IsiXhosa language and culture

Name: IsiXhosa language and culture
SKU: 13535
Price: 4764 ZAR
Availability: InStock

R4 764

IsiXhosa Language and Culture is a fun-filled 14-week course offering international students a linguistic and cultural taste of Xhosa as a language in a wider cultural context. This course is for international students with no previous knowledge of isiXhosa and who are registered in the Global Education Programme (GEP). The course aims to teach you about the isiXhosa language and its culture and will enable you to engage in meaningful conversation at beginner level. Through this course you empower yourself to put multilingualism into practice with other South African students.

2025 course dates

This course runs every semester.

Contact Us

Presenter

Bongiwe Dlutu is an isiXhosa facilitator, and she loves sharing the isiXhosa language and culture with others. She is currently pursuing a PhD in African Languages, with a research focus on indigenous knowledge systems and the preservation of oral traditions. Her journey in education has been shaped by a deep passion for language, culture and empowering others through learning. She is committed to promoting multilingualism and using inclusive, humanising pedagogies in her teaching. Her work allows her to contribute meaningfully to the development of culturally responsive learning spaces where students feel seen, heard and valued.

Location

Stellenbosch University campus

We will focus on the following themes to enhance your ability to communicate in isiXhosa:

Greeting people and making introductions
Asking about someone’s health and feelings
Inviting someone for a drink or something to eat
Ordering something to drink and eat at a restaurant
Making and answering telephone calls
Speaking about the weather
Naming the months and days of the week
Setting up formal and informal appointments
Giving directions on and off campus
Asking for help at a filling station

At the end of the course, you will be able to take part in conversations about the above topics at beginner level.

This course is presented over the course of the semester. We meet for 1 hour twice a week.

We love interacting with you to give you the practice you need so that you can become confident in speaking the language. There will be speaking tasks at a beginner level as well as group interaction with the teacher.

You will be assessed continuously in class on the basis of your presence and participation. You will also need to complete formal assessments.

We recommend a computer with internet access and a microphone to participate in the live sessions on MS Teams and to complete the online activities outside of class. You will also need a note pad.

Any international students registered in the Global Education Programme (GEP) who have no previous knowledge of isiXhosa.

For the initial application, you need to contact Stembele Johnson and attend the first meeting, which is scheduled during the welcoming week. See the Global Education Programmes (GEP) offering for more information.

Registration is done through the International Office, but contact Stembele first.

Students who register through the Global Education Programme will receive 12 credits at NQF level 5.

SU International will help you to arrange for accommodation before you leave your home country for South Africa.

The price includes all course material and access to our online learning platforms.

You will not only learn a new language but will also be empowered with multilingual and multicultural skills. You may also find that you can connect better with students and colleagues in basic isiXhosa conversations. In addition, you will be able to start appreciating isiXhosa as a regional language and its position as an official language in South Africa. Become part of the culture in Stellenbosch and South Africa by getting to know one of our indigenous and official languages.