School of Literature, Language and Media, University of The Witwatersrand

School of Literature, Language and Media, University of The Witwatersrand

Located in the Faculty of Humanities in the burgeoning cultural hub of Johannesburg’s city bowl, the School of Literature, Language and Media (SLLM) contributes to the vibrant literary and intellectual life of the city and offers students the opportunity to explore the implications of social and cultural diversity through the study of language, literature, writing, media studies, policy and regulation in the electronic communications and Internet sectors. The School is home to top international scholars, including one of the few A-rated academics in literary studies, and prides itself on its high standard of teaching.

In addition to its prestigious programmes in African and World Literatures and the strength of its language offerings, SLLM hosts an energetic and growing Media Studies programme and the premier graduate programme in Journalism in Africa. The Media Studies programme has a growing international reputation and has a structured undergraduate degree programme that allows students to specialise even at undergraduate level.  Under the leadership of Prof Anton Harber, Wits Journalism has pioneered many ground-breaking projects, such as the Investigative Journalism Workshop, HIV/Aids and the Media Project, the Justice Project and notably the Kagiso Radio Academy, under Prof Franz Kruger, who is one of the country’s most experienced radio and broadcast journalists. The multidisciplinary nature of the School fosters debate across disciplines and facilitates engagement in a broad range of collaborative intellectual projects.

In addition to academic postgraduate programmes in the disciplines, the School has a suite of professional postgraduate programmes in Creative Writing, Journalism, Publishing, and Translation and Interpreting. These programmes reflect and serve the diversity of Johannesburg’s writing community. The School is also proud of its exciting public events programme which provides a dynamic forum for engagement with the broader academic community and institutions of public culture.

• Growing numbers of novels or works of non-fiction produced by students of the MA in Creative Writing.
• A remarkable research record that contributes extensively to the publication profile of the University.
• The Journalism programme has trained some of the most influential figures in contemporary South African media.
• Our curricula are among the most cogent and intellectually robust in the country.
• The Department of African Literature is the only such department in the world.
• Our postgraduate programmes are growing rapidly, and our graduates are increasingly present in all sectors of public life.

Libby Meintjes, Head of School