BCom (PPE)

Subjects to choose in the BCom

ECONOMICS

ECON101 MICROECONOMICS I

The purpose of this module is to introduce students to the fundamental tools of microeconomic analysis, using exercises to build up confidence in their use. The content includes: individual choice; markets; positive and normative economics; supply and demand; elasticity; consumer and producer surplus; present value; inputs and costs; perfect competition and the supply curve; demand: consumer preferences and consumer choice; factor markets; efficiency and equity; market structure; international trade; uncertainty, risk and information; externalities; public goods; taxes, social insurance and income distribution; technology.

ECON102 MACROECONOMICS I

The purpose of this module is to introduce students to basic concepts in macroeconomics: aggregate supply and demand, national accounts, money and the labour market.

The content includes: the business cycle; employment and unemployment; long-run growth; inflation and deflation; national accounts; savings, investment and the financial system; aggregate supply and aggregate demand; fiscal policy; money and banking; monetary policy; labour markets; the origins of modern macroeconomics and the open economy.

ECON201 MICROECONOMICS II

The purpose of this module is to extend and deepen knowledge of microeconomic concepts and theories.

The content covers the budget constraint; preferences, utility, choice and demand; revealed preference; the Slutsky equation; intertemporal choice; asset markets; uncertainty; risky assets; consumer surplus; market demand and equilibrium.

ECON211 MACROECONOMICS II

The purpose of this module is to extend and deepen knowledge of macroeconomic concepts and theories.

The content includes The IS-LM model: goods and financial markets in the short run; The AD-AS model: the labour market and unemployment and inflation; growth: saving, capital accumulation and output, technological progress, wages and unemployment.

ECON202 INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS

This content includes:

World trade: an overview.
Labour productivity and comparative advantage.
Resources, comparative advantage and income distribution.
The standard trade model.
Economies of scale, imperfect competition and international trade.
International factor movements.
The instruments of trade policy.
The political economy of trade policy.
Trade policy in developing countries.
Controversies in trade policy.

ECON212 MATHEMATICS FOR ECONOMISTS

This module builds on the Mathematics and Statistics course. It will be based on applications of mathematical methods to economic problems.

The content includes:

Optimization without and with constraints and over one and more than one variable.
Exponential and logarithmic functions.
Integral calculus.
Differential equations.
Applications to economic problems.

ECON301 MICROECONOMICS III

The purpose of this module is to complete the treatment of microeconomic analysis at the intermediate level. The content covers Auctions; Technology; Profit maximization and cost minimization; Cost curves; Firm and industry supply; Monopoly; Factor markets; Oligopoly and game theory; Exchange, production and welfare; Externalities; Information technology; Public goods; Asymmetric information; Cognitive limitations and consumer behaviour.

ECON311 MACROECONOMICS III

The purpose of this module is to complete the treatment of microeconomic analysis at the intermediate level.

The content includes:

Expectations.
The open economy and exchange rate regimes.
Macroeconomic pathologies.
Monetary and fiscal policy.
National income accounting and the balance of payments.
Exchange rates: the asset approach.
Money, interest rates and exchange rates.
Price levels and the exchange rate in the long run.
Output and the exchange rate in the short run.
Fixed exchange rates.

ECON321 ECONOMETRICS

This module builds on the Mathematics and Statistics modules. It is designed to introduce students to econometric techniques and as such deals with Single equation regression models; Multicollinearity; Heteroscedasticity; Autocorrelation and Econometric modeling.

ECON302 DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS

This module introduces students to the main themes in contemporary development, drawing out their links to microeconomic and macroeconomic analysis.

The content includes:

Issues in economic development.
Economic growth. New growth theories.
History and expectations.
Inequality and development.
Poverty and under-nutrition.
Population growth and economic development.
Rural and urban.

ECON312 ECONOMICS OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR

This module is devoted to an examination of the economic principles which are applicable to the functioning of a government in a democratic society. Thus, the content deals with market failure; efficiency and equity; public goods; public choice; externalities and the environment; cost-benefit analysis; social insurance; education; tax incidence; taxation and economic efficiency; optimal taxation and fiscal federalism.

PHILOSOPHY

Please visit the Department of Philosophy website for further information.

PHIL 103 INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC AND PHILOSOPHY

The purpose of this module is to enable students to think critically and philosophically. The first half of the module will focus on critical thinking and logic. It will enable students (a) to identify a range of methods of argumentation (including methods of persuasion) (b) to evaluate both formal and informal arguments and (c) to construct sound and effective arguments. The second half of the module will introduce students to the field of philosophy , to the different areas such as epistemology, metaphysics and ethics, and to the different periods treated in the history of philosophy. Special attention will be given to the distinctive requirements of philosophical reading and writing.

The Contents of the Module include: I. Basic Notions in logic and critical thinking; recognition of arguments; analysis and diagramming of arguments; the nature of deduction and induction; introduction to symbolic logic; introduction to inductive logic. II. The Character of Philosophical Inquiry; the diversity of historical traditions; the main areas of philosophy; the main periods of philosophical inquiry; reading for arguments; writing of argumentative essays.

PHIL111 CRITICAL THINKING IN ETHICS

Designed to immediately engage students in philosophical reflection, the module combines a discussion of ethical theory with fundamental elements of critical thinking, including informal fallacies and the basics of logic, and user case studies and practical applications to illustrate concepts. This approach enables students to think systematically about ethical issues and to acquire basic skills in argumentation at the same time. They will learn how to bring principles to bear on ethical conflict, how to weigh pros and cons, how to recognise good ethical reasons, and how to distinguish sound argumentation from rationalisation.

The Content of the Module covers: Basic Notions: Logic and Critical Thinking. Recognition of Arguments. Analysis and Diagramming Arguments; Logic and Language: Use of Language, Definitions, Fallacies; Basic moral concepts: Right and Wrong, Good and Evil, Freedom and Responsibility, Analysing and assessing moral reasoning, Identifying and analysing moral concepts and language, Basic ethical theories: consequentialism, utilitarianism, relativism, virtue ethics, natural law, Specific ethical issues: abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, environmental ethics.

PHIL 104. PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

The purpose of this module is to introduce students to the philosophy of human persons. The aim is to provide an entry point into philosophy that will allow students to appreciate how philosophical questions arise in many areas of human life. Students will discover how philosophy has interdisciplinary significance. They will reflect on the different accounts of human nature and the human person found in the sciences and in religion, as well as in philosophy directly. At the same time they will be introduced to systematic thinking in a way that prepares them for the more technical inquiry they will encounter in philosophy of knowledge and ethics. Both analytical and systematic ways of thinking will be developed. The module will also enable students to develop further skills in philosophical reading and writing, as well as in philosophical thinking and argumentation.

PHIL201 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY I

The purpose of the module is to enable students to critically appropriate the distinctive philosophical perspectives, and methods and issues originating in the ancient and medieval perspectives. The aim will also be to introduce students to contemporary interpretations and evaluations of these distinctive approaches to philosophy. The module will present the thought of a variety of important thinkers in the ancient and medieval periods, particularly Plato and Augustine, as well as Aristotle and Aquinas.

The content includes:

Pre-Socratics and the birth of Philosophy.
Plato on the Soul and the Just Society. Aristotle on the Soul.
Aristotle on Metaphysics.
Lucretius and Materialism.
Stoic Philosophy.
Plotinus and Neo Platonism.
Augustine on free will. Augustine and Existential Philosophy.
Anselm and the thought of Perfection.
Averroes on Faith and Reason.
Maimonides and the Guide to the Perplexed.
Aquinas on Being and Essence. Aquinas and Christian Philosophy.
Scotus and Ockham and the Rise of Skepticism.
Nicholas of Cusa and the end of metaphysics.
Francis de Vitoria and Francisco Suarez and the beginning of Modernity.

PHIL221 PHILOSOPHY OF KNOWLEDGE

The purpose of the module is to introduce learners to central questions in epistemology. The module will present a variety of approaches including the following: (a) Analytical approaches to the analysis of ‘knowledge’ as ‘justified true beliefs’ (b) Phenomenological and Hermeneutical approaches to the philosophy of knowledge (c) Critical Theory and ideological aspects of knowledge (d) The emergence of modern epistemology from Descartes to Kant (e) Contemporary developments in Thomistic Philosophy of Knowledge. Contemporary discussions on foundationalism and anti-foundationalism, as well as internalism and externalism will be examined.

PHIL202 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY II

The purpose of the module is to enable students to critically appropriate the distinctive philosophical approaches, and issues and method that originated in the modern period. The module aims to show students how the rise of modern science as well as the shift from a religious to a more secular outlook influenced philosophy in many ways. This includes showing how the Enlightenment ideal of progress in science dominated the period until the Romantic reaction. Finally, the module will indicate how modernity began to give way to post-modernity in the thought of Nietzsche.

The content includes:

The Rise of Modern Science. Francis Bacon and the New Organon. Galileo and Primary and Secondary Qualities.
Descartes and First Philosophy. Liebniz and Modern Metaphysics. Spinoza and Modern Ethics.
Vico and the New Science.
Locke, Berkeley, and Hume on Human Knowledge.
Kant on Pure Reason. Kant on the Metaphysics of Morals.
Schiller and Aesthetic Education.
Hegel and Historical Consciousness.
Nietzsche and the end of Modernity.

PHIL222 ETHICS

The purpose of the module is to introduce students to the basic notions and arguments in ethical philosophy. The relevance of a phenomenology of moral consciousness as a basis for ethical reflection will be pointed out. Students will also be provided with a framework for thinking about ethical issues at normative and metaethical levels. The contents of the module will include the following:

What is Morality? What is Ethics?
The Moral Experience: The Human Act/The Relation of Intellect and Will and the Passions/ Freedom and Responsibility
Sources of Ethical Reflection
Basic Notions: Right and Wrong/ Good and Evil
Ethical Relativism and Pluralism
Ethical Egoism and Ethical Subjectivism/ Eth Utilitarianism/ Deontological Ethics/ Virtue Ethics/ Natural Law Ethics
Religion and Ethics: Divine Command Ethics
Contemporary Meta-Ethics: The Fact-Value Distinction/ The Is-Ought Distinction/Ethical Naturalism/ Non-Naturalism/ Ethical Realism/Theories of Goodness
Ethics and the Human Person

PHIL331 PHILOSOPHY OF MIND AND PERSON

The purpose of the module is to introduce students to main positions in contemporary philosophy of mind. These include: Dualism/ Mind-Brain Identity Theory/ Analytical Behaviourism/ Functionalism/ Non-Reductive Dualism and Hylomorphic Theories. In addition, the nature of consciousness will be examined along with a consideration of the nature of selfhood and personhood. Phenomenological and Thomistic approaches will be considered as well as analytical methods.

PHIL302 CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY: PLURALISM AND METAPHILOSOPHY

The purpose of the module is to introduce students to the problem of philosophical pluralism, and to the need for comparative philosophy. The diversity in Western philosophical traditions will be investigated along with the differences between Western philosophy and philosophy in other cultural contexts, including Africa, South America, China, India, and Japan. The modules will examine the relationship of culture and philosophy in various contexts. The aim is to bring students to a heightened awareness of the differences and introduce them to ways of responding to philosophic pluralism.

The content includes:

The Problem of Pluralism.
The Analytical/ European Continental Split. Analytical Philosophy/ Phenomenology/ Hermeneutics/ Existentialism/ Deconstruction/ Pragmatism.
World Philosophies/ Contemporary Thomism.
Metaphilosophical Issues.

PHIL311 PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

The purpose of the module is to investigate the nature and status of scientific knowing which continue to arise as science develops. The module will consider the epistemological and metaphysical questions emerging out of a series of scientific revolutions. The aim is to provide students with an accurate understanding of the scientific enterprise, and with the philosophies of science that attempt to interpret the scientific enterprise.

The content of the module deals with the following:

What is Philosophy of Science? What is Science?
Scientific Method. Observation and Induction. Observation and Testing: Fact and Theory. Confirmation: Justification and Verification. Confirmation and the Scientific Community: Paradigm Shifts, Research Programmes.
The Role of Hypotheses and Theory. Scientific Explanation.
Realism and Anti-Realism. Reductionism. Emergence.

PHIL321 PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION

The purpose of the module is to investigate the philosophical questions that arise in relation to the phenomenon of religion, and to religious claims regarding knowledge of an ultimate reality. Students will be introduced to the central arguments regarding the status of religious claims. The phenomenon of religious and mystical experience will be explored in order to provide a deeper appreciation of the subject under investigation. The philosophical issues will be explored in relation to a spectrum of religious traditions.

The content includes:

The Nature of Religion/s. The Religious Phenomena. Realism and Non-Realism.
The Nature of God: Materialism and Immateriality. Divine Intelligence. The Transcendence of God.
The Existence of God: Cosmological and Teleological Arguments. The Argument from Religious Experience. Cumulative Arguments.
The problem of Evil.
Death and Immortality.
Morals and Religion.
Religious Pluralism and Truth.

PHIL332 PHILOSOPHY OF REALITY

The purpose of the module is to introduce students to central questions in metaphysics. A range of historical and systematic approaches will be considered. These include (a) Aristotle and the Question of Being as Being (b) Aquinas and the Essence-Existence Distinction (c) Kant and the Possibility of Metaphysics (d) Hegel and the Metaphysics of Absolute Spirit (e) Heidegger and the End of Metaphysics (f) Contemporary Thomism: NeoThomism and Transcendental Thomism. The nature of metaphysics and of method in metaphysics will be examined and its relation to philosophy of knowledge will be explained. The place of metaphysics in world views will be explored. In addition, particular metaphysical problems, such as the nature of space and time, the nature of causality and the metaphysics of human nature, will be treated.

POLITICS

POLS101 INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE

The purpose of the module is to introduce students to the analysis of political institutions, ideas and practices; to teach students how to make sense of, and think critically and with analytical rigour about political phenomena.

The content includes:

What is politics? What is Political Science? Contested definitions. Brief survey of the fields of political science: the study of political institutions - especially comparative government and politics; international relations; political sociology; ‘economic politics’. The study of political ideas: political philosophy and political theory; the study of political belief systems.
Key concepts and phenomena: The distinction between ‘normative’ and ‘empirical’ political studies; key concepts – justice; freedom; autonomy; power; authority; legitimacy; the state; elites; political parties and movements; interest groups; constitutions and institutions: the ‘branches of government’ – legislatures, the judiciary, the executive branch; bureaucracy; reform and revolution.
Forms of political organisation; liberal, fascist, and socialist forms of state. Ideologies: liberalism, socialism and fascism as movements and as ‘ideologies’. Democracy as both ideal and as practice in the ancient and modern worlds.

POLS102 INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL POLITICS

The purpose of the module is to introduce students to the global and international context of politics and to provide them with the relevant theoretical and analytical knowledge.

The content includes:

Global politics and International Relations (IR): an introduction.
The modern world system from Westphalia to the present; the shaping of global politics in the 20^th Century; the causes and consequence of the 2^nd World War; the cold war; the collapse of state socialism; the ‘triumph of capitalism’ and the spread of liberal democracy; the post 1989 ‘New World Order’ (and ‘disorder’); the revival of ‘religious politics’; the ‘regionalization’ of global politics; the relative decline of the nation-state, the rise of INGOs and NGOs and the challenges to ‘sovereignty’.
The nature of international institutions and organisations; the post-2^nd World War system of international organisations (the UN and its various agencies), the Bretton Woods institutions; the new juridical institutions; treaties and their enforcement; the scope and limits of the present systems of international governance.
Ways of thinking about international relations and global politics: outline of liberal, realist and idealist perspectives; the ‘end of history’ versus ‘clash of civilizations' as ways of characterizing the contemporary global system.

POLS201 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY I: THE FOUNDATIONS OF MODERN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

The purpose of the module is to introduce students to key thinkers, theories, and concepts in the western tradition of political thought; to introduce students to both analytical and historical perspectives on political thought.

The content includes:

The Ancient Greek origins: Plato and Aristotle,
St Augustine and Thomas Aquinas: Christianity and the path/transitions to modernity,
The foundations of modern political thought: the contract tradition. Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Kant.

Note 1: The principal ‘discourse’ of modern normative political theory is, arguably, contract theory from Hobbes to Rawls and beyond. It is crucial that students have a firm grip on this tradition.

Note 2. This module will adopt a combined ‘contextualist’ and text-analysis approaches. The principal mode of instruction, however, will be detailed explication of texts.

Note 3. The Augustine/Aquinas material will be dealt with more fully in the Philosophy stream and, ideally, in a module that focuses on Catholic thought.

POLS202 SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS: AN INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the module is to introduce students to the political history of South Africa from 1910 to the present, and to introduce them to aspects of comparative political analysis.

The content includes:

Introduction to South African politics; an overview from 1910 to 2007; special emphasis will be placed on the formation and dissolution of the Apartheid system. The status of political rights and civil liberties will be focused on, as well as property rights and political instability. The ‘forms’ state and patterns of government will be addressed, as will the specific features of the system of government. The role of parliament, the executive, the judiciary and the provinces will be dealt with; the constitution will be studied closely.
The politics of democratic transition in comparative perspective; the nature of opposition and resistance; the social and economics bases of political conflict; violence and negotiation; the role of local and regional politics.

POLS211 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS I

The purpose of the module is to introduce students to key concepts in the study of international relations.

The content includes:

Key themes and theoretical perspectives in international relations; selected ‘classical’ perspectives - Hans J. Morgenthau; Raymond Aron; A.F.K. Organski, Kenneth N. Waltz, J.W. Burton; J.N. Rosenau; John Mearsheimer, Henry Kissinger, liberalism, realism, and idealism.
War and peace; diplomacy and treaties; international organisations; new global institutions.

POLS212 POLITICS OF THE UNITED STATES AND LATIN AMERICA

(This fulfils, with South Africa, the comparative government and politics requirement of a major in Political Science).

The purpose of the module is to introduce students to comparative political studies; to introduce students to the politics and government of both a ‘developed’ and a ‘developing’ society other than South Africa; to introduce students to different forms of state and to aspects of political sociology as reflected in the two case studies.

The content includes:

The politics and government of the United States of America; the War of Independence; the Declaration of Independence; the crafting of the Constitution; the branches of government; the Executive, Judiciary and Legislature; State and Federal government; checks and balances; the mechanisms of government, such as congressional committees; the party system; interest groups; the impact of urbanisation ; ‘red states’ and ‘blue states’; political attitudes and voting patterns; the median voter. United States Foreign policy and domestic politics,
The politics and government of Brazil. Historical origins: the Portuguese influence; forms of government; challenges of development – poverty, urbanisation , taxation and inequality; religion and politics; the role of the state.

POLS221 MODERN POLITICAL THEORY

The aim of this module is to introduce learners to key thinkers, theories and concepts in the western tradition of political thought; to introduce learners to both analytical and historical perspectives on political thought.

Content includes: the foundations of modern political thought: the contract tradition. Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Kant; 19th Century political theory: Hegel and Marx. Learners will know how to read original texts, to assess their internal structure and coherence, and to relate them to their historical contexts. Learners will learn how to assess arguments critically. They will be able to write an essay in the field and articulate relevant arguments at a high level of abstraction.

POLS222 COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

The aim of this module is to introduce learners to comparative political studies; to introduce learners to the politics and government societies other than South Africa; to introduce learners to the methodological challenges associated with the comparative study of political systems.

Content covers the reasons for, and approaches to the comparative study of political systems; the politics and government of between two and four selected countries other than South Africa, with emphasis on some or all of the following: the institutional histories of the countries studied; constitutions; the structure and functions of government; the nature of their executive, judicial and legislative branches; checks and balances; their political party systems; their electoral systems and ballot structures; interest groups and social movements; their political demography and political sociology; their foreign policy.

Learners will know the basic principles and practices of comparative political analysis; they will have acquired in-depth knowledge of the political systems, and social contexts of at least two countries other than South Africa; they will have learned about the effect of different historical trajectories in the development of contemporary national political systems; learners will be able to read, summarize and assess relevant arguments and empirical content in articles and books; learners will be able to write an essay in the field and articulate arguments with a detailed command of empirical material.

POLS301 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS II: PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBAL POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

The purpose of the module is to introduce students to advanced level studies in international relations. Students will address challenging contemporary issues and will engage with key theoretical perspectives.

The content includes:

The contexts and ways of ‘seeing’ international/global politics; the ‘End of History’ or ‘Clash of Civilizations’?
Challenges and issues in international affairs: terrorism; scope and limits of international law; problems of sovereignty and jurisdiction; transnational justice,
Power blocs and regions; the ‘end’ of the nation-state system?
International political economy: the elements,
Trans-regional issues: normative and empirical aspects; climate change and global warming; international and inter-regional trade.

POLS302 ANALYTICAL APPROACHES TO “POLITICAL ECONOMICS”

The purpose of the module is to introduce students to game-theoretic and rational-choice analytical approaches to political studies.

The content includes:

Rational Choice approaches; the basics of game theory; rules and institutions;
Forms of polity and their determinants: Barrington Moore and The Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy; Robinson and Acemoglu’s analytical alternative: The Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy;
Torsten Persson and Guido Tabellini: The Economic Effects of Constitutions,
Torben Iversen: Capitalism, Democracy and Welfare.

POLS311 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY II: THE ENLIGHTENMENT TO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

The purpose of the module is to train students to engage in rigorous, advanced level study in political theory with special emphasis on skills of argumentation, analysis and abstract reasoning. It aims to teach students about the importance of careful textual analysis, interpretive strategies and to teach them about the significance of historical contexts.

The content includes:

The distinction between ‘analytical’ and ‘historicising’ traditions; Rousseau as arguably the most significant source of the distinction; the ‘analytical’ tradition from Locke and Rousseau through Kant to Rawls and Nozick; the ‘historicizing’ tradition from Rousseau though Hegel and Marx to 20^th Century Marxism.
Textual analysis of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right and themes from the Phenomenology of Mind.
Textual analysis of extracts from Marx, including the contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, the Paris Manuscripts, the Communist manifesto, the German Ideology, the Preface to the 1859 Critique of Political Economy; the Critique of the Gotha Programme.
A textual analysis of Rawls’ A Theory of Justice; focus on the OP, the distinction between the Right and the Good; the two principles; the difference principle; lexical ordering; deontology, utilitarianism and teleology;
Critiques of and alternatives to Rawls; Nozick; Walzer; Heller; Young; Hamilton and Habermas; ‘new’ themes: pluralism, identity, gender and culture.

POLS312 REGIONAL POLITICS

The purpose of the module is to introduce students to the regional character of contemporary global politics, with a special focus on the role, influence, and developmental challenges of, Africa, Asia and Europe.

The content includes:

Introduction: A world of Regions; the consolidation of Europe as an emerging regional political system and trading bloc; Europe’s ‘normative’ weight. Africa: institutions and development; the nature of African states and problem of ‘weak states’ and ‘state failure’; the challenge of ethnic and linguistic heterogeneity; Africa and the political economy of development – international trade and protectionist barriers; urbanisation , industrialization and agriculture; Nigeria and Senegal as case studies.
The emerging Asian superpowers: India and China; the question of the ‘developmental’ state and role of government; political forms and economic outcomes; urbanisation and changing demographic patterns; the role and challenges of the Indian village; India’s democratic dispensation: durable or fragile?; China’s economic growth performance and the challenge to the political process and system of governance; the past and future of the party system; urban and rural policies in China; the role of local initiatives in shaping policy outcomes.

POLS321 MODERN THEORIES OF JUSTICE

The aim of this module is to train learners to engage in rigorous, advanced level study in political theory with special emphasis on skills of argumentation, analysis and abstract reasoning. It also aims to teach learners about the importance of careful textual analysis, interpretive strategies and the significance of historical context and contemporary debates.

Content includes theories of justice. Diverse traditions and perspectives. A Textual analysis of Rawls’ A Theory of Justice; focus on the OP, the distinction between the Right and the Good; the two principles; the difference principle; lexical ordering; deontology, utilitarianism and teleology; Critiques of, and alternatives to, Rawls. These may include selections from the work of Karl Marx, Michael Sandel, Robert Nozick, Michael Walzer, Alasdair MacIntyre, Agnes Heller, Iris Marion Young, Lawrence Hamilton, Jurgen Habermas, Amartya Sen, Brian Barry and G.A. Cohen.

Learners will be able to critically engage with texts and arguments at a high level of theoretical abstraction. They will have developed high-level reasoning skills in the field. They will learn about historical contexts in which theories of justice are articulated and will be familiar with the terms of contemporary debate. They will be able to write an essay in the field and to do independent bibliographical research on specific topics.

POLS322 DEMOCRACY, AUTOCRACY AND MODERNIZATION

The aim of this module is to train learners to engage in rigorous, advanced level study in empirical political theory, with emphasis on analysis of, and rigorous careful use of, data. It aims to ensure mastery of literature that is central to contemporary scholarship and research in political science, which defines much of the methodological and substantive ‘frontier’ of the discipline.

Content covers theories of democracy; processes and forms of democratisation; democratic institutions: failure and success; federalism and ‘centripetal’ tendencies; electoral systems and voters; ‘hybrid regimes’; modernisation: materialism, postmaterialism and democracy.

Learners will be familiar with some of the dominant genres of contemporary political science and the substantive issues they address. They will have learned how major scholars address, in accessible ways, matters of modelling and statistical inference. They will have studied approaches to political science that are models for future research in the field.

CAPS301 AND 302 CAPSTONE SEMINAR A AND B

This weekly seminar will be devoted to exploring the contribution integrative analysis to issues that bear on, or relate to the fields of study within the relevant undergraduate programmes. The objective is for every student to produce a piece of scholarship that reflects sustained and integrative engagement with issues raised within the disciplines.

ANCILLARY COURSES

ACCOUNTING

ACCN101 and ACCN102:

The primary purpose of the Accounting course is to make accounting knowledge accessible and non-threatening for learners, enabling the learners to understand the general principles of financial statements. This module provides an introduction to accounting for non-specialists. The emphasis will be on (i) learning to understand the language of accounting, (ii) understanding the basic content of financial statements. Furthermore, efforts will focus on developing the intellectual competencies and practical skills in the analysis, interpretation and application of financial and management accounting. The emphasis will be on measurement of economic value with particular emphasis on Return on Net Assets and Return on Equity.

The content includes: accounting equation, requirement of financial reporting, internal and external users, financial statements, and financial analysis. Further details are provided in the course outline.

COMMERCIAL LAW

COMM101:

Commercial law provides an introduction to South African law. The emphasis will be on i) the fundamentals of law and ii) an understanding of the most important concept of the different branches of South African law, to enable the students to function in the business and political spheres.

The content includes an introduction to history of South African law, the constitution and legislation, case law, common law, customary law, secondary sources, the court structure, administrative law, criminal law, law of persons, family law, law of succession, law of property, law of intellectual property, law of obligations, law of evidence, civil and criminal procedure, international law and constitutional law.

COMM102:

The primary purpose of this module is to give the learners an understanding of the general principles of commercial law and to develop the ability to apply such principles to a given set of facts. This module provides an introduction to South African commercial law. The emphasis will be on i) law of contract and ii) an understanding of the most important concept of labour law, banking law and insurance law, to enable the students to function in the business and political sphere.

The content includes: law of contract, law of agency. labour law, law of insurance, credit agreements, law of lease, law of real and personal security, law of sale and banking law. Further details are provided in the course outline.

MATH101 MATHEMATICS

The prerequisite for the module will be a mark of at least 50% in the mathematics curriculum in the National Senior Certificate. The objective of the module is to develop knowledge of the mathematics required for economics.

The content includes:

sets and functions,
matrices and vectors,
differential calculus, including partial differentiation and integration,
applications to economic problems.

STAT102 STATISTICS

The content includes:

Descriptive statistics,
Probability,
Inference for means and proportions,
Regression.

STUDY SKILLS

STUD101 COMMUNICATION AND STUDY SKILLS

The purpose of this module is to equip students with communication and study skills so that students are able to develop and implement strategies to ensure success in their learning activities and Bachelor’s programmes. The module will include such skills as note-taking, revision, referencing, critical evaluation, the development of an academic writing style, time management, group work and conflict resolution. It will lay the foundation for students to successfully develop and implement simple forms of research.

STUD102 BASIC COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SEARCHES

The module is intended to provide students with basic computer skills and research tools that will enable them to:

• Understand the basic concepts and theory of information technology;

• Understand the role and scope of information technology in modern society and in the workplace;

• Acquire a working knowledge of the application of word processing, spreadsheets and presentation management;

• Acquire an understanding of the world wide web (www), and how to use various websites in order to find accurate and appropriate information;

• Understand the basic elements of research design.

St Augustine

BCom (PPE)

Subjects to choose in the BCom

ANCILLARY COURSES