1,720,971 research outputs found
Rethinking the practice of community engagement in health research: the case of the tenofovir trials in Cambodia and Cameroon.
Full text linkMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.Recent developments in the governance of research have recognised the part that communities can and should play in emergent and inventive research. It is now widely agreed that community engagement is essential in certain kinds of research – indeed, an ethical prerequisite – and that it is indispensable to the success of many health research projects. Unfortunately, as an ethical requirement, community engagement has sometimes been seen as a hurdle to jump over rather than as an integral part of the research process. At times, inadequate attention has been paid to how and when community engagement should be implemented and on the need to engage the community meaningfully and genuinely throughout the research process. This is concerning given that researchers and sponsors invest large sums of money in the development of a product, training on clinical procedures, facility designing and building, etc., and yet seem to have repeatedly ignored the importance of meaningful community engagement processes, often at great cost.
The aim of this study was to demonstrate, using the tenofovir trials that were stopped in both Cameroon and Cambodia in 2005, that inadequate community engagement might lead to significant scientific losses, whereas early, sustained and meaningful community engagement could prevent this from occurring. The study involved no human participants and used a case study design approach that was based on the secondary data analysis. The cases (Cameroon and Cambodia) for the study were chosen for a number of reasons, but perhaps most significant of these was that the Good Participatory Practice (GPP/AVAC) guidelines which set standard practices for stakeholder’s engagement in HIV vaccine trials, were established in response to the premature ending of the tenofovir trials in these two countries.
Several lessons were learned from this study: one of the major ones was that it is not sufficient for researchers to maintain high ethical and scientific standards in a study; in many cases, it is equally important and necessary for them to work very closely with the communities through various flexible mechanisms. Examples of such mechanisms include the community advisory boards (CABs), as well as the local ethical review boards (ERBs). In cases where community engagement is relevant, participation should commence from the very start of the protocol development. Participation should focus on the methodology, participant selection, the procedures for the study results disseminations at different points of the research and finally on enhancing informed participation. Any consultation with the community after the protocol is developed may be regarded as cosmetic rather than as genuine community engagement
Religion as agency: the impact of curriculum structure and teaching approaches on student learning in introductory religion modules.
No full textDoctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.The approach to teaching Religious Studies (RS) in South African higher education has long been shaped by the World Religions Paradigm (WRP), a framework that categorises religious traditions into distinct, albeit often static entities. However, this pedagogical approach has been widely critiqued for its Eurocentric biases, lack of contextual relevance, and reinforcement of essentialist understandings of religion (Smith, 1978; Masuzawa, 2005; Owen, 2011; Fujiwara, 2016; Alberts, 2017). This study critically examines how RS is taught at tertiary level, specifically whether it fosters the students’ ability to engage critically with religious diversity, and explores alternative pedagogical approaches that may enhance and support student learning in a decolonial context. Drawing on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and framed within a constructivist pedagogical perspective, this research employs a mixed-methods approach to investigate the impact of different teaching methodologies on student engagement and learning outcomes. A comparative analysis of two consecutive cohorts of students—one taught using the WRP and the other through a thematic approach—highlights the pedagogical limitations of the former and the benefits of contextually relevant, student-centred learning. The study also incorporates insights
from academics at various South African universities, examining broader disciplinary trends and the challenges exposed through the process of curriculum transformation within RS.
The findings indicate that transitioning from the WRP to a thematic, comparative approach enhances student engagement, critical thinking, and religious literacy by enabling students to contextualise religious traditions within idiosyncratic historical, social, and lived experience frameworks. Moreover, this shift also aligns with broader decolonial imperatives, challenging dominant epistemologies and developing a more inclusive, reflexive, and dynamic study of religion. This study contributes to ongoing debates on curriculum transformation, pedagogical innovation, and the role of SoTL in RS. The study argues that the thematic approach not only facilitates student agency and intellectual growth but also offers a more sustainable and equitable model for teaching religion in South Africa’s diverse and often fragmented educational landscape
Poverty reduction strategy papers : to what extent is the goal of national ownership being achieved?
Full text linkThesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.The Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) process is an initiative by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) and various Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) deal with poverty. It is in some sense an updated and improved version of the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) that were implemented in the 1980s. This study examines one of the central aspects of the PRS process which is national ownership that is expected to be achieved by means of the participation of various interested groups and individuals in the formulation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRS Paper). These would include: non – governmental organizations, civil society organizations, faith based organizations, academics, women’s groups, academics and members from the private sector. National ownership of the formulation of the RPS Paper is examined by looking at 4 country studies, namely, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia
An evaluation of the ethical concerns raised by a Liberian Research Ethics Committee using the principles and benchmarks proposed by Emanuel et al. (2008)
No full textMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.BACKGROUND
The 2014 Ebola outbreak in Liberia attracted researchers from the Global North and organizations to undertake research involving human participants. Research projects, including collaborations between those in the global north and those in the global south, have a longstanding history of exploiting underprivileged and vulnerable populations. This increase in research activities raises a lot of ethical concerns, given the vulnerable nature (poverty, illiteracy, and weak health systems) of the majority of Liberians. There, the critical role of research ethics committees (RECs) in protecting the rights and welfare of research participants became evident. One useful approach to help understand whether RECs are effectively evaluating the ethical risks and benefits of a research protocol and ensuring that the rights of research participants are protected is through the use of the Emanuel et al. framework. The framework developed by Emanuel et al. encompasses a comprehensive set of eight ethical principles and provides a systematic approach for evaluating the ethical aspects of research at various stages, ranging from the initial planning and design through the implementation and dissemination stages. This study aims to identify the ethical concerns raised by a Liberian REC using the benchmarks proposed by the Emanuel et al. framework.
METHODOLOGY
A qualitative case study design was used to collect the data from the meeting minutes of 17 protocols reviewed by the Liberian REC from 2018 to 2019. The data was examined using content analysis and mapped onto the eight principles of the Emanuel et al. (2008) framework.
RESULTS
The findings revealed that 94% of the concerns raised by the Liberian REC could be matched to the framework. Of these, the three most frequently raised ethical concerns, ranked in descending order, were related to the principles of scientific validity, fair participant selection, and informed consent. The least raised concerns were related to social value and collaborative partnerships. The study also identified other concerns, such as inconsistency in completing the application forms and the absence of section sub-headings and references.
CONCLUSION
Overall, the selected REC is focused on ensuring that the rights and welfare of research participants are protected. Based on the findings of this research, there is a need to strengthen the capacity and performance of the REC for conducting ethical reviews of research protocols in Liberia, especially in the context of emerging infectious diseases and global health emergencies. Thus, the Emanuel et al. (2008) framework provides a valuable tool for evaluating the ethical conduct of research in Liberia. It is adaptable and takes into account the country’s unique social and cultural context while at the same time emphasising the importance of informed consent. In addition, collaborative partnerships which are emphasised in the framework, need to be taken heed of, particularly in Liberia, where many people have limited experience in research. It also helps identify potential
gaps in the review process and promotes sustainability in capacity building for researchers and REC members to protect the rights and welfare of research participants and infrastructure in the research setting
What's wrong with South African civil society?
Full text linkThesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.In a previous dissertation I argued that conceptions of citizenship and civil society have changed in three significant ways. Firstly, from being moral agents, citizens are now primarily rational agents. In other words, citizens now act in civil society when it best serves their own rational self-interest as opposed to recognising what I term the intrinsic moral worth of the public sphere. Secondly, the motivation for action by citizens used to be duty but is now instrumental: that is, citizens rarely act out of a duty to their country or their fellow citizen but instead act in order to achieve a certain end. Thirdly, while citizens used to act as a group, they now act individually, no longer pursuing a common good but each seeking their own individual good. In this dissertation, I move from the primarily theoretical nature of my honours dissertation to an empirical analysis of South Africa, establishing the validity of my theory while offering a more thorough analysis of South African citizenship and civil society. By looking at the empirical examples of the civil service in terms of Education, Bureaucracy, and the SANDF, this dissertation analyses both the state of South African civil society, and the underlying reasons for this state. Once it is clear how citizenship and civil society have changed and why this change is problematic, it then becomes important to establish why they have changed and who is responsible for the change. The attitudes of both citizens and the government are analysed as well as the influence they have on each other. I argue that the attitude of citizens is deeply influenced by governmental behaviour and thus if we want to alter the direction of citizenship and civil society, we need to change attitudes at the governmental level
How should biblically-based homophobic/hate speech be treated in South Africa, legally and socially?
Full text linkMaster of Arts in Philosophy. University of KwaZulu-Natal. Pietermaritzburg, 2019.In a country like South Africa where 80% of the population is Christian, many of them quite conservative, and where homophobia is common, it seems likely (given the common biblically-based belief that homosexuality is a sin) that much homophobia stems from scripture, and translates into words, sometimes actions and ultimately harm to the LGBTQI+ community. In this dissertation I argue that Biblically-based homophobic hate speech should not be treated (either in terms of social disapproval or legal punishment) any less severely than any other form of hate speech.
The reasons I have focused on Christianity in this dissertation are i) that I hope to help affect jurisprudence in a manner that impacts my own society, ii) that I wanted to start by dealing with the main religious influencer in my own context before branching out more broadly to other religions or geographies and iii) since Christianity is overwhelmingly dominant in South Africa, it is the obvious candidate for my attention in this regard.
Given that evidence of the harm caused by homophobic hate speech is fairly unambiguous, and that openly homophobic statements are uttered publicly by both believers and leaders of Christian groups on a regular basis, one might expect a large number of cases to be reported to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). The SAHRC’s mandate is, after all, precisely to deal with harm-causing hate speech. Yet very few cases (a few dozen per year) of homophobic hate speech (emanating from whatever source) are reported to the SAHRC. Of those it seems that some cases that arguably have merit are turned away. Simultaneously, annual cases of racist hate speech reported to the SAHRC number in the hundreds – far outstripping their homophobic counterparts. It seems that the legal sanction applied to homophobic hate speech, religiously based or otherwise, is too low in gross terms, given the pervasive nature of discrimination reported by LGBTQI+ people. It also seems that, compared to racist hate speech in particular, homophobic hate speech is vastly under-represented in the reporting stakes. I hope to paint a picture that can help to inform both legislation and jurisprudence in this regard, to support the creation of laws that moderate homophobia, reduce harm, and influence culture to create a safer environment for LGBTQI+ South Africans
The end justifies the means: examining the Nigerian society in the light of Machiavellianism.
Full text linkDoctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.From the sentiments espoused by Machiavelli in The Prince, it is is clear that he believed that politics and conventional morality cannot go together. For him, acquiring power and retaining power is the objective of politics, and should as such be the uppermost or ultimate concern of anyone engaging in politics. Being that since Nigeria gained its political independence in 1960, Nigerian politicians have consciously and overtly pursued the business of politics as if the primary goal of politics is the acquisition and sustenance of power by any necessary means, many scholars and observers of the Nigerian society have described the Nigerian political scene as a classic case of Machiavelli’s political philosophy as articulated in The Prince.
This thesis then focuses on the proposition that the Nigerian political scene presents a classic case of Machiavelli’s political philosophy as articulated in The Prince. The choice of this area of research is informed by the need to provide a co-ordinated response to the myriad of challenges confronting Nigeria as a nation, as many believe that the seeming playing of politics in the Machiavellian way by Nigerian political elites is partly responsible for the socio-political and economic problems in the country. Consequently, the underlying argument of this thesis is that Nigerian politics can be seen to be characterized by the guiding principle “the end justifies the means” articulated by Machiavelli in The Prince.
Key to the argument is the examination of the Nigerian political scene, Machiavelli’s ideas in The Prince, the Italian society of his time, the circumstances surrounding his writing of The Prince, as well as the various interpretations of the book. Notwithstanding that Machiavelli and the ideas he expressed in The Prince are interpreted in various ways by various scholars, it is generally believed that the ideas cannot be isolated from the political situation of his city-state, Florence, and Italy back then. Though Florence or Italy of Machiavelli’s era is quite different in culture and civilization from contemporary Nigeria, findings from the thesis indicate that the two political situations are similar in terms of human nature, lack of national cohesion, and application of violence and cruelty in socio-political activities. Also, many Nigerian politicians and even citizens at large consciously or unconsciously practicalize Machiavelli’s views in The Prince and there exists some form of connection between practising such
In response to the findings, the thesis concludes with some practical suggestions on how Nigeria may get over its political problems, which among others include the need for change of structure of the Nigerian federation and mentality on the part of all Nigerian citizens
Inconsistencies in the adjudication of rights: an examination of three South African Constitutional Court decisions.
Full text linkMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.The Republic of South Africa has a constitution that is often lauded as among the best in the world. This can be attributed, at least partly, to the fact that at the heart of it lies transformative constitutionalism, which has the objective of addressing the injustices of the past with the entrenchment of fundamental human rights. Last but not least, the Constitutional Court has to give teeth, metaphorically, to all the human rights in the Bill of Rights. The question this project seeks to answer is whether or not the Constitutional Court does a good job – is consistent - in applying the Bill of Rights to the facts of particular cases. The cases examined in this research project demonstrate that there are inconsistencies in the approach that the Constitutional Court adopts in the adjudication of rights. This study, therefore, attempts to explain why these inconsistencies arise, why they are a problem, and to some degree, how they can be avoided. In an effort to satisfy the above research question and aim of this study, this dissertation is divided into five chapters followed by the requisite bibliography. Chapter 1 introduces the project and gives a historical background to the South African Constitutions with a view to putting the current constitutional position in context. As the inconsistencies seem to play themselves out in the adjudication of rights, the focus of Chapter 2 shifts to the concept of transformative constitutionalism in the hopes of shedding light on why there are inconsistencies in the adjudication of rights. Chapter 3 details the theoretical framework within which judicial decision-making takes place, referring specifically to the work of Ronald Dworkin. This chapter is inextricably linked to Chapter 4 which is an examination of actual applications of judicial decision-making. Finally, Chapter 5 concludes the study and offers some suggestions for the way forward. To briefly note, all the authorities that were consulted for the research are acknowledged in the bibliography
Towards a theory of moral status of the dead and its contribution to medical research and learning: the case of unclaimed cadavers.
Full text linkDoctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.Most, if not all, human cultures consider dead human bodies to be deserving of moral respect. The same moral attitude is generally absent regarding dead animal bodies. In a trade-off situation involving the stark choice of driving over either a dead human or animal body, most would venture that it is more morally permissible to drive over the dead animal body than the human one. Some may even think that it is more morally permissible to drive over a living animal than over an already dead human body. The prevailing moral intuition seems to be that we owe dead human bodies some ineliminable moral respect.
If the above claim concerning attitudes towards dead human bodies is true, then it suggests that our traditional and extant cultures tend to assume that dead human bodies have moral status. This research is motivated by the observation that this moral intuition has not been subjected to any extensive and expansive philosophical scrutiny directed at justifying or rejecting it. The research aims to speak to this theoretical gap and to investigate whether we have direct duties towards dead human bodies. To pursue this philosophical investigation, I rely on the idea of moral status. The term ‘moral status’ is a technical one used broadly in moral philosophy – specifically in bioethics and environmental ethics – to refer to the value of beings towards which we have direct moral duties. The task of this research is to investigate whether extant influential secular and religious moral theories such as Utilitarianism, Christian ethics, Confucian ethics, and so on, have the resources to account for this intuition. This study also reflects on the implication for bioethics or medical ethics of the question of the moral status of dead bodies. Medical schools, for example, tend to use unclaimed cadavers for research. This research investigates the moral permissibility of using unclaimed cadavers for medical training and research in medical institutions. Ultimately, I argue that dead bodies have no intrinsic value or dignity, and hence that we do not owe them any direct duties. This conclusion further implies that it is morally permissible to use unclaimed cadavers for medical research and learning
The influence of Christian values in post-1996 South Africa : a philosophical perspective.
Full text linkMaster of Art in Philosophy. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2017.One of the many attractions of South Africa post-1996 is its apparent ability to allow the coexistence of both religious and non-religious values in society. Among the many religions in South Africa, Christianity has always held a prominent position. In both the past and the present, the influence of Christianity politically, socially and morally has been significant. This study focuses on the influence of Christian values post-1996. A critical examination of the post-1996 interplay between religious freedom and other non-religious rights and freedoms shows that certain Christian values have given rise to a predicament in which there is a clash of rights. The clash of rights arises from the fact that certain rights and democratic values are infringed upon by some Christian values in society. This indicates that the role of Christian values in society and how far such values can be permitted in society remains unclear.
The study seeks to track – and unpack – the above predicament or clash of rights with reference to the writings of selected key thinkers and three judgements of the Constitutional Court relating to the problem. The predicament and the unclear position of Christian values partly caused by a conflict of religious and non-religious rights in South Africa is the impetus for this research and the contribution it seeks to make. In that regard, the study will explore and critically analyse the possibility of overcoming the predicament or conflict of rights arising from the influence of certain Christian values in South Africa post-1996. By exploring three Constitutional Court cases which will be used as case studies and the views of key thinkers on this study area, an interpretation of religious freedom and what it entails will be reached.
I will discuss and analyse what I consider to be the three strategies being used in contemporary scholarship and legal systems to deal with the predicament. Although the reconciling or balancing of conflicting rights is evident from current scholarly discussions and judicial decisions, the notion of exemption is also considered. Further, the concept of an objective appeal to public reason which this study considers as being primarily based on the three democratic values of equality, human dignity and freedom will be emphasised. The centrality of this notion, which this study considers as central in transcending the stipulated predicament or conflict of rights, needs emphasis due to the fact that public reason precedes the values of a particular religious institution as Lenta rightly upholds. From this perspective, this study will stress that only those Christian values which are not contrary to democratic values and do not infringe upon the rights of others ought to be permitted to influence society
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