EWS2601/101/3/2023

Tutorial Letter 101/3/2023

Engaging with Society

Meeting the Challenges of a Changing World

EWS2601

Semesters 1 and 2

Department of Sociology

This tutorial letter contains important information about your module.

BARCODE
 CONTENTS
Page

1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 3
2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES ...................................................................................................... 4
2.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................ 4
2.2 Outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 4
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION ........................................................................................... 4
4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS................................................................................... 5
4.1 Lecturer(s) .................................................................................................................................... 5
4.2 Department ................................................................................................................................... 5
4.3 University ...................................................................................................................................... 5
5 RESOURCES ............................................................................................................................... 6
5.1 Prescribed book(s) ........................................................................................................................ 6
5.2 Recommended book(s) ................................................................................................................. 6
5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves) ................................................................................................... 6
6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ................................................................................................ 7
6.1 The Unisa First-Year Experience Programme ............................................................................... 7
7 STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................................................... 8
8 PRACTICAL WORK ..................................................................................................................... 9
9 ASSESSMENT .................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
9.1 Assessment criteria..................................................................................................................... 10
9.2 Assessment plan ........................................................................................................................ 10
9.3 Assessment due dates ................................................................................................................ 10
9.4 Submission of assessments ........................................................................................................ 10
9.5 The assessments ........................................................................................................................ 11
9.6 Other assessment methods ........................................................................................................ 12
9.7 The examination ......................................................................................................................... 12
10 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY ........................................................................................................ 12
10.1 Plagiarism ................................................................................................................................... 12
10.2 Cheating ..................................................................................................................................... 12
10.3 For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below: ..................................................... 12
11 STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES .................................................................................. 12
12 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 13
13 SOURCES CONSULTED ........................................................................................................... 13
14 IN CLOSING ............................................................................................................................... 13
15 ADDENDUM ............................................................................................................................... 13

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Dear Student

1 INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the module EWS2601: Engaging with Society. The module is offered and
coordinated fully online; thus, study material will be uploaded and accessible online, all
assignments and examination will be completed online.
We are pleased to have you as a student and trust you will find the study of sociological research
methodology content, arguments and issues tackled to be of interest and relevant to you now and
in the near future. We will do our best to make your study of this module successful. You will also
reap excellent results should you work hard and consistently throughout the semester. Thus, it is
important to regularly read the study guide, complete and submit assignments on time, and
participate in online group discussion forums on myUnisa. This module is one of the
fundamental modules of the BA degree.
There are several tutorial letters which students should access and download online from
myUnisa, and these are used to communicate with students about the study material,
assignments and examination. Importantly, Lecturers also use myUnisa announcements,
discussion forums and SMS to communicate urgent information related to module content and
assessments (assignments).
This tutorial letter, Tutorial Letter EWS2601/101/2023 (also referred to as Tutorial Letter 101),
contains important information about the curriculum, study material, additional recommended
sources and assignments for this module. We encourage you to read it carefully and to keep it at
hand when working through the study material, preparing and submitting the assignments,
preparing for the examination, and addressing questions to your lecturers.
The SOCAL36/301/2023 tutorial letter (also referred to as Tutorial Letter 301) for both semesters
give you information on how to complete assignments. Tutorial Letter 301 provides essential
information about the formal requirements for assignments as well as general information
regarding your studies.
Please read Tutorial Letter SOCAL36/301/2022 in combination with the Tutorial Letter 101.
Please note that it is of critical importance that you thoroughly read all of the study material
including tutorial letters that you will receive during the semester and the study guide to be
informed about the module and its contents. You will receive some of the tutorial letters only
during the course of the semester such as feedback on assignments, exam preparation and
revision.
Other tutorial letters will contain information about important administrative matters. Being
informed and knowledgeable about the contents of all tutorial letters is indispensable for success
in this module.

We wish you every success and hope that you will enjoy this module.

Unisa, as a comprehensive open distance e-learning institution (CODeL), is moving towards

becoming an online institution. You will therefore see that all your study material, assessments
and engagements with your lecturer and fellow students will take place online. This tutorial letter
is intended to offer you some guidance in this regard.

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2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES
2.1 Purpose

The purpose of this module is to increase your understanding of how the world is changing and
what these changes may mean for us.

2.2 Outcomes

By the end of completing this module. We want to increase your awareness of how your own
life is connected to the changes that have occurred in society and thus the extent to which our
lives are embedded in the local and the global society of our time. Our own welfare is connected
not only to that of the society that we live in, but also to the welfare of the natural environment
that sustains us. Consequently, we also want to increase your understanding of the connection
between society and the natural environment, especially in the context of the African continent
that is our home. In this respect we will discuss challenges such as global warming. We do not
only want to make you think differently about the world, but also change the way in which you
live. Understanding is only useful if it also changes our actions. We therefore end with a survey
of the many ways in which we can act to address the challenges of our changing world.

3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION
Unisa has implemented a transformation charter, in terms of which the university has placed
curriculum transformation high on the teaching and learning agenda. Curriculum transformation
includes student-centred scholarship, the pedagogical renewal of teaching and assessment
practices, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and the infusion of African epistemologies
and philosophies. All of these will be phased in at both programme and module levels, and as a
result of this you will notice a marked change in the teaching and learning strategy implemented
by Unisa, together with the way in which the content is conceptualised in your modules. We
encourage you to embrace these changes during your studies at Unisa in a responsive way within
the framework of transformation.

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4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS

4.1 Lecturer(s)

The names of lecturers responsible for this module in 2023 are as follows:

STUDY GUIDE DEPARTMENT LECTURER CONTACT DETAILS

Dr Phillip Nhlanhla nhlanpp@unisa.ac.za

Introduction Sociology Ms. Bright Smith esmithbk@unisa.ac.za
012 429 3275
Anthropology and adigujs@unisa.ac.za
Us and Them Archaeology Dr Jane Adigun 012 429 6348

Dr Phillip Nhlanhla nhlanpp@unisa.ac.za

Wealth and Status Sociology
Ms. Bright Smith esmithbk@unisa.ac.za
012 429 3275
Society and the
Challenge of Political Sciences Ms Lefa Moagi moagial@unisa.ac.za
012 429 3111
Criminality
southnd@unisa.ac.za
Living Sustainably History Mr. Nicholas Southey 012 429 6044

4.2 Department

You can also contact the Sociology department for general queries through the departmental
secretary. Her contact details are as follows:

Mrs. Petro Steyn

Tel: 012 429 6301 (international: +27 12 429 6301)
Email: steynpw@unisa.ac.za
Fax number (RSA only) 012 429 3221

4.3 University

Contact addresses of the various administrative departments are included in Study @ Unisa,
which you receive with your study package. The university’s official contact details are as follows:

Physical address Postal address

University of South Africa University of South Africa

PO Box 392 Preller Street
Unisa Muckleneuk
0003 Pretoria, City of Tshwane
0003
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Contact addresses of the various administrative departments appear on the Unisa website:
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Contact-us/Student-enquiries.

Please include the student number in all correspondence

5 RESOURCES
5.1 Prescribed book(s)

There is NO prescribed book for the module

5.2 Recommended book(s)

There are no recommended books for this module

5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves)

There is NO electronic-Reserves (articles online) for this module. However, there is an Open
Educational Resources (OER) website where you can find additional interesting and related
information. Please consult the librarian in this regard.

5.4 Library services and resources information

The Unisa library offers a range of information services and resources:

• For brief information, go to https://www.unisa.ac.za/library/libatglance

• For more detailed library information, go to
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library
• For research support and services (e.g. the services offered by personal librarians and
the request a literature search service offered by the information search librarians), go to
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Research-support
• For library training for undergraduate students, go to
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Training

The library has created numerous library guides, available at http://libguides.unisa.ac.za

Recommended guides:

• Request and find library material/download recommended material:

http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/request
• Postgraduate information services: http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/postgrad
• Finding and using library resources and tools:
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/Research_skills
• Frequently asked questions about the library:
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/ask
• Services to students living with disabilities:
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http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/disability
• A–Z of library databases:
https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/az.php

Important contact information:

• Ask a librarian: https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/ask
• Technical problems encountered in accessing library online services: Lib-
help@unisa.ac.za
• General library-related queries: Library-enquiries@unisa.ac.za
• Queries related to library fines and payments: Library-fines@unisa.ac.za
• Social media channels: Facebook: UnisaLibrary and Twitter: @UnisaLibrary

6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Important information appears in your Study @ Unisa brochure. You are welcome to contact the
module conveners and lecturers at the telephone numbers and e-mail addresses, which will be
announced on myUnisa and in tutorial letters.

You are advised to do all the activities in the study guide and to post them to the discussion forum
at the myUnisa site for EWS2601. Lecturers will monitor the postings, comment, and contribute
when they deem it necessary to do so. Doing and sharing your responses to activities are
excellent ways of preparing for the examinations.

The Study @ Unisa website is available on myUnisa: www.unisa.ac.za/brochures/studies. The

website has all the tips and information you need to succeed at Unisa.

Registered Unisa students get a free myLife e-mail account. Important information, notices and
updates are sent exclusively to this account. Please note that it can take up to 24 hours for
your account to be activated after you have claimed it. Please do this immediately after
registering at Unisa, by following this link: myLifeHelp@unisa.ac.za

Your myLife account is the only e-mail account recognised by Unisa for official correspondence
with the university, and will remain the official primary e-mail address on record at Unisa. You
remain responsible for the management of this e-mail account.
mailto:

6.1 The Unisa First-Year Experience Programme

Many students find the transition from school education to tertiary education stressful. This is also
true in the case of students enrolling at Unisa for the first time. Unisa is a dedicated open distance
and e-learning institution, and it is very different from face-to-face/contact institutions. It is a mega
university, and all our programmes are offered through either blended learning or fully online
learning. It is for this reason that we thought it necessary to offer first-time students
additional/extended support to help them seamlessly navigate the Unisa teaching and learning
journey with little difficulty and few barriers. We therefore offer a specialised student support
7
programme to students enrolling at Unisa for the first time – this is Unisa’s First-Year Experience
(FYE) Programme, designed to provide you with prompt and helpful information about services
that the institution offers and how you can access information. The following FYE services are
currently offered:

• FYE website: All the guides and resources you need in order to navigate through your first
year at Unisa can be accessed using the following link: www.unisa.ac.za/FYE

• FYE e-mails: You will receive regular e-mails to help you stay focused and motivated.

• FYE broadcasts: You will receive e-mails with links to broadcasts on various topics related
to your first-year studies (e.g. videos on how to submit assessments online).

• FYE mailbox: For assistance with queries related to your first year of study, send an e-mail
to fye@unisa.ac.za .

7 STUDY PLAN
Students please be informed that Unisa offers online tutorials (e-tutoring) to students registered
for modules at NQF level 5, 6 and 7, this means qualifying (i.e. there must be more than 200
students registered in the module due to scarce e-tutor resources) first year, second year and
third year modules. Please log on to myUnisa to find out if any of the modules that you have
registered for falls in this category.

Once you have been registered for a qualifying module, you will be allocated to a group of
students with whom you will be interacting during the tuition period as well as an e -tutor who will
be your tutorial facilitator. Thereafter you will receive a SMS informing you about your group, the
name of your e-tutor and instructions on how to log onto myUnisa in order to receive further
information on the e-tutoring process.

Online tutorials are conducted by qualified E-tutors who are appointed by Unisa and are offered
free of charge. All you need to be able to participate in e-tutoring is a computer with internet
connection. If you live close to a Unisa regional Centre or a Telecentre contracted with Unisa,
please feel free to visit any of these to access the internet. E-tutoring takes place on myUnisa
where you are expected to connect with other students in your allocated group. It is the role of
the e-tutor to guide you through your study material during this interaction process. For you to get
the most out of online tutoring, you need to participate in the online discussions that the e - tutor
will be facilitating.

There are modules, which students have been found to repeatedly fail, these modules are
allocated face-to-face tutors and tutorials for these modules and they take place at the Unisa
regional centres. These tutorials are also offered free of charge; however, it is important for you
to register at your nearest Unisa Regional Centre to secure attendance of these classes.

Module-specific study plan

You will be required to complete 2 assignments per semester. The first assignment is a multiple-
choice questions (MCQs) assignment and must be completed and submitted online at the website

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provided. The second assignment consists of writing short, logical and well- reasoned paragraphs
based on a set of questions provided. The due dates of each assignment per semester are given
below in this Tutorial Letter 101. You will immediately need to commence with reading of the study
guide at the start of the semester in order to do and complete the assignments in time and well.

The second assignment is a written assignment that can also preferably be typed in 12 -point
Arial or Times New Roman fonts with 1.5 line spacing and leave at least 2.5cm for margins on
the left and right for the lecturer’s comments. This assignment can be submitted either online or
sent in an assignment envelope as a hard copy by mail. However, please do not submit an
assignment using both means of online and postal submission as the system might show that you
have not submitted it and on time. Please take note of the due dates and begin reading your study
guide and consulting recommended sources in advance of these due dates. You are advised to
consult one or more of the recommended texts in completing the second assignment, which will
comprise of questions that require answers to be explained in paragraphs, substantial discussion
and giving definitions of concepts. Plan ahead so as to progress successfully!

It is very important that you attend to this module in a conscientious, regular and systematic way.
Success in this module requires the understanding and application of a variety of definitions of
basic terms and concepts. Most of all, this module calls for careful thinking, logical reasoning and
the ability to apply the information that you learn to real examples. Thinking and intelligent
application can be time-consuming, so do not take this as an easy or light credit. You will need to
spend real time completing the module to be successful.

Since this is a second-level Sociology module, you are required to devote at least 120 hours of
study in the semester in which you enrol to complete the module. A semester is roughly 15 weeks
and therefore you need about ± 8 hours of study per week. You can easily fit this into 5 or 7 days
per week. It is totally doable and fair to your other modules for your degree – and it will be
beneficial if you do so before you put in extra hours for examination preparation. This means that
you should work at this module for at least 10 to 12 hours per week to pass it well.

Use your Study @ Unisa brochure for general time management and planning skills.

Your lecturers will gladly assist you to improve your understanding of the study material. You
should thus feel free to write (via e-mail or ordinary post) or telephone-in if you require help. You
can also and in fact are encouraged to form study groups but with the sole intention of discussing
information on the topics in your study guide and not copying from each other. myUnisa
discussion forums are also a platform for you to engage your lecturers and communicate about
the module with your peers in the module. When you contact us, we will expect you to:

1. provide us with questions you have on the module and its contents; and

2.provide us with your attempts (preferably in coherent written form) at answers to that question/s

8 PRACTICAL WORK
None.

9
9 ASSESSMENT
9.1 Assessment criteria

You must submit the first assignment in order to gain exam admission. You must submit the
second assignment in order to get semester mark (credit) which contribute 20% to your final mark.
(The exam carries the other 80% of the final mark to pass the module).

9.2 Assessment plan

• To complete this module, you will be required to submit two assignments (01-MCQ and 02
essay type assignment). Per semester
• All information about when and where to submit your assessments will be made available
to you via the myModules site for your module.
• Due dates for assessments, as well as the actual assessments are available on the
myModules site for this module.
• To gain admission to the examination, you will be required to submit 01 assignment (MCQ).
• To gain admission to the examination, you need to obtain a year mark average of 40% for
the assignments.
• The assignment weighting for the module is 20%-year mark and 80% examination mark.
• You will receive examination information via the myModules sites. Please watch out for
announcements on how examinations for the modules for which you are registered will be
conducted.
• The examination will count 80% towards the final module mark.

9.3 Assessment due dates

• There are no assignment due dates included in this tutorial letter.

• Assignment due dates will be made available to you on the myUnisa landing page for this
module. We envisage that the due dates will be available to you upon registration.

• Please start working on your assessments as soon as you register for the module.

• Log on to the myUnisa site for this module to obtain more information on the due dates for
the submission of the assessments.

9.4 Submission of assessments

• Unisa, as a comprehensive open distance e-learning institution (CODeL), is moving

towards becoming an online institution. You will therefore see that all your study material,
assessments and engagements with your lecturer and fellow students will take place
online. We use myUnisa as our virtual campus.

• The myUnisa virtual campus will offer students access to the myModules site, where
learning material will be available online and where assessments should be completed.
This is an online system that is used to administer, document, and deliver educational
material to students and support engagement between academics and students.

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 EWS2601/101

• The myUnisa platform can be accessed via https://my.unisa.ac.za. Click on the myModules
2023 button to access the online sites for the modules that you are registered for.

• The university undertakes to communicate clearly and as frequently as is necessary to

ensure that you obtain the greatest benefit from the use of the myModules learning
management system. Please access the announcements on your myModules site
regularly, as this is where your lecturer will post important information to be shared with
you.

• When you access your myModules site for the module/s you are registered for, you will
see a welcome message posted by your lecturer. Below the welcome message you will
see the assessment shells for the assessments that you need to complete. Some
assessments may be multiple choice, some tests, others written assessments, some forum
discussions, and so on. All assessments must be completed on the assessment shells
available on the respective module platforms.

• To complete quiz assessments, please log on to the module site where you need to
complete the assessment. Click on the relevant assessment shell (Assessment 1,
Assessment 2, etc.). There will be a date on which the assessment will open for you. When
the assessment is open, access the quiz online and complete it within the time available
to you. Quiz assessment questions are not included in this tutorial letter (Tutorial Letter
101) and are only made available online. You must therefore access the quiz online and
complete it online where the quiz has been created.

• It is not advisable to use a cell phone to complete the quiz. Please use a desktop computer,
tablet or laptop when completing the quiz. Students who use a cell phone find it difficult to
navigate the Online Assessment tool on the small screen and often struggle to navigate
between questions and successfully complete the quizzes. In addition, cell phones are
more vulnerable to dropped internet connections than other devices. If at all possible,
please do not use a cell phone for this assessment type.

• For written assessments, please note the due date by which the assessment must be
submitted. Ensure that you follow the guidelines given by your lecturer to complete the
assessment. Click on the submission button on the relevant assessment shell on
myModules. You will then be able to upload your written assessment on the myModules
site of the modules that you are registered for. Before you finalise the upload, double check
that you have selected the correct file for upload. Remember, no marks can be allocated
for incorrectly submitted assessments.

9.5 The assessments

As indicated in section 9.2, you need to complete two assignments for assessments for this
module. Details on the assessments (assignments 01 is MCQ and 02 is essay type). The
Lecturer will communicate further instructions of completing assignment 01 (MCQ) and
assignment 02 (essay type) in each semester.

Note: Please read Tutorial Letter SOCAL36/301 and your study guide before you start answering
the questions in this assignment. Please do not provide a title, table of contents, introduction and
11
 conclusion for the purpose of this assignment. All you have to do is to provide the correctly
numbered answers and to provide the necessary author and source references for quotations,
paraphrases and other information (see Tutorial Letter SOCAL36/301). Lack of compliance with
the requirements regarding source references will result in serious loss of marks. Even minimal
plagiarism may result in a NIL mark (0%).

There are no assignments included in this tutorial letter. Assignments and due dates will be
made available to you on myModules for this module. We envisage that the due dates will be
available to you upon registration.

9.6 Other assessment methods

None

9.7 The examination

Examination information and details on the format of the examination will be made available to
you online via the myUnisa site. Look out for information that will be shared with you by your
lecturer and e-tutors (where relevant) and for communication from the university.

10 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
10.1 Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas and thoughts of others and presenting them as
your own. It is a form of theft. Plagiarism includes the following forms of academic dishonesty:

• Copying and pasting from any source without acknowledging the source.
• Not including references or deliberately inserting incorrect bibliographic information.
• Paraphrasing without acknowledging the original source of the information.
10.2 Cheating
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Completing assessments on behalf of another student, copying the work of another

student during an assessment, or allowing another student to copy your work.
• Using social media (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram) or other platforms to disseminate
assessment information.
• Submitting corrupt or irrelevant files, this forms part of examination guidelines
• Buying completed answers from so-called “tutors” or internet sites (contract cheating).
10.3 For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Study-@-Unisa/Student-values-and-rules

11 STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES

The Advocacy and Resource Centre for Students with Disabilities (ARCSWiD) provides an
opportunity for staff to interact with first-time and returning students with disabilities.

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If you are a student with a disability and would like additional support or need additional time for
assessments, you are invited to contact (Dr Phil Nhlanhla nhlanpp@unisa.ac.za) to discuss the
assistance that you need.

12 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The Study @Unisa brochure contains an A-Z guide of most relevant study information.

13 SOURCES CONSULTED
None

14 IN CLOSING
We wish you every success in your studies and particularly in this module! Put in the time and
effort and you will see success. Contact your lecturers to assist you should you be experiencing
any difficulties in the module. Take note of the deadlines and plan your work ahead so that you
are not unprepared. Preparation is key to success.

The EWS2601 team wishes you everything of the very best in your
endeavours.

15 ADDENDUM
None

13