In 2011, the PLAAS postgraduate teaching programme celebrated it's 10th year. The unique programme of postgraduate study at PLAAS draws on academic expertise from the University of the Western Cape and the Legal Resources Centre. The postgraduate teaching programme was initiated in 2001 to enhance the capacity of government and civil society organisations to develop and implement policies and programmes of land and agrarian reform that seek to achieve both redistribution of productive assets and sustainable development. The specific objective is to develop appropriate knowledge and skills to enable policy makers, planners, managers, researchers and fieldworkers to:
- conceptualise key land and agrarian reform policy issues;
- analyse problems of policy formulation and programme design;
- plan effective programmes and projects; and
- undertake research on important questions of policy and practice.
For the last ten years, PLAAS postgraduate degrees and diplomas have provided a solid focus on the political economy of land and agrarian reform in South Africa.
Teaching and Learning Approach
The PLAAS teaching programme facilitates an interactive approach to learning through small group discussions, debates, and structured exercises as well as reading and writing assignments. These methods are aimed at developing students’ abilities to problem-solve creatively, and to think critically and independently. We offer specialised courses, only offered by PLAAS with no undergraduate degrees.
Course Offerings
Each course/qualifications has separate admissions requirements. More information about each course is available at the below links:
Student Development
Given our multi-disciplinary teaching programme and the diverse backgrounds of our students, as part of student development, the programme has arranged academic writing workshops with the Division for Postgraduate Studies (DfPS) at UWC and library training to assist students in their academic writing and research skills. Students have also utilised the referencing tool, Turn-It-In to aid with their referencing techniques. We have also developed guidelines on formulating concept notes, abstracts, and research proposals.