Contextualising Classics teaching in Malawi : a comparative study
View/ Open
Date
18/05/2016Funder
Keywords
Metadata
Show full item recordAltmetrics Handle Statistics
Abstract
The thesis of this study is that Classical studies at the University of Malawi, Chancellor College, has been taught with almost no reference to its African context, yet the Classical world, as Ogilvie (1979:2) observed ‘is far removed in time, geography, and philosophy from the world of Africa’. Classics in Malawi is currently taught as in the West, with which it has immediate ties, but if there are to be meaningful gains on the part of students learning Classics in Malawi, we need to contextualise its teaching. The purpose of this study was to identify ways in which Classics teaching at undergraduate level in Malawi might be strengthened in order to make the learning of Classics more meaningful and relevant to the Malawian context, by bridging the gaps between Classical Antiquity and African cultures. The comparative approaches explored will facilitate revision of the University of Malawi Classical Studies curriculum to fulfil the needs and interests of Malawians with the main purpose of contextualising Classical Studies in Malawi. The thesis consists of five chapters which deal with issues relating to Classics teaching in Malawi, namely: the evolution of Classical Studies in Malawi and its challenges; the need to change with the times; views of Latin/Classics teachers about Latin teaching at secondary level; attitudes and perceptions of undergraduate Classics students at Chancellor College to Classics, their perceptions about skills and Classics teaching in general; and views from Classicists from other universities on Classics teaching in general. The main comparative element in the thesis draws on analysis of similar issues in a wide variety of other institutions, including in the UK, the USA, Asia and Africa. Literature relating to Classics pedagogy and Comparative Education approaches, specifically Bereday’s Model, has been reviewed. In addition, Classical Reception theory and Social Constructivism theory, particularly with regard to pedagogy, have been surveyed. The study used purposive sampling. Five types of samples and their corresponding data capturing instruments were used, broken down in the following categories: two types of interviews (one involving Malawian Latin or Classics teachers at secondary level, and the other universities’ Classics lecturers); review of various documents of international universities’ Classics programmes; lecture observations for Classics; and student questionnaire interviews administered to University of Malawi Classics students. The research was a mixed-method design, combining both quantitative and qualitative data analysis, but overall, the study was more qualitative than quantitative. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were analysed using the thematic analysis method. These analyses were followed by discussions of the findings of both quantitative and qualitative data. The major conclusions and implications of the study point to the need for a curriculum review of all Classics courses to ensure that Classics becomes more relevant in the Malawian context.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Collections
Except where otherwise noted within the work, this item's licence for re-use is described as Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Representations of Idomeneus in Graeco-Roman sources and their reception in the West, to 1720
McLaren, Colin Andrew (2020-07-30) - ThesisThe dissertation examines representations of Idomeneus, and of the myths and traditions associated with him, in Graeco-Roman literature, and their reception in the West (represented by Italy, France, Germany and England). ... -
Amousia : living without the Muses
Halliwell, Francis Stephen (Brill, 2012) - Book item -
Numerical simulations study of a spin-1 Blume-Emery-Griffiths model on a square lattice
Luque, L. M.; Grigera, S. A.; Albano, E. (2019-03-18) - Journal articleWe use the Monte Carlo simulation technique to study the critical behavior of a three-state spin model, with bilinear and biquadratic nearest-neighbor interactions, known as the Blume-Emery-Griffiths model (BEG), in a ...