilingualism, and the causes and effects of bilingualism. Focus is also on the different forms of bilingualism and debates on the impact and/ or implication of bilingualism in societies, individuals, education, children and so on. An analysis and exploration of the relationship between bilingualism and other notions related to it such as diglossia, multilingualism, second language acquisition and plurilingualism should be done. As an applied linguistic module, it makes use of real-life socio-linguistic contexts.

 

BAEH 447 Children’s Literature

The module seeks to critically study the concept of children’s literature using relevant theories. Its major thrust is the recognition that children’s literature is a broad, generalised and contested category. The current debates on the category will be considered in relation to various literary works spanning different cultures and historical periods. The module will investigate some of the ways in which children’s literature has been defined and conceived throughout history.

 

BAEH 448 Gender and Literature

The module examines the portrayal of gender relations in selected works of literature using relevant theories. It links the literary texts to the dominant ideology and genre of the time. The texts represent various traditions such as the African tradition, the English tradition, the Marxist tradition, and the Womanist/Feminist tradition, among others.

 

BAEH 449 Communication in Negotiation

This module equips the learner with the requisite skills to meaningfully participate in negotiations and diffuse potentially explosive conflicts both at home, at work and abroad. This module assists the learner in negotiating through conflicts that are common in the economic and political spheres in Zimbabwe and elsewhere. For conflicts to be resolved, negotiators should be ethical, principled and competent and this module turns the learner into an effective negotiator.

 

BAEH 480 Dissertation

The dissertation will be expected to be between 9 000 and 10 000 words, or 45 to 50 pages of font 12 with double line spacing and it should be in the area of English and Communication.