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Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Programme (MMUF)

Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Programme (MMUF). Part of UCT’s Equity Development Programme (EDP) 2 UCT Prog co-ordinators 5 students selected per year – high academic merit + social responsible Only black students (inclusive) Goal is to: recruit promising ‘black’ undergraduates

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Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Programme (MMUF)

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  1. Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Programme (MMUF) • Part of UCT’s Equity Development Programme (EDP) • 2 UCT Prog co-ordinators • 5 students selected per year – high academic merit + social responsible • Only black students (inclusive) Goal is to: • recruit promising ‘black’ undergraduates • interest in academic careers • encourage & support the completion of PhD • swell the ranks of black & underrepresented groups in academy

  2. MMUF as research site • PILOT PROJECT 2003 – 2004: • 2 x Black African students • Class, Language, Mentorship issues • stressed the heterogeneous nature of “black” experiences through a comparison of different types of Capital (Bourdieu) • Aim: to show how undervalued capital translated into “worth” Underlying claim: • Specific types of capital smooth successful transitions into H.E. • BUT initial absence of capital does not necessarily spell failure or reproduce ‘existing patterns of domination’ in society.

  3. Findings of pilot: • extent to which different types of “capital” impact on black student experiences of h.ed • struggle for recognition of “undervalued” capital • strategies for converting undervalued capital into gain • MMUF context as stimulus reflective practice Formed basis for the PhD research

  4. Thesis Title The Discourse of Being Successfully ‘black’: (Re)constructing an understanding of ‘black’ South African student identity within an Equity Development Programme at UCT. Research Question • How do critical events and experiences impact on the nature of the choices that ‘black’ students make, and what types of identity transformations occur in the process?

  5. Framework • Qualitative • Social constructionist view of ID • Data collecting: Reflective essays Observation Interview transcripts • Conceptual tools: Fateful moments = transformation in ID

  6. Fateful moments • are those when individuals are called on to take decisions that are particularly consequential for their ambitions, or more generally for their future lives. Fateful moments are highly consequential for a person’s destiny …have a particular relation to risk – decisions measured against possibilities of success and failure! (Giddens 1991: 112). • E.g Divorce; medical results; crime • Giddens – vital to manage risks – life appears “normal”

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