Research Internationalisation
With regard to research, the Faculty has built an international academic profile over the past
decade. Academic relationships and collaboration exist with countries in Africa, America, Europe,
Asia and Australasia. Faculty members have been involved in international societies, congresses and
other academic projects, where external examination and the mutual exchange of members of
teaching staff and students are undertaken.
The two Open-Access online academic journals, HTS Theological Studies (www.hts.org.za) and
Verbum et Ecclesia (www.ve.org.za) contribute invaluably to the processes of internationalisation,
transformation and Africanisation in research. HTS is an ISI journal and both these periodicals are
accredited at the international Scopus and Scielo platforms.
Africanisation is part of the Faculty’s vision for internationalisation. An academic and ecclesiastic
network among theologians of South Africa and academics in Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania,
Cameroon, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Rwanda is extended every year. The publication of
academic articles in African languages, such as Sepedi, contributes to the values of diversity and
inclusivity adopted by the Faculty.
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Research collaboration and value of international funding received
Research collaboration between the Faculty and other academic institutions has led to institutional
and Faculty agreements as well as co-operation in other research projects. These include projects
between UP and universities in Cameroon, Ghana, Zimbabwe, South Korea, Austria (Vienna, Bern),
Germany (Essen-Duisburg, Munich, Jena, Bonn, Berlin, Bamberg, Bochum), the Netherlands (PThU,
Amsterdam, Kampen, Utrecht), the UK (Edinburgh, St Andrews, Oxford, Cambridge), USA (Fordham,
Princeton, Yale, McCormack, Chicago) and India (Karnataka).
The relationship between the Congreso Internacional da Facultades (EST) in Brazil and the Centre for
Public Theology at UP is a strategic South-South partnership. The focus of this partnership is largely
on Public Theology and themes such as citizen participation in public life. Brics, an association of
emerging economies in the global South, makes the Brazilian-South African partnership in Public
Theology timely and places the Faculty's vision of internationalisation on a vibrant path.
International funding was made available for research projects of researchers such as Profs G Steyn,
K Kok and Dr E Mahlangu from the Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands (R30 000 x 3).
These external funds amount to R90 000.
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Number of international students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels
Table 18 International Students
UNDERGRADUATES
POSTGRADUATES
TOTAL
2010
1
102
103
2011
1
94
95
2012
2
102
104
2013
7
140
147
The Faculty is an institution of choice for a number of international postgraduate students: 21,4%
(102 out of 476) of postgraduate students in 2012 and 24% (115 out of 479) have international
affiliations. This is an increase of almost 3% in the international enrolments in the past year. A
significant number of these students come from Africa and SADC countries, and 207 out of 415
students were recorded for the period 2010-2013. Although there are a few international
undergraduate students, they are rare in the Faculty (0,05%).
Continuous action plans are made to recruit more international postgraduate students through the
Faculty’s website, contact with current enrolled students and by “word-of-mouth”. Financial
challenges make long-term study problematic for African students at the Faculty. For this reason, the
RESPAT project is continuously being pursued.
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Number of international panel members on evaluation and accreditation teams
Numerous international scholars serve on the Editorial Boards of the theological journals, HTS
Theological Studies and Verbum et Ecclesia.
The Department of Practical Theology was externally assessed by national and international peer
reviewers in 2012. The panel included Prof. Marcel Barnard (PThU, Amsterdam, Netherlands) and
Prof. Pamela Couture (Emmanuel College, Toronto, Canada). In 2013 the Department of Old
Testament Studies was externally reviewed.
All PhD degrees in Theology are subjected to external assessment by international examiners. At
least 17 international peer reviewers were part of these examination teams in 2012.
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Number of programmes with international accreditation
At an undergraduate level, there have been student exchanges in the past ten years between UP and
the Protestant Theological University, Vienna, Austria. In the Memorandum of Understanding
between these two universities, there is mutual recognition of certain undergraduate modules of
the BTh degree at UP and particular modules in Vienna. There is also bilateral recognition of certain
modules between the Faculty and Fordham University. We foresee that the first exchange students
will travel to Fordham as soon as next year.
At a postgraduate level, the Faculty at UP and the University of Utrecht, Netherlands offer a
combined doctoral programme to postgraduate students. These two universities have a mutual
recognition of expertise and content. By means of video conferences over the past seven years,
regular undergraduate and postgraduate seminars have taken place between the Faculty and the
universities of Essen-Duisburg and Bochum, Germany. This interaction is evidence of their academic
recognition of programmes at the Faculty.
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Number of international postdoctoral fellows
The number of postdoctoral fellows has increased in the past year. Currently there are seven
postdoctoral fellows in the Faculty (Drs Pienaar, Gronum, Meyer and Lebaka). Among them are two
international scholars, one from Zimbabwe (Dr Dube) and one from Poland (Dr Urbaniak). A third
international appointment was recently made (Dr Kroesbergen).
The Faculty makes intensive efforts to attract more international postdoctoral fellows. These efforts
paid off in 2012. These scholars will all contribute to the research output and international profile of
the Faculty.
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Number of international staff appointments or associations
A large number of international research associates co-operate in many of the research projects of
the Faculty. These international projects contribute, with the collaboration of national research
associates, successfully to the profile and research outputs of the Faculty.
There are international extraordinary and honorary appointments in some departments.
Extraordinary professors share their expertise in the Department of Dogmatics and Christian Ethics
(Prof. LJ van den Brom, Utrecht, Netherlands), Church History and Polity (Profs J van Oort, Utrecht,
Netherlands; NM Hill, UK; L Koffeman, Utrecht, Netherlands), and Old Testament Studies (Profs JA
Loader, Vienna, Austria; U Berges, Bonn, Germany; T Römer, Lausanne/Paris), and an honorary
professor has been appointed in Old Testament Studies (Prof. E Otto, LMU, Germany).
Two international scholars have been appointed as staff members in the Faculty. Prof. J van Oort is
appointed in the Department of Church History and Church Polity. He is also a NRF A-rated scholar.
Prof. W Klän has been seconded to the same Department as the representative of the Lutheran
Theological Seminary.
In 2013-14 the Faculty will place a strategic focus on the academic contributions of honorary and
extraordinary professors as well as international postdoctoral fellows to make a stronger
international research impact. More efforts will be pursued to benchmark the Faculty internationally
with regard to research, postgraduate studies and other aspects of academic excellence.
The Faculty rejoices in the fact that first submission of a PhD dissertation in terms of the joint degree
agreement with the Free University of Amsterdam will be submitted here in due course.