Course Bachelor of Arts in Defence and Strategic Studies

Complete all 30 subjects across three academic stages, normally studied over three years full-time. Stage 1 develops the conceptual, historical and academic foundations. Stage 2 examines defence governance, regional cooperation and research methods. Stage 3 integrates strategic analysis, supervised applied work and an individual research project. Practical learning uses published, synthetic or expressly authorised information. This is an academic programme, not military commissioning or operational combat training.

Stage 1: Foundations of defence and security

1. Introduction to Defence and Strategic Studies. Examine why societies establish defence institutions and how strategic studies explains the relationship between political objectives, security choices and public accountability.
2. Political Science and Constitutional Government. Study political authority, institutions and constitutional limits on public power. Use South African and Zimbabwean cases to examine representation and accountability.
3. International Relations. Explore competing explanations of cooperation and conflict between states and other international actors. Apply theory to diplomacy and regional institutions.
4. African History and State Formation. Examine the historical development of African states and security institutions. Evaluate colonial legacies, liberation struggles and post-independence political settlements.
5. Academic Reading, Writing and Referencing. Develop the reading and writing practices needed for evidence-based defence and security study. Separate an argument from its evidence and acknowledge sources accurately.
6. Digital and Information Literacy. Find, organise and assess public information while protecting personal and institutional data. Build reliable habits for collaborative academic work.
7. Economics and Public Resources. Introduce economic reasoning relevant to public expenditure and development. Examine opportunity costs, public goods and the trade-offs surrounding defence resources.
8. Law, Human Rights and Public Authority. Study the principles governing lawful public authority and the protection of rights. Distinguish constitutional, statutory and international sources.
9. Human Security and Society. Examine security from the perspective of people and communities. Analyse the links between inequality, livelihoods, gender, displacement and vulnerability.
10. Geography and Environmental Security. Study how physical and human geography influence public planning and regional security. Interpret maps without treating geography as a deterministic explanation.

Stage 2: Defence policy and regional security

1. Strategic Thought and Policy Analysis. Compare approaches to strategy and examine how policy objectives, resources and uncertainty interact. Evaluate arguments rather than prescribing combat methods.
2. Civil–Military Relations and Democratic Oversight. Examine the relationship between defence institutions, elected government and society. Analyse professionalism, civilian control and transparent oversight.
3. Defence Policy and National Security Governance. Study how governments define defence responsibilities and coordinate security policy. Examine strategy documents, consultation and institutional mandates.
4. African Union and SADC Peace and Security. Examine African and Southern African arrangements for conflict prevention, cooperation and peace support. Distinguish formal mandates from implementation capacity.
5. International Humanitarian Law and Protection of Civilians. Introduce the legal and ethical principles relevant to armed conflict and civilian protection. Apply distinctions between legal frameworks to classroom cases.
6. Conflict Analysis, Mediation and Peacebuilding. Analyse conflict drivers, actors and opportunities for peaceful resolution. Practise inclusive dialogue and distinguish mediation from negotiation and adjudication.
7. Defence Economics, Budgeting and Procurement Governance. Examine how defence expenditure is planned and scrutinised. Focus on affordability, value for money, transparent procurement and corruption prevention.
8. Peace Support and Civilian Coordination. Study the mandates and institutional arrangements of peace-support missions. Examine civilian coordination, safeguarding and accountability through published cases.
9. Research Methods and Ethics. Plan a feasible study in defence and strategic studies using lawful, ethical and proportionate methods. Evaluate evidence and protect research participants.
10. Statistics and Evidence for Security Policy. Use descriptive statistics and careful inference to interpret public-policy evidence. Recognise uncertainty, bias and the limits of causal claims.

Stage 3: Strategic analysis and applied research

1. Contemporary Defence and Strategic Issues. Evaluate changing defence-policy debates through a civilian and public-interest lens. Examine strategic competition, resource constraints and institutional adaptation.
2. Strategic Foresight and Scenario Planning. Use structured foresight to explore plausible policy futures. Separate forecasting from scenario building and test the robustness of decisions.
3. Technology, Cyber Governance and Defence Ethics. Analyse the governance implications of emerging technology in the defence sector. Focus on accountability, civilian harm, information integrity and human oversight.
4. Maritime, Border and Regional Cooperation. Examine governance and cooperation across shared borders and maritime spaces. Balance security objectives with lawful movement, livelihoods and rights.
5. Security Sector Governance and Reform. Study reform of security institutions following political change or institutional failure. Examine accountability, inclusion, sequencing and public trust.
6. Climate, Disasters and Civilian–Defence Cooperation. Examine the governance of defence support to civilian disaster responses. Keep civilian leadership, legal mandates and community needs central.
7. Leadership, Ethics and Institutional Accountability. Apply ethical reasoning to leadership in public institutions. Examine professional judgement, conflicts of interest, organisational culture and accountability.
8. Applied Policy and Community Engagement Project. Integrate research, communication and stakeholder analysis in a supervised civilian policy project. Use a classroom simulation where an approved placement is unavailable.
9. Research Project in Defence and Strategic Studies. Conduct an individual study addressing a focused defence-governance or regional-security question. Demonstrate methodological care and critical interpretation.
10. Integrated Strategic Policy Capstone. Bring together the programme through an evidence-based policy recommendation. Compare alternatives, resource implications, rights and implementation arrangements.