Politics of Africa and the Global South

This course reviews the theories and approaches that are typically used to analyse the political economies and political regimes of countries in the global South. The reliability, validity and normative implications of these theories will be evaluated with reference to key case studies -- in many cases drawn from the African Continent - in order to illustrate or problematise their claims. Though this is a political science course, our study of the politics of the South will be informed by debates that span a number of disciplines, including history, economics, law, anthropology and sociology.

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%.

The University of Cape Town awards credits based on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) to determine course and contact hour recommendations per course. 1 NQF credit represents roughly 10 notional hours of work which includes study time, assignments and examinations. Notional hours may very per courses depending on the course level and modality therefore, CEA recommends using NQF credits as a basis to determine U.S. equivalencies (1 NQF=.222 semester credits)