<b>CHAPTER 10:</b> a Holistic, Continuous Approach to NWU Students’ Academic Acculturation: The Role of Academic Literacy and the Writing Centre

In this chapter we focus on the development of discipline-specific academic literacies with a sustainable approach towards developing crucial skills beyond the current first-year support. We perceive this challenge as one experienced across South Africa, especially regarding the various levels of academic literacy capabilities of students entering Higher Education (HE). In the chapter, we will, therefore, respond to the issue posed from the perspectives of the support entities, Academic Literacy and the Writing Centre, which work with the various disciplines at the North-West University (NWU). The chapter first offers an overview of academic literacy in South Africa, followed by a consideration of relevant literature used to develop a (suggested) rudimentary framework for a balanced response to the development of academic literacies. We argue from the perspectives of Academic Literacy and the Writing Centre, whilst focussing on the relevance of what we do and how we tap into the various disciplines to assist NWU students in their academic acculturation and in the acquisition of the necessary skills to write in their disciplines and across disciplines. While doing so, we shed light on the vital connection between the Writing Centre, Academic Literacy, and the disciplines we support. In addition, we highlight our current roles in the University, where we find ourselves in a space that provides academic writing support to students from various disciplines. The interwovenness of support structures is highlighted, as this leads to the points of discussion regarding responses to the importance of academic literacy support in the continuous academic acculturation of HE students.