SAQA

All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.

SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY

REGISTERED QUALIFICATION THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE:

Master of Philosophy: Rhetoric Studies

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
15720	Master of Philosophy: Rhetoric Studies
ORIGINATOR
University of Cape Town
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY			NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education			HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework
QUALIFICATION TYPE	FIELD		SUBFIELD
Master's Degree	Field 07 - Human and Social Studies		Environmental Relations
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	192	Level 8 and above	Level N/A:Pre-2009 was L8+	Regular-Provider-ELOAC
REGISTRATION STATUS		SAQA DECISION NUMBER	REGISTRATION START DATE	REGISTRATION END DATE
Passed the End Date - Status was "Reregistered"		SAQA 06120/18	2018-07-01	2018-12-31
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2019-12-31		2022-12-31

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.

This qualification does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification.

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION

The programme is designed to fill a gap in graduate education in South Africa in terms of the study of public deliberation and democracy building. It is based on standard similar programmes that have run successfully in the United States for several decades. The programme has been conceived with the advice and counselling of prominent US scholars in the rhetoric field ("rhetoric" is the standard term used in the US for the study of public deliberation). This programme takes cognisance of the special need in SA to develop and support practices of democratic deliberation in the citizenship and in civil society structures. It is aimed at the study and the practical development of public deliberation (political, popular, advocacy, media argumentation).

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

A degree of Honours Bachelor or its equivalent, in the discipline or a cognate discipline recognised by the Faculty.

Senior Certificate with Matriculation Exemption or equivalent university admission qualification.

First degree:
BA / BsocSc

Honours degree:
B (Hons) / BsocSc (Hons)

Recognition of prior learning:

People who have shown by examination or publication or a record of appropriate training that they have reached a level in the subject or a cognate subject equivalent to an Honours Bachelor's degree, may be permitted to register for the degree.

Non-Honours graduates who have shown a proven record of professional experience in political or civil deliberation (e.g. NGO worker) over five years, may be permitted to register for the degree.

The average candidate to the programme should demonstrate a good command of SA political idiom, alongside an awareness of logical structures inherent to dialogue and verbal exchange. She/he should also be adaptable in terms of cognitive skills (for example; a typical BA student with a major in literature should be able to discard value judgements, while a student who has majored in history should be able to see that public deliberation does not rest on facts but on perceptions). Sensitivity to diversity is primordial.

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

a). Critical cross-field outcomes (generic to all teaching and learning):

1. The Masters graduate is able to demonstrate mastery to depth of a theoretically sophisticated subject matter;
2. The Masters graduate is equipped with proficiency in research methodology sufficient to proceed to a Ph.D. Graduates have mastered the skills of critical thinking, critical evaluation and professional presentation of the subject matter and effective professional written communication.

b). General outcomes (contextually demonstrated general knowledge, skills and values of the programme):

The Masters graduate is able to:

1. Conduct independent research in the discipline (or inter-disciplinary field).
2. Communicate verbally and orally with professional audiences.
3. Apply in-depth and specialised disciplinary knowledge and research skills to discipline-based problems.
4. Analyse and critique communications of an academic and popular nature.
5. Appreciate the ethical issues associated with research and knowledge production in the discipline.
6. Understand the processes whereby knowledge in the Humanities is constructed

c). Specific outcomes, including professional outcomes (contextually demonstrated):

The MPhil graduate in Rhetoric Studies will be:

1. Familiar with historical and contemporary philosophical and theoretical issues in Rhetoric.
2. Able to analyse modes of persuasion applied to specific argumentative situations.
3. Able to compose deliberative speeches.
4. Able to analyse critical professional literature in Rhetoric.
5. Able to act as a public address consultant.
6. Write research proposals

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

a). The achievement of these outcomes is assessed in the integrated assessment of the programme

b). The achievement of these outcomes is assessed in the integrated assessment of the programme.

c). The outcomes are assessed as follows:

1. The completion of term papers in all competence areas listed.
2. The compilation of a research dissertation that includes the components listed under the integrated assessment.

INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT

The integration of skills learnt in the Masters degree in Rhetoric is assessed by means of a dissertation of a word length stipulated by the faculty. The dissertation must demonstrate competence in the following areas, all of which are assessed in the examination of the dissertation. The criteria for assessment includes the following:

Critical presentation of the problem of public argumentation revolving around the research topic.

Familiarity with and integration of the professional literature in Rhetoric Studies and applied subjects.

Appropriate design and execution of the research topic.

Use of appropriate modes of public persuasion.

Ability to address the ethical problems (e.g., demagogy) that might arise out of the execution of the subject-matter that is chosen for research.

Use of the publication and style conventions of the discipline.

The dissertation is subject to external examination.

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

This qualification serves as an entry point to the related qualification

PhD

Entry to this qualification in mid-stream is not possible.

Exit from this qualification in mid-stream:
The coursework components completed may be recognised by another institution

Other higher education programmes that articulate with this qualification without "going back to square one":

The Masters degree articulates with the Ph.D in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities. When dissertation progress is reviewed at the end of each academic year, the Faculty Board, on the recommendation of the supervisor and the Head of the Department, may recommend that the candidate's registration be upgraded to a Ph.D and that the period of Masters registration beyond the minimum period of one year be recognised towards the two year minimum period of study for the Ph.D.

MODERATION OPTIONS

The University of Cape Town has a system of external peer review and evaluation of each course. One of the aspects of the system is an evaluation of the standards and assessment practices of the Department

CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS

The academic staff of the University of Cape Town will be used in a manner that is consistent with the quality assurance system of the University

REREGISTRATION HISTORY

As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this qualification was Reregistered in 2006; 2009; 2012; 2015.

LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION:

NONE

PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION:

This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.

1.	University of Cape Town