PROPOSAL NARRATIVE Summary • An innovative model of Humanities postgraduate education incorporating team and group supervision and an ethos of ‘each one teach one’ to meet South Africa’s present challenges of few experienced supervisors and the need to grow the next generation of researchers in South Africa. • Affirmative action as a principle of allocation of donor money to those most underrepresented in the research community and the ranks of South African Humanities academia when recruiting scholarship recipients. The aim is for the grant to serve the dual purpose of redress in the allocation of resources and a research agenda aimed at advancing social justice and inclusion in South African higher education. • Taking common local concerns and situatedness in a ‘place’ as a starting point for the epistemological transformation of higher education implying the integration of processes of supervision, research, teaching and community engagement into a single set of fluid practices that inform one another rather than operating as silos of transformation.

On 28 and 29 September 2023, Director of CPGS, Professor Sioux McKenna joined Dr Everlyn Kisembe at Moi University, Kenya to offer a workshop on developing doctoral writing. This work-shop was part of the Creating Postgraduate Collaborations EU-funded project and is one of a series of such workshops that Sioux is offering in collaboration with project partners.

In September 2023, Rhodes University joined partner universities from Kenya and the Netherlands for a Summer School hosted by Maseno University as part of the ongoing EU funded Creating Postgraduate Collaborations project [https://postgradcollaborations.com]. The Summer School focused on developing skills in grant development and management. The Summer School was in line with the goals of supporting international cooperation projects based on multilateral partnerships between organisations.

On 28 February 2023, the League of European Research Universities (LERU) launched its report on holistic doctoral supervision. The report provides an outline of practices that enable “productive supervision”, with numerous examples from member institutions.

What constitutes effective training to ensure research supervisors are well equipped to work with doctoral students? Sioux McKenna and Puleng Motshoane share advice based on their research in South Africa.

Most philosophers of education or philosophically inclined scholars of education in the past century and a half would agree with the claim that, ideally, education should be the practice of freedom. That is, it ought to cultivate the ability to intelligently decide how we want to shape our lives. The aim of education should be to foster human autonomy.

Recognising her exceptional leadership, dedication, and achievements in advancing internationalisation at Rhodes University, Professor Sioux McKenna, the Director of the Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CPGS), has been awarded the 2022 Internationalisation Award. Her tireless efforts have strengthened the institution's global presence and significantly contributed to the advancement of knowledge and understanding on a worldwide scale.

Rhodes University’s Director of the Centre for Postgraduate Studies, Professor Sioux McKenna, was one of ten panellists comprising academics and Chief Executive Officers of tech companies, at the latest CogitAIt Colloquium. The Colloquium was held on Tuesday, 18 April 2023, and it looked at the applications of emerging technologies in education, research, and training.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a shock to higher education systems everywhere. But while some changes, like moving lectures online, were relatively easy to make, assessment posed a much bigger challenge. Assessment can take many forms, from essays to exams to experiments and more.

Many universities expend vast sums of money to improve their place on the rankings. And they make strategic decisions that favour rankings placement over transformation.

The police-catch-punish approach neglects to address plagiarists’ misunderstanding of what higher education is all about, says Sioux McKenna.

Postgraduates from around the country and the world gathered on 02 September 2022 to take part in a panel hosted by the Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CPGS) of Rhodes University.

On 01 September 2022, the annual Rhodes Postgraduate Conference kicked off with a discussion on how we can ensure that knowledge created in higher education institutions crosses borders and is utilised to address the needs of the people and the planet.

Proctoring software monitors a student’s computer or phone while they write exams. These programs have been around for some time but became ubiquitous during online learning in the pandemic.

Four Rhodes University professors recently attended a project meeting for the EU-funded Creating Postgraduate Collaborations (CPC) in Kisumu, Kenya, together with representatives from eight other universities included in the project.

Professor Sioux McKenna is a devoted researcher who has consistently sought ways to improve the Higher Education system. Later this year, she will continue her journey as Visiting Professor at the highly esteemed Centre for International Higher Education (CIHE) at Boston College in the United States of America.

In collaboration with the Centre of Postgraduate Studies (CPGS) at Rhodes University, the International Office recently hosted a postgraduate panel discussion titled, "Choices, benefits and lessons learnt from educational migration".

As part of Africa Month this May, the Rhodes University International Office has been hosting several activities during its International Week, running from 22 to 28 May. The Office has been raising awareness about nutrition and food security, the African Union’s theme for 2022, through a Makhanda-wide collaborative food drive.

After two isolating pandemic years, the Rhodes University Anthropology Department's Postgraduate Diploma in Heritage Management (PDHM) saw its first in-person graduates this year.

Rhodes University's Siphokazi Msengana won first place at the national #3MT competition, securing the University's position at the top for the second year in a row.

From Rhodes University in South Africa, Sioux Mckenna asks whether the technological arms race of plagiarism detection is of any benefit to students and learning

The uptake of educational technology in South Africa’s higher education sector has been highly uneven and very slow. Before the pandemic, most courses offered in South African universities had some form of Learning Management System presence. Students could access course guides and readings, upload their assignments, and possibly communicate with their lecturer and peers via forums. But beyond that, many academics seemed to resist making use of the technology, even though it could allow for greater engagement and interactive learning.

The rise of fake news in the COVID-19 era has had terrible consequences already and looks likely to continue to do so.

A seed of an idea that emanated from her empathy about obesity, a growing problem world-wide, is what motivated a Rhodes University alumna to write an unusual and provocative debut novel on the topic.

Two Rhodes University PhD candidates walked away with a first place tie in the national Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition last week.

On behalf of our Chancellor, Council and the entire Rhodes University community, I offer you our warmest and proud congratulations on graduating with a Masters or PhD degree from Rhodes University. Without hard work, perseverance and a dogged determination, you would not have reached this important milestone in your academic pursuits.

Many universities around the world pay academics to publish their research. Our recent study in South Africa, though, suggests they should be cautious of such practices.

Rhodes University’s CPGS, together with the Postgraduate Liaison Committee, have put a twist to this year’s postgraduate conference, to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions.

A significant amount of mon­ey has been invested in doctoral education. The national funding formula gives all universities a strong incentive to increase their doctoral intake. But there are questions to be asked about whether the quality of doctoral education justifies these invest­ments of taxpayer money.

Dr Peter Clayton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, officially opened Rhodes University’s Open Access Day on 20 November 2019 at the Main Library.

The Rhodes University community is deeply saddened by the passing of Dr Allan William Buchanan Gray. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Gill, daughter Jennifer, and his two sons, William and Trevor.

The annual Postgraduate Student Cocktail function took place on 7 November 2019 in honour of 77 outstanding postgraduate students at Rhodes University.

Around the world there has been a massive increase in demand for doctoral education. This mostly stems from the idea that the “knowledge economy” requires high-level skills.

Two Rhodes University alumni, Dylan Smith and Timothy Abel, were recently awarded prestigious Rhodes Scholarships.

A HARDWORKING masters student would not have made it into Rhodes University five years ago

A TALENTED university graduate who was wasting away in a dead-end job when he nearly died in a life-changing shack fire

The 2019 Rhodes University Department of Economics Postgraduate Conference was held on 4 and 5 October at the Barratt Lecture Theatre.

From 5th to the 8th August 2019, approximately 40 Rhodes University postgraduate students gathered for a few days of full writing immersion in a beautiful resort filled with wildlife called Assegaai Trails.

The Rhodes University Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CPGS) closed off their annual Postgraduate Conference with a presentation from the Technology Transfer Team and a prize-giving ceremony.

The 2019 Rhodes University postgraduate conference was held on 22 and 23 August at the Education Department.

Friday 23 August was day two of the informative and exciting Rhodes University Postgraduate conference.

Rhodes University’s Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CPGS) has added a €950 000 EU-funded project to its stable of successful postgraduate support initiatives.

The Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CPGS) recently held a two day conference aimed at opening up the academic conversation between researchers at Rhodes University.

Rhodes University Honours student Siph’esihle Ndaba has been granted an Abe Bailey Travel Bursary and will be travelling to Ethiopia and the United Kingdom this November.

The very first Writing Marathon, or Writathon, was held on Friday, 24 May by the Centre for Postgraduate Studies in collaboration with the Rhodes University Library. Teams of postgraduate scholars came together, set loose and wrote for eight hours.

Reading academic literature is a big part of postgraduate research, and the ability to review and report on pertinent literature is an important academic skill. But many postgraduate students struggle to make sense of the functions of the literature as it pertains to their research.

The existence of vast amounts of information- a lot of it free- on the Internet might suggest that the library has outlived its usefulness. But has it? The Rhodes University librarians proved otherwise in a short "Using the Library for Research Purposes" workshop on Thursday 23rd May 2019

On Tuesday 21 May, postgraduate students eagerly walked into Eden Grove Red, where Prof Sioux McKenna was facilitating a workshop on how to apply for scholarships or grants.

What is qualitative data? This is data that characterizes but does not measure the attributes, properties, etc., of a thing or phenomenon. This data type is non-numerical and can be collected through a variety of methods such as questionnaires, interviews and focus groups

As university students, we do most of our work online. Our most common resources are the Microsoft Windows packages that come installed on all university computers: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint

In the Academic Writing Workshop, facilitated by Professor Sioux McKenna on 9 May, various writing techniques and tips were discussed – especially that writing is a practice – and so to become good at it, you need lots of practice!

Data in research is any information that has been collected, observed, generated or created to validate original research findings. It forms the building blocks from which researchers find answers.

Writing is often described as lonely; Writing Circles can provide a community in which a cohort of postgraduate scholars engage and connect with each other and grow as early stage researchers.

What is an experimental design? Experimental design is the process of planning a study to meet specific objectives. It is a fundamental skill for researchers.

The issue of ethics is increasingly foregrounded in research design. The extent to which this demonstrates a deepening concern with ethical processes or whether it reflects the increased bureaucracy in a risk-averse era can be debated.

The Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CPGS) officially opened the year’s programme by hosting a welcome event for all postgraduate students.

On Thursday 7th March a large group of postgraduates congregated in Barratt 2 to plan their studies and figure out how to get the most from their postgraduate journey.

On Thursday 28 February, the Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CPGS) officially kicked of the year’s programme with the welcome event for all postgraduate students.

Rhodes University’s 9th Annual Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Conference was held on the 26 and 27 July 2018. undaries.

The recent Enhancing Postgraduate Environment colloquium held at the Royal Embassy of the Netherlands in Pretoria was a celebration of this highly successful project

The debate over the role of higher education in relation to the public good overlaps with an increasing scrutiny of government funding and the state’s involvement in higher learning institutions. Having professionally skilled citizens is largely considered an essential condition to societal good, but only to the extent that they serve society. If the very costly postgraduate education is not a public good, and is simply a private benefit for those students who study at that level and go on to accrue enormous private wealth, then why should it be funded? This was the central theme of the annual Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Conference hosted by the Centre for Postgraduate Studies at Rhodes University in late July. This conference saw postgraduates engage in ‘public good’ debates about climate sustainability, socio-economic development, the fourth industrial revolution and blue-sky research. The focal point of the discussions was how postgraduate scholars view their work in the context of the societies in which they live – which takes into account (among other things) who the public is, and what constitutes ‘good’.

A large number of postgraduate students gathered at a celebration of their contributions to the academic community. At this Postgraduate Cocktail function, which is held annually, students are lauded and thanked for raising the Rhodes University flag with their remarkable achievements. Heads and supervisors are encouraged to nominate students within their departments, who they feel deserve recognition for their contributions to excellent research or special achievements. These achievements include awards received at conferences, special prizes won, book chapter contributions, the authoring of published accredited journal papers, or significant creative output.

Rhodes University’s PG Writing Circles are really making waves. A delegation of CPGS Writing Circle facilitators presented the joint research paper “Beyond Multilinguality: Unpacking academic voice in writing groups" at the 2018 edition of Heltasa 2018 in Nelson Mandela University

POSTGRAD CONFERENCE 26 & 27 July Submit and abstract and register here

CPGS Short Courses enhance your capabilities, achieve your goals.

Come on a retreat and write a journal article!

Postgraduate scholars (Masters and PhD candidates who are working on an article for publication from their studies are invited to attend a fully funded writing retreat. The retreat will take you through the processes of selecting a journal, crafting your argument, drafting your text and article submission. It will also include opportunities to actually sit and write!

The Pomodoro technique is a timed reading or writing technique where you sit in silence with fellow scholars for 25-minute slots to focus on your own work. Facebook, Twitter, Emails and Instagram are banned for the duration! Bring along whatever you are working on and join us. The session will comprise 4 Pomodoros and you’re welcome to join any or all of them! Pomodoros holds every Tuesdays from 2 pm to 3:30 pm (2 pm, 2:30 pm, 3 pm and 3:30 pm) We'd love to include you in one of our Pomodoro groups so you can benefit from a space to develop your writing and achieve your writing goals. Please complete the information below and we will get back to you. Please email cpgs@ru.ac.za if you have any questions.

The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Comprehensive Systematic Review Training Program enables participants to learn how to conduct robust reviews of different types from quantitative and qualitative research, narrative and text, in order to provide the strongest possible evidence base to inform decisions.

Professor Karl Maton’s visit was greatly anticipated by the many academics and PhD scholars drawing on Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) for their research. But the crowded room that attended his public lecture on Autonomy Codes also included a number of people who were unfamiliar with the theory or how it can be used to make sense of masses of data where questions of access, power and social justice are paramount.

The launch of the book, Going to University- The Influence of Higher Education on the Lives of Young South Africans, took place at Rhodes University on 5th March 2018. The event was a great success and led to much engaged discussion. Notable in the audience was the Rhodes University Vice Chancellor, Dr. Sizwe Mabizela, and Deputy Vice Chancellors, Dr. Chrissie Boughey and Dr. Peter Clayton

Despite the heat and the glare from the sun obscuring the PowerPoint slides, there was much engagement and discussion at the seminar on Thursday 22 February held at Steve Biko 1.

The Postgraduate Orientation programme kicked off to a festive start on Thursday 15 February with a social event attended by scholars and supervisors from across the faculties. There was standing room only and the crowd spilled out onto the verandah as the Deans gave brief examples of the wonderful research being undertaken in this research-intensive institution.

Fifty-four postgraduate students shared their research at the postgraduate research conference held on 29 and 30 September. The conference, which had the theme: Sustainability for Tomorrow, began with a stimulating keynote by Professor Ahmed Bawa, who is CEO of Universities South Africa. Professor Bawa spoke of the need for research that simultaneously addressed social concerns and pushed back at the current anti-intellectualism prevalent in society. Dr Sizwe Mabizela opened the conference and thanked the organizing committee for their work in making the event.

This is national course prepares novice supervisors for the complexities of postgraduate supervision. It is accredited and certified and entails attending the full course and completing an assignment.

The Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Conference: "Sustainability for Tomorrow" is happening on the 29th - 30th September 2017 and all are invited. Come and witness research presentations from various faculties. Registration is important to attend the conference.

Three research workshops will be happening on the 7th of September 2017. First one will focus on an ethical approach to science: what is scientific thinking. The second will focus on understanding theoretical frameworks. Thirdly, disseminating your research so that it achieves impact.

Are you struggling to focus? Try a Pomodoro session. Join us every Thursday from 2pm - 4pm Library 4th level, Margaret Kenyon Reading Room

Writing circles are safe spaces for Postgraduate Scholars to focus on their own writing development. Writing development is often overlooked in the postgraduate journey and yet your thesis is examined as a written text. Writing Circles provide a peer-support structure for becoming a better academic writer. Sign up to join today

Join the team from the online newspaper "The Conversation" as they discuss the importance of disseminating research with the public. This session will include a hands-on workshop on how you can do this

The Academic Journal Writing short course is open to all Postgraduate Scholars and Postdoctoral Fellows. If you’re co-authoring with your supervisor, they are welcome too!

Do you have an ongoing commitment to improving South African science through engagement in community development, capacity building and mentoring activities? Come and hear more on the talk by South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS) executive representative Dr Nosiphiwe Ngqwala.

All Postgraduate Scholars are invited to attend a workshop in which we will tackle ways of making sure you get the most from your supervisor.

The Centre for Postgraduate Studies warmly invites you to a seminar to discuss the role of students as Next Generation Leaders in addressing global challenges

Fifteen universities from eight African countries have launched an alliance of research universities, at the African Higher Education Summit in Senegal’s capital Dakar.

This year the RU Scholarship division is once again advertising a range of scholarships for postgraduate studies at Rhodes University. These scholarships support scholars in a range of different faculties and we welcome both Rhodes University graduates and scholars from other universities to apply.

The Equity and Institutional Culture Office’s main objective is to drive the transformation of the institution towards being an institution whose staff and students’ practices are demonstrably informed by a deep appreciation of equality, equity and human rights. The directorate works in partnership with the various divisions and faculties of the university. It also partners with different student organisations.

Postgraduate ‘Research in Africa’ Cross-faculty Seminar Series kicks off with a seminar on Biodiversity Conservation and Statebuilding in the DRC How can biodiversity conservation be used to enhance co-operation, peacebuilding and statebuilding? This is the question that Deo Kujirakwinja from the Department of Environmental Science raised in the Research in Africa postgraduate seminar.

Rhodes University Faculty of Education celebrated 10 years of running PhD weeks at the new Education Lecture Theatre.

Rhodes University Faculty of Education are celebrating 10 years of running PhD weeks from 16 March to 20 March 2015

A group of postgraduate students are making waves in their communities after representing Rhodes University on national and international

Having the newly launched Time-Of-Flight-Secondary-Ion-Mass-Spectrometer (TOF-SIMS) located just down the hallway from them in Rhodes

A new Postgraduate Studies Centre (PGSC) has been established with a focus on expanding the quality,

The INSHS opens a call for entries to assign four doctoral contracts of 36 months.

Saxophonist Paul Richard performed a contemporary classical programme for his Masters Recital on Tuesday 30 September.

Professor Gillian Hart will deliver a Public Lecture and Post-Graduate Master Class entitled ‘Political Society’

ALTHOUGH most tourists perceived Port Elizabeth as a safe holiday destination, some had been the victims of crime.

REPORT CONTINUES FROM: P1 chief financial officer. Former Local Government MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane later rejected Nair's appointment and chartered accountant Trevor Harper was appointed when the recruitment process was restarted.

SENIOR municipal managers who are unqualified and unable to do their jobs could soon find themselves out in the cold.

AGRICULTURE can play a crucial role in boosting job creation.

The Coega industrial development zone (IDZ)has reduced Nelson Mandela Bay unemployment levels and also has the potential to uplift other parts of the Eastern Cape.

Applications are invited for one Post- doctoral, one Doctoral and several Masters research positions with the above Chair in the Department of Environmental Science.

Rhodes University Certificate Course NQF Level 8 Accredited, 15 Credits

mgÀÏ»¢»úÓÎÏ·_¾­µäÀÏ»¢»ú¡ª¼¤ÇéÓ®Ó¯ÖÐ 100 postgraduate students from the Eastern Cape Universities and South Africa are expected to attend the Inter-disciplinary 6th annual

Two Rhodes University students, Denham Parker and Phumlile Cotiyane won best student presentation and best student poster respectively

The Department of Political and International Studies at Rhodes University offers a range of post-graduate study options at PhD, Masters, Honours and Diploma levels. Masters degrees are offered by course-work and thesis or by thesis only.

Dr Ronen Fogel had a happy childhood, in a family that prepared him and set him on his path as a scientist, without perhaps having been deliberately fashioned to do so.

When Ngitholiseni Sithole arrived at university last year, he barely spoke any English. He even dropped a subject because he couldn’t understand his lecturer.

They’re young, open minded and want to be the best at what they do.

Rhodes University invites applications for the David Ryan Memorial Scholarship for Honours, Masters or Doctoral studies in Philosophy for 2015

THE son of a Rhodes University gardener has graduated with a BSc.

Managing water better, safely disposing of old medicine, and littering less were the focus of an environmental health awareness project

SCIENCE, says Nobel Prize winner Dr Syndey Brenner, is about having new ideas and exploring and testing them, not about bureaucracy, committees

Lisa Maholo dreams of not only making life better for her family, but her community as a whole.