54: New Universities

Photo Cred: Naazira Ahmed Carina Truyts is part of the pioneers at South Africa’s newest university, Sol Plaatje University in Kimberly. She has established the Anthropology department there. Her teaching and research is focused on contextual knowledge production, sharing and engagement. Truyts’ Masters Research was on Nourishment in the 'first thousand days' in the context of precarious livelihoods in a small Cape Winelands town. In this episode she shares with with Dr Nosipho Mngomezulu the excitement, countless opportunities and responsibilities associated with being part of this pioneering exercise. They also speak about institutional cultures and the ethical conundrums faced at such new establishments. [soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/349468300" params="color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%" height="300" iframe="true" /] Produced, Edited, Researched and Scheduled by: Simbarashe Honde

The Academic Citizen 31 October 2017

academics

53: Decolonizing Science

Photo Cred: Ilya Pavlov In South Africa there has been a growing sentiment by student movements that education, including the sciences must become "decolonized". But can science be realistically decolonized? In today’s episode, Kholeka Shange chats to a scientist, Ntombifikile Phaliso and they engage on the above question and more. Phaliso's focus and responsibilities are the overall scientific curation. 45% of her time is dedicated to research within a group which involves systematic and conservation research. Sourcing external funds, collaborations, scientific compilation, fieldwork and mentorship are also key parts of her job. For her Master in Science degree at Rhodes University, her thesis was on the, “Systematic Study of Berkheya and allies (compositae). [soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/347498784" params="color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%" height="300" iframe="true" /] If you like this, you might be interested in episode 41, Africanizing Scientific Research. Researched, Edited, Produced and Scheduled by Simbarashe […]

The Academic Citizen 18 October 2017

Academic Publishing

52: Politics of Academic Publishing

Photo Cred: Dustin Lee Writing for academic journals is highly competitive. The common saying in academic circles is, “get published or perish!” There’s no simple formula for getting published, expectations vary both between and within subject areas. But there are some challenges that will confront all academic writers regardless of their discipline. How should you respond to reviewer feedback and rejection? Is there a correct way to structure a paper? Why should I pay to get my article published? What is open access publishing and why must I pay for it? Dr Nosipho Mngomezulu explores these above questions and more with Oscar Masinyana, the managing editor of Taylor & Francis South Africa. Taylor & Francis publishes around 70 highly regarded academic and professional journals from the region in collaboration with learned societies, institutions and co-publishers. [soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/346381336" params="color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%" height="300" […]

The Academic Citizen 11 October 2017

academics

50: Young People and HIV Research Discourse

Dr. Beth Vale is a researcher at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection. She is a Mandela Rhodes and a Rhodes Scholar. Dr. Vale was a postdoctoral fellow under the NRF Chair in Local Histories, Present Realities at Wits University. Her research explored Johannesburg nightclub cultures as sites of identity, attachment and place-making. Vale’s doctoral research completed at Oxford, was an ethnographic study exploring the medication-taking practices of HIV-positive adolescents in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. She worked as part of a mixed-methods team that worked collaboratively with government and local NGOs to inform policy and programming. In this episode, Dr Nosipho Mngomezulu caught up with Dr Vale and they chat on youth research, intimacy, HIV and writing for the public. They also discuss effective ways of engagement, conflict and identity construction in disseminating research. https://soundcloud.com/theacademiccitizen/50-young-people-and-hiv-research-discourse Produced, Researched, […]

The Academic Citizen 20 September 2017

#Gender

49: In Conversation with SA’s Youngest Dean

Prof Thabo Msibi, is South Africa’s youngest Dean and Head of School at the University of KwaZulu Natal. Kholeka Shange caught up with him and they spoke at length on various themes ranging from transformation in Higher Education, mentorship, issues of gender and sexuality, and African scholarship. In the interview, Prof Msibi cautions against creating a narrative which implies that young academics are completely disempowered. Msibi says his achievements are proof that if given equal opportunities, young academics have much to offer in academia and can excel. [soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/342202112" params="color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="300" iframe="true" /] Books Msibi T (2016, forthcoming). Hidden Sexualities of South African Teachers. New York: Routledge. Selected Journals Articles Msibi, T. (2014). Contextualising ‘dirty work’: A response to Janice Irvine (2014). Sexualities. http://sex.sagepub.com/content/17/5-6/669.short Msibi, T. (2014). Is current theorising on same-sex sexuality relevant to the African context?. Pambazuka News, […]

The Academic Citizen 13 September 2017

Disseminating Knowledge