SU uses the concept of internationalisation at home to enhance the integration of local students with visiting students from other countries. This approach gives the Language Centre an opportunity to leverage its ability to create value from a service delivery perspective, and collaborate on global initiatives. We’re sharing a few of our language learning initiatives from the first semester of 2023 below:
The closing ceremony with the INP-HB Côte D’Ivoire group, who did a five-week Business English immersion course with the Language Centre’s English portfolio
Ivory Coast students immerse themselves in English with the Language Centre
A group of 23 master’s students from the National Institute of Polytechnics Félix Houphouët Boigny in Côte D’Ivoire completed an intensive five-week Business English immersion course with the Language Centre’s English portfolio during May and June. The English portfolio collaborated with SU International and Dr Nico Elema, director of Centre for Collaboration in Africa (CCA) to realise this event. This short-term programme is the first-ever non-degree Africa mobility event to take place through the CCA and SU International, and there is hope for more initiatives like these. A video was made to capture the students’ experiences.
Fresh cohorts of Parisian students visit the Language Centre to improve their academic English
A group of 280 students from the SKEMA business school in Paris completed the English for Academic purposes (EAP) course offered by the Language Centre’s English portfolio in the first semester.
A second group of students is expected to attend another EAP semester course in the second half of the year. The collaboration with the SKEMA business school is a valuable way for SU to enlarge its global footprint and deliver high-quality service to international partners.
SKEMA students completing their EAP writing exams
IEP students on an excursion to the SU Botanical Gardens
Intensive English Programme draws students from all over the world
The Intensive English Programme (IEP) focuses on improving students’ English reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. It is presented in blocks of eight weeks across six levels, from beginner to advanced. The English portfolio’s current intake of multilingual students for the IEP are from China, Congo, DRC, Gabon, Sweden, Turkey, Germany, Chile, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Angola and Libya. A unique feature of the programme is the fortnightly outings, which give students the opportunity to communicate and connect with each other outside the classroom.
Visiting students from Georgia, USA, learn Afrikaans and isiXhosa during their stay
A group of 16 students visiting from the University of Georgia in the United States of America learnt basic isiXhosa and Afrikaans alongside their studies at SU in seven sessions for each language during the first semester of 2023 with the Language Centre. They learnt to speak basic Afrikaans and gained more insight into Afrikaans culture as well. At first the students struggled a bit with pronounciation in isiXhosa, but as time went on, they grasped the isiXhosa terms they needed to communicate around Stellenbosch. They were particularly interested in South African culture and also asked for music recommendations. “When introduced to some songs, their faces lit up because they have a heard snippets of the songs and they now had a better explanation of what they meant,” isiXhosa facilitator Stembele Johnson explains.
Students visiting from the University of Georgia in the United States of America
Beginner Afrikaans level 1 students with their lecturer, Dr Vernita Beukes (3rd from left)
Exchange students from all over the world choose to learn Afrikaans while visiting SU
During the first semester of 2023, students from England, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, the United States of America and Dubai attended the Beginner Afrikaans level 1 module offered by the Language Centre through SU International’s GEP offering. By the end of the module students were able to have basic conversations in Afrikaans with conversational partners all over Stellenbosch.
Afrikaans Culture Course for Dutch-speaking students highlight language connection
The Afrikaanse taal- en kultuurkursus vir Nederlandssprekendes, part of SU International’s GEP offering, had a very successful intake in the first semester and the Language Centre hopes to welcome a group of new students in the second semester.
The aim of the course is for the students not only to discover the wonderful differences (and similarities) between Afrikaans and Dutch, but also to experience the rich culture of the diverse Afrikaans-speaking community.
Topics such as identity, history, music and literature form part of discussions, and outings to places such as the Afrikaanse Taalmonument or a visit from Tribel Echo’s Frazer Barry give these students a unique experience of Afrikaans language and culture.
Dutch-speaking students on an excursion visiting the Afrikaanse Taalmonument
Five of the students wearing some traditional attire during a field trip to Kayamandi
International students eager to learn isiXhosa
The IsiXhosa Language and Culture module, also part of SU International’s GEP offering, is a semester course aimed at international students offered by the Language Centre. Most of the students who attended the offering in the first semester of 2023 were busy with postgraduate studies and some have been in South Africa for a year already. They were eager and excited to learn about the Xhosa culture, and participated well, attending most of their lectures and submitting their work on time. They wanted to explore Cape Town and use vocabulary they have acquired in class.
The course concluded with a field trip by Nocawe Holdings in Kayamandi. This included a tour of Kayamandi, a spread of African food, an opportunity to dress up in Xhosa attire and sing some Xhosa songs, and hearing more about Nocawe’s upbringing and context. Field trips like these help students gain insight into more aspects of the South African context.
More SU staff members learning isiXhosa
The Masabelane isiXhosa course for SU staff is becoming ever more popular on campus. Many staff members are eager to learn isiXhosa to communicate with their colleagues and others. There were two full intakes during the first semester of 2023, both entirely booked by University divisions or departments. Colleagues attended and submitted their work enthusiastically, but also felt that they still needed more time to learn the language.
Staff members attending the Masabelane isiXhosa course hard at work learning isiXhosa
Staff members attending the Masabelane isiXhosa course hard at work learning isiXhosa
Due to work commitments, participating staff members find it difficult to fully commit and attend all lectures, which then results in them missing out on some lecture content. Slides accompanied by audio were provided, but learning isiXhosa face to face is different from online self-study. However, isiXhosa facilitator Stembele Johnson says that even with the challenges, colleagues acquired enough isiXhosa vocabulary and sentences to communicate.
This post is also available in: English
