TITLE: B.A (HONS) MAURITIAN STUDIES SHG1412 (Full-Time) 

1.	OBJECTIVES

This programme offers interdisciplinary ways of exploring Mauritian society, its environment, history, culture and their intersections. Conceived around the disciplines of History, Geography and Social Anthropology, it is designed to equip students with concepts and tools to understand the Mauritian society in its complexity and enable them to play their part both as an informed member of society and as a social scientist.   The programme will provide knowledge and competence for a number of professions in such sectors as teaching, civil service, the media or media related industries and in tourism. 

2.	GENERAL ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

	In accordance with the University General Entry Requirements for admission to undergraduate degree Programmes. 

3.	PROGRAMME REQUIREMENTS

A credit in English Language at the Cambridge SC/‘O’ Level or equivalent and 2 GCE ‘A’ Level passes in any of the following subjects: Sociology, History, Geography, Economics, Languages and Literature (English, French or any Oriental Language).

4.	PROGRAMME DURATION 
					Normal			Maximum
	Degree 				3 years 				   5 years 

5.	CREDITS PER YEAR 

Minimum -	18 credits
Maximum-	48 credits.  Subject to Regulation 4.

6.	MINIMUM CREDITS REQUIRED FOR DEGREE AWARD - 102

	Breakdown:

                                                     CREDITS FROM	
	Core Modules	Electives	GEMS	Dissertation	
Degree	81	6	6	9	
	
7.	ASSESSMENT

Each module can either be taught in Semester I only or in Semester II only or throughout the two semesters.

Assessment will be based on a written examination of 2 to 3-hour duration (normally a paper of 2 hours’ duration for modules carrying less or equal to three credits, and 3 hours’ duration for modules carrying six credits) and on continuous assessment done during the semester or year.

Written examinations for all modules will be carried out at the end of the academic year except for DE modules and some Semester Modules (unless otherwise stated). Relevant information will be provided to the students prior to delivery of the modules.

The continuous assessment will count for 30% for all modules, unless otherwise specified in the programme and at least two (2) assignments/tests per module.

Continuous assessment may be based on laboratory work, fieldwork, seminars and/or assignments and should include at least 1 class test. 

For a student to pass a module an overall total of a minimum of 40% should be obtained in that module.

Special examinations (e.g. class tests) will be arranged at the end of semester 1 or semester 2 for exchange students who have registered only for one semester. In case of yearly modules, credits will be assigned on a pro-rata basis. 

8.	LIST OF MODULES

CORE	Earn 81 Credits			
Code	Module Name	Hrs/Wk
L + P	Credits	
MST 1001Y(1)	Mauritius under Colonial Rule: A Society in the Making	   (1638-1968)
	3 + 0	6	
MST 1002Y(1)	Littérature Mauricienne et Diaspora	3 + 0	6
	
MST 1003Y(1)	Mauritius: The Physical Environment           
and Natural Resources
	3 + 0	6	
POLI 1211(1)	Government and Politics of Mauritius	3 + 0	3
	
MST 1004(1)	An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology	3 + 0	3
	
CSE 1010 e (1)	Introduction to Information Technology	O.E	3
	
ECON 2013Y(3)	Economic History: From a Port of Call to the Contemporary Economy
	3 + 0	6	
MST 3004Y(3)	Demography and Settlement	3 + 0	6	
FREN 2011Y(3)	Initiation aux Etudes Créoles	3 + 0	6	
MST 3001Y(5) R	Research Methodology	3 + 0	6	
MST 3002Y(5)	Anthropology of Health and Religion	3 + 0	6	
MST 3003Y(5)	Cultural Studies	3 + 0	6	
HIST 4001Y(5)R	Contemporary Issues in Mauritian Society	3 + 0	6	
MST 4003Y(5)	Anthropology of Change and Development	3 + 0	6	
MST 2000(3)	Public History: Archives, Museums and Heritage	3 + 0	3	
BHS 1100(3)	Bhojpuri Studies: History and Culture	3 + 0	3	
MST 4000(5)	Dissertation 		9	
ELECTIVES
	Choose 6 credits			
CIVE 3217(5)	Introduction to GIS	3 + 0	3	
SOCI 1005(1)	An Introduction to Sociological Analysis	3 + 0	3	
ENG 2010(3)	Multi-Lingualism	3 + 0	3	
MST 4004(5)	Folklore and Oral Traditions in the South-West Indian Ocean
	3 + 0	3	
IREL 2003(3)	Contemporary Indian Ocean	3 + 0	3	
WPH 1110(1)	Western Philosophy	3 + 0	3	
Plus one GEM in Year 1 or Year 2
	6	

Note: (1) MODULES OF SPECIAL NATURE: A student can take a maximum of 9 credits of Self-Study 
                     Subjects and Independent Study, subject to approval of the Department. 
          (2) Submission deadline for dissertation: last working day of March 

9.	PROGRAMME PLAN - BA (HONS) MAURITIAN STUDIES

CORE	Year 1			
Code	Module Name	Hrs/Wk
L + P	Credits	
MST 1001Y(1)	Mauritius under Colonial Rule: A Society in the Making (1638-1968)	3 + 0	6	
MST 1002Y(1)	Littérature Mauricienne et Diaspora	3 + 0	6	
MST 1003Y(1)	Mauritius: The Physical Environment and    Natural Resources	3 + 0	6	
MST 1004(1)  	An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology1	3 + 0	3	
FREN 2011Y(3)	Initiation aux Etudes Créoles	3 + 0	6	
CSE 1010 e (1)	Introduction to Information Technology1	O.E	3	
POLI 1211(1)	Government and Politics of Mauritius2	3 + 0	3	
GEM			6	
CORE	Year 2			
ECON 2013Y(3)	Economic History: From a Port of Call to the Contemporary Economy	3 + 0	6	
MST 3004Y(3)	Demography and Settlement	3 + 0	6	
MST 3002Y(5)	Anthropology of Health and Religion	3 + 0	6	
MST 2000(3)	Public History: Archives, Museums and 
Heritage	3 + 0	3	
MST 3001Y(5)R	Research Methodology	3 + 0	6	
ELECTIVES	(Choose 2)			
SOCI 1005(1)	An Introduction to Sociological Analysis	3 + 0	3	
ENG 2010(3)	Multi-Lingualism	3 + 0	3	
WPH 1110(1)	Western Philosophy	3 + 0	3	
CIVE 3217(5)	Introduction to GIS	3 + 0	3	
MST 4004(5)	Folklore and Oral Traditions in the South-West Indian Ocean	3 + 0	3	
IREL 2003(3)	Contemporary Indian Ocean	3 + 0	3	
CORE	Year 3			
BHS 1100(3)	Bhojpuri Studies: History and Culture1	3 + 0	3	
MST 4003Y(5)	Anthropology of Change and Development	3 + 0	6	
MST 3003Y(5)	Cultural Studies	3 + 0	6	
HISTR 4001Y(5)	Contemporary Issues in Mauritian Society	3 + 0	6	
MST 4000(5)	Dissertation	3 + 0	9	

Note : (1)   Offering of electives would be subject to availability of resources and critical mass. The Department reserves the right to offer additional electives. 
(2)   1 – Module taught and examined in Semester I
(3)   2 – Module taught and examined in Semester II

10.	OUTLINE SYLLABUS

MST 1001Y(1) – MAURITIUS UNDER COLONIAL RULE : A SOCIETY IN THE MAKING (1638-1968) 
An in-depth study of the complexities of our society during colonial times - Focus on central themes essential for an understanding of the socio-economic, political and cultural factors contributing to the making of present-day Mauritius - Immigration and settlement, slavery and its abolition, political and constitutional evolution, the creolisation process.

MST 1002Y(1) - LITTÉRATURE MAURICIENNE ET DIASPORA
On se propose dans un premier temps de faire un survol de l’histoire de cette littérature plurilingue et dans un deuxième temps, d’interroger des extraits de textes littéraires et d’en étudier en profondeur les spécificités, les convergences et les divergences. Il s’agira dans ce cours d’étudier cette littérature relativement récente de la diaspora. L’on essaiera d’analyser comment chaque romancier apporte une lumière nouvelle à ce passé douloureux et pourtant fondateur.

MST 1003Y(1) – MAURITIUS: THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES
This module will identify and analyse the physical characteristics of the land and sea territory of the Republic of Mauritius, including its geology, climate, flora and fauna and natural resources. Methods and skills pertaining to physical geography will be taught. 

MST 1004(1) - AN INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
This course is designed to introduce students to the methods, theories and concepts of cultural anthropology. It brings about an understanding of the similarities and differences in society and of how the world’s system is interconnected despite the different cultural traditions. The module focuses on basic anthropological concepts to comprehend how people lead their everyday life through language, economy, family life and kinship, religion and other institutions.

FREN 2011Y(3) - INITIATION AUX ETUDES CREOLES 
Genèse et évolution des sociétés créoles de l’esclavage à nos jours à travers le monde. Créolisation linguistique et culturelle dans l’Océan Indien. Le créole mauricien: origine, description et développement.

CSE 1010e(1) – INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
The World of Computers; Main components of the computer; The evolution of computers; Input and output devices; Secondary Storage; Programming; Systems Software; Application software; Systems analysis and design; Communications and connectivity; The internet; Information technology and society.

POLI 1211(1) – GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS OF MAURITIUS
This module is an introduction to the government and politics of Mauritius.  It emphasises the primacy of the constitution, the checks and balances in our system, the nature of our parliamentary democracy and our Republican model, the protection of our fundamental rights and freedoms.

ECON 2013Y(3) – ECONOMIC HISTORY : FROM A PORT OF CALL TO THE CONTEMPORARY ECONOMY
This island’s economic history during colonial times is the main focus of this module. The resources mobilized at the different stages of the country’s development from a simple port of call to a thriving sugar colony is examined before considering the challenges facing Mauritius in today’s world economy.

MST 3004Y(3) – DEMOGRAPHY AND SETTLEMENT
Current demography, spatial organization and interactions among villages and towns studied in a historical perspective. Students will be equipped with methods and skills pertaining to Human Geography. 

MST 3002Y(5) - ANTHROPOLOGY OF HEALTH AND RELIGION 
This module builds on MST1004 Y(1).  It will look at the anthropology of, health and religion with reference to the ethnographies of the rituals, symbolism and religious knowledge of non-western societies including Mauritius, its neighbours and other societies of the Indian Ocean and will refer to some aspects of medical anthropology.

MST 2000(3) - PUBLIC HISTORY: ARCHIVES, MUSEUMS AND HERITAGE
Students will learn how history is communicated to the public using various medium, both through conventional and electronic channels: Archives, museums, memorial and heritage sites, theme parks etc.

MST 3001Y(5)R – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 
This module explores a variety of research methods used to investigate different research topics. The stages involved in the research process from specifying a research problem to the collection of data through qualitative and quantitative methods to the dissemination of findings will be discussed. Ethical issues in research will also be raised. This module will be evaluated by Continuous Assessment only, including a project consisting of original research based on fieldwork.

BHS 1100(3) - BHOJPURI STUDIES: HISTORY AND CULTURE
This module introduces students to Mauritian Bhojpuri, its origin and evolution in the local context, from the time of indentured immigration to date. Borrowings and transformations; folklore and oral traditions; Bhojpuri in various domains; and its international dimension will also be studied. 

MST 4003Y(5) - ANTHROPOLOGY OF CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT
This module explores selected key ideas from the field of anthropology which are of central relevance to development, seen as progressive social change. It helps students understand the social anthropological concepts and methods, and their application to development issues and policies.

MST 3003Y(5) - CULTURAL STUDIES 
This module will look at aspects of culture through the medium of the written, visual, oral and media-based sources and see how people give meanings to their lives in the contemporary world.  Forms of culture (film, books, magazines, television, photographs, newspapers, digital and cyber-culture, theatre, art and dance, popular leisure activities, political and cultural movement and subcultures) will be studied in different settings – historical, contemporary, global, national and local. 

HISTR 4001Y(5) – CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN MAURITIAN SOCIETY 
This seminar-based module provides students with the opportunity to address topical political, socio-economic, cultural and environmental issues in Contemporary Mauritius, placing them in the regional and global context. Continuous assessment will account for 60% of the evaluation and examination for 40%.

MST 4000(5) – DISSERTATION
At the end of the programme, students will be required to submit a project dissertation of 8000-12000 words on an original topic relevant to the field of study. The dissertation should be based on research. 

ELECTIVES

SOCI 1005(1) – AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
The module aims to introduce student who are unfamiliar with sociology to the sociological discipline. It provides an introduction to main schools of sociological theory and the application of these theories to the analysis of social institutions and social policies.

ENG 2010(3) - MULTI-LINGUALISM
Definition of concepts. Monolingualism. Bilingualism. Multilingualism. Diglossia. Bilingual/multilingual individuals-states.  Multilingual states: Territorial/Personality principle.  Reasons for bilingual/multilingual states.

WPH 1110(1) - WESTERN PHILOSOPHY
Discussion on the main problems of Western Philosophy with focus on Metaphysical problems. 

CIVE 3217(5) - INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS
What is GIS? Technologies merged to create a GIS; spatial and non-spatial information; What can a GIS do? What type of information makes up a GIS database; Metadata, GIS application worldwide (on the internet); IDRISI – a raster-based GIS system; view, display, document a file; create view palettes for vector and raster files; import bmp and dxf files; on-screen digitising; simple analytical tools; Boolean algebra. Applications of GIS – microprojects. 

MST 4004(5) – FOLKLORE AND ORAL TRADITIONS IN THE SOUTH-WEST INDIAN OCEAN
This course is designed to familiarise students with the ways in which folklore functions in the everyday life, and throughout the life cycle, in societies of the South West Indian Ocean. It will explore how our own cultures shape our perceptions. The study of folk traditions, in different contexts, focuses on cultural relativism, fieldwork, folksong, the genres of folk narrative et al.

IREL 2003(3) - CONTEMPORARY INDIAN OCEAN
This module will look at contemporary events and issues related to the Indian Ocean, using an international relations perspective that focuses on political conflicts and negotiations, as well as on the geopolitics that have occurred particularly during and after the Cold War. The Chagossian issue, including the construction of an American base on Diego Garcia, will also be dealt with in this module, which will furthermore look at diplomacy in the region in general terms.

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