Prof RA Northover  
Chair of Department

Welcome to the Department of Afrikaans and Theory of Literature

It is a pleasure to welcome you to our department, a federal department that hosts three disciplines: Theory of Literature, Afrikaans language studies and Afrikaans literature. It is the largest of its kind in South Africa and offers a wide variety of quality offerings that speak to the current discourses in Afrikaans language studies, Afrikaans literature and theory of literature. Our curricula are dynamic as we continue to reimagine our pedagogical approaches to reflect the lived realities of our students. Over the years we have expanded our programmes to address specific market needs: whether you want to learn Afrikaans as an additional language, study document design (such as how to develop effective health communication documents), engage in ecocriticism, or explore genre studies, we have it all covered in the department.      

Our department hosts the exciting programme in Creative Writing where students are trained to become competent creative writers in the genre of their choice. In 2023, the third-year students in the Creative Writing programme published their very first collection of poems and short stories in the department.   

 We have a dedicated team of developing and established scholars with a passion for language and literature and the production of critical knowledge. Our senior scholars are recognised in their field of study and possess a wealth of knowledge and experience. Our modules are designed to provide a critical insight into the Afrikaans language and South African literatures. We accompany our students on their journeys to become inquisitive and critical thinkers challenging and shaping their understanding of the Afrikaans language and literatures in Africa. The department offers a vibrant academic space where we foster a deep appreciation for literatures and linguistic diversity 

We pride ourselves in the individualised student support we offer and the multiple multimodal resources we have developed to assist our students during their academic journey in the department. 

We are looking forward to embarking on the academic journey with you and to be there every step of the way. We are the department in the service of humanity.