UFS Department of Political Studies and Governance

The Department of Political Studies and Governance consists of two components, namely;

This follows an institutional decision towards the end of 2011 to merge the former Department of Political Science and the formerly autonomous programme in Governance and Political Transformation.
Currently, these two components or divisions have their own distinct institutional roles and functions in the Department of Political Studies and Governance, but they find common ground in their relation to the study of the state, government, relevant non-governmental institutions, and politics in general.
As such, much of the common scholarly focus, interest, and research of the Department of Political Studies and Governance relate to the science and art of government; the science dealing with the form, policies, organisation, and administration of the state or a part of one; and with the regulation of its relations with other states and non-governmental organisations.
The Department of Political Studies and Governance provides an ideal setting for students at all levels of undergraduate and postgraduate study to engage with novel ideas through learning, practising scholarship, and creative research in various sub-fields of politics and governance, as well as in an array of interdisciplinary areas of inquiry.

As a department we are uniquely positioned to draw upon a South African perspective, as well as our university’s intellectual buzz and cultural diversity, to address some of the most enduring questions of politics in a local, regional, and international context. UFS Department of Political Studies and Governance
More than ever, our aim is to encourage our students to think broadly, critically, and internationally about the core features of democratic and global citizenship.
The mission of the department is to pursue excellence through quality teaching, research, institutional and community engagement. This we seek to achieve through offering innovative and relevant programmes on national, regional, African, and global issues and the creation of opportunities to develop competent staff in teaching and research. We do this with a staff on all three campuses of the University of the Free State.