Good news
A strong, independent media is the cornerstone of democracy and a crucial component of human development in any society. Journalists have a responsibility to protect press freedom and other civil liberties, but also to maintain the highest professional standards and ethics.
Stellenbosch University (SU) contributes to these aims through its Journalism Department, which runs the only specialised postgraduate journalism school in South Africa and offers sought after research opportunities in media studies.
Established in 1978 as a school for 20 postgraduate students on the honours level, SU’s Journalism Department has experienced consistent growth through the years and over the years the Department’s existing facilities have become too small. Now, it has expanded into a new building, called MEDIAFRIKA. This new building is a modern, double-storey structure behind the Department’s existing premises.
The ground floor of the new building houses a multifunctional lecture hall, and has space for students to relax and interact with each other. The upper level boasts with a multimedia newsroom with editing suites.
“An informed society is an empowered society. Journalism is one of the keys to empowerment. We need quality journalism to advance human development in Africa. MEDIAFRIKA will help us realise these goals,” says Prof Lizette Rabe, Head of the Department.
Training
In the past, newspapers scarcely believed in any formal training for their rookie reporters, simply throwing them into the deep end. Since then, the situation has changed and an academic qualification is now virtually a necessity.
The Department offers three postgraduate programmes: BPhil, MPhil and DPhil.
The one-year BPhil (honours) degree in journalism is aimed at students who want to work in the media and have already obtained a degree.
Approximately 25 aspiring journalists from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds are selected for the programme each year.
Research
In its MPhil and DPhil programmes, the Department focuses on research that will make a difference – both to journalism and society at large.
The Department’s current intake of master’s students number about 35, with a number of students on the doctoral level. The aim with the MEDIAFRIKA initiative is not to increase these numbers dramatically, but to accommodate more fulltime students, especially from African countries.
Collaboration
The Department is linked to the Graduate School and the African Doctoral Academy within the Faculty of Arts, bodies established to grow world-class postgraduate programmes and research in Africa.
The Department also forms part of SU’s collaboration with other leading African universities through a network called the Partnership for Africa’s Next Generation of Academics (PANGeA).
Excellence and relevance
The Department has built up a solid reputation for delivering quality graduates. In a skills audit by the South African National Editors’ Forum, it was identified as a centre of excellence.
MEDIAFRIKA will enable the Department to strengthen not only its teaching role, but also its research programmes. In this way ongoing efforts to promote sound and robust journalism on the continent in support of human development will be advanced.