POL1005S Introduction to Politics B
(NOTE: This course may also be offered in Summer Term - please consult the Faculty.)
18 NQF credits at HEQSF level 5
Convener: Associate Professor Z Jolobe
Course entry requirements: DP for POL1004F or with special permission from the Head of Department.
Course outline:
This course is an introduction to two related fields of Political Studies – Comparative Politics and International Relations. Comparative Politics involves the use of comparative approaches to study political institutions and processes within states. International Relations examines power relations across state borders. The course provides an introduction to the systematic study of both fields, with an emphasis on some of the leading theories and questions.
Lecture times: Monday to Thursday 7th period.
DP requirements: Tutorial attendance is compulsory and students who attend fewer than 85% of the tutorials will not be allowed to write the final examination. In addition, completion of all written assignments, essays and tests are a requirement for a DP. Should students fail to hand in written assignments by due date, they will be penalised according to the grading formula of the Department. All required work for DP purposes MUST be submitted by the last day of the course.
Assessment: Coursework counts 50%; final two-hour examination counts 50%.
POL2042S - Comparative Public Institutions
24 NQF credits at HEQSF level 6
Convener: Dr V Naidoo
Course entry requirements: POL1004F and POL1005S or with special permission from the Head of Department.
Course outline:
This course explores the dynamics of public institutions in comparative politics. Politics the world over is conducted by and through a myriad of public institutions whose role is to translate political goals and aspirations into concrete outcomes. The public ‘bureaucracies’ represent potentially powerful and influential unelected institutions, which can have a profound effect on the political process. This course will review theories and concepts of bureaucracy which explain the emergence, internal structure and functioning, and reform of these institutions. It will also survey the role and impact of public bureaucracies across a variety of countries, in international organisations, and in relation to important themes such as democracy and development.
Lecture times: Monday to Thursday 8th period.
DP requirements: Tutorial attendance is compulsory and students who attend fewer than 85% of the tutorials will not be allowed to write the final examination. In addition, completion of all written assignments, essays and tests are a requirement for a DP. Should students fail to hand in written assignments by due date, they will be penalised according to the grading formula of the Department. All required work for DP purposes MUST be submitted by the last day of the course.
Assessment: Coursework counts 50%; final two-hour examination counts 50%.
POL2043S - South African Politics
24 NQF credits at HEQSF level 6
Convener: Dr G Maluleke
Course entry requirements: POL1004F and POL1005S or with special permission from the Head of Department.
Co-requisites: None
Course outline:
This course introduces students to the academic study of South African politics. It explores the country’s recent political history, the political legacies of segregation and apartheid, and the relationships between politics and broader social life. It goes on to explore the character and significance of the country’s ‘democratic transition’. The course also investigates the country’s constitution, electoral systems, political parties, party system, and associational politics. Students learn key academic approaches to the study of domestic politics and apply these to the study of South Africa.
Lecture times: Monday to Thursday 5th period.
DP requirements: Tutorial attendance is compulsory and students who attend fewer than 85% of the tutorials will not be allowed to write the final examination. In addition, completion of all written assignments, essays and tests are a requirement for a DP. Should students fail to hand in written assignments by due date, they will be penalised according to the grading formula of the Department. All required work for DP MUST be submitted by the last day of the course.
Assessment: Coursework 50%; final exam 50%.
POL3038S - Urban Politics and Administration
30 NQF credits at HEQSF level 7
Convener: Dr T Zondi
Course entry requirements: Any 2000-level POL course or with special permission from the Head of Department.
Course outline:
The first section of the course locates South African local level politics and administration in the context of national and provincial state reform, and examines the significance of local implementation and service delivery for policy outputs and for the policy process as a whole. A theoretical framework for understanding local government reorganisation is developed and a comparative analysis undertaken of local government reorganisation with particular reference to metropolitan areas. There is in addition a focus on contemporary reforms which have affected South Africa's contemporary urban governance, such as the new megacities, politics-administration interface and developmental local government. The second section of the course introduces students to an overview of contemporary urban political and administrative challenges and opportunities. These challenges and opportunities occur in a context of global and local conditions. The course examines and compares good solutions to urban problems in third and first world cities. In its focus on delivery-level administration and politics, the course provides both intellectual and practical closure to the major sequence of courses on public administration, management and the policy process.
Lecture times: Monday to Thursday 7th period.
DP requirements: Tutorial attendance is compulsory and students who attend fewer than 85% of the tutorials will not be allowed to write the final examination. In addition, completion of all written assignments, essays and tests are a requirement for a DP. Should students fail to hand in written assignments by due date, they will be penalised according to the grading formula of the Department. All required work for DP purposes MUST be submitted by the last day of the course.
Assessment: Coursework counts 50%; final two-hour examination counts 50%.
POL3045S - Global Governance
30 NQF credits at HEQSF level 7
Convener: Associate Professor Z Jolobe
Course entry requirements: Any 2000-level POL course or with special permission from the Head of Department.
Co-requisites: None
Course outline:
Global governance refers to the way in which global affairs are managed in the absence of a global government, and involves a broad range of actors including states, international and regional organisations. This course provides an overview of the existing architecture of global governance, explores the management of selected global issues, and considers debates and new trends in global governance.
Lecture times: 6th period.
DP requirements: Tutorial attendance is compulsory and students who attend fewer than 85% of the tutorials will not be allowed to write the final examination. In addition, completion of all written assignments, essays and tests are a requirement for a DP. Should students fail to hand in written assignments by due date, they will be penalised according to the grading formula of the Department. All required work for DP MUST be submitted by the last day of the course.
Assessment: Coursework 50%; final exam 50%.
POL3046S - South African Political Thought
30 NQF credits at HEQSF level 7
Convener: Associate Professor T Reddy
Course entry requirements: Any 2000-level POL course or with special permission from the Head of Department.
Course outline:
This course helps students to understand the complex relationships between Western, African, and South African Political Thought. The course introduces students to some of the key ideas in these traditions of political theory and explores some of the interactions between them. In particular, students will investigate the development of ideas concerning colonial rule and the nationalist responses to that rule, which together constitute a rich and complex literature. The themes address over the course will include the Western enlightenment, colonial modernity, nationalism and democracy.
Lecture times: 4th period.
DP requirements: Tutorial attendance is compulsory and students who attend fewer than 85% of the tutorials will not be allowed to write the final examination. In addition, completion of all written assignments, essays and tests are a requirement for a DP. Should students fail to hand in written assignments by due date, they will be penalised according to the grading formula of the Department. All required work for DP MUST be submitted by the last day of the course.
Assessment: Coursework 50%; final exam 50%.