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SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION: 

Master of Social Science in Critical Leadership Studies 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
112364  Master of Social Science in Critical Leadership Studies 
ORIGINATOR
University of Fort Hare 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education  HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework 
QUALIFICATION TYPE FIELD SUBFIELD
Master's Degree  Field 07 - Human and Social Studies  Public Policy, Politics and Democratic Citizenship 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  180  Not Applicable  NQF Level 09  Regular-Provider-ELOAC 
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Reregistered  EXCO 0821/24  2019-10-01  2027-06-30 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2028-06-30   2031-06-30  

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.  

This qualification does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification. 

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION 
Purpose:
The purpose of the Master of Social Science in Critical Leadership Studies is to provide an interdisciplinary academic environment for the study of political dynamics, methods, approaches, codes and styles of ethical leadership and good governance in Africa.

The qualification aims to equip professionals and learners from a variety of disciplines with a sophisticated understanding and appreciation of African leadership ethics. As continental integration proceeds rapidly, it is necessary for learners and professionals to develop critical, well-informed regional perspectives on issues of social, cultural and political-economic issues in critical leadership studies. This course will provide such perspectives and equip learners to operate in an interdisciplinary framework.

The qualification is strongly research-focused and is designed to cater to a wide range of learners and professionals working in the private, public and development spheres.

Rationale:
This qualification seeks to provide an interdisciplinary platform for civil servants and business professionals, in public and in the private sector, for training and research in leadership and good governance, situated in an African context. Although the qualification is interdisciplinary, it allows for specialisations in the fields of Political Science, Philosophy, Public Administration, Development Studies and Human Rights (which are all established fields of academic enquiry in their own right).

Since its first fully democratic elections, South Africa has run into similar socio-economic challenges of ongoing underdevelopment that all developing nations have faced after winning a political struggle for liberation from colonialism and imperialism. While much of the responsibility for failure sufficiently to address ongoing challenges of sustainable development has been laid at the maladministration of corrupt leaders, this reflects systematic political-economic factors that call for more than just the substitution of "bad leaders" with "good leaders".

The study of Leadership Ethics in South Africa has been hindered by the uncritical operationalisation of pre-existing intellectual categories from the North that fail to appreciate the post-colonial political-economic and cultural context of leadership in Africa. Leadership Ethics has generally failed to appreciate the critical implications of the unique challenges that leaders face in the developing world, particularly in Africa, given its history with slavery, racism, colonialism and post-imperial dependence.

Developing ways of achieving ethical political and economic integration and encouraging critical analysis of the unique context of leadership in Africa is a fundamental challenge for the future. This course will provide a foundation for learners to rise to this challenge by preparing them to become advanced critical thinkers and innovative researchers in the ethics of good governance in Africa. Leadership Studies is a vital, necessary field of academic development in South Africa, which has, so far, proved under-exploited. Moreover, the field of Leadership Studies would be enhanced by advancement from a critical African context.

The qualification provides the opportunity for Postgraduate learners to integrate a variety of practical issues and theoretical methods of analysis and interpretation around a common interdisciplinary theme that is widely recognised to bear crucial significance for South Africa's future political and socio-economic development.

The qualification is based on teaching critical social theory in different specialist areas, including leadership ethics, political philosophy and political economy. It is proposed to activate all these areas of interdisciplinary study at the Postgraduate level under the umbrella of Critical Leadership Studies (as the field in which to apply the central multidisciplinary concepts and approaches). 

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
RPL will be applied in line with the institution's RPL policy as indicated in Paragraph 2.5 of the Higher Education Quality Council (HEQC) Application Form for Programme Accreditation.
Prior accredited learning at the Higher Education and Training (HET) level in relevant domains which constitute credit-bearing units or modules should be recognised if evidence can be produced that shows that the learner has achieved, at a satisfactory level, the outcomes and Associated Assessment Criteria specified for component modules in the qualification or for admission into the qualification/programme of study and, if appropriate, allow the Recognition of Prior Learning for the achievement of the qualification in part or in full.

Informal, non-formal and experiential learning:
A learner whose level of knowledge, skills, competencies and attitudes have not been assessed earlier in terms of the formal qualification in question, but who can demonstrate in appropriate ways, through an assessment designed by the institution that she/he has acquired those skills and competencies, may be considered for admission to a programme of study leading to this qualification. The learner who, after such assessment, is deemed to have sufficient potential but is in need of further academic development, must be directed to other suitable qualifications prior to admission, or to parallel qualifications after admission.

RPL Applications:
  • Applications for RPL may be submitted throughout the year; however, the deadline for the endorsement of RPL credit, where a prospective learner wishes to register for further study in the following year, is the last Senate meeting of the preceding year.
  • Awarding RPL credit.

    Prospective learners with prior learning, however obtained, may apply to have their prior learning assessed against the learning outcomes for a specific qualification and/or module/course(s) as outlined in the institution's RPL Policy for the following purpose(s):
  • Access into a particular module/qualification when a learner is able to demonstrate, through appropriate assessment(s), the entry or exit outcomes of the module or qualification preceding that particular module or qualification;
  • RPL applications for the purpose of access into a particular module/qualification may be submitted to the respective faculty throughout the year. The period prior to registration shall allow the applicant sufficient time to gather evidence and to prepare for the RPL assessment. This period shall also allow for administrative procedures to be complied with prior to the successful RPL candidate being allowed to register.

    Entry Requirements:
    The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is:
  • Bachelor of Social Science Honours, NQF Level 8.
    Or
  • Postgraduate Diploma: Social Science, NQF Level 8. 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    QUALIFICATION RULES 
    This qualification consists of compulsory modules at NQF Level 9 totalling 240 Credits.
  • African Leadership Ethics, 25 Credits.
  • African Political Economy, 25 Credits.
  • African Political Philosophy, 25 Credits.
  • Development Strategies and Planning, 25 Credits.
  • Research Methodology, 20 Credits.
  • Mini-dissertation, 120 Credits. 
    		•

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    1. Demonstrate critical, reflective thinking about Africa and to take effective action based on informed, contextual knowledge and understanding.
    2. Develop and apply specialised knowledge in critical leadership studies, postcolonial development and ethical-political economy to everyday issues and challenges of leadership and governance in Africa.
    3. Develop the capacity to research key problems and issues that are informed by African experiences and realities.
    4. Monitor and evaluate through research and enquiry, changes in the field of political, philosophical, historical and socio-economic studies of leadership on the continent.
    5. Establish a larger African content to the latter inter-disciplinary studies areas of specialisation (e.g. making critical leadership studies theorists more aware of African realities). 

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    The Associated Assessment Criteria are applied in an integrated manner across all the Exit Level Outcomes.
  • Write critical, analytical and theoretically informed appraisals of relevant texts.
  • Identify, conceptualise and describe research problems.
  • Generate compressed and decoded reports.
  • Demonstrate comparative and contextual knowledge through debates and discussions.
  • Use of appropriate methodologies evident in research outputs.
  • Collect and document evidence of primary research.
  • Produce research reports on specialised topics, papers and chapters of the mini-dissertation according to the appropriate standard.

    Integrated Assessment:
  • African perspectives are reflected in written assignments and presentations.
  • A mini-dissertation at Masters level is written and submitted. 
    		•

    INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY 
    The qualification is comparable to a Master's Degree at international level, from University of Sussex Masters qualification, Studies in Social and Political Thought.

    University of Sussex, UK, Masters in Social and Political Thought:
    All learners take the three core modules on the course that provides a solid grounding in the chosen subject and prepare the learner to explore the topics that interest the learner most.
  • Text and Critique in Social and Political Thought;
  • Theorizing the Social;
  • Dissertation - SPT.

    Options:
    Alongside three core modules, a learner chooses two options to broaden his/her horizons and tailor the qualification to his/her interests. This list gives you a flavour of the options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to learner feedback or the latest research.
    Autumn options (choose 1):
  • Ethics and Normativity;
  • Hegel and Marx;
  • Women and the Political.

    Spring teaching (choose 1):
  • Capitalism and its Critics;
  • The China Dream: Intellectual Discourses of Modernity from the late Qing Dynasty to the Present;
  • The Frankfurt School and Critical Theory;
  • War, Terror, Violence and International Law;
  • Women and Human Rights.

    This qualification compares well with the above international qualification in terms of module structure and content. 
    		•

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    This qualification allows possibilities for both vertical and horizontal articulation.

    Horizontal Articulation:
  • Master of Arts, Level 9.

    Vertical Articulation:
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Social Sciences, Level 10. 
    		•

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
    N/A 

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    N/A 

    NOTES 
    N/A 

    LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION: 
     
    NONE 


    PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION: 
    This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.
     
    1. University of Fort Hare 


    All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.