The four-year undergraduate LLB: where to from here?

Fifteen years have passed since the four-year undergraduate Baccalaureus Legum (“LLB”) degree was first introduced in 1998. This degree was introduced by the Qualification of Legal Practitioners Amendment Act 78 of 1997 “as the minimum academic qualification for admission to practice as an advocate or an attorney … [to] ensure a level of equality between all practising lawyers” (Department of Justice and Constitutional Development Discussion Paper on Transformation of the Legal Profession (1999) 4). The justification for the introduction of the four-year LLB programme was twofold: First, there were too few black South Africans represented in the legal profession and, secondly, the country’s previous apartheid policy had resulted in a distinction between the law degree that could be obtained by whites and that which could be obtained by non-whites (Greenbaum “The Four-year Undergraduate LLB: Progress and Pitfalls” 2010 35 Journal of Juridical Science 1 2). To address these problems, Government introduced a single law degree, which was intended in one fell-swoop to remedy both the problem of under-representivity as well as provide equal qualifications for all.Department of HE and Training approved lis

The four-year undergraduate LLB: where to from here?

Fifteen years have passed since the four-year undergraduate Baccalaureus Legum (“LLB”) degree was first introduced in 1998. This degree was introduced by the Qualification of Legal Practitioners Amendment Act 78 of 1997 “as the minimum academic qualification for admission to practice as an advocate or an attorney … [to] ensure a level of equality between all practising lawyers” (Department of Justice and Constitutional Development Discussion Paper on Transformation of the Legal Profession (1999) 4). The justification for the introduction of the four-year LLB programme was twofold: First, there were too few black South Africans represented in the legal profession and, secondly, the country’s previous apartheid policy had resulted in a distinction between the law degree that could be obtained by whites and that which could be obtained by non-whites (Greenbaum “The Four-year Undergraduate LLB: Progress and Pitfalls” 2010 35 Journal of Juridical Science 1 2). To address these problems, Government introduced a single law degree, which was intended in one fell-swoop to remedy both the problem of under-representivity as well as provide equal qualifications for all.Department of HE and Training approved lis

Nonlocal probes of thermalization in holographic quenches with spectral methods

We describe the application of pseudo-spectral methods to problems of holographic thermal quenches of relevant couplings in strongly coupled gauge theories. We focus on quenches of a fermionic mass term in a strongly coupled N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills plasma, and the subsequent equilibration of the system. From the dual gravitational perspective, we study the gravitational collapse of a massive scalar field in asymptotically anti-de Sitter geometry with a prescribed boundary condition for its non-normalizable mode. Access to the full background geometry of the gravitational collapse allows for the study of nonlocal probes of the thermalization process. We discuss the evolution of the apparent and the event horizons, the two-point correlation functions of operators of large conformal dimensions, and the evolution of the entanglement entropy of the system. We compare the thermalization process from the viewpoint of local (the one-point) correlation functions and these nonlocal probes, finding that the thermalization time as measured by the probes is length dependent, and approaches the thermalization time of the one-point function for longer probes. We further discuss how the different energy scales of the problem contribute to its thermalization.Comment: 83 pages, 25 figures. v2: Corrected constraint in equation (A.26), which led to non-monotonic apparent horizons in our simulations. Replaced most figures. Added equation (4.11). Added references [37], [38]. Added acknowledgement. Corrected some typos. Most conclusions remain unchange

Quantum quenches of holographic plasmas

We employ holographic techniques to study quantum quenches at finite temperature, where the quenches involve varying the coupling of the boundary theory to a relevant operator with an arbitrary conformal dimension 2\leq\D\leq4. The evolution of the system is studied by evaluating the expectation value of the quenched operator and the stress tensor throughout the process. The time dependence of the new coupling is characterized by a fixed timescale and the response of the observables depends on the ratio of the this timescale to the initial temperature. The observables exhibit universal scaling behaviours when the transitions are either fast or slow, i.e. when this ratio is very small or very large. The scaling exponents are smooth functions of the operator dimension. We find that in fast quenches, the relaxation time is set by the thermal timescale regardless of the operator dimension or the precise quenching rate.Comment: 60 pages, 10 figures, 3 appendice

Safety in student residences matters!

Despite a national call for “The provision of accessible, decent, safe and academically conducive student accommodation (Nzimande, 2011) safety in student accommodation in South Africa remains a serious challenge. Against the backdrop of the provision of safe student accommodation, this study, through a qualitative research design, examined residence students’ experiences of safety and security in student accommodation (residences). Through narrative enquiry the study-generated data from purposively sampled male and female residence students representing undergraduate and postgraduate students.  The data points to fears and anxieties of students living in residences enabled by a vulnerable (unsafe) residence environment. 

Mental models in the learning and teaching of music theory concepts

Published ArticleA retired physicist attempting to master elements of music theory in a short time found the Mental Model of the keyboard layout invaluable in overcoming some of the related learning challenges and this has been followed up in collaboration with a professor of Music Education. Possible cognitive mechanisms for his response are discussed and it is concluded that his engrained learning habits, which emphasise models as found in physics, are potentially of wider applicability. A survey of the use of Mental Models among competent young musicians indicated that although various models are widely used, this is largely subconscious. The practical question of whether exposure of students to the keyboard would assist them in mastering music theory remains unresolved

The use of disinfection tunnels or disinfectant spraying of humans as a measure to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus

In endeavouring to mitigate the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a concerning practice of spraying individuals with disinfectant via so-called ‘disinfection tunnels’ has come to light. The Allergy Society of South Africa supports the World Health Organization in strongly condemning all human spraying, owing to lack of efficacy and potential dangers, especially to patients with coexisting allergic conditions

Realising the right to reproduce with assistance in South Africa: a constitutional perspective

With advancements in assisted reproductive technologies (ART), more and more individuals across the globe want access to these medical miracles, not only to realise their desire for offspring but also to realise their desires for specific offspring and/or healthy offspring. South Africans are no exception. The challenge posed by this situation is that there is no specific right to reproduce with assistance in this country. Instead, there are certain general constitutional rights which may be interpreted as affording recognition to this right. Moreover, while the current legislative framework permits certain forms of ART, it expressly prohibits others, or it fails to make provision for newer and emerging technologies entirely. As a result, prospective parents are uncertain about the reproductive options available to them. Increasingly individuals are approaching the courts for clarity regarding their rights. The results have however been conflicting. Additionally, divergent views on the applicability of children's rights to prospective offspring is a complicating factor, which has yet to be resolved in South Africa (SA).This thesis, therefore, attempts to contribute to the existing knowledge on the legal rights of prospective parents to make use of ART in SA. It does so, by firstly exploring the current legal framework for assisted reproduction (AR). It additionally explores the legal implications of AR for the various parties concerned, in particular the prospective parents and the future child; and how their interests are balanced, if at all. What emerges from this investigation is that tension exists between the interests of these parties.The study further considers the existence of a right to reproduce from a global perspective. Given that there is no such express right, the thesis considers how the right has been given effect to by applying other rights. In this regard five primary rights have been identified, namely the rights to reproductive autonomy, reproductive health care, dignity, equality and privacy. The thesis then examines how the rights identified above have been interpreted to recognise reproductive rights and whether these interpretations would be useful in recognising the right to reproduce with assistance in SA.The thesis concludes that while the right to reproductive autonomy offers the most recognition to prospective parents’ rights to make use of certain forms of ART, it too is inadequate. To address this shortcoming, the study calls for legislative reform as well as wider interpretations of rights to accommodate various family forms. The need to adopt an interconnected approach that considers both the rights of the prospective parents and the potential offspring is also proposed. This however requires a consistent approach to be applied in respect of the interests of prospective offspring, which is currently lacking. These recommendations would go a long way towards realising the right to reproduce with assistance in SA and it would undoubtedly provide clarity on the existence of this right.Effective Protection of Fundamental Rights in a pluralist worl