Please note you need to have completed the PREREQUISITE COURSES before you can be accepted to study the STRATEGIC COURSES.
The History of South Africa module introduces students to four periods of South African history – precolonial, segregation, apartheid, and post-apartheid – which surface unresolved questions and issues from the past relevant to contemporary South African historical and political economy debates. The learning activities are designed to assist students to sharpen their ability to critically analyse and engage with key turning points (past and present), with the overall objective of deepening their ability to become knowledge-based agents of change in the ANC and, in society as a whole.
Outcomes
By the end of the module, students will gain the following knowledge and practice:
- A broad understanding of South Africa today in its historical context
- Be able to identify and describe some turning points in each period covered in the module, and explain why they appear to be relevant for an understanding of current socio-economic and political events
- Demonstrate that they can apply tools of analysis to one or two critical issues.
How you will study this module
The module is designed around five contact sessions covering the four themes, with independent learning tasks in between each contact session
Study towards this module will be 30 hours – including participation in contact sessions, completion of a task in between the sessions, and preparation for a final assessment.
These 30 hours will be spread over 10 weeks.
This module traces the development of ANC strategy and tactics. It examines four key turning points dividing the organisation’s history into five periods; the early days of the ANC, the turn to mass action, the turn to armed struggle when the ANC went underground, negotiations, and the post-apartheid period. It considers the factors that caused the strategy to change, the evolution of the balance of forces, and the results of various strategies. It revisits debates over strategy using an interactive learning method.
Outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- The ability/ capacity to analyse the balance of forces at different levels of society
- Ability/capacity to link strategy and tactics with subjective and objective material conditions and design appropriate methods of the struggle in their respective areas of work.
- Identified, analysed, and evaluated the ANC’s strategies and tactics over time
- Gained some ability to evaluate connections between the past and the present ANC’s strategy and tactics, and its various outcomes; and identify the unfinished business in the struggle for social emancipation.
How you will study this module
The module is designed around five contact sessions covering the four themes, with independent learning tasks in between each contact session.
Study towards this module will be 30 hours – including participation in contact sessions, completion of a task (learning activity) in between the sessions, and preparation for a final assessment.
These 30 hours will be spread over 10 weeks.
This module focuses on the philosophical, social, political and economic concepts that would enable an ANC member to analyse contemporary local and global society from a transformation perspective. The module contains many practical activities in which the student engages in dynamic social, political and economic analysis of real concrete situations using a variety of analytical models, tools and techniques. The module lays the analytical groundwork for the other modules of the Political Education program which follow.
Outcomes
By the end of the module, participants should be able to:
- Critically and analytically apply basic tools of analysis to concrete social, economic and political situations and contexts; and in all the 13 modules of the ANC Political Education curriculum
How you will study this module
Study towards this module will be 30 hours – including participation in contact sessions, completion of a task in between the sessions, and preparation for a final assessment.
These 30 hours will be spread over 10 weeks.
This module traces the historical, theoretical, and strategic foundations of the ANC-SACP-COSATU Alliance. It also looks at the 1928 Native Republic documented by the South African Communist Party. The Congress Alliance was instrumental in the development of the Freedom Charter and on this module will examine the relationship between the two. The formation of the MK cannot be excluded when looking at the history of the ANC and the arms struggle, together with the formation of the Revolutionary Council. The module will also look at COSATU internal debates on the Alliance and the Alliance post-1994.
Outcomes
By the end of the module, participants should be able to:
- Understand and have knowledge of historical and post democratic alliances with the ANC. How you will study this module
Study towards this module will be 30 hours – including participation in contact sessions, completion of a task in between the sessions, and preparation for a final assessment.
These 30 hours will be spread over 10 weeks.
This module traces the development of ANC Party. It looks at how the ANC was established as the organ for people’s self-emancipation, together with the goals and principles of the freedom charter. The module considers the core ANC values, and examines the conduct of a Cadre. The constitution and structures of the ANC will also be covered. The meaning of work of the branch (campaigning and serving the ANC) and Internal work to build a strong ANC, followed by a range of sub-topics will also be examined.
Outcomes
By the end of the module, participants should be able to:
- Clearly understand the ANC’s organizational values and principles and how the ANC works as an organization
- Be competent and skilled to build a strong ANC
How you will study this module:
Study towards this module will be 30 hours – including participation in contact sessions, completion of a task in between the sessions, and preparation for a final assessment.
These 30 hours will be spread over 10 weeks.
This module focuses on the Core principles and origins of Liberalism, Social democracy and Socialism, as well as political ideologies such as Nationalism and Feminism. It unpacks the question of whether the ANC has an ideology and concurrently explores the ideological basis of the South African Constitution.
Outcomes
By the end of the module, participants should be able to:
- Identify and analyse political ideological trends and their impact on South Africa’s ideological hegemony
How you will study this module
Study towards this module will be 30 hours – including participation in contact sessions, completion of a task in between the sessions, and preparation for a final assessment.
These 30 hours will be spread over 10 weeks.
An understanding of the political economy of capitalism and development is key. This module will focus on the origins of capitalist markets and evolve to concepts and principles of the economy.
In addition, the module looks at how capitalist markets have progressed to affect economic growth, distribution and institutions moreover, the module entails the democratic dispensations, conceptualisation of the economy through RDP, GEAR and the NDR.
Outcomes
By the end of the module, participants should be able to:
- Understand and interpret the concepts, developmental drivers, features and measures of South Africa’s political economy.
How you will study this module
Study towards this module will be 30 hours – including participation in contact sessions, completion of a task in between the sessions, and preparation for a final assessment.
These 30 hours will be spread over 10 weeks.
This module provides an overview of the Political and Economic Legacies of colonialism in Southern Africa and Africa at large. It also examines the role of National unions, and economies such as the AU and BRICS. The course also takes a closer look at the South Africa’s role in the African economy.
Outcome
By the end of the module, participants should be able to:
- Understand the global economy, its institutions and policies – and South Africa’s role and impact in Africa
How you will study this module
Study towards this module will be 30 hours – including participation in contact sessions, completion of a task in between the sessions, and preparation for a final assessment.
These 30 hours will be spread over 10 weeks.
This module aims to define the emergence of a state and its contemporary forms. It will also further elaborate on the distinction between a state and government and how these extend to government and state structures.
Outcome
By the end of this module, students will be able to
- Understand the origins, features and structures of the developmental state, as well as the distinction between state and government
How you will study this module
Study towards this module will be 30 hours – including participation in contact sessions, completion of a task in between the sessions, and preparation for a final assessment.
These 30 hours will be spread over 10 weeks.
This module looks broadly into gender oppression and the stance of the ANC values in relation to this topic. Political ideologies such as feminism are used to understand strands in dealing with women oppression, and it investigates whether post-apartheid gender machinery is adequate to combat women oppression.
Outcome
By the end of the module, participants should be able to:
- Analyse causes of women oppression, its reproduction in post-Apartheid South Africa and the struggle and ways to combat it.
How you will study this module
Study towards this module will be 30 hours – including participation in contact sessions, completion of a task in between the sessions, and preparation for a final assessment.
These 30 hours will be spread over 10 weeks.
An understanding of a revolution is the basis for political studies. This module explores origins of a revolution and the different liberation movements in power and how they have evolved in time.
Outcomes
By the end of the module, participants should be able to:
- Understand origins and types of revolutions, and the role of radical democratic movements in shifting state power.
How you will study this module
Study towards this module will be 30 hours – including participation in contact sessions, completion of a task in between the sessions, and preparation for a final assessment.
These 30 hours will be spread over 10 weeks.
The constitution provides legal foundation for the existence of the republic. This module will therefore explore the origins of the constitution of the South African, how it was developed, its principles and the relationship between the state and the party.
Outcomes
By the end of the module, participants should be able to:
- Understand the origins, principles and structure of the constitution and its role and impact on the State and Party
How you will study this module
Study towards this module will be 30 hours – including participation in contact sessions, completion of a task in between the sessions, and preparation for a final assessment.
These 30 hours will be spread over 10 weeks.
Revolutionary morality adds to the Marxist world view of humanity, and the broader world. This module takes a closer look at the meaning of revolutionary morality, ethics and culture. This module also explores the origins of revolutionary morality and culture respectively, and the conditions that enable and disable revolutionary morality.
Outcomes
By the end of the module, participants should be able to:
- Identify revolutionary morality, ethics and culture How you will study this module
Study towards this module will be 30 hours – including participation in contact sessions, completion of a task in between the sessions, and preparation for a final assessment.
These 30 hours will be spread over 10 weeks.