Abstract
This paper presents a case study of two first year sociology courses run at an elite South African university in order to speak to student perspectives on the sociology curriculum. The paper provides a comparative analysis of the academic experiences of extended degree (ED) students registered on two first year courses, one of which drew on literature and sociological theory which was mainly Euro-American in origin, and the other of which attempted to situate sociological theory within local contexts. In so doing, it contributes to debates on the role of identity in teaching sociology. We highlight the tension that occurs between the need to make content accessible and relevant for students – particularly for first generation students – and the need to also give students access to the powerful knowledge (Young, 2009) that comes with familiarity with the theory-dense sociological canon.
Highlights
Higher Education in South Africa and the Extended DegreeSouth Africa became a constitutional democracy in 1994
The paper provides a comparative analysis of the academic experiences of extended degree (ED) students registered on two first year courses, one of which drew on literature and sociological theory which was mainly Euro-American in origin, and the other of which attempted to situate sociological theory within local contexts
Research Methods With this theoretical background in mind, the study presented here set out to explore the academic experiences of first year sociology students on an Extended Degree program; their experiences of two courses that approached the introduction of sociology slightly differently, with one drawing mainly on the Euro-American canon and the other attempting to situate sociological theory within local contexts
Summary
Higher Education in South Africa and the Extended DegreeSouth Africa became a constitutional democracy in 1994. The highest state per capita expenditure was allocated to Whites, Indians, and people of so-called mixed race, with the lowest expenditure being allocated to the majority population comprising indigenous Black Africans (Ngcobo, 2011).. The highest state per capita expenditure was allocated to Whites, Indians, and people of so-called mixed race, with the lowest expenditure being allocated to the majority population comprising indigenous Black Africans (Ngcobo, 2011).3 The ramifications of this are still being felt in South Africa today, as social inequality has grown in the country, and race and class have remained closely entangled (Habib, 2013). The nature of the support has become more closely integrated into the mainstream curriculum than it was initially, but the Academic Development (AD) programmes that typically offer such support still tend to be marginalised within universities (Luckett, 2012)
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