University of Free State S.Africa

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by TOM LAHUE, Mar 12, 2002.

Loading...
  1. TOM LAHUE

    TOM LAHUE New Member

    Can anyone of you S.African school specialists comment on this Free States strengths in Theology? Since it is smaller than other such as Pretoria is it more DL student friendly? Has anyone enrolled in any of their programs? Anyone comment on their Theology dept? Thanks, Tom LaHue

    BA Florida Christian College
    MA Lancaster Bible College
     
  2. KKA

    KKA Member

    English

    English is a wonderful thing!
     
  3. TOM LAHUE

    TOM LAHUE New Member

    English is a wonderful thing

    I agree! but I dont understand what this has to do with my question.:confused:
     
  4. CLSeibel

    CLSeibel Member

    Hey, Tom!

    Glad to learn of your interest in Free State. I am quite familiar with that institution, and have had some correspondence with members of their theological faculty.

    I would be glad to provide you some insight into this school. First, though, a couple of clarifying questions: At what degree level are you wanting to study--master's? doctorate? In which theological field are you desiring to engage in study?

    I look forward to interacting with you.

    Cory Seibel
     
  5. bozzy

    bozzy New Member

    Yes, English is wonderful......?.....but then so is this Uni.

    State funded and well known in academia.

    Good option.

    Bozzy
     
  6. TOM LAHUE

    TOM LAHUE New Member

    At what degree level are you wanting to study--master's? doctorate? In which theological field are you desiring to engage in study?

    Doctoral level-phd in practical theology, specifically the role of either preaching or prayer in stimulating spiritual revival in the local congregational setting.

    I am currently looking at Free State, Pretoria, and Stellenbosch, and perhaps U of North. Pretoria, I know is great but you can only begin in January--is it worth the wait? I am an evangelical pastor and it seems that most of these S.African schools are Dutch Reformed- I hope that is not a big deal.
     
  7. Howard

    Howard New Member

    Hi Tom,
    May I suggest that you look at South African Theological Seminary. Entrance is on line at any time and the registrar and faculty are really student friendly. Howard.
     
  8. CLSeibel

    CLSeibel Member

    Very interesting. I also am planning to undertake a doctorate in Practical Theology. At present, it looks as though I am headed toward Stellenbosch. That has been my "dream" school for several years. I will be expected to spend as much as a total of six months in South Africa over the course of my registration; this, I am aware, is not for everyone. Should things for some reason not work out with Stellenbosch, I likely will enroll with Pretoria, which would only require me to travel to South Africa to defend my thesis.

    Free State has expressed a willingness to allow me to pursue the PhD at a distance. They seem quite friendly and helpful. They have some strong ties with theological faculties elsewhere in the world (including North America). A degree from there certainly would be viewed as perfectly reputable. It sounds as though they would desire to have doctoral students come to South Africa once or twice during the course of enrollment, though I'm given the impression that this would be negotiable.

    Have you written them to explain the research topic you are interested in undertaking? If not, they will request that you do so before they seriously entertain the prospect of taking you on as a research student. They will be able to tell you whether or not they think that they could provide suitable supervision for the topic you intend to undertake. This is likely to be a deciding factor with any of the major South African faculties. They must be more selective because the demands upon them are greater.

    Some of those holding faculty positions at the Dutch Reformed faculties could also be fairly described as evangelical in their theology and spirituality. I can't say much specifically with regard to the theological and spiritual dispositions of the members of the Free State faculty. Yet, I can say that many evangelical graduates have come through these Dutch Reformed faculties. For example, in recent years, Stellenbosch DTh graduates have held faculty positions at evangelical institutions like Southeastern Baptist Seminary and Columbia Biblical Seminary (South Carolina).

    I would second what Howard has suggested regarding SA Theological Seminary. They probably would be interested in your research topic. Furthermore, if you would be open to associating with a Pentecostal institution, Auckland Park Theological Seminary (formerly AFM Theological Seminary) would probably show much interest in your research topic.

    You might also contact the Evangelical Theological College of Wales (affiliated with the University of Wales) and Cliff College (affiliated with Sheffield University). I'm confident that they both would be interested in your research topic. You might be able to work out a non-residential PhD arrangement, although I'm sure that some annual residency would be involved.

    Let me know if I can be of further assistance to you.

    Cory Seibel
     
  9. Interesting fact is that University of the Free State was established in 1904 as Grey University College (a college of the University of South Africa) with English as the official language of instruction. The language of instruction was changed to Afrikaans in the late forties. The university became independent of Unisa by Act of Parliament in 1950, and was thenceforth known (until recently) as the University of the Orange Free State.


    (I don't know what KKA had in mind. The above is the best I can do to connect this thread to the word "English"!)
     
  10. TOM LAHUE

    TOM LAHUE New Member

    Have you written them to explain the research topic you are interested in undertaking? If not, they will request that you do so before they seriously entertain the prospect of taking you on as a research student. They will be able to tell you whether or not they think that they could provide suitable supervision for the topic you intend to undertake. This is likely to be a deciding factor with any of the major South African faculties. They must be more selective because the demands upon them are greater.

    I have just shared my topic with Free State and they haven't responded yet. It takes them a couple of days to get back to you. (UNIZUL was much faster in reponse time, and very helpful) The only reason that I would choose (at this time) Free State over Pretoria is that you can enroll in Free State at anytime according to an email they sent me. Pretoria wont let you begin the program until the first of the year. 9 months away. They said you can enroll after June but you dont really begin I guess until Jan.

    Do you have to spend 6 months in residence at Stellenbosch, or is that just part of your specific program, something that you want to do?

    God Bless,
    Tom LaHue
     
  11. CLSeibel

    CLSeibel Member

    The six month requirement at Stellenbosch is an institutional policy. They have expressed to me that this requirement is not "hard and fast." Some flexibility is possible. Yet, by this they mean that one might be able to get by with a little less than 6 months. Certainly, a wholly non-residential arrangement is completely out of the question at Stellenbosch. This has been verified for me by the chair of the Practical Theology department and the Faculty of Theology dean. They feel that the face-to-face interaction and resultant relationship development made possible through periods of residency are a vital part of the research process. I respect this opinion, and largely agree (I am grateful for the opportunities my trips to London have provided me to develop genuine, not merely "virtual," relationships with the lecturers and students at Spurgeon's College).

    The "approximately" six months needn't be fulfilled all at once. Rather, it can be achieve through a number of installments over the course of one's registration.

    This residency requirement is more on par with what most British theological faculties are requiring than with what other South African faculties seem to be requiring. This is good, however. Stellenbosch is arguably the finest university theological faculty in South Africa, and one of the top few in the Southern Hemisphere. They need to take measures that preserve this reputation and the calibre of research graduates they have been known to produce.

    Traveling to South Africa for several study periods won't be easy. However, in order to have the honour of being a Stellenbosch DTh student, I'm willing to take on the challenge. Furthermore, the man who would serve as my supervisor is one of the leading authorities in the world in some topics relevant to my proposed research problem, as well as a genuinely outstanding, godly guy. I have so much to gain from interacting closely with him, and so am willing to go through the trouble necessary to make this possible. It may prove a bit more expensive than a few other options (though still dramatically cheaper than most every American option). Yet, my process of selecting an institution through which to engage in doctoral research has been a lengthy endeavour spread out over about 7 years (since before I began my master's). I genuinely discern that God is leading me toward Stellenbosch. This being so, I also will trust His provision to enable me to pursue my calling.

    Cory Seibel
     
  12. TOM LAHUE

    TOM LAHUE New Member

    Are you aware if Free State has a policy on residence requirements. Have you ever looked at any of the other S.African Theology programs like Univ of North and I think there might be one at Univ of Natal?

    Tom LaHue
     
  13. CLSeibel

    CLSeibel Member

    Tom,

    Yes, I believe that I've had contact with almost every South African theological faculty and seminary/theological college over time.

    The folks at Free State indicated to me that they would like to see the student come to South Africa at the beginning of his enrollment to discuss the research proposal. I imagine this wouldn't have to be a very lengthy visit. However, they stated that, if this wasn't possible, the necesssary dialogue could take place by email. So, it seems that Free State has chosen to take a very flexible approach to residency requirements.

    I can't tell you much about the program at the University of the North. They certainly aren't a first-tier South African theological faculty, and they haven't established a meaningful reputation in North America through inter-institutional ties or graduates holding faculty positions. It is certainly not an institution that many in the North American theological community would be familiar with. I can hear it now: "Is that in Canada somewhere?"

    The theological faculty at Natal is similar to the one at Free State in that it is actually a relatively young faculty. Both have been in existence for only a couple of decades. Yet, Natal has distinguished itself as one of the leading theological faculties in South Africa. I'm not sure if they'd have anyone interested in supervising your topic; yet, it couldn't hurt to inquire. If my memory serves me correctly (and I think it does here), Natal expects doctoral candidates to be present for three 2-day seminars each year, during which doctoral candidates make presentations to one another based upon their research. I'm not certain if they are willing to toy with this requirement or not. Natal is highly regarded. Several of its PhD graduates hold faculty positions in North America. Whereas Free State is largely Dutch Reformed, the Natal faculty has a strong inter-denominational makeup. I know there is a strong Lutheran presence there (you'll note that several of their faculty members have done advanced study at German institutions as opposed to the Dutch institutions frequented by the faculty members of Free State, Pretoria, and Stellenbosch). Many other groups are represented there, as well; I know that there is an evangelical presence in Natal.

    Cory
     
  14. CLSeibel

    CLSeibel Member

    If you're interested in learning more about non-residential PhD research with Natal, you might contact Richard Peace at Fuller Theological Seminary ([email protected]). He completed his PhD in practical theology through Natal on a largely non-residential basis, if I'm not mistaken. He might be able to characterize the experience for you. However, please don't mention my name, as he wouldn't have any idea who I am.

    Cory
     
  15. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    I assume that KKA was suggesting that if one intends to study at an Afrikaans-medium university but speaks no Afrikaans, then there may be a bit of a problem.

    I gather that the SA Afrikaans-medium universities are gradually switching over to English. (What this means for the future of Afrikaans language and culture I won't speculate.)

    A prospective student will have to be sure that the department is both able and willing to offer all needed instruction and support in English. If some short residencies are required that are intended to bond the distance-learner with the faculty and on-campus students, the bonding might not take very well if the foreign student finds most of the others speaking among themselves in an incomprehensible language.

    But I'm pretty confident that it will work out OK. Cory has researched these programs petty thouroughly, so I assume he has that aspect covered.
     
  16. CLSeibel

    CLSeibel Member

    Truly!! Fortunately, the faculties we're discussing here seem quite able to accomodate both English and Afrikaans speaking students. The only thing that I find unfortunate is that, in the cases of Free State, Stellenbosch, Potchefstroom, and Pretoria, there are entire sections of each school's theology faculty website that are not available in English (e.g., student association homepages). This would by no means be a hindrance to one's ability to function as a student. However, it does mean that the English speaking student does have a more limited range of information at his or her disposal. This disparity is likely to change over time, however.

    Cory
     
  17. Unisa course materials have traditionally been written in Afrikaans and translated into English. But now they are moving to offer online programs in English alone.
     
  18. TOM LAHUE

    TOM LAHUE New Member

    Stellenbosch is arguably the finest university theological faculty in South Africa, and one of the top few in the Southern Hemisphere.

    How did you come to this conclusion?

    When do you enroll in the doctoral program?

    What will your research topic be?

    Tom LaHue
     
  19. CLSeibel

    CLSeibel Member

    I came to this conclusion simply through years of participating in, and carefully studying, the global theological community. Stellenbosch enjoys a fantastic reputation throughout South Africa and the rest of the world. I could go on and on about their international ties, their publishing record, the widespread success of their graduates, and much more. However, I won't take the time or space here. I really don't think that this is a prejudiced opinion, but rather quite justified.

    I hope to gain admission and enroll as a student beginning in early 2003.

    As far as my proposed doctoral-level research topic is concerned, my interests lie with the following: I am interested in exploring the topic of "New Wine in Old Wineskins: Transitioning Traditional Churches to Reach Pacesetters (a more complimentary term for Generation X)". My hope is that, within a practical theology framework, I can explore the vast body of research on Gen X and traditional churches, as well as the wealth of material on organizational "change" or "transformation" theory, in hopes that I might be able to assist churches in charting a course through the process of "transitioning" toward more effectively reaching the postmodern generations. This study will make an original contribution to the current body of knowledge, because most books I've encountered that describe what traditional churches need to do to be more effective in reaching young people fail to provide any realistic, wise counsel about how such churches can get from here to there. Furthermore, most of the recent literature on ministry to Gen Xers has pointed to the urgent need for this topic to be dealt with in a thorough fashion. Most authors, however, have essentially stated, "This really needs to be addressed; however, I'm not the one to do it." I wish to endeavor to be the one to undertake this important research problem.

    The folks at Stellenbosch have demonstrated considerable enthusiasm toward this topic. They recognize the burning need for this subject to be addressed, and so seem willing to support me at this point.

    That's my story,
    Cory
     
  20. TOM LAHUE

    TOM LAHUE New Member

    sounds good!
    I have done a lot of research in the past on the culture and structure of small (200 or less) churches. Another interesting dimension of your study could include this discussion. "What role if any could small churches play in reaching Gen X." Some are saying that they are more likely to do it than large congregations. This would provide a context for your study. ie. What the small church can do to reach out to Gen x. or what the large church can do to reach out to Gen x....
    there is alot of new study being done and books being written about the small church and the role of church size in general.

    Tom LaHue
     

Share This Page