South Africa is affectionately known as the Rainbow Nation. It boasts a variety of cultures, lifestyles and the interconnection of religious diversities. Knowledge may spur tolerance, understanding and the drive to learn more about predominant and sub-cultures in and around this country. The Department of Religious Studies and Arabic teaches three Disciplines: Religious Studies, Islamic Studies and Arabic.

Vision and Mission

The Department of Religious Studies and Arabic teaches three disciplines, namely Religious Studies, Islamic Studies, and Arabic.

   Vision

• To cultivate citizens that can critically engage from multi-disciplinary perspectives with religious traditions within African contexts.

  Mission

• To engage comparatively with diverse religious traditions as ultimate frames of reference.
• To address problems across religious traditions by applying theoretical approaches and methodological skills from a range of disciplines.
• To critically reflect on the role of value systems such as human and constitutional rights discourses (e.g. gender, ethnic and class identities) in relation to religious traditions.
• To interact with and produce global knowledge about religious traditions from African perspectives.
• To enhance basic linguistic and literary skills in Arabic as an African language.

Contact us

Religious Studies
Mrs D M Eicker
Tel: (012) 429 4523
Email: eickedm@unisa.ac.za

Islamic Studies & Arabic
Mrs N Cassim
Tel: (012) 429 6029
Email: cassin@unisa.ac.za