DRAFT

SUBMISSION OF THE VICE-CHANCELLOR’S COMPOSITE REPORT FOR

THE FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES – 2022

The Faculty of Social Sciences is one of the three (3) Faculties of the College of
Humanities and Social Sciences. It has seven (7) Departments including;
Language and Communication Sciences; English; Religious Studies;
Economics; Geography and Rural Development; History and Political Studies;
and Sociology and Social Work. For the Year under review, the Faculty
executed and achieved the following;

Administration

The Dean’s Office experienced major changes in its administrative positions

during the year under review. Prof. Kabila Abass was elected and appointed as
Dean and succeeded Prof. Eugenia Amporfu who ended her four year tenure in
two terms as Dean. Prof. Grace Nkansah was elected by the Faculty and
appointed as Vice Dean. Dr. Kofi Appiah Koranteng replaced Mr. Charles
Asamoah Boateng as the Faculty Officer.

The Faculty instituted regular meetings of Heads of Department and the Dean
during the year under review as a way of offering a common platform for heads
to promote teaching and research in the Faculty. The regular meetings have
fostered good relationships among Heads of Department.

One significant development during the year under review has been the
completion and occupation of the new Social Sciences Complex Building and
the surroundings of T. Owusu Ansah Building (CCB).

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Review of Course Content

During the academic year under review, the Faculty commenced discussions
on the possibility of reviewing some of the undergraduate mandatory (core)
course requirements of the Faculty. This is intended to enhance their
relevance to the needs of the students and programmes run by the Faculty.
The pros and cons of such a change are being weighed before a final decision is
taken.

The Faculty has been given the mandate to run the parallel programmes for the
various courses at the Departmental levels beginning the up-coming academic
year.

Challenges

The following are the various challenges in the Faculty:

 High student-teacher ratio;
 Lack of Modern computer laboratory with modern facilities;
 In addition to the above, the Faculty requires infrastructural
developments viz: Furniture for offices in the new complex building,
upgrading of the Faculty library, and modern teaching and learning aid.
Since the new complex building is far from the University hospital, it is
the intention of the leadership of the Faculty to create an infirmary to
give first aid to ailing staff and students.

The reports of the seven teaching departments are as follow:

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DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND POLITICAL STUDIES

Overview

The Department of History and Political Studies continues to commit itself to

the production of quality graduates with practical and analytical skills needed
in related fields/sectors in Ghana and beyond. The Department is equipped
with top-notched lecturers who provide the quality of teaching, learning and
research in diverse fields of academic and industrial interests. The 2021/2022
academic year was submerged with novel challenges of which, the posed
COVID-19 pandemic posed as the greatest considering the turn of events since
the first reported cases of the disease in Ghana. Essentially, the COVID-19
pandemic called for several adjustments ranging from academic to social
activities and some of these are still with us.

During the academic year under review, the Department witnessed significant
changes in terms of student enrolment and staff capacity. In the 2021/2022
academic year, the student population of the Department totalled two
thousand, one hundred and twenty - five (2, 125) comprising two thousand and
two (2,002) undergraduates and one hundred and twenty - three (123)
graduate students. The total academic staff stood at twenty (20) with sixteen
(16) as full-time and four (4) part time. The supporting staff comprised of one
(1) Principal Administrative Assistant. A number Teaching and Research
Assistants significantly supported the work of the Department. The
Department also runs a graduate programme in Master of Public
Administration (MPA) at the Institute of Distance Learning (IDL). The training
of MPA graduates is to bridge the gap between academia and industry. In the
academic year under review, the total number of students who enrolled in the
IDL stream was three hundred and fifty-two (352) across all centres – Accra,
Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale, Sunyani, Ho.

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The Department of History and Political Studies is graduating four hundred
and twenty-seven (427) students for the 2021/2022 academic year (See Table
1).

Table 1: Number of Graduating Students for 2021/ 2022 Academic Year

History
BA History 188
BA History (Parallel)
MA Chieftaincy and Traditional
1
Leadership Studies
MPhil Historical Studies 1
Political Studies
BA Political Studies (Regular) 217
BA Political Studies (Parallel) 1
Master of Public Administration 20

ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES OFFERED

The Department of History and Political Studies offers two Bachelor of Arts
Degree programmes and seven postgraduate level programmes. These include;

Undergraduate Programmes

i) Bachelor of Arts (BA) History

ii) Bachelor of Arts (BA) Political Studies

Graduate Programmes

i) Ph.D Historical Studies

ii) MPhil Historical Studies
iii) MA Asante History

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 iv) MA Chieftaincy and Traditional Leadership Studies
v) MPhil Chieftaincy and Traditional Leadership Studies
vi) MPhil Political Science
vii) Master of Public Administration (MPA)

ACTIVITIES

Lectures, seminars and academic trips were duly held for undergraduate and
post-graduate students during the year. The students of Historical Society of
KNUST interacted and distributed exercise books to students of Senior High
Schools in Kumasi and its environs. In the academic year under review, the
faculty members of the Department also participated in various conferences
and workshops. The Department also hosted Professor Assan Sarr from the
Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA on Carnegie African Diaspora Programme
from 1st June to 15th August, 2022. Professor worked with graduate students of
the Department on thesis writing and also taught a course on History of
Islamic Movements in Africa in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century. The
Department is also collaborating with The British Academy, The King’s College,
London to organize a conference on Stereotyping in Africa, Root Causes,
Consequences and Solutions from 10th November to 13th November at the New
Social Sciences Building, KNUST. A conference call for papers and participants
has been issued to that effect. The Department also facilitated the signing of a
memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Royal Society for Asante
Culture and History (ROSACH) and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and
Technology (KNUST), which aims among other things to:

 to strengthen teaching and learning of Asante History and Culture,

 institute scholarship schemes for young Asante graduates to pursue
postgraduate degrees in Asante History, and Chieftaincy and Traditional
Leadership,

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  train historians selected by Amanhene in Asanteman towards
documenting daily historical occurrences at various Palaces
 develop eco-tourism and historical sites in Asanteman,
 facilitate the setting up of a Royal Anthropological Institute at KNUST
 Foster direct linkage and partnership with Manhyia Palace towards
providing high level traditional authority support to further development
of the Asante History, Chieftaincy and Traditional Leadership
Programmes.

PUBLICATIONS

In the 2021/2022 academic year, the Department contributed to knowledge

production with twenty- three (23) publications including articles in refereed
journals and book chapters. This marked a very significant milestone in the
Department as far as knowledge production is concerned.

SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

In the academic year under review, the Department through its dedicated and
committed senior members rendered services in different capacities at the
University, National and International levels. For instance, Professor George
Bob Milliar was appointed as an adjunct professor of African Studies by the
University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Other faculty members such as Dr.
Samuel AduGyamfi, Dr. Kwasi Amakye Boateng, and Mr. Mohammed Abass etc
continue to educate the Ghanaian populace on relevance and social issues
through the media. Dr. Daniel Owusu- was re-appointed as the Board Chair of
the Ghana Publishing Company Ltd and Dr. Samuel AduGyamfi was also
appointed to serve on the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB).

DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Overview

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The Department of Geography and Rural Development (DGRD) is one of the
seven (7) Departments of the Faculty of Social Sciences in the College of
Humanities and Social Sciences. The quality of Teaching, Learning and
Research is high. The Department has been consistent in its performance in
the University-wide Departmental and Academic Ranking League. Over the
years, it has remained first in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences as
well as placing competitively well in the entire University.

In consonance with the university’s core values and objectives, the Department
of Geography and Rural Development offers a wide range of courses from
Geomorphology, Climatology and Biogeography, Cartography to Map
interpretation. It also offers courses in Gender, Population Studies,
Decentralization and Rural Development, Geography of Tourism Transportation
and Development. Courses on the multi-disciplinary Culture and Tourism
Programme include Transport and Tourism, Events Management, Tourism
Marketing, African and Indigenous Architecture, Tourism Impact Studies and
Tourist Destinations among others.

The Head of Department is assisted by coordinators of undergraduate and

graduate programmes, a coordinator of the Culture and Tourism Programme,
an Internship Coordinator, an examination officer, a draughtsman, Head
Cleaner, a Graduate Assistant/Demonstrator and an Administrative Assistant.
A number of Teaching and Research Assistants contribute to the work of the
department.

As a student focused learning academic unit, the Department provides service

lectures to the following colleges: The College of Science, the College of Health
Sciences; the College of Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources, and the
College of Engineering, all in the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and
Technology (KNUST).

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The Department has 20 Academic Senior Members made up of one (1) Full
Professor, seven (7) Associate Professors, seven (7) Senior Lecturers, four (4)
Lecturers and one (1) Assistant Lecturer. In addition, the Department has four
(4) non-academic staff. The total student population is 1,704. This is made up
of 1,632 undergraduate and 72 postgraduate students (See Tables, 1, 2 &3).

Table 1: CULTURE AND TOURISM PROGRAMME

Year No. of students No. of students (Part - TOTAL
(Regular) Time)
1 6 - 6
2 185 - 185
3 118 - 118
4 170 - 170
TOTAL 479 - 479

Table 2: GEOGRAPHY AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Year No. of students No. of students TOTAL
(Regular) (Part-Time)
1 325 - 325
2 315 - 215
3 270 - 270
4 243 - 243
TOTAL 1153 1153

Table 3: POSTGRADUATE
PROGRAMME NO OF STUDENTS
PhD 24
MPhil 27
Msc – Regular 6

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Msc- IDL 15
TOTAL 72

ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES OFFERED

The Department offers two Bachelor of Arts Degree programmes. These include:
i. A four-year programme in Geography and Rural Development;
ii. A four-year Bachelor of Arts Degree programme in Culture and
Tourism.
At the postgraduate level, the following programmes are offered:
i. A one-year programme in MSc Geography and Sustainable Develop-
ment,
ii. A two-year Master of Philosophy Degree programme in Geography and
Rural Development.
iii. A four-year Doctor of Philosophy programme in Geography and Rural
Development.

DEPARTMENTAL ACTIVITIES

Staff and Students’ participation in field trips for most courses to promote
teaching and learning has been vibrant. On 26th August, 2022 for example, the
third year Decentralization and Development class embarked on an
educational trip to the Bekwai Municipal Administration to have practical
experience of local governance through the District Assembly System in Ghana.
Many other similar field trips were embarked upon by other classes in the
Department.

The Department also organized its maiden virtual Geographic Information

Systems (GIS) workshop in February, 2022 for four weeks in partnership with
the Department of Geography and Geology of the Sam Houston State
University, Texas, USA which was represented by Prof. Samuel Adu-Prah as art

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of efforts to strengthen institutional collaboration. Under this initiative, eleven
(11) participants from diverse research fields were trained in applied GIS to
enhance their career advancement. The Department also played central role in
the development and launching of ‘myTroski’ – A Mobile App for finding places
and planning travels based on GIS technology. Significantly too, as part of
activities to promote continuous professional development, the Department
organized grant-writing workshop for senior members. These and other
activities will be sustained to build a stronger academic unit.

RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS

In line with the vision of strategically repositioning the DGRD as a teaching

and research entity for both academic and industry, our research activities
revolve around six different but interrelated units. These are Poverty and Rural
Development Research Unit (PRDRU), Regional and Urban Research Unit
(RURU), Transport, Tourism and Hospitality Management Research Unit
(TTMRU), Physical Geography and Geospatial Research Unit (PGGRU),
Environmental Management Practice Research Unit (EMPRU), and Population,
Health & Gender Research Unit (PHGRU).

For the 2021/2022 academic year, the Department’s vibrant individual and
collaborative research activities yielded 37 articles published in refereed
journals and about 12 book chapters and conference papers.

SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

Rural outreach programmes have been part of department’s activities.

Individual senior Members have been active in rendering services in different
capacities to the University, the Nation and the International community.

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DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES

The Department of Religious Studies sought to advance the knowledge and

understanding of religion, and of its importance in our contemporary society.

Subsequently, it offered a wide range of courses that covered the major

religions of the world, with a strong emphasis on their history, intellectual
traditions and functionality. With our various experts educated in the field, we
offered our students the best in the choice of study.

The Department, during the year under review, promoted the three core
functions of Teaching, Research and Service.

TEACHING

The Department has the following staff composition:

a. Three (3) Associate Professors

b. One (1) Associate Professor (Post- retirement contract)
c. One (1) Associate Professor (Part-Time)

d. Ten (10) Senior Lecturers (Three on Part Time, two on Post-retirement

contract)
c. Seven (7) Lecturers
d. Two (2) Assistant Lecturers
e. One (1) Senior Staff

Appointments

Two (2) newly part-time lecturers were appointed to the Department last year
but unfortunately one has gained admission to pursue his PhD programme in
the USA so he left before the academic year could end.

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Student’s enrolment in the Department at the reviewed period stood at 548
Constituting 458 Undergraduates and 90 Postgraduates. Detailed enrolment
figures are as follow:

Male Female Total

Students Numbers
Year 1 76 46 122
Year 2 108 47 155
Year 3 66 45 111
Year 4 45 25 70
MA 3 1 4
MPhil I 27 5 32
MPhil 2 19 4 23
PhD 1 0 12 12
PhD 2 0 8 8
PhD 3 4 1 5
PhD 4 0 6 6
TOTAL 348 200 548

The Department offered courses in: BA (4 years), MA (1 year), M.Phil. (Full

Time, 2 years; Part Time, 3 Years) and PhD. (Full Time, 3 years; Part Time,
4 Years). The Department ran the programmes in three (3) core areas –
Christianity, Islam and African Traditional Religion.

In addition, seminars and tutorials continued to play the important element of

the teaching programme.

RESEARCH

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(a) Lecturers of the Department conducted various researches in the disciplines
of Biblical Studies, Theology, Missiology, African Traditional Religion,
Religion and Health, and Religion and Human Rights.

(b) The researches were translated into fifteen (15) journal article publications,
two (2) books and one (1) book chapter (see Quality Assurance Bulletin:
Volume 17, 2020, PP 60 -62).

SERVICE

KNUST Community

(a) Dr. Margaret Makafui Tayviah was nominated to represent the Department
for the weeklong activities organized by the KNUST E-Learning Centre on
the topic: KNUST E-Learning: “A new age for Digital Transformation”.

(b) Dr. Emmanuel Kojo Ennin Antwi and Mr. Michael Kwadwo Ntiamoah have
been appointed Department Examinations Officer and Assistant
Department Examinations Officer respectively.

National

(a) Dr. Margaret Makafui Tayvia has been appointed as Moderator for the
BTh. Theology programme at the Heritage Christian College Amasaman, an
affiliate of KNUST.

(b) Dr. Nora Kofognotera Nonterah has also been appointed as Moderator for
the BA Applied Theology & Leadership programme at the Fountainhead
Christian College, Tema, an affiliate of KNUST.

(c) Dr. Nora Kofognotera Nonterah was nominated to represent the Department
and present a paper during the 50 th Anniversary of the Department of
Religion and Human Values at the University of Cape Coast.

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(d) Dr. Yunus Dumbe and his team has won an Interdisciplinary Focus Group
(IFG) at Mirian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA), tenable at
the University of Ghana, Legon.

International

(a) Very Rev. Dr. Frimpong Wiafe was invited to be a Guest Speaker in the
30th Anniversary Celebration of the Methodist/Presbyterian Church in
Tel Aviv, Israel.

(b) Dr. Nora Kofognotera Nonterah participated in the 2 nd Pan African

Congress on Theology, Society and Pastoral Life in Nairobi, Kenya

Awards

Rev. Fr. Prof. Francis Appiah-Kubi participated in the 2 nd Pan African Congress
on theology, Society and Pastoral Life in Nairobi, Kenya where he was awarded
as one of the Best African Theologians.

Achievement

The Department is growing in the area of PhD Religious Studies. In the year
under review, the Department graduated six (6) people with Doctorate Degree,
fourteen (14) Master of Philosophy and three (3) Master of Arts.

Promotions
Three (3) Senior Lecturers were promoted to Associate Professors. They are
1. Rev. Fr. Prof. John Kwaku Opoku
2. Rev. Fr. Prof. Francis Appiah-Kubi
3. Prof. Victor Serlome Gedzi
One (1) Senior Lecturer has submitted his forms for promotion to Associate

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DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

Overview
The Department of English continues to play a key role in the University as one
of the few Departments involved in providing service courses in
Communication Skills and Literature in English to the entire first years and to
almost all second years in every Department. The BA. English programme is
aimed at broadening the minds of science students by covering areas outside
their special fields of study, thus bridging the seemingly wide gap between the
worlds of imagination and science; and they provide students of social sciences
with interesting combinations that prepare them not only for a wide variety of
job opportunities in public service but also for further studies in diverse areas
of communication, human resource management, and teaching at the highest
levels of education.

LANGUAGE LABORATORY

The Department’s language laboratory is fully operating now. The Department,

however, counts on the financial and other material support of the University
to help the Department to fully equip and establish not only its language
laboratory but to ensure its smooth and effective running. The language
laboratory will not only enhance the Proficiency of Students in the Department
but would be of great service to the entire University including its Primary,
Junior and Senior High School students.

INCOME GENERATING ACTIVITIES

The Department teaches students from Francophone countries for the

Proficiency of English Programme, this together with the issuance of Certificate
of Proficiency in English to graduates of the entire university generate income
for the Department and the University. Additionally, the Department organises

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short courses for professionals to aid their communicative and writing
engagements, the Department usually charges some fee from participants. The
Department intends to organise a trainer of trainee workshop in Literature in
English for tutors of Literature in the Senior High School to equip them with
the knowledge and skill needed to ensure good passes in the WASSCE
Literature Paper.

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COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS

The Department collaborated with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and

Technology Basic School and Junior High School to hold Spelling Bee
Competitions. The Head of Department assisted by two lecturers in the
department moderated the competition—this collaboration is imbued with the
potential of masking pupils fluent, confident and also excel in spelling and
pronunciation

INTERNATIONAL LINKS

About thirty (30) representatives of the Black Americans Students and

Professionals in the State of Florida visited the Department in July 2022. They
came with the sole intention of interacting with students in the Department to
have a feel of the nature of students’ life on campus. The delegation shared
their experiences as black students in the United States while the students in
the Department also gave them insight into their daily lives on KNUST
Campus. They distributed stationaries and bag packs to the students as a first
step towards a lasting relationship with the Department. The delegation
affirmed their willingness to come back and collaborate with the Department.

GRADUATE PROGRAMMES

The Department currently runs two postgraduate programmes; M.Phil and PhD
in English, both Language and Literature options. The Department in
2021/2022 academic year has seen an improvement in the completion of
thesis by its graduate students. By the end of the academic year, the
Department will witness the graduation of eight (8) MPhil and two (2) PhD .sail
through the programmes successfully.

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DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL WORK

VISION AND MISSION

The vision of the Department is to promote excellence in social sciences for the
socio-economic development of Ghana and the World at large. The mission of
the Department focuses on the training and the production of high level
human resource capable of applying knowledge and purposeful research,
relevant to the Ghanaian environment and the International community.

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES

The Department runs two undergraduate degree programmes: Bachelor of Arts

in Sociology and Bachelor of Arts in Social Work for regular students.
Additionally students can pursue these degree programmes through Distance
Education programme. The current student population for undergraduate
programmes in the Department is One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy
(2132).

YEAR MALE FEMALE TOTAL

SOCIOLOGY
LEVEL 100 218 172 390
LEVEL 200 139 159 298
LEVEL 300 142 195 337
LEVEL 400 152 163 315
Total 651 689 1340

SOCIAL WORK
LEVEL 100 97 128 225
LEVEL 200 61 96 157
LEVEL 300 67 140 207
LEVEL 400 99 104 203
Total 324 468 792
GRAND TOTAL 772 998 2132

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The years two and three Social Work students in the Department undertake a
compulsory practicum (in groups) in two phases. The first phase of the
practicum for the year two students normally takes place during the second
semester break while the year three students also do their practicum in the
second semester break. Therefore, the current year two students will do the
practicum in this second semester break and the year three students will also
their practicum in this second semester break. The students are expected to do
the practicum at various Social Welfare related Institutions of their choice,
preferably in their towns or areas of residence during the second semester. For
this academic year under review, year three students who did the practicum
during the last second semester have been assessed by lecturers. Thus at the
end of the practicum, each group writes and presents a report on the various
activities they undertook and also share their experiences with the rest of the
groups. The Social Work lecturers with the support of some Sociology lecturers
in the Department visit the students at the various institutions periodically to
monitor their progress.

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GRADUATE PROGRAMMES

The Department currently runs five postgraduate programmes: Master of Arts

(M.A.) and Master of Philosophy (MPhil.) in Sociology (MPhil). The Department
also runs Master of Arts (M.A.) and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Social
Work. The total number of Postgraduate students (M.A/MPhil) currently stands
at Thirty-Six (38) for both programmes. In addition, the Department offers
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Sociology. The PhD. programme among others
facilitates staff development by creating opportunities and access for interested
staff and others at a lesser cost locally. The total number of PhD students is
Sixteen (10).

DEPARTMENTAL ACTIVITIES / EDUCATIONAL TRIPS

Technology SHS: The Sociology Students Association of the Department

initiated moves to educate the final SHS students on the various programmes
KNUST offers so they could choose the appropriate courses when filling their
university application forms for the 2022/2023 academic year. However, the
planned activity could not come on following some challenges the Association
encountered from the High School authorities. The activity should have taken
place in July, 2022.

Daduako Community Vocational Training School: Through the effort of the

Social Work Students Association an exchange from abroad donated an
amount of nine thousand Ghana cedis (Gh¢9,000.00) to the school at
Deduako. The amount was used to purchase two 48 inches flat screen TV sets,
one 5 feet deeper freezer, power stabilizer, food items and toiletries to the
school. The date for the donation was May 22, 2022. The donation was in
support of the school`s activities because the exchange student observed on
her visit to the school that the students needed these items.

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SERVICE COURSES

The Department continues to offer service courses to other Departments. These

are Publishing Studies, Computer Science, Engineering, Optometry and Visual
Science, IRAI, Geography and Rural Development, Faculty of Law, Public
Health, Food Science and Technology.

STAFF IN THE DEPARTMENT

Academic Staff
Prof. Kofi Osei Akuoko - Assoc Professor (On postretirement
contract)
Prof. Jonathan Mensah Dapaah - Head of Department/Associate Professor
Prof. Esmeranda Manful - Associate Professor
Prof. Kwadwo Ofori-Dua - Assoc. Professor/Social Work Coordinator
Mr. Bernard Obeng - Senior Lecturer
Dr. Francess Dufie Azumah - Senior Lecturer
Dr. Peter Dwumah - Senior Lecturer
Dr. George Oheneba Mainoo - Snr Lecturer (On postretirement
contract)
Dr. Eric Henry Yeboah - Senior Lecturer
Dr. John Boulard Forkuor - Senior Lecturer
Dr. Edward Asamoah - Lecturer
Mr. Vincent De Paul Kanwetuu - Lecturer
Mr. Nelson Gyasi-Boadu - Lecturer
Dr. Mary Sefa-Boampong - Lecturer
Dr. Hubert Obimpeh Asiedu - Lecturer
Dr. Christopher Seth Appiah - Lecturer
Mr. Nurudeen Mohammed - Assistant Lecturer

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Part-Time Lecturers
Ms. Harriet Takyi - Retired Senior Lecturer
Dr. Albert Amoah Saah - Retired Lecturer

Supporting Staff
Margaret Apunga Azirii( Mrs) - Snr. Administrative Assistant

PROMOTION
Dr. Kwadwo Ofori-Dua was promoted to the position of Associate Professor
with effect from 1st August, 2021.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Mr. Vincent de Paul Kanwetuu has defended his PhD thesis successfully and
he awaiting for graduation at the next graduation ceremony scheduled to take
place in November, 2022.

Mr. Nelson Gyasi-Boadu is pursuing his PhD programme in the Department.

Mr. Mohammed Nurudeen, an Assistant Lecturer is pursuing his PhD degree

programme in Canada.

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

A total of Twenty five (25) papers were published by senior members in the
Department during the period under consideration. Below is the list of
publications.

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PUBLICATIONS (2021/2022)

1. Odongo, A., Forkour, J. B., Ofori-Dua, K., Dapaah, J. M, Dwumah, P. (2021)

The nature and extent of healthcare provision for people with intellectual
disabilities in Ghana: A qualitative study. Journal of intellectual Disabilities, 1-
20. DOI: 10. 1177/174462952116171, SAGE.

2. Opoku-Ware, J., Akuoko. O. K., Ofori-Duah & Dapaah, J. M. (2021)

Modeling the structural effects of residential instability, family disruptions and
social support on neighborhood crime prevention. A partial test of Social
Disorganization Theory. Journal of Deviant Behaviour.

3. Koomson, B., Manful, E., Dapaah, J. M. & Yeboah, E. H. (2021) Work

socialization gone wrong? Exploring the antecedent of child trafficking in
Ghana. Journal of Children and Society.

4. Koomson, B., Manful, E., Dapaah, J. M. & Yeboah, E. H. (2021) I agreed to

go because … examining the agency of children with a phenomenon
conceptualized as trafficking in Ghana. Journal of Children and Society.

5. Adongo, A. A., Dapaah, J. M., Azumah, D. F. & Nachinab, O. J. (2021) The

influence of sociodemographic variables on health seeking behavior and the
utilization of public and private hospitals in Ghana. International Journal of
Sociology and Social Policy.

6. Oteng, S.A., Manful, E. & Akuoko, K.O. (2022). From Social Protection to
Personal Protection: Implications for an Integrated Framework of Retirement
Planning for Informal Workers in Ghana. Global Social Welfare.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40609-022-00235-w

7. Bentum, H. & Manful, E. (2022) Reunification in Informal Foster Care Child

Placement: Examining the Different Pathways in Ghana. Journal of Social
Service Research,
DOI:10.1080/01488376.2022.2101584

8. Ayim, M., Abdullah, A., Bentum, H., Amponsah, E. B., Cudjoe, E., & Manful,
E. (2022). Contributing to indigenous social work practice in Africa: A look at
the cultural conceptualisations of social problems in Ghana. Qualitative Social
Work. https://doi.org/10.1177/14733250211055487

9. Koomson, B., Manful, E., Dapaah, J. M., & Yeboah, E. H. (2022). I agreed to
go because........examining the Agency of Children within a phenomenon
conceptualised as trafficking in Ghana. Children & Society, 36:101–117.
https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12487

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10. Koomson, B., Manful, E., Yeboah, E. H. & Dapaah, J. M. (2021). Work
socialisation gone wrong? Exploring the antecedent of child trafficking in two
Ghanaian fishing communities, Children's Geographies,
DOI:10.1080/14733285.2021.1990859

11. Oteng, S.A., Manful, E. & Akuoko, K.O. (2021). Retiring in the Informal
Economy: Implications for Social Policy Intervention for Ageing Workers in
Ghana. Ageing International. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-021-09434-w

12. Manful, E. & Abdullah, A. (2021). Conceptualisation of child neglect: A

Ghanaian practice narrative. International Social Work, 64(3): 341–353. DOI:
10.1177/0020872818810382

13. Cudjoe, E., Abdullah, A. & Manful, E. (2021). Parents’ Perceptions on the
Outcomes of Children’s Participation in Child Protection Meetings in Ghana.
Journal of Child and Family Studies, 30:1071–1081.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-01918-2

14. Manful, E., Abdullah, A., & Cudjoe, E. (2021). When parents fail:
Addressing delinquent child maintenance through informal resources.
Research on Social Work Practice, 31(3):278-284. DOI:
10.1177/1049731520980801

15. Koomson-Yalley, E, Kyei, J.R.K.O, & Dwumah, P (2022) Intrapersonal Experiences

and Suicide Ideation among students of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and
Technology (KNUST), Ghana Journal - E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social
Sciences(EHASS) (Accepted)

16. Dwumah, P, Gyasi-Boadu, N, Okyere, A. G, Kanwetuu, V. P, & Obeng, B. (2022)

Influence of Entrepreneurship Education and Programme of Study on Students’
Employment Aspirations in a Ghanaian University, Business and Management Studies
(Accepted)

17. Boateng, F. G., Ofori-Dua, K., Dwumah, P., & Forkuor, J. B. (2022). Crimes of
accommodation: a criminological grounding for road traffic violations among minibus
drivers in Africa. International Review of Sociology, 32(2), 290-310.

18. Kumah, P. K, Owusu-Boateng, W, Dapaah, J. M, Dwumah, P (2021) Perspectives

and Determinants of Discipline in Public Senior High Schools in Ghana: A
MultiStakeholder Study Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry (TOJQI) 12 (8),
4175 - 4197

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19. Asiedu, H. B. (2021) Which dominates? The relative importance of work and
family, Ife PsychologIA, 29 (2), 2021 1 – 10

20. Alhassan Abdullah, Ebenezer Cudjoe, Margarita Frederico, Lucy P. Jordan,

Marcus Y.L. Chiu,
Edward Asamoah, Clifton R. Emery (2022) Filicide as cultural practice in Ghana: The
qualitative
understanding of a family tragedy and its implications for child protection practice,
Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 127,2022, 105580, ISSN 0145-2134,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105580.

21. Gyasi, R. M., Abass, K., Frempong, F., Obodai, J., Asamoah, E., Obeng, B., &
Awuviry-Newton, K.(2022). Food insecurity and geriatric functional limitations:
Observational analysis from the AgeHeaPsyWel–HeaSeeB Survey. Experimental
Gerontology, 111707.

22. Razak M Gyasi, Edward Asamoah, Nelson Gyasi-Boadu, David R. Phillips (2021):
Food insecurity and sleep quality in older adults in Ghana: Findings from a
population-based study, Maturitas, Elsevier.

23. Asamoah, E., Tam & Alhassan (2021) Implementation of Inclusive Education
Policy: Recommendations from Social Workers and Policy Makers in Ghana,
International Journal of Disability, Development and Education (Taylor and Francis
Group)

24. Gyasi, Adu-Gyamfi, Obeng, Asamoah, E., Kisiangani, Ochieng & Appiah
(2021) Associations between Physical Activity Participation and Perceived Social
Isolation in Older Age: Do Sex Differences, Age and Social Participation Matter?
Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics

25. Hau-Lin Tam & Edward Asamoah & Angus Yuk-Fung Chan-(2021)
Developing Social
Entrepreneurship as an Intervention to Enhance Disadvantaged Young People’s Sense
of Self-Worth and Career Competence in Hong Kong (2021), The International Society
for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) and Springer Nature BV 2021

25
COLLABORATION WITH OTHER UNIVERSITIES

The Department currently have fruitful collaborative relationship with Hochschule

Darmstadt University of Applied Science, Germany.

INCOME GENERATION

The Department supplements its AUFU with income derived from the B. A. Sociology
and Social Work programmes in the Institute of Distance Learning (IDL). Efforts are
being made to come out with fee-paying Master of Arts (MA) programme in Sociology
and IDL Master of Arts in Social Work.

CHALLLENGES
There is lack of bigger lecture rooms to accommodate the growing student population
in the Department. Besides, some of the offices for lecturers at the new Social Science
Block are not complete. For instance, some of the offices do not have fans and the
ceiling is incomplete.

CONCLUSION

In spite of these challenges, the Department is carrying out its duties with dedication.
It is our hope these challenges would be considered and efforts would be made to solve
them to enhance teaching and research in the Department.

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND COMMUNNICATION SCIENCES

Overview

The Department of Language and Communication Sciences is one of the seven

Departments of the Faculty of Social Sciences (FOSS). It is made up of five (5)
sections; French, Akan, Media and Communication Studies, Linguistics, and
Chinese, with a total students’ population of One Thousand One Hundred and

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Seven-Two (1,172) for the year under review. The Department has
permanent/full-time teaching staff of eighteen (18), twelve (12) part-time
lecturers, one (1) and two (2) expatriate staff from France and China who offer
their services to the French and Chinese programs respectively, one (1)
Administrative Staff, Seventeen (17) National Service Persons, and one (1)
Casual Staff who serves as the cleaner for the Department.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES OFFERED

The Department offered five (5) undergraduate programmes; BA.

French/French and Francophone Studies, BA. Akan/Akan Language and
Culture, BA. Linguistics, BA. Media and Communication Studies, and Chinese.
BA. French and Francophone Studies, BA. Akan Language and Culture, BA.
Linguistics, and BA. Media and Communication Studies were introduced in the
Department when the Department which was formerly Modern Languages was
rebranded to Department of Language and Communication Sciences in the
2019/2020 Academic year. These programmes have been running for the past
three years therefore we will have the first batch of these programmes
graduating in the next academic year (i.e. 2022/2023 academic year). Plans are
far advanced to get the postgraduate component of these programmes running
in the nearest future. In the meantime the French section runs postgraduate
(i.e. M.Phil. and PhD) levels. In the year under review, Fifteen (15) candidates
were admitted to read the MPhil French programme and Three (3), for the PhD
programme.

The BA. French and BA. Akan which were running before the rebranding in
2019/2020 academic year will face out at the end of this academic year as the
last batch of students of these programmes graduate in the next graduating
period.

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The Chinese Section, which started in September 2015, is presently pursued
by students as a minor programme. Steps are being taken to get the necessary
logistics in place to enable students to offer it as a Major Programme in the
near future.

Teaching
The Department, like many other departments of the University, was fervently
engaged in teaching the relevant courses at undergraduate and post-graduate
(French only) levels.

Year Abroad Programme

The year abroad programme, still constitutes a significant component of the
BA. French and Francophone Studies programme, thanks to the generosity of
the Ghana Government through the Scholarship Secretariat.

Research Activities
In order to boost research and publication in the department, the department
has set up a Research and Publication Committee to coordinate research
activities in the Department.

Outreach Programmes
The Department continues to be accessible to the University community in the
acquisition of some language skills. For French, the Department continues to
offer service courses such as French for communication (Beginners and
Intermediate levels) to various departments and faculties of the University. The
Chinese club, as part of strategies to strengthen the Chinese Section, has also
been actively patronized by students from several faculties and departments of
the University. The Department hopes to attract people outside the University
to come and take part in the Chinese club. Undoubtedly, these outreach

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programmes are gradually transforming the Department into one of the largest
academic departments of the University.

External relations
The expatriate staff we have for French and Chinese contributed immensely to
deepen the relations between the University and their respective embassies and
some universities in their countries.

In the year under review, the Department received one (1) Fulbright Scholar in
the Person of Dr. Tiffany Thames Copeland, USA. She will be with the Media
and Communication Studies section.

Following a MoU between the University and the Spanish Embassy in Ghana,
the Department received a Spanish Tutor in the person of Ms. Nuria Otero,
who is going to work with the Department to introduce Spanish as one of the
programmes of the Department.

Income Generating Activities

Plans are far advanced to step up income generation activities in the

Department. In the year under review, our programme, Diploma in Professional
French, was accepted/approved to run on KNUST IDL programme starting
from the 2022/2023 academic year. The Department has also thought of a
number of short courses in the area of the various programmes that the
Department runs. Senior Members of the Department with specialisations in
the different programmes are working assiduously on these short courses to
bring them to fruition in the nearest future. A translation bureau
(Transbureau) which has been in place for some time now to coordinate the
services of translation and interpretation of languages (i.e. French to English
and Vice-Versa, English to Akan and Vice-Versa, and English to Chinese and

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Vice-Versa) in the areas of business, literary, scientific and technological
innovations as well as conference interpretation is still actively in operation.

Collaboration

In the year under review, the Department has been working on a collaboration
with AYAPREP Limited to further the advancement of the study of Mathematics
among High school students through the use of Akan and other local
languages; Ga and Ewe.

The Department is also working to collaborate with RWS, a world-leading

technology enabled language, content, and intellectual services provider, to
provide training that will help bridge the gap between academic path and
industry (market place) for our students.

Benefactors
In the year under review, the French and Chinese Ambassadors to Ghana
visited KNUST and gave encouragement prizes in the form of cash to deserving
Chinese learners in the Department. The French Embassy continues to provide
support for the refurbishment of the Maison Francaise in a bid to help
maintain it as a multimedia research centre for the French outreach program.
They also sponsored various activities on KNUST campus organized in
collaboration with the Alliance Française and Campus France.

The Department is, indeed, greatly indebted to the French and the Chinese
Governments for their continual support and encouragement.

Students’ Activities
In the year under review, the French Students’ Association (FRENSA)
participated in the Inter-University French Quiz hosted by the University of
Ghana and won the trophy. KNUST will host the Quiz in the 2022/2023
academic year.

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The French Section, through its students’ body French Students’ Association
(FRENSA), in collaboration with the Alliance Française in Kumasi, celebrated
the Francophone week which was well patronized.
FRENSA through the 2021/2022 Year Abroad Group donated two (2) sound
systems to the Department to enhance French activities on KNUST campus.
The Ghanaian Language Akan Students’ Association (GLASA) also donated two
(2) Projectors to the Department to aid teaching and learning in the
Department.
Plans are far advanced to get the Linguistics Students’ Association and Media
and Communication Students’ Association inaugurated in the 2022/2023
academic year.

PUBLLICATIONS IN THE YEAR UNDER REVIEW

In the year under review, Some Colleagues in the Department (Prof. C.O. Marfo
and Mr. Emmanuel Antwi Fordjour) completed a collaborative project with the
Department of Optometry and Orbis International in South Africa that led to
the publication titled ani nwoma no (a translation of the eye book by Kenneth
Youngstein)

In all twenty (20) publications were done by the faculty members of the
department in the year under review.

SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

The Department has been undertaking translations of all kinds of texts; from
French, Akan, and Chinese to English, and from English to French, Akan or
Chinese, as part of its community service. The Department also continues to
enjoy high patronage of the learning of French as a service course by various
departments and faculties of the university.

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CONCLUSION

The Department of Language and Communication Sciences is positioning itself

to training and equipping more students to meet the developmental needs of
the nation. It is striving to make its students very relevant for the job market
and for the growth of the sub-region and humanity in general.

On the whole, both academic and administrative staff of the Department have
worked assiduously to meet its core responsibilities in the areas of
administration, teaching, research and service to the university and the larger
community. As a body, we hope to continue to improve in all these areas in the
years ahead.

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