IPC1502
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South Africa in international politics
Introduction
This module 'IPC1502 (South Africa in International Politics)' deals with South Africa's participation in International Politics pre and post apartheid. The module introduces us to South African policy maker, public policy and actors in international politics. We also learn about South Africa's relationship with different international organisations such as the United Nations.
The Unisa syllabus
There are alltogether 4 themes for this module.
THEME 1 : GLOBALISATION
- Cold War, Globalisation and South Africa in International Politics
THEME 2 : THE DOMESTIC CONTEXT OF SOUTH AFRICA IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
- Public Policy as Foreign Policy in South Africa
THEME 3: SOUTH AFRICA IN A GLOBALISED WORLD
- International Law, Instruments and actors of South African Foreign Policy
- Foreign Policy decision- makers
THEME 4: SOUTH AFRICAN FOREIGN POLICY SINCE 1994
- Nature, principles and objectives of South Africa's Foreign Policy
- South Africa's Bilateral Relations
- South Africa's multilateral Relations
- Selected South African Foreign Policy issues and challenges
There is no prescribed textbook for this module, however there is Reader for the module
=== Recommended reading === UNISA READER
The IPC1502 exam
Past exam papers
The exam in Oct/Nov 2011
The question paper was out of 100% broken down into 3 sections. Section A - 10 MCQ (20 Marks) These questions focus on the entire study guide.
Section B (20 Marks)
Defining Concepts - Choose 4 from a list +/- 8 concepts. (5 marks each)
You are required to give detailed definitions of concepts such as globalization, multinational corporations, diplomacy, propaganda, international law etc.
Section C(Short- Essays question) 60 Marks.
You are required to do 2 short essays for 30 marks each on topics ranging form:
- Evaluating South Africa's status as an actor in international politics before and after apartheid
- Limitations and successes of public policy since 1994
- Instruments of South Africa's foreign policy implementation
To mention but a few.
HOW TO PASS THE MODULE IPC1502
Refer to previous question papers which are available on myunisa. Practice the short essay questions and then choose 4 which you understand the most. You are only expected to do 2 out of about 6 topics, so practicing 4 and knowing them will give you better prepare for the exam. I got 82% for my final exam.
STUDY TIPS FOR IPC1502
For proper understanding of all the concept in the module it is better to first read the entire module like a novel. This will help with the MCQ assignment and MCQ in the exams. A lot of the assignment questions are repeated in the exams. It is also beneficial to make a list of concepts and define them for the exams. For essay questions, refer to feedback from the lecturer and there is also lots of notes on myunisa.
All the important links are on myunisa.
Study notes
Download notes
| Author | Download link | Year created | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Create notes online
Student opinions
Student survey
=== Pros of IPC1502 ===
The module is informative in terms of basic understanding of how South African Politics functions in the international political arena. It helps us understand the role and functions of important policy actors in South Africa, like the President and the Minster of International Relations and coorporation. It also provides background on South Africa's public policy and how the process of the public policy works form inception stage to implementation stage. The Module helps with understanding the difficulties that we are experiencing as a new democracy, our relations with international organisations and bilateral relations we have with other countries.
Cons of IPC1502
The module is long and the essay questions cannot be mastered by just studying the relavent chapters in the modules as the information is just not sufficient and needs to be studied in comjection with the related articles in the Reader and researching resent activities in international politics.It also helps to have access to the internet.
