Application Information: MPhil in Justice and Transformation
The interdisciplinary postgraduate programme in Justice and Transformation is offered in collaboration with departments in the Humanities Faculty, the UCT Law Faculty, the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation as well as the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. The programme brings together a range of different disciplines in the areas of transitional justice, human rights, conflict resolutionand social justice within a coherent programme designed to train and equip academically grounded and professionally qualified graduates for diverse practical and specialised roles in this field.
Programme objectives
The programme has been designed to examine ho justice and transformation are pursued in transitional contexts. Drawing from the South African TRC process and other recent examples of transition from authoritarian rule and post-conflict societies the programme aims to equip students with relevant critical skills, theoretical perspectives and practice-based orientations to the challenges of promoting transitional justice and peace. Through engaging in comparative studies, normative theories and empirical research the programme seeks to provide students with a thorough grounding in the interdisciplinary study of justice and transformation.
Programme structure
The programme can be taken as a one year Honours programme (for students with a 3 year Bachelors degree) or as a MPhil programme (for students Honours degrees or 4 year Bachelors degrees). It is also possible to take the full MPhil programme by proceeding to Masters after completing the Honours programme.
Both the Honours and Masters programmes include a 2-semester coursework component. At Honours level the coursework component is complemented by an Honours Research Project and at Masters level by a mini-dissertation.
The programme is constructed around required core courses in Transitional Justice and a set of linked sub-programmes. The programme core courses are in
Comparative Transitional Justice and / or
Post-Conflict Justice in Africa
The linked sub-programmes, each with their own required core electives, offer specialisations in
- Transitional Justice
- Human Rights
- Conflict Resolution
- Social Justice in Transformation.
Remaining credits come from a list of approved courses relevant to the Justice and Transformation programme. The programme also provides for Internships which may be substituted for an elective option (but not for the core courses or required core electives).
General admission requirements
At Honours level: a first degree majoring with an upper 2nd or close approximation in the general areas of human rights, conflict studies, political ethics and/or social and political theory.
At Masters level: a good Honours degree or its equivalent. Each of the sub-programmes has its own disciplinary-based entrance qualifications (see below).
Location and Curriculum
The Justice &Transformation programme is administratively based in the Political Studies department. In general the programme provides a foundation in the concepts and research applications of transitional justice which encourages students to develop a critical and practical research experience.
- The sub-programme in Transitional Justice provides a theoretical grounding and comparative understanding of the interdisciplinary field of Transitional Justice at the intersection of human rights discourses, democratic transitions and post-conflict reconciliation.
- The sub-programme in Human Rights Law grounds the professional and specialist qualification for lawyers in a broader theoretical and comparative understanding of the historical and political contexts in which Human Rights Law function;
- The sub-programme in Conflict Resolution locates a practice-oriented introduction to current approaches to peace operations and post-conflict reconciliation in the African context within a broader comparative understanding of violence, the state and conflict in world politics
- The sub-programme in Social Justice in Transformation is designed to combine a focus on issues of social justice related to poverty and development with the combating of legacies of racism and redressing of racial, gender and social inequalities within more general normative and theoretical perspectives.
Students have the opportunity to participate in a range of non-credit-bearing seminars offered in collaboration with civil society institutions in Cape Town.
Target constituencies
In general the Justice & Transformation programme enables students with appropriate undergraduate backgrounds in a range of interdisciplinary studies related to human rights, conflict studies, political ethics and/or social and political theory to pursue a coherent and dedicated postgraduate programme of studies qualifying them for careers with international organisations, NGOs or research institutions in the areas of transitional justice, conflict resolution and/or human rights work. It also provides an opportunity for those in NGOs, local government or civil society institutions who have already obtained practical and professional experience in this field to augment this by a more advanced and integrated course of postgraduate study.
- The general Honours/Masters MPhil in Transitional Justice caters for a wide range of international, African and local students in anthropology, literature, sociology, history, philosophy, political studies etc attracted to study and research in the emerging new interdisciplinary sub-field of transitional justice.
- The sub-programme in Human Rights Law is aimed at students and practitioners who already have some academic background and/or a professional qualification in law and who are interested in working in the field of human rights law, and more especially at those who desire to supplement their legal expertise with a more general humanities education relevant to law, politics and transformation.
- The sub-programme in Conflict Resolution is aimed at students who wish to obtain a basic practice-oriented introduction as well as a general background and qualification for work in the area of post-conflict resolution and peace operations.
- The sub-programme in Social Justice in Transformation is aimed at students who wish to obtain a general background and qualification for work on issues of social justice related to poverty and development and/or on projects of institutional transformation, employment equity, gender equity, affirmative action etc
Specific entrance requirements
General programme in Transitional Justice:
A first degree majoring (with an upper 2nd or close approximation) in such disciplines as Politics, History, Philosophy, Social Anthropology, Sociology, Literature etc as required for admission to the programme core courses.
Specialisation in Human Rights law:
A strong LLB (with an average percentage of 60% or more throughout) or other appropriate qualification in Law as well as admission requirements for programme core courses.
Specialisation in Conflict Resolution:
A first degree with a major (with an upper 2nd or close approximation) in Political Studies, Psychology, Social Anthropology, Sociology etc. as well as admission requirements for programme core courses.
Specialisation in Social Justice in Transformation:
A first degree with a major (with an upper 2nd or close approximation) in Sociology, Social Anthropology, Psychology, Development Studies etc as well as admission requirements for programme core courses.
Further information
For further information on this programme please contact the convenor Professor Andre du Toit:
International students - more information here
Scholarship and bursary information here.
Application information here.
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