The Faculty of Humanities hosted their annual prestige research seminar on 21 October 2019. The aim of the seminar was to encourage and foster efforts of support and academic employees, and postgraduate students from all departments in the faculty to share their research endeavours, innovation, models, theories and strategies that address issues and challenges related to cultivating communities to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research in humanities.

Prof. Neli Feza, Dean of Humanities said that the purpose of the seminar is for the faculty to be relevant in terms of teaching and learning especially, in the 4^th Industrial Revolution. “Our teaching has to be informed by research which makes this day important for us to be relevant. Research allows us to know what is going on around us to influence the curriculum and be relevant.”

Director Research, Prof. Laetus Lategan spoke about the important role of humanities at a University of Technology (UoT). He focused his presentation on the concept of man and machine, humanity and technology. “Humanities at this university measured by research outputs play a pivotal role. You have illustrated that at a university of technology you can perform excellent research and I would like to encourage you to keep on doing this. It’s evident that through arts, you can change the mindset and the perception of society. The university has created an enabling environment and there are many more things we can do. See yourself as the core for the sustainable development goals and find a space for how you can influence others.”

Keynote speaker Prof. Johannes Cronjé, Dean of Informatics and Design from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology shared a couple of shortcuts and tools to develop a research proposal in a quick way. He spoke about the ABC instant research generator as a way of making sure that the research works. “What I have been finding useful in this tool is that, when students come with their idea to be turned into a proposal, I usually turn the proposal into a fairytale story to make an abstract.”

He mentioned four key words one can use to tell the aim of their research, which are Explore, Explain, Develop and Describe. “Paradigms of Social Science Research are useful tools in trying to figure out where your research sits and the only four key questions that one can use in Social Science Research are What, How, Why and When. First thing you need to do with your research is to decide what is it that you want to do, in this way you are a little sure that your research is coherent,” said Prof. Cronjé.

Caption

Prof. Johannes Cronjé, Dean of Informatics and Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology shared with the audience a couple of shortcuts and tools to develop a research proposal in a quick way.