Module Catalogue 2025/26

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

A.       Introduce students to integrative, interdisciplinary and critical approaches to the study of apartheid regimes through case studies from the Middle East, Africa, South and North America.
B.       Develop a sound understanding how inequality operates in multiple political forms to shape contemporary living environments in the Global South.
C.       Expand students’ methodological abilities to conduct multidisciplinary forms of research
D.       Familiarise students to different stands of political theories that challenge classical political philosophy.

Outline Of Syllabus

This module analyses the conceptual and empirical history of apartheid as a model of institutional inequality to interrogate the contexts and conditions through which apartheid regimes materialise today. The learning will be based on a comparative analysis of various sources from academia, mass media, literature and cinema. We will examine whether conventual definitions of “apartheid” apply to contemporary forms of political separation, study how neo-liberal ideologies, environmental emergencies and protracted ethno-national conflicts produce new forms of political division, and investigate the particular features associated with these new apartheid formations. We will also explore what ruptures and continuities emerge between these regimes and the colonial histories that preceded them and how people cope, struggle, fracture and challenge these systems of control. In any given year, topics could include:
•       What is Apartheid?
•       What is the Global South?
•       Settler colonial studies
•       Postcolonial Theory
•       Dependency and World Systems Theories
•       Critical Theory
•       Urban studies
•       Neoliberalism as an ideology and practice
•       Contemporary Theories of Imperialism and Empire
•       International Political Sociology
•       Politics of race and class
•       Border studies

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

•       An applied understanding of the spatial, cultural and economic dimensions of apartheid regimes
•       An applied understanding of the Global South as a region and a concept.
•       An applied understanding of the dynamic nature of power and politics in the Global South.
•       An applied understanding of key concepts in settler colonialism and post-colonial theory.
•       An applied understanding of institutional inequality.
•       An applied understanding of comparative studies.

Intended Skill Outcomes

The main intend outcome will be to develop students’ ability to critically analyse material and present their findings at the level of theoretical sophistication and empirical depth required in undergraduate study. Additional intended skills include:
1.       Ability to relate to current events and broader political themes and concepts.
2.       Writing and reading texts in multiple forms addressed to diverse audiences.
3.       Applying multidisciplinary forms of research, data analysis and synthesis.
4.       Use of computer applications.
5.       Management of learning.
6.       Planning and Organisation Skills
7.       Ability to work independently and in groups

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The module will combine frontal lectures supported by PowerPoint presentations and handouts, seminar discussions, group activities and student presentations. The lectures will offer an introduction and overview of the particular subjects, pertinent topics, key concepts in the comparative study of apartheid, and selected case studies for discussion. The module will also make extensive use of electronic learning environments to post discussion threads and share additional suggested reading. Some of the lectures will involve analysis of public media literary and cinematic sources. Groupwork will be dedicated to developing essay topics and discussing modes of analysis. Three sessions will be dedicated to project-based learning in groups that will focus on developing research methods and methodologies to identify and explore apartheid regimes and discuss modes of analysis. The seminars will be pivotal in developing students’ critical thinking and data synthesis skills and will provide an opportunity to discuss, debate and develop individual research. Students will be encouraged - collectively and individually - to develop and present their critical understanding of the discussed matters and materials.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The module utilises diverse assessment methods designed to enrich the students’ capacities for conducting research and improving their analytical and oral communication abilities.

The writing assignments aim to increase students’ ability to deliver well-formed arguments, write clearly, and better their bibliographical proficiencies.

Written exercise 1 (2500 words) will be an essay that engages with one of the scholarly conversations we will conduct in the module. The essays assess the students’ ability to succinctly evaluate key ideas, concepts and theories discussed within the module.

Written exercise 2 (1000 words) will be a blog post discussing a contemporary issue relating to apartheid. The blog post will provide an opportunity to experience writing styles that generate impact beyond academia, thus enabling students to integrate the material delivered in the lectures with individual research and acquire transferrable skills.

In addition, Students will be asked questions during seminars to encourage engagement with the module throughout the semester.

General Notes

N/A