POLS1514: Introduction to politics
Lecturer: Dr Alta Grobbelaar
On completion of this module, students should be able to understand and interpret the exclusive meaning of “politics” as an activity associated with the state and government, but also realising that no one can escape from politics. Theories of the state and political ideologies are followed by a distinction between state and government, levels of power, and federal and unitary systems. The course furthermore focuses on the basic structures and functions of all democratic forms of government with references to the South African context.

POLS1524: Introduction to world politics and global governance
Lecturer: Ms Mamokhosi Choane and Dr Anneli Botha
The objective of this introductory course in IR is to familiarise the student with the field of world politics, the broad nature and dynamics of the current international system and the most important actors or contenders in the realm of world politics. Issues and processes in world politics are also examined, for instance, foreign policy analysis; conflict and conflict management; regime types; and the politics of development.

POLS2614: Globalisation and world politics
Lecturer: Ms Mamokhosi Choane
Students get an overview of the central problems, issues and trends in the contemporary global system by considering the myths and realities associated with globalisation as well as the implications for the states-system and the various types of governance. Theoretical frameworks, global security, international political economy, transnational actors and contemporary forms of diplomacy are examined. Students also examine the environment within the political arena, particularly with reference to so-called green politics.

POLS2634: Cooperative governance and electoral politics
Lecturer: Dr Anneli Botha
This module can broadly be divided into two parts. Part 1 introduces the student to a variety of concepts and issues important in the understanding of cooperative government and intergovernmental relations leading up to the practical implications of these concepts within the South African context. Part 2 will familiarize the student with the elements within the ‘electoral chain’ and the actors associated with this process. Building up to elections as being the source of conflict, rather than a tool that allow the peaceful transition of power within the African context.

POLS2624: Governance and political transformation in Africa
Lecturer: Dr Ina Gouws 
On completion of this module, students will be able to understand the nature and process of political transformation with special reference to (Southern) Africa. Processes of state formation and state system failure, modernisation and dependency theory, the economic bases of democracy, and prospects for effective political and economic transformation and governance in Africa under the NEPAD plan and the African Union are examined. The course also covers issues pertaining specifically to South Africa in the above context — what has been and should be done to foster democracy and work towards stable and legitimate statehood.

POLS2644: Politics, law and international organisations
Lecturer: Dr Eben Coetzee
This module looks at key structures and processes of international law in the context of international relations, focusing on schools of thought, the institutional framework, and the relationship between legality and norms in a post-Cold War and post-9/11 context. This also includes an examination of the interrelationships between states and various multilateral and regional intergovernmental organisations; the impact and global reach of multinational corporations; religious movements, ethno-national groups as well as international terrorist organisations in order to assess their political influence.

POLS3714: Security and conflict studies
Lecturer: Dr Eben Coetzee
The module focuses on the evolution of security and strategic thinking. Students analyse the shift from a state-centric realist security paradigm to an emphasis on global, societal, and human security. Other issues include regional security structures/cooperation and trends in post-modern warfare (e.g. protracted social conflict, information age terrorism, the revolution in military affairs, and nuclear proliferation). This also includes conflict analysis, focusing on the meaning, causes, sources, stages and approaches to conflict, as well as the practical aspects of the conflict management process.

POLS3734: Political risk analysis and strategic planning
Lecturer: Lecturer: Prof Theo Neethling
Students are introduced to the strategic planning process as an input for future decision-making. Students are familiarised with the basic concepts, techniques and methodology of political risk analysis as part of a broader strategic planning framework, which will enable them to forecast and evaluate the political risks attached to states in a reasoned and justifiable manner. Strategic planning helps students to develop an ability to make strategic decisions and to understand the role of forecasting within a strategic planning process.

POLS3724: Ideology and political theory
Lecturer: Dr Alta Grobbelaar
This module introduces students to the role and significance of contemporary ideologies in current world affairs and the theoretical premises on which they are predicated. Apart from the more traditional ideologies that are still important today, the so-called “newer” ideologies are also highlighted. A distinction is made between normative theories dealing with concepts of how the political environment ought to be and an evaluation of a given situation by reference to a set of political concepts and values, and empirical theories that take the form of models or conceptual frameworks to steer researchers in their choice of methods for analysing and describing political reality.

POLS3744: International political economy
Lecturer: Prof Theo Neethling
This module highlights the interplay of economics and politics in the world arena; the contending theoretical perspectives on international political economy with application inter alia in international trade and the World Trade Organisation, and the development gap between counties of the North and South; the international monetary and financial structures, and the influence of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in this respect; the roles of multinational corporations; regionalism and the European Union; and the impact of globalisation on the capacity of states to achieve their foreign and domestic economic policy objectives.