AA 2010 Volume 42 Issue 1

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  • ItemOpen Access
    Afrikaans se unieke posisie en uitdagings in ’n veeltalige Suid- Afrika
    (University of the Free State, 2010) Slippers, Jana; Grobler, Anské; Van Heerden, Neels
    English: Afrikaans, as one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, finds itself in a unique position, facing many challenges. This overview of the history and events that lead to this position endeavours to gain insight into the current position of Afrikaans. Currently the literature lacks such an updated contribution. It appears that the challenges of a multilingual South-Africa are not new or unique to Afrikaans, except for the consequences of apartheid. Despite this legacy, Afrikaans can make a significant contribution to the further development of a multilingual South Africa. Research into the day-to-day experience of Afrikaans-speaking people in a multilingual South Africa is needed to exploit this potential.
  • ItemOpen Access
    The poetics of littérature engagée: Hans Magnus Enzensberger
    (University of the Free State, 2010) Van den Berg, Cilliers
    English: Issues related to the socio-political role of literature have always been one of the most important themes in the work of Hans Magnus Enzensberger. His notion of littérature engagée and its actual impact has changed from being optimistic in the earlier texts to being more pessimistic in his later work. This change can be read against the background of certain constants in his oeuvre, especially his view of literature as being nonconformist. This article aims to describe this change by referring to a number of relevant texts. In conclusion the role of “context” as a determining factor for the potential impact of literature is considered.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Enhancing success in South Africa’s higher education: measuring student engagement
    (University of the Free State, 2010) Strydom, Francois; Kuh, George; Mentz, Melody
    English: Improving student success and throughput rates are key challenges facing South African higher education. International research shows that a focus on student engagement can help to enhance student learning and other desired outcomes as well as the efficiency and effectiveness of higher education systems. This article documents the psychometric properties of the South African Survey of Student Engagement (SASSE), providing a sound basis on which to promote large-scale studies of student engagement-related interventions. Using this contextualised measure will allow South African institutions to engage in national and international benchmarking with countries such as the USA, Canada and Australia.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Resolving the dilemma between corporal punishment and human rights in South Africa
    (University of the Free State, 2010) Pretorius, Gertie
    English: South Africa’s Constitution protects the fundamental rights of all citizens, including children. The recent Children’s Act and the Children’s Amendment Act criminalise corporal punishment of children by their parents. This article endeavours to describe the dilemma between corporal punishment and human rights in South Africa. It investigates possible democratic approaches to resolving the dilemma and offers deliberative democracy as a possible way to guide discussions on this dilemma. The article evaluates the applicability of deliberative democracy to the case of corporal punishment and human rights and highlights the need to consider alternative strategies to discipline children.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Aristotle’s poetics in Margaret Doody’s "Aristotle and poetic justice"
    (University of the Free State, 2010) Pauw, François
    English: Canadian-born academic Margaret Doody has written several detective novels in which the philosopher Aristotle makes use of his investigative powers to solve murder mysteries. In Aristotle and poetic justice, Stephanos, a friend of Aristotle, narrates how Aristotle solved a double murder which had taken place on the road to Delphi. Doody’s novel provides a convenient framework for a view on the Greek world of 330 BC and, incidentally, a new look at Aristotle’s perception of Greek genres. This article focuses on both these topics, the latter through the lens of Aristotle’s Poetics. In the body of the article, allusions to the Poetics introduced by Doody are examined and evaluated, using a modified version of Genette’s scheme as criterion.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Interaction and antithesis in reformational scholarship
    (University of the Free State, 2010) Coletto, Renato
    English: This article explores the themes of interaction and antithesis between Christian and non-Christian scholarship, as developed within Christian-reformational circles since the 1930s. It presents the “classical” models of the Dooyeweerdian and Vollenhovian schools, as well as the suggestions by Jacob Klapwijk and Nicholas Wolterstorff. It is argued that the Dooyeweerdian approach is similar to the Vollenhovian one but more explicit on the possibility of cooperation with non-Christian scholarship. The proposals by Klapwijk and Wolterstorff contain acceptable elements and some ideas that should be clarified and refined further.
  • ItemOpen Access
    The nature, extent and impact of the brain drain in Zimbabwe and South Africa
    (University of the Free State, 2010) Gwaradzimba, Ellen; Shumba, Almon
    English: Brain drain is regarded as one of the greatest threats to socio-economic development in Africa. The need to reverse brain drain and reposition Africa in the twenty-first century cannot be overemphasised. The current situation in African countries demands that Africa should embark on a radical project to redeem itself from poverty, underdevelopment, disease, and hunger. This article examines the nature, extent and impact of the brain drain in Zimbabwe and South Africa. The problem of brain drain is urgent and merits high-level attention by African governments.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Police corruption: what is the plan?
    (University of the Free State, 2010) Benson, Bernadine
    English: Since the closure of the SAPS anticorruption unit in 2003, SAPS management have yet to operationalise a plan to address police corruption. The past decade has produced a substantial amount of research on the perceptions and likely causes of and preventive strategies for police corruption. This article compares findings of research projects undertaken in Gauteng between 2004 and 2009 in order to identify commonalities, differences and potential strategic gaps. Findings showed similarities in perception regarding corruption and a “code of silence” among police officials, some doubt regarding the rules and regulations within the SAPS as well as likely causes of and preventive measures for corruption.
  • ItemOpen Access
    The ethnonyms ‘Bushman’ and ‘San’
    (University of the Free State, 2010) Raper, Peter
    English: The first part of the term “Bushman” has been variously explained as referring to bush-covered country, or to bushes as refuge from enemies, as cover from which to attack man or beast, or as dwelling places. The word boes is neither Afrikaans nor Dutch, and is probably a phonological adaptation. Several San ethnonyms mean “bush men” or “bush people”. The term San, a contraction of Sanqua, earlier Sonqua, has been explained as “gatherers”, “outcasts, pariahs”, “servants, subjects”, “aborigines or settlers”, and “those who sit and rest”. Van Riebeeck’s addition of the explanations Vismans (“fish men”), struyckroovers (“bandits”, literally “bushrobbers”) and Berghvolck (“mountain people”) to various mentions of Souqua, Soaqua and similar words, prompts the possibility of translations.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Rhetoric and persuasion: understanding enthymemes in the public sphere
    (University of the Free State, 2010) Faure, Murray
    English: The enthymeme has been used and analysed for over two millennia. It is one of the most powerful rhetorical instruments used for the purpose of persuasion, be it through the spoken or written word. This article explores the origins and complexities of the instrument and demonstrates its use and significance in the public sphere by analysing style and rhetorical content in the writings of St Paul, Dr Martin Luther King Jnr and President George W Bush. The conclusions suggest that further research into this rhetorical instrument could uncover a layer of understanding of political discourse in the public sphere hitherto not undertaken by local scholars.