| Unit name | The Politics of Post Apartheid South Africa |
|---|---|
| Unit code | POLI31381 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Lockwood |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
This unit allows students to engage with the politics of transformation, using post-apartheid South Africa as a case study. The unit helps students to use skills they may have learned in political transitions, democratisation, social justice, development, gender and race focused units to a new subject. It offers an insight into how political concepts are applied in a ‘real world’ context.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit allows students to bring their previous studies in politics and international relations and develop them in a new empirical context. It encourages students to think about ideas they will have encountered elsewhere on their courses from the perspective of resistance and political struggle, democracy, redistribution of wealth, and social justice. The course takes an interdisciplinary approach that draws politics into conversation with cultural studies, anthropology, history, geography and more.
An overview of content
The first 3 weeks of the unit establish the context for the political transformation that took place in South Africa post 1994. It addresses the rise of apartheid, its basic tenets, and its intellectual foundations. The unit assesses how apartheid was resisted and how ordinary South Africans were affected by the regime. The political dispensation that brought about the end of apartheid is considered (Mandela’s ‘miracle’). The remainder of the unit is then given over to specific themes: redistribution of wealth, justice for the victims of apartheid, economic policy, affirmative action, HIV/AIDS, foreign affairs, and the ‘health’ of South Africa’s post-1994 democratic institutions.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
The unit will allow students to:
Learning Outcomes
Students will enhance their skills reaching beyond the case study itself:
The unit is taught through a mix of synchronous and asynchronous teaching activities. These include:
- lectures (in-person, with a recording subsequently made available), which introduce the students to the topic of the week, providing essential background information, outlining the different approaches in analysing the topic, and highlighting some of the examples/case studies linking to the topic;
- seminars (in-person), which provide an opportunity to discuss the topic of the week more in depth, in small groups;
- readings (essential and recommended), which help students get a better grasp of the topic;
- online content (an online min-lecture/provocation) and activities (either an online task, a video, or a short written piece), intended to motivate students to think about the topics under discussion.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
A book review consultation (one page)
An essay plan (one page)
The formative assessment will allow students will allow students to consider their approach to the summative material, allowing for feedback and dialogue with the unit owner with respect to evidence, line of argument, style and content ILOs 1, 2 & 4.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
A 1,200 word book review (25%) based on themes covered in the first four weeks of the unit. Appropriate titles will be agreed in discussion with the unit owner – ILOs 1-4
A 2,500 word essay (75%) covering the key themes of the unit – ILOs 1-4.
The book review with allow students to critique a chosen text based on their understanding of the first four weeks of the unit, helping students further develop their analytical and critical thinking skills, as well as their skills of presenting knowledge in different formats and for different audiences. This assessment links to the ILOs of being able to review, explain, and discuss South Africa’s apartheid past, develop independent arguments by synthesising a wide range of relevant information and evidence, and engage critically with key themes raised by the unit.
When assessment does not go to plan
You will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. You will be required to complete a different assessment question.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. POLI31381).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
