DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCES BA HONOURS IN POLITICS

Transcription

1 DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCES BA HONOURS IN POLITICS I N D E X 1. INFORMATION CONCERNING THE HONOURS DEGREE IN POLITICS 2. CONCURRENT REGISTRATION FOR UNDERGRADUATE MODULE(S) FOR NON-DEGREE PURPOSES 3. OFFERING OF AN HONOURS PAPER IN ANOTHER SUBJECT 4. REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO THE HONOURS DEGREE 5. NUMBER OF PAPERS FOR WHICH STUDENTS MAY REGISTER IN THEIR FIRST YEAR OF STUDY 6. CURRICULUM (DEGREE CODE: 05142) 7. METHOD OF TUITION 8. COMMENCEMENT OF STUDY 9. THE STUDY GUIDES 10. READING REQUIREMENTS 11. MASTER'S (MA) AND DOCTORAL (DLitt et Phil) STUDIES IN THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE 12. POLITICS LECTURERS AND CONTACT DETAILS

2 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCES UNISA S NEW APPLICATION AND REGISTRATION PHASES APPLICATION PHASE First-time students at UNISA must apply for admission on the prescribed form which is to be submitted together with the correct application fees, as well as the documents required for registration. Apply on-line: tid=23989 or contact the UNISA Contact Centre at / (International). Once the data has been recorded the system will allocate a student number which will be confirmed via , sms or mail depending on the contact details indicated on your application form. A registration package containing the relevant information brochure(s) and registration form will be mailed to you. Students who already have a UNISA student number proceed directly to the registration phase. REGISTRATION PHASE Once a student number has been allocated to you, this number will remain your student number at UNISA for all formal qualifications Honours students may apply on-line for registration after the registration period for the particular academic year has opened.

3 3 However, Master s and Doctoral students cannot apply on-line and are advised to submit their applications directly to UNISA Muckleneuk Campus, P O Box 392, UNISA, Regional offices can only forward Master s and Doctoral applications to the Muckleneuk Campus. The registration form together with the minimum installment required for registration must be submitted before the relevant closing date. Students must please take note that certain degrees are by selection and have earlier closing dates than the normal registration closing dates. Any documents required for registration submitted must be included here, if not previously submitted. Kindly note that only certified copies of academic records issued by the Registrar of the University/Institution concerned are accepted for registration purposes. If approved, students who have submitted their complete application (i.e. all required documents and minimum fees) will automatically be registered after admission has been approved. Other students will be informed of any remaining conditions to be complied with in order to finalise their registration. All other students will be informed of the outcome of their applications and, where applicable, the minimum study fees paid will be refunded. The process outlined above may be time consuming in some cases, especially when we approach the various closing dates when most applications are invariably submitted. It is, therefore, essential that prospective students apply well in advance, especially where deadlines set by employers and sponsors have to be met.

4 4 1. INFORMATION CONCERNING THE HONOURS DEGREE IN POLITICS Thank you for your enquiry concerning postgraduate study in Politics. In addition to the information given in this brochure, you must consult the following: and the Brochures regarding the general rules for admission to postgraduate studies, documents which must accompany an application for admission, reregistration, duration of study, applications for cancellation and Part 2 for details of the curriculum. You may also consult the Departmental website at 2. CONCURRENT REGISTRATION FOR UNDERGRADUATE MODULE(S) FOR NON-DEGREE PURPOSES With special permission of Senate students may register for non-degree purposes (NDP) not more than two modules on the same level concurrently with an Honours course, and provided that the NDP module(s) has a bearing on their Honours studies, or they submit a written justification which is acceptable to the University. Please note that students must apply before the closing date for registration for the module(s) for permission for concurrent registration. Please consult the myregistration@unisa Brochure or the UNISA website ( regarding the relevant registration dates.

5 5 3. OFFERING OF AN HONOURS PAPER IN ANOTHER SUBJECT In the College of Human Sciences students may replace one of the papers of their Honours degree by an Honours paper in another subject, if the Departmental Chairs concerned are of the opinion that the students have sufficient background knowledge to be able to offer that paper and it is in the best interest of the students. 4. REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO THE HONOURS DEGREE Unless otherwise decided by Senate, students must have completed: (1) a Bachelor s degree or the equivalent thereof, including (2) a Major in Politics (modules at 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd year level), or (3) a course(s) at another university which is/are equivalent to (2) above. 5. NUMBER OF PAPERS FOR WHICH STUDENTS MAY REGISTER IN THEIR FIRST YEAR OF STUDY In addition to the formal admission requirements which appear in myrules@unisa or myregistration@unisa Brochures and in this brochure, the following stipulations also apply: (1) Students who obtained an average of 60% or more in the final modules of Politics or the equivalent and passed the modules not more than five years ago, may register for any number of papers in their first year of studies. Students are strongly advised not to

6 6 register for more than three papers. (2) Students who obtained an average between 55 and 59% in the relevant major subject, may register for a maximum of two papers in the first year, if not more than five years have elapsed since passing the course. (3) Students who obtained an average between 50 and 54% in the relevant major subject, may register for only one paper in the first year if not more than five years have elapsed since the course was passed. The application of students who passed the course more than five years ago, will be referred to the Chair of the Department, who may make a recommendation regarding additional requirements students should comply with. 6. CURRICULUM (DEGREE CODE: 04359) The curriculum for 2011 comprises three examination papers of three hours each, one of two hours and a research article without a written examination. The curriculum allows the student a wide degree of choice of research topics and fields of study. In particular there is a wide range of research topics which students may pursue for the research article. These options give the students a great deal of latitude to design a degree curriculum to suit their own interests and career aspirations. NB: The codes comprising seven characters, which appear after the names of the papers must be indicated on the registration form. YOU THEREFORE HAVE TO IDENTIFY FIVE PAPERS FROM THE LIST BELOW FOR THE DEGREE THE FIRST TWO ARE COMPULSORY:

7 7 Paper 1: The Political Sciences: approaches and methods (HPPSC81) - COMPULSORY A study of knowledge problems in the political sciences such as epistemology, methodology and research techniques. Paper 2: Honours research article for Politics (HRPSC82) - COMPULSORY An independent research essay for Honours students based on a topic agreed to between the student and the department. Paper 3: Theory, philosophy and ideology (PLC4801) Choose ONE option Option (a) This option is a course on Empirical Theory and the following advanced topics are studied: the future of the post-behavioural phase, post modernism, the rational choice theory, system analysis and the feminist theory. Option (b) In this option an important problem in political philosophy is studied: the problem of the open society. The works of political thinkers such as Karl Popper, Henri Bergson and Eric Voegelin are used to illustrate the problem. Option (c) In this option the functions, structure and theories of ideologies are the focus of attention. As an introduction, we determine what ideologies are and how they function

8 8 in society and in politics. Nationalism is used as a case study to illustrating some of the points. The role of ideologies in history and in particular the "end of ideology" debate receives attention. In this instance, the emphasis is upon Francis Fukuyama's "the end of history". In the assignments attention is paid to nationalism, The Third Way, neoliberalism and contemporary Marxist theories in general. Attention is also paid to the relevance of post-modernism for political science. In this section students are granted the opportunity to develop some of the topics on their own. Paper 4: Political dynamics (PLC4802) In this paper a study is made of political dynamics and in particular political parties, party systems, interest organisations and systems of interest representation. This paper also specialises in political dynamics and focuses on selected problems in the study of political behaviour. The two problem areas addressed are political elites and violent politics. The objective is to integrate theory and practice. In the case of political elites the emphasis is upon different elite theories, inter alia those of Vilfredo Pareto, Gaetano Mosca and Robert Michels. Opposed to those are the ideas of Nelson W Polsby and Robert A Dahl who concentrate more on community power. The studying of and knowledge of political elites are exceptionally important for any student of politics because, as Mosca puts it, "in all societies - from societies that are very meagrely developed. to the most advanced and powerful societies - two classes of people appear - a

9 9 class that rules and that is ruled". Especially the phrase "a class that rules" is important in politics. In the second part violent politics are investigated. Again, this part consists of both theoretical and applied, practical elements. In the theoretical part the focus is on theories of violence starting with J C Davies' J-curve hypothesis, the relative deprivation school of thought articulated by Ted Gurr and others, the Marxist theory and the comparative-historical approach in which especially Theda Skocpol is very important. Violent politics are expressed in different formats, such as rebellions, a coup e'tat, mass insurrection or revolution. This topic is for the student of South African politics of extreme importance. Incidences such as Sharpeville (1960), Soweto (1976), Sebokeng (1984 and 1990) as well as aspects such as structural violence and the armed struggle are very often in the news. Are the underlying reasons for these phenomena always understood? In this part of the option efforts are made to gain greater clarity about them. Paper 5: Comparative politics: Africa and beyond (APP4801) Section (a) In this section a survey is given of comparative politics, regarded since the Second World War as a new subdivision of Political Science. The creation of many newly independent states in Africa, Asia, the Far and Middle East emphasised the variety of forms which cultural and political structures assumed and developmental processes displayed. It was found that concepts and theories based primarily on West European, British and American institutions were inadequate to explain these new phenomena and to meaningfully compare them with knowledge of existing phenomena.

10 10 Therefore a new way of analysing political systems had to be developed and adopted. This method of analysis is called comparative political study. The objective of comparative political study is to identify and to explain the uniform and the divergent, the variable and the constant, the extraordinary and the ordinary factors of various political systems. From this it can be deduced that comparative politics covers a very wide field and that it is not limited to the study of the formal aspects of systems, i e the organisational structure, the rules and procedures and the legal relations between the various governmental institutions, but also embraces those aspects that govern the dynamic activity within the formal framework of systems. Apart from the development of this subdivision within Political Science, the approaches and contributions of several prominent political scientists are analysed and evaluated, while particular attention is also given to the nature of the comparative method. Section (b) The purpose of this section is to apply the theoretical knowledge of section (a) to a practical situation - in this case comparative studies of states in Southern Africa. Paper 6: South African Politics (PLC4803) Choose ONE option Option (a) This option entails an analysis of political development. The subject matter is approached by way of the study of theoretical orientations such as political modernisation and the dependency theories.

11 11 The objective of the second part of the course is to focus on the important relationship between political and economical development. Option (b) In this option South African political issues are examined, like: the land question; ANC politics; affirmative action; crime and corruption; macro-economic strategy; single dominant party system. Paper 7: Conflict, peace and security studies (PSC4803) A study of conflict, security and strategy with a particular focus on conflict resolution and peace building. Paper 8: Politics in the 21 st century: national, African and international perspectives (PSC4802) An advanced study of the main characteristics and tendencies in politics in the 21 st century as influenced by the fall of the Berlin Wall, 11 September and globalisation. The composition of the curricula for the Honours programmes in Politics and International Politics are the following: INTERNATIONAL POLITICS HPPSC81: The Political Sciences: approaches and methods (COMPULSORY) HRPSC82: Research article (COMPULSORY) Any three of the following: IPC4801: South Africa in international political economy PSC4803: Peace, conflict and security studies

12 12 AIP4801: IPC4802: IPC4803: PSC4802: Integration and disintegration: Africa and international institutions International political theory Problems relating to foreign policy and foreign policy analysis. Politics in the 21st century: national, African and international perspectives AFRICAN POLITICS HPPSC81: The Political Sciences: approaches and methods (COMPULSORY) HRPSC82: Research article (COMPULSORY) Any three of the following: APP4801: Comparative politics: Africa and beyond APC4801: African political thought PSC4803: PSC4802: Conflict, peace and security studies Politics in the 21st century: national, African and international perspectives 7. METHOD OF TUITION The more important features of our method of tuition for Honours degree students may be summarised as follows: (a) No comprehensive written lectures are provided, but students will receive in some instances a general study guide in which the study programme and requirements for the paper are explained. In addition students receive a 101 tutorial letter with notes for orientation, assignment topics and reading lists. (b) Students are required to submit a number of assignments on prescribed topics for each examination paper. (c) Students are requested to consult their lecturers as often as possible for personal guidance in preparing

13 13 assignments and in connection with other study problems. (d) The study material for the examination consists of students own assignments, general reading, the study guides and a certain number of textbooks and journal articles per paper. 8. COMMENCEMENT OF STUDY Students who wish to register for the degree, need not wait until the closing date for registration before commencing their studies. See myregistration@unisa Brochure and UNISA website for relevant registration dates. Such students should work out their programmes and begin studying right away. Students are of course encouraged to keep in touch with their lecturers throughout their period of study. 9. THE STUDY GUIDES In contrast to undergraduate studies, postgraduate studies require a large measure of independent work. In the Honours courses we do not provide guidance in detail for the studies in the various papers. The study guides may be regarded more or less as "signposts" indicating the route to be followed. Consequently the student will have to study independently the works of those authors who have made the greatest contribution in various fields or who have best covered the developments in a particular field. The function is, by means of these study guides, to demarcate and interpret the syllabus for the student, to indicate the best way of tackling it, and to furnish the student with general guidance in his/her studies. The student will notice that these study guides cover the

14 14 syllabus in gradual stages. Using the study guides as the point of departure, it will be the task of the student to go through the relevant literature systematically. 10. READING REQUIREMENTS Honours studies in Politics require the use of scientific journal and periodical articles to a much greater extent than in undergraduate modules. Students will be provided with full references to the minimum reading, and photocopies of articles will be obtainable from the Main Library in Pretoria. It is expected of students to obtain books and articles themselves. Should students also have access to the internet, they should also explore it for useful source material. 11. MASTER'S (MA) AND DOCTORAL (DLitt et Phil) STUDIES IN THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE In addition to the Honours degree, the Department also offers Master s and Doctor s degrees in African Politics, International Politics and Politics. The minimum qualification for admission to the Master s degree is an Honours degree in the field of study. A Master s degree is the minimum qualification to be admitted to the Doctor s degree. The Master s and Doctor s degrees consist of a dissertation and a thesis respectively. No course work, or so-called taught Master s and Doctor s degrees are offered by the Department. A Master s dissertation and/or a Doctoral thesis must embody original research work. It is possible that the Department may require a prospective candidate to first complete a reading programme before research and writing can commence.

15 15 Prospective candidates must approach the Registrar of the University to be admitted for the Master s or the Doctor s degree. Complete, original academic records of all previous academic qualifications must accompany the application for admission. If a candidate is admitted to the Master s or Doctor s degree, he/she will be supplied with guidelines in terms of which a research proposal must be prepared and submitted to the Department. (Guidelines can also be found on the Departmental web site, Candidates are expected to choose their own research topics, but candidates may explore the potential viability of their research topics/problems in collaboration with the Department prior to or after the admission process. On the acceptance of a defensible research proposal, the Department will appoint a supervisor(s) to guide the candidate, after which the registration can be finalised. Prospective candidates for the Master s and Doctor s degrees should acquaint themselves with the University regulations that pertain to these degrees, such as those that apply to the duration of study for these degrees. This information is contained in Calendar 1 and the brochure: General Information Master s and Doctor s Degrees.

16 16 Prospective student should contact: The Registrar ` The University of South Africa P O Box 392 UNISA 0003 Republic of South Africa Telephone: International: Fax: (Honours enquiries): artes@unisa.ac.za (Master s and Doctor s enquiries): mandd@unisa.ac.za Please do not hesitate to contact the Chair of the Department, Professor Dirk Kotzé, or individual departmental members to obtain further information.

17 PERMANENT TEACHING STAFF PROFESSOR: A M Faure P A H Labuschagne D J Kotzé MAdmin, DAdmin (UNISA) MA, DPhil (UVS) LLB, LLM, LLD (UNISA) MA (Stellenbosch), MA (UP), PhD (Witwatersrand) SENIOR LECTURER: S Botha MAdmin (UP), DLitt et Phil (UNISA) LECTURER: S L Kant MA (UNISA), DLitt et Phil (UNISA) JUNIOR LECTURER: R Francis MA (UKZN) UNISA