Undergraduate Information
The following undergraduate majors and qualifications are offered:
- Classical Civilisation (Howard College)
- Ethics Studies (PMB)
- Philosophy (Howard College & PMB)
- Religion (Howard College)
- Bachelor of Theology (PMB)
Classics
Classics opens the doors of opportunity to our students by offering a diverse range of courses that are rooted in classical times but require the application of modern analytical skills. We offer a range of exciting and dynamic courses to suit a new era in the study of the Classics. The courses on offer allow students not only to develop an appreciation for the classical civilisations, but also to equip themselves with important skills required in any sphere of their professional lives.
Ethics Studies
Ethics is the study of morality, or right and wrong behaviour. In Ethics, you will examine questions like: “Why do we think certain things (for example, stealing) are bad?” Ethics Studies approaches such questions in an applied, inter-disciplinary and open-ended way that is intended to allow you, the student, to freely express your opinions about such matters in an intelligent, informed and culturally sensitive way.
Philosophy
Many parents voice the concern about whether a postgraduate degree in Philosophy makes commercial sense and of course this is an important consideration. It is thus worth noting that Philosophy degrees are recognised as being real assets in terms of employability. In an editorial in The Times (UK), the author wrote that ‘the great virtue of philosophy is that it teaches not what to think, but how to think.
Philosophy is, in commercial jargon, the ultimate “transferable work skill”. According to The Higher Education Academy (UK), for Philosophy graduates ‘the employability possibilities are almost limitless…[with] an employability rate of 98.9%’. While these are British opinions and statistics, we are seeing a similar value being placed on Philosophy degrees here in South Africa especially given the critical shortage of skilled workers.
Religion
As a core discipline for the study of human belief and thought systems, Religious Studies introduces students to the main faith traditions. As religion is one of the fundamental social elements of society, Religion Studies engages students by focusing on national and international concerns related to the articulation of religion and conflict, the increasing and growing diversity in world cultures due to different forms of migration, moral and ethical views of peoples of the African continent, and perspectives on women, urbanisation, development, health and the environment.
Theology
We believe that theology is essentially a communal enterprise in which we grow through mutual challenge and enrichment. Our goal is to help you develop your abilities to think theoretically and to be critically constructive about yourself and tradition.
We try, while offering a classical training with academic excellence, to explore various theological disciplines in a manner relevant to our context.