National University Of Lesotho

Department of English

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Regulations

ENG 1.00 Students reading one of the subjects offered by the Department of English should study carefully the Faculty of Humanities General Regulations. The Departmental Special Regulations are only meant to supplement the Faculty General Regulations.

ENG 1.01 The following combinations are possible in the Department of English:

The first is made up as follows: Literature in English and English language, both within the Department of English.

The second possible double major in the Department consists of English Language and Theatre and Drama, both within the Department of English.

The third possible double major in the Department consists of either English Language or Literature in English or Theatre and Drama and one of the following subjects from other departments and faculties: African Languages and Literature (ALL); Development Studies; French; Human Geography; History; Philosophy; Theology; Sociology/Social Anthropology (FSS); Political and Administrative Studies (FSS).

Note: for English Language and/or Literature in English as (a) teaching subject(s), refer to the relevant Faculty of Education Regulations.

Note that no student is permitted to read English Language or Literature in English or Theatre and Drama as a major subject unless CSS in Year 1 is passed at the first attempt.

ENG 1.02 The Department's Year 1 Literature in English Course E102 is compulsory for a student who intends to take either Literature in English or English Language as a major.

ENG 1.03 Undergraduate Programmes

English Language/Linguistics Major

In order to major in English Language in a BA (Humanities), a student shall take and pass the following courses in addition to the compulsory Year 1 Communication Skills courses:

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4**

E102 EL203 EL303 EL402

EL204 EL304 EL404

EL205 EL305 EL414

E203 EL312 E413

or E204

or E205*

* English Language Students are to take either E203 or E204 or E205. Note: All the three courses will not be offered every year. The choice of one of the three to be taken in a particular year will be determined by the department.

** Students must also take and pass two of the following Electives to make up their programme EL311, EL314, EL411, EL412, EL413, EL415, EL416, ALL401, ALL406, PHIL 415

English Literature Major

In order to major in Literature in English in a BA (Humanities) programme, a student must take and pass the following courses, including the compulsory Year 1 Communication Skills courses:

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3* Year 4**

E102 E203 E301 E401

E204 E302 E402

E205 E404

EL202 E413

EL205 EL414

* Students must also take and pass at least three of the following Electives to make up their programme: E303, E304, E305, E306.

** Students must also take and pass an additional six Credit Hours from the following courses to make up their programme: E406, E407, E408, E409, E410, E411, E414

Major in Theatre and Drama in English

In order to major in TDE in a BA Humanities, a student shall take and pass the following courses in addition to the compulsory Year 1 Communication Skills courses:

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3* Year 4

E102 E202 E304 E406

E203 ETS 326 E409

E204 ETS 336 ETS 425

E205 ETS 435

EL202

* Students must also take at least one elective from the following courses to make up their programme: E303, E305, E306.

Double Major in English Language/Linguistics and Literature

Students reading for a Double Major in English Language and Literature in English must take and pass the following courses:

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3* Year 4**

E102 E203 E301 E401

E204 E302 E402

E205 EL303 E404

EL203 EL304 E413

EL204 EL305 EL402

EL205 EL312 EL404

EL414

* Students must also take three Electives from the following courses to make up their programme: E303, E304, E305, E306.

** Students must also take an additional two elective English Language courses, and nine Contact Hours of Literature in English from the following courses, in order to make up their programme: EL411, EL412, EL413, E406, E407, E408, E409, E410, E411, E413, EL415, EL416.

Double Major in English Language/Linguistics and Theatre/Drama

Students reading for a Double Major in English Language/Linguistics and Theatre/Drama must take and pass the following courses:

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3* Year 4**

E102 E202 E304 E406

E203 ETS 326 E409

E204 ETS 336 ETS 425

E205 EL303 ETS 435

EL203 EL304 EL402

EL204 EL305 EL404

EL205 EL312 EL414

* Students must also take at least one elective from the following courses to make up their programme: E303, E305, E306.

** Students must also take and pass two of the following Electives to make up their programme EL311, EL314, EL411, EL412, EL413, EL415, EL416, ALL401, ALL406, PHIL 415

ENG 1.04 Special Regulations for CSS100-8, CSS101-6, E291, E298/299 Courses

(i) CSS100, CSS101 and CSS298/299 are not supplementable though the University Aegrotat regulations will prevail.

(ii) Students who fail CSS298 (that is, fail the examination at the end of the first and second semester of the student's Year 2) should take CSS299 will have to retake and pass the CSS100 or CSS101 course (whichever is appropriate) before entering Year 3.

(iii) Students who fail the retaken CSS100 and CSS101 course will be discontinued from the University. A student is thus limited to four attempts at gaining the CSS100/CSS101 qualifications.

(iv) Students who get 30 % or less on either part of the course (the Continuous Assessment or Examination) at the end of Year 1 will have to retake either CSS100 or CSS101 in year 2.

(v) Students who are asked to repeat Year 1. (and are not required to either take the CSS 298/CSS 299 courses) will retake the CSS100 or CSS101 course, students required to repeat Year 1 but who have passed CSS100 or CSS101 need not repeat these courses.

(vi) Students in the Faculty of Humanities, Law, and Social Sciences entering NUL Year 1 from other Universities or Tertiary Institutions can apply to the Department of English for exemption from CSS100. They will at the discretion of the Department, be allowed to sit an exemption examination.

(vii) The examination will normally be sat at the end of the second week of the 1st semester.

(viii) Science and Agriculture students should apply to their respective Year 1 Tutors for exemption from CSS101.

(ix) CSS100, CSS101, and CSS298/CSS299 will be examined at the end of the academic year by means of a comprehensive test/examination counting for 50% of the final mark, the other 50 % being made up of course work marks.

(x) Students who fail CSS100 or CSS101 with a score of 45-49% will have to take and pass take CSS298.

(xi) Students who score 30% or less in the continuous assessment will not be allowed to sit for the final examination of CSS100 or CSS 101.

ENG 1.05 For methods of assessment see the General Humanities Regulations.

ENG 1.06 Not all of the optional courses listed in the Syllabus will necessarily be offered in any one year.

ENG 1.07 The major in Theatre and Drama in English (TDE) within the Department of English will be available as an alternative to the existing Literature in English major, as one half of a Double Major. It should be noted that the other half of a Double major with TDE as one of the components must not be Literature in English but can be English Language and any other of the following in other departments and faculties:

African Languages and Literature; Development Studies; French; History; Human Geography; Philosophy; Theology; Sociology/Social Anthropology; and Political and Administrative Studies.

Postgraduate Programmes

B.A. (Honours) in English Language and Linguistics

The primary aim of this programme is to bridge the gap between the General B.A. degree and the Master of Arts in English Language and Linguistics. It is hoped that the programme will help students to be well grounded in certain areas of English Language and Linguistics studies as well as research related matters.

Regulations for BA (Honours) in English Language/Linguistics:

The duration of full-time study for the Honours Degree shall be one year after the completion of the General B.A. degree programme.

Students will be selected for the Honours Degree Programme on the basis of their application for admission.

Normally students with an average of 60% or above in English Language and a II(ii) average in the four years of undergraduate programme will be eligible for admission to the Honours Programme.

Students taking the Honours Degree should have:

taken and passed a minimum of 27 credit hours of English Language in years II to IV.

taken and passed the following required courses prescribed for the General B.A. Degree: EL205, EL203, EL204, EL303, EL304, EL305, EL404, EL402, EL414.

B.Ed. candidates taking the Honours Degree are required to take and pass the following required courses normally prescribed for the General Degree: EL402, EL404, before being admitted into the programme.

Programme Requirements:

Honours Degree students shall take and pass the following required courses:

EL501, EL502, EL503, EL504, EL506, EL510, EL511, and one of the following elective courses: EL505, EL507, EL508.

At the end of the programme a student is expected to submit a dissertation of a minimum of twelve thousand words or a maximum of fifteen thousand words in his/her area of research interest.

B.A. (Honours) in Literature in English

The aim of the programme is to provide an Honours qualification that has validity in itself (for example, though not exclusively, in enhancing the skills and knowledge of teachers of English), and that also provides a bridge between the undergraduate programme and a Masters in Literature.

Regulations for the Honours Programme (Literature in English):

The duration of full-time study for the Honours degree shall be one year.

Eligibility for admission to the programme shall be on the following basis:

graduates who have achieved an average of 60% or above in an English Literature major in a BA programme, with a II(ii) average or above in their overall BA result;

graduates of a BEd programme who have achieved the same grades stipulated under (i) above, provided that these students first supplement their BEd qualification by passing (at the required level) key courses prescribed in the English Literature major of the NUL which may not be offered in the BEd programme.

The BA Honours (Literature in English) degree will be awarded on successful completion of a research-based dissertation and a stipulated number of taught courses.

All students of the programme will be expected to submit at the end of their period of study a research-based dissertation of between 12,000 and 15,000 words. This dissertation is designated E501 (representing 8 CH out of 30 CH for the whole programme).

In addition, students will be expected to complete four taught courses from the Honours syllabus (representing 22 CH of a 30 CH programme). These courses will be E502, which is compulsory for all students, and any three courses from the following: E503, E504, E505 and either E506 or E507. Except in the case of E502 (for details of which see below) assessment on these courses will comprise 50% CWA and 50% final examination.

MA in English Language and Linguistics

Admission

To seek admission to the programme, candidates should have at least a 2(ii) BA (Honours) in English Language and Linguistics of the National University of Lesotho or an equivalent qualification from other universities recognized by the NUL Senate.

Intending candidates will be required to submit to the Head of Department an outline, about 500 - 750 words in length, of their research project, indicating research methods to be followed and how the research will make a distinct contribution to knowledge of the subject.

All recommendations for admission shall be subject to the approval of the Board of the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies.

Duration

The MA in English Language and Linguistics is mainly by research. The duration is minimally TWO calendar years or twenty-four months of full time study.

Candidates may also apply as part-time students for the Masters programme and in such cases, the normal duration shall be FOUR years or forty-eight months after a successful completion of the Honours degree programme.

The Programme

Students shall undertake a supervised programme of research of not less than twelve months duration.

Students will be required to present a thesis proposal to a panel of examiners consisting of members of the department and members from cognate disciplines. The success of the proposal will determine whether or not the candidate will complete the writing of the thesis.

A dissertation of 25,000 words to 30,000 words based on this research should be submitted within a further twelve months (unless allowed an extension by the Department and subject to the approval of the Board of Postgraduate Studies).

The Dissertation is assessed by oral examination conducted by a panel of examiners and will be awarded a: Fail; Pass; and Pass with Distinction

If the dissertation receives a Supplementable fail mark, and corrections are suggested, then the student can resubmit within SIX months for re-examination with or without an oral examination. The maximum grade that can be given for the re-submitted dissertation is Pass.

If the dissertation is still judged to be unsatisfactory, then the student is discontinued from the programme.

Candidates enrolled into the programme will be required during the first semester to take a compulsory course in Research Methods (EL601 - 3A comp).

The course will be assessed in the following manner:

Two essays/reports - 50%

Thesis proposal presentation - 50%

A Pass mark is required in the Research Methods course for students to proceed to second year to complete their thesis writing.

Areas of Specialisation

Staffing constraints are likely to set limits on the range of dissertation topics candidates may select. However, candidates can select their topics from the following areas:

Phonetics and Phonology

Sociolinguistics

Semantics

Psycholinguistics

Discourse Analysis

Pragmatics

Stylistics

EAP/ESP

Ph.D. in English Language and Linguistics

Admission

The normal requirement for admission shall be a Masters Degree in English Language/Linguistics (ELL) of this university or an equivalent qualification from other universities

Two references should be submitted at least one of which should be from the applicant’s supervisor or Head of Department at Masters level. These references will be given special consideration in the case where a Masters qualification is not classified.

Applicants with a Masters degree in ELL without coursework but with a suitable thesis will be determined by the Department on the recommendation of a specialist in the area of ELL in which the thesis was undertaken.

Applicants may be required to attend a selection interview, conducted by the head of Department and at least two other members of the Department to determine their suitability for the programme.

Each applicant will be required to present before the department a provisional written proposal in his/her area of interest as part of the application for admission. This proposal should be no more than 6 pages long and should comprise: title; context of research; goals of research; research methodology, references.

All recommendations for admission shall be at the discretion of the Department.

Duration

The normal duration of full-time study of the Doctoral degree shall be THREE calendar years.

Candidates with deficiencies in core ELL courses (as determined by the Department) may be required by the Department to take their Doctoral degree over a longer period to allow them to make up for the deficiency. The duration of the programme in such cases will depend on the nature and extent of the deficiency, but in any case must not be more than SIX calendar years.

Candidates may also register to study for the Doctoral degree on a part-time basis. in such cases the normal duration shall be SIX years after a successful completion of the Masters degree programme with an extension of not more than FOUR additional years.

Part-time students with deficiencies in core ELL courses (as determined by the Department) may be required by the Department to take their Doctoral degree over an extended period. The duration of the programme in such cases will depend on the nature and extent of the deficiency in ELL but must not be more than TEN calendar years.

The offering/duration of both full-time and part-time programmes will be subject to availability of staff.

The degree

A Doctoral degree in ELL will be by research only and will be evaluated through seminars and a thesis

Candidates will be required to present four seminars in the first year of registration or at some time immediately thereafter, in four different areas of ELL that are relevant to the candidate’s proposed area of specialization. The success of the seminar will be determined by a panel comprising:

The Head of Department or his/her delegate

Two members of the ELL unit of the Department

A candidate’s Doctoral thesis must arise from one of these four seminars, and a defense of the candidate’s finalized thesis proposal will be required before the candidate proceeds with the writing of the thesis. The date for the thesis proposal defense will be set by the Head of Department in consultation with the candidate’s supervisor(s).

A candidate’s proposal defense shall be before a panel comprising

The Head of Department or his/her delegate

The candidate’s supervisor(s)

Two other members of the ELL unit of the Department

One member of a cognate Department

After a successful proposal defense, the candidate will be required to present an annual report on the progress of his/her work to the Department.

A candidate’s final thesis, of not less than 50,000 words, shall be examined by three examiners, at least two of whom should be external to the Department and at least one of whom should be external to the NUL. Examiners will be appointed by the Head of Department in consultation with the Departmental Postgraduate panel.

Following submission of the examiner’s reports, these will be reviewed by a Board comprising:

The Head of Department as Chair

One member of the Departmental Postgraduate Panel specializing in a relevant field

The candidate’s supervisor(s)

One member of staff from a cognate Department, specializing in the relevant field.

An oral examination is obligatory for all candidates, following a positive assessment of the examiner’s reports, is stipulated under 3.6 above. The Board for the oral examination will comprise those individuals cited in 3.7 above, with the addition of one of the candidate’s external examiners.

A successful performance following the oral examination will be assessed with one of the following classifications:

Fail; Supplementable Fail; Pass; and Pass with Distinction

In the event of the thesis being assessed as a Supplementable Fail and corrections being suggested, the candidate can resubmit the revised thesis within Twelve calendar moths for re-examination. in such cases the maximum classification of Pass will be awarded.

Where the candidate’s thesis, upon examination or re-examination, is judged to be unsatisfactory, measures to be taken, for example, the awarding of a lower degree will be at the discretion of the examiners in consultation with the Board.

Ph.D. in Literature in English

Admission

The normal requirement for admission shall be a Masters Degree in Literature in English (LE) of this university or an equivalent qualification from other universities

Applicants with a Masters degree in LE without coursework but with a suitable thesis will be determined by the Department on the recommendation of a specialist in the area of LE in which the thesis was undertaken.

Applicants may be required to attend a selection interview, conducted by the head of Department and at least two other members of the Department to determine their suitability for the programme.

All recommendations for admission shall be at the discretion of the Department.

Duration

The normal duration of full-time study of the Doctoral degree shall be Three calendar years.

Candidates with deficiencies in core LE courses (as determined by the Department) may be required by the Department to take their Doctoral degree over a longer period to allow them to make up for the deficiency. The duration of the programme in such cases will depend on the nature and extent of the deficiency, but in any case must not be more than Six calendar years.

Candidates may also register to study for the Doctoral degree on a part-time basis. in such cases the normal duration shall be Six years after a successful completion of the Masters degree programme with an extension of not more than Four additional years.

Part-time students with deficiencies in core LE courses (as determined by the Department) may be required by the Department to take their Doctoral degree over an extended period. The duration of the programme in such cases will depend on the nature and extent of the deficiency in LE but must not be more than Ten calendar years.

The offering/duration of both full-time and part-time programmes will be subject to availability of staff.

The degree

A Doctoral degree in LE will be by research only and will be evaluated through seminars and a thesis

Candidates will be required to present four seminars in the first year of registration or at some time immediately thereafter, in four different areas of LE that are relevant to the candidate’s proposed area of specialization. The success of the seminar will be determined by a panel comprising:

The Head of Department or his/her delegate

Two members of the LE unit of the Department

A candidate’s Doctoral thesis must arise form one of these four seminars, and a defense of the candidate’s finalized thesis proposal will be required before the candidate proceeds with the writing of the thesis. The date for the thesis proposal defense will be set by the Head of Department in consultation with the candidate’s supervisions.

A candidate’s proposal defense shall be before a panel comprising

The Head of Department or his/her delegate

The candidate’s supervisor(s)

Two other members of the LE unit of the Department

One member of a cognate Department

After a successful proposal defense, the candidate will be required to present an annual report on the progress of his/her work to the Department.

Following submission of the examiner’s reports, these will be reviewed by a Board comprising:

The Head of Department as Chair

One member of the Departmental Postgraduate Panel specializing in a relevant field

The candidate’s supervisor(s)

One member of staff from a cognate Department, specializing in the relevant field.

A successful performance following the oral examination will be assessed with one of the following classifications: Fail; Supplementable Fail; Pass; and Pass with Distinction

In the event of the thesis being assessed as a Supplementable Fail and corrections being suggested, the candidate can resubmit the revised thesis within TWELVE calendar moths for re-examination. in such cases the maximum classification of Pass will be awarded.

Where the candidate’s thesis, upon examination or re-examination, is judged to be unsatisfactory, measures to be taken )for example, the awarding of a lower degree will be at the discretion of the examiners in consultation with the Board cited under 3.7.

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