ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS - POLITICAL & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

POLITICAL AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

Professor and Head of Department Political and International Studies 3
P-H Bischoff, BA(Wits), MA(Lancaster), The third-year course usually consists of a selection
PhD(Manchester) of the following: Social and Political Theory, South
Professor African Politics and Government, African Politics
L Vincent, BA(Hons)(Rhodes), M.Phil(Oxon) and Political Thought in Africa, International
DPhil(Oxon) Relations and International Political Economy.
Associate Professor
L Praeg, BA, MA, PhD(Stell), MEd(Rhodes) Admission Prerequisites
Senior Lecturers Students must pass Political and International
AP Fluxman, MA(Wits), MA, PhD(Cornell) Studies 1 in order to proceed to Political and
S Matthews, BA, MA(Pretoria), PhD(Birmingham) International Studies 2.
Lecturers
R Pithouse, BA(Natal), MA(UKZN) Students must pass Political and International
S Magadla, BA(Hons)(Rhodes), MA(Ohio) Studies 2 in order to proceed to Political and
G Barrett, MA(Edinburgh), MA(Kings College, International Studies 3.
London)
Visiting Lecturer A pass is recorded when 50% or more is obtained on
M Mavura (BA (Rhodes); PDIS (Rhodes); MA aggregating the marks for the required courses taken
(Rhodes) in any given year.
Nelson Mandela Visiting Professor
L. Gordon Visiting (currently University of Students who fail on aggregation and who wish to
Toulouse, France). B.A. City University of New continue with Political and International Studies will
York M.A. and M. Phil. (Yale University); PhD be required to repeat the whole of the failed year
(Yale). rather than repeat only individually failed courses.
Andrew Mellon Postdoctoral Scholar
Irene Callis, PhD (LSE) Examinations
In each year, courses taken in the first semester
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE (terms one and two) are written off in the June
examination and courses taken in the second
Political and International Studies is a three-year semester (terms three and four) are written off in the
major subject which may be studied for degree November examination.
curricula in the Faculties of Humanities, Commerce
and Science. Courses offered in the Department are Examinations usually count for 50% of the final year
studied from a global, regional and local perspective mark while course work (such as tests and essays)
with particular attention paid to the South African counts for 50% of the mark.
and African contexts.
POSTGRADUATE DEGREES
Political and International Studies 1
The first-year course introduces students to the Postgraduate Diploma in International Studies
basic components of the discipline of Political and (PDIS)(African Diplomacy and Peacekeeping)
International Studies and usually consists of courses Students reading for the Diploma in International
in Political Philosophy, Comparative Political Relations are required to take five courses. These
Studies and International Relations. usually include courses in International Relations,
Diplomacy, Peace and Conflict, Political Economy,
Political and International Studies 2 Geopolitics, Development Studies, African Politics
The second-year course usually consists of courses and Africa in World Politics and Public International
in Political and Social Theory, Political Sociology, Law.
Political Philosophy and International Relations.

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To be awarded a Diploma in International Studies Higher Degrees Guide and must be submitted to the
students must pass at least four out of the five Higher Degrees Committee with the approval of the
courses taken and achieve an overall aggregated pass supervisor and Head of Department.
of at least 50%.
To be awarded the degree, coursework Master’s
Entrance Requirements students need to pass all three courses as well as the
Students may register for the PDIS having obtained thesis. They may not repeat courses already passed
an undergraduate degree in any field with a good pass. at Honours level.

Students who obtain an overall aggregated mark of Entrance Requirements

at least 70% for the Diploma may be considered for To be accepted into a Master’s degree in the
admission into the Master’s degree in Political and Department students would normally require an
International Studies. Honours degree with at least a good second class
pass in Political and International Studies or, with
Honours the approval of the Head of Department, in a cognate
The Honours degree consists of either five courses discipline such as History, Sociology, Philosophy or
or four courses and a research essay of 10 000 Economics.
words. The latter option may be exercised only on
recommendation of the Head of Department. Honours and Master’s Courses
Subject to demand and the availability of staff, a
To be awarded an Honours degree, students must range of Honours and Master’s courses are offered
pass at least four out of the five courses taken and in any given year. These might include, for instance,
achieve an overall aggregated mark of at least 50%. Qualitative Research Methods, Ubuntu, Poverty and
Privilege, Understanding Domination, Frantz Fanon,
Entrance Requirements The Politics of Collective Action, Community,Justice
To be accepted into an Honours degree in the and Freedom, African Political Philosophy,
Department, students normally require a good Corporeal Politics, Environmental Politics, Theories
second class pass in a bachelor’s degree majoring in of Politics, the Politics of Social Policy, Global
Political Studies and International Studies or, with Governance and Regional Organisation, International
the approval of the Head of Department, a good Political Economy, International Relations Theory,
second class pass degree in a cognate discipline such Foreign Policy, International Law, African Security
as History, Sociology, Philosophy or Economics. and Development, African Political Economy,
International Relations of Africa, Political Economy
Master’s of Africa, Cold War Studies, Chinese Foreign Policy,
Students may register for either a combined Contemporary Southern African Politics and such
coursework and thesis Master’s degree or a Master’s additional courses as may become available from time
degree by thesis only, as recommended by the Head to time depending on staff availability.
of Department.
Not all of these courses are offered in any given
The Master’s by coursework and thesis consists of year. Prospective students should inquire as to which
three approved postgraduate courses and a thesis of courses are on offer in the year that they will be
15 000 to 25 000 words. The required thesis length for registered.
the Master’s by thesis only is 30 000 to 50 000 words.
Interdisciplinary Honours Degrees
Master’s students are required to have a thesis [See Interdepartmental Studies]
proposal passed by the Humanities Higher Degrees
Committee by the 30th of November in the year in Approved courses in the Department of Political
which the degree is begun. Those who do not succeed and International Relations may be taken in the
in doing so may not be permitted to continue with Interdisciplinary Honours Programmes in Industrial
the Master’s degree. Thesis proposals must conform Relations, Development Studies, Gender Studies
to the requirements set out in the Rhodes University and South African Cultural Studies.

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Grading students must usually be in possession of a good

The final mark for courses taken in the Diploma, Master’s degree in Political and International
Honours and Master’s by Coursework and Thesis Studies, or, with the permission of the Head of
degrees consists of a combination of class marks Department, an approved cognate discipline.
and examination marks. At the discretion of the Admission will depend also on the availability of
lecturer concerned, class work may count between suitable supervision expertise in the chosen field of
30% and 50% of the final mark for a course and study of any prospective student.
the examination between 70% and 50% of the final
mark. Doctoral students are required to have a thesis
proposal passed by the Humanities Higher Degrees
For the Master’s by Coursework and Thesis the Committee by the 30th of November of the year
thesis counts 50% of the final mark while the courses in which the degree is begun. Those who do not
taken make up the remaining 50%. succeed in doing so may not be permitted to continue
with the doctorate. Thesis proposals must conform
Doctoral Studies (PhD) to the requirements set out in the Rhodes University
The PhD consists of a dissertation which must Higher Degrees Guide and must be submitted to the
conform to the requirements set out in the Rhodes Higher Degrees Committee with the approval of the
University Higher Degrees Guide. Prospective supervisor and Head of department.

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