POL3127 : Apartheid regimes - from the local to the global
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Mori Ram
- Owning School: Geography, Politics & Sociology
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
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
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 11 | 2:00 | 22:00 | There will be 2 hours of PiP lectures per week. |
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 3 | 1:00 | 3:00 | There will be 3 hours of online/non-synchronous pre-recorded activities |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | There will be weekly 1 hour PiP seminar session per week |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 1 | 3:00 | 3:00 | There will be 3 open surgery hours to help students plan their assessments. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 161:00 | 161:00 | Each hour of contact time will require 4hrs of independent study to prepare&complete the assessment |
| Total | 200:00 |
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 Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | M | 65 | The module’s summative assessment (2500 words) will be a research essay based on one of several optional questions relating to one of the module's topics. Students will also have an option to draft an independent research question. |
| Written exercise | 1 | M | 20 | A blog post (1000 words) discussing a contemporary issue relating to apartheid in the Global South. |
| Prof skill assessmnt | 1 | M | 15 | Answering engagement questions in seminars |
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.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- POL3127's Timetable