A powerful inaugural speech by Prof H.A.P. Smit emphasised the strength of geographical perspectives, spatial thinking and academic engagement when investigating problems facing humanity.
In his highly anticipated inaugural lecture at Unisa, Prof Peter Schmitz of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences shed light on the fascinating intersection of geography and forensic science.
In a groundbreaking effort to embed African philosophies and traditions into an academic workshop design, Prof Ashley Gunter of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and his team have successfully implemented a workshop model in Nairobi, Johannesburg and East London, spanning five days of intensive engagement.
Graced by renowned higher education experts in Africa, the 2nd Regional Model Symposium hosted by Unisa, in partnership with the Namibian College of Open Learning and the Botswana Open University, aimed at, among others, enhancing the quality and credibility of programme offerings and learner support services within a context-bound regional model.
In line with Unisa's transformation and language policy, the Department of Geography has developed an online multilingual glossary. The glossary is an open educational resource available to lecturers and students, other universities, school teachers and learners, and stakeholders in civil society and industry.
The College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences of the Department of Geography hosted an African Scholar Lecture on 31 September. Dr Philile Mbatha presented a lecture titled "A decade of coastal governance in South Africa: livelihoods, resources and politics".
As a major knowledge node, South Africa is increasingly attracting students who formerly would have opted for higher education in the northern hemisphere, said Prof Ashley Gunter in his inaugural lecture.
The Department of Geography of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, in collaboration with the Unisa Sustainability Office hosted a celebration of World Environment Day (WED) on 4 June 2021.
Despite the tough year the University and the country at large have experienced in 2020, the 2021 academic year has started on a successful note for Mr Mafanya Madodomzi of the Department of Geography.
For Unisa's Prof David Hedding, lead author of a paper published in the latest issue of the South African Journal of Science, the biggest lesson that the higher education sector has had to learn from the pandemic disruptions has been the need for agility and flexibility in decision-making.
Unisa's Prof Melanie Nicolau says that within the context of a world that is increasingly calling for more sustainable living, geographers should move their focus to a curriculum and research that are in line with more sustainable futures.
The Department of Geography is passionate about the world we live in - a world rich in cultural diversity and natural beauty but plagued by various social, economic, and human misery and threatened by environmental challenges. . Geography is an anthropocentric science, which involves both the human and the natural sciences by studying the interaction of all human and physical phenomena on the earth's surface from a spatial and temporal perspective..
Dr SC Nenwiini
Chair of Department of Geography
Welcome to the University of South Africa Department of Geography
Geography aims to make a meaningful contribution towards a sustainable future by teaching and producing graduates with better understanding of the world as an integrated system and advancing transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary research in collaborations with local and international researchers, universities, and institutes. The Department of Geography take its social responsibility serious and is committed to its responsibility to advance engaged scholarship to foster meaningful partnerships with local, regional and national communities in support of the vision of Unisa becoming the African university shaping futures in the service of humanity.
We offer undergraduate programmes in Environmental Management and Geography; our programmes prepare students to work in a vast variety of fields due to the interdisciplinary nature of the subject matter.
Our postgraduate programmes offer students the opportunity to do research in various fields of specialization under supervision of dedicated specialised researchers. Postgraduate students can choose to do research in rural, urban and economic geography, water, climate, geomorphology, soil, ecology, geospatial sciences, sustainability amongst others.
The department prides itself with a passionate and dedicated teaching and learning team comprising of academic and support staff who have extensive experience in the ODeL environment.
Dr SC Nenwiini
Chair of Department, Geography
College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences