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About the course
Use philosophy, politics and economics together to examine public choices. You will practise reasoned argument, analyse institutions and interpret economic evidence while making assumptions and values explicit.
What you'll learn
- Construct and evaluate a logically organised argument.
- Explain political institutions through competing perspectives.
- Apply economic concepts to a public problem.
- Identify ethical assumptions within policy proposals.
- Integrate disciplinary evidence in a reasoned recommendation.
Requirements
- Entry requires relevant A Level social science or humanities subjects, or a National Certificate in a related government or public-service field. English Language is required. A relevant National Diploma may support second-year entry where BMIT approves module equivalence and professional rules permit. Advanced entry is not automatic.
- African Kalanga is a compulsory graduation subject in every year of this programme. BMIT confirms the approved entry route, any recognition of prior learning and access to required practical facilities before enrolment.
Course content
Sections: 4
•Activities: 1
•Resources: 39
Subjects in this programme
The complete subject sequence below moves from foundations to specialist application. Stages show learning progression. Practical work and the final project draw together the subjects studied.
33 subjects are listed below, with a short description of each. The Subject descriptions tab contains the learning outcomes, topics, practical tasks and assessments.
Stage 1: Foundations
- Academic Literacy and Study Practice. Develop the reading, writing and evidence skills needed for study. You will examine reading strategies, argument structure, academic paragraphs. Write an evidence-based essay and document your revision decisions.
- Digital Business Skills. Use everyday digital tools to organise business information accurately. You will build reliable spreadsheets, manage documents and share work responsibly. Activities address uneven connectivity, accessible communication and the protection of personal information in small organisations and public offices.
- Business Communication. Prepare purposeful communication for colleagues, customers and decision makers. You will organise evidence, adjust tone for different audiences and check whether a message leads to the intended action. Examples include multilingual workplaces, professional correspondence and short management reports.
- Foundations of Public Administration. Examine how public institutions organise accountable services. You will examine public purpose, administrative systems, institutions. Map responsibilities and service flow in a public-service case.
- Political Studies. Compare political institutions, ideas and participation. You will examine political authority, ideologies, political institutions. Analyse a public decision through contrasting political perspectives.
- Microeconomics. Study how households and firms make choices under scarcity. You will examine prices, incentives and market structures, then use diagrams and calculations to explain changes in behaviour. Examples include food markets, informal enterprises and access to essential services.
- Macroeconomics. Examine output, employment, inflation and external trade at economy level. You will connect household and business conditions to fiscal, monetary and exchange-rate decisions. Work with published indicators while distinguishing nominal values, real changes and differences between national contexts.
- Public Ethics and Accountability. Evaluate conduct through public duties and transparent reasoning. You will examine public interest, conflicts of interest, transparency. Analyse an ethical public-service case and document a response.
- Business Statistics. Summarise data and judge the strength of numerical evidence. You will distinguish a population from a sample, choose appropriate summaries and interpret uncertainty. Business examples cover demand, customer service, workforce information and variation in operating performance.
- Research Methods and Evidence Analysis. Plan an enquiry suited to a specific social or organisational question. You will compare qualitative and quantitative approaches, prepare ethical data collection and assess evidence quality. The module connects research questions to sampling, analysis and clear reporting of uncertainty and limitations.
Stage 2: Core subjects
- Philosophical Reasoning and Ethics. Develop careful reasoning about knowledge and values. You will examine arguments, knowledge, moral reasoning. Write and defend a reasoned ethical argument.
- Introduction to African Philosophy. Examine African arguments about knowledge and community. You will examine oral and written traditions, knowledge, personhood. Compare philosophical arguments about a community issue.
- African Politics and Governance. Examine African institutions through historical and contemporary evidence. You will examine state formation, colonial legacies, constitutional change. Prepare a comparative African governance study.
- Intermediate Microeconomics. Develop analytical models of consumer, producer and market behaviour. You will examine optimisation, strategic interaction and market failure, then use the models to evaluate economic choices. The module requires explicit assumptions and explains when a simplified model leaves important institutional factors outside the analysis.
- Intermediate Macroeconomics. Compare models explaining output, inflation and employment over time. You will examine short-run adjustment and longer-run growth while considering expectations and the open economy. Activities require you to state model assumptions and explain why different approaches produce different policy recommendations.
- Econometrics. Estimate and interpret relationships in economic data. You will develop regression models, check assumptions and assess threats to a credible conclusion. The module connects statistical output with economic reasoning, reproducible analysis and clear communication of uncertainty, rather than treating a fitted relationship as proof.
- Development Economics. Compare explanations of poverty, growth and structural change. You will examine how institutions, markets and public decisions affect livelihoods, then analyse development interventions using evidence. Southern African cases connect household experience with employment, productive capacity and unequal access to resources and services.
- Public Finance and Fiscal Policy. Study how governments raise and spend resources. You will examine taxation, public expenditure and borrowing, then assess the distributional and economic effects of fiscal choices. Cases connect policy objectives with budget constraints, service outcomes and the need for transparent public accountability.
- Public Policy Analysis. Analyse policy problems through evidence and alternatives. You will examine problem framing, policy actors, options. Prepare a policy brief comparing practical alternatives.
- Geopolitics and International Political Economy. Examine the interaction of geography, power and economic relations. You will examine territory, resources, trade networks. Compare explanations of a regional policy issue.
Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application
- Regional Integration and SADC Governance. Evaluate regional cooperation through institutional evidence. You will examine regionalism, sadc institutions, trade integration. Prepare a regional cooperation brief.
- Public International Law. Examine law between states and international actors. You will examine sources, statehood, jurisdiction. Prepare a legal briefing on a supplied international dispute.
- Fundamental Rights. Evaluate rights claims and appropriate remedies. You will examine rights holders, protected interests, state duties. Write a rights analysis using supplied constitutional materials.
- Social Policy and Welfare Services. Evaluate welfare through need, rights and access. You will examine social protection, poverty, household needs. Compare responses to a defined community welfare need.
- Poverty, Inequality and Livelihoods. Analyse disadvantage through household and institutional evidence. You will examine poverty measures, inequality, livelihood strategies. Prepare a livelihood analysis and justified support proposal.
- Gender, Diversity and Social Inclusion. Examine unequal participation in institutions and communities. You will examine gender relations, intersectionality, discrimination. Review a programme for barriers to equitable participation.
- Applied Economics Research Project. Investigate an economic question using an explicit theoretical argument and suitable evidence. You will develop a research design, analyse data and assess alternative explanations. The completed study connects findings to policy or economic understanding while making limitations, uncertainty and reproducibility clear.
- Programme Impact and Evaluation Methods. Assess the evidence supporting claims about programme change. You will examine causal questions, comparison strategies, mixed methods. Design an evaluation and explain its causal limitations.
- Workplace Learning and Professional Portfolio. Connect taught subjects with supervised or carefully designed simulated professional work. You will agree learning objectives, record tasks and evaluate your decisions against evidence. The portfolio makes your individual contribution visible and identifies areas requiring further practice or specialist supervision.
- Integrated Business Research Project. Investigate a defined business problem by combining knowledge from several management subjects. You will frame a useful question, gather appropriate evidence and compare feasible responses. The final report explains the recommendation, implementation implications and limitations of the enquiry rather than claiming certainty.
African History and Pan Africanism
- African History and Pan Africanism 101 (Level 1, compulsory core module): Study African history through oral, written and archaeological evidence. Examine the diversity of African societies, knowledge and exchange, then trace the emergence of Pan African ideas about identity, solidarity and self-determination.
- African History and Pan Africanism 201 (Level 2, compulsory core module): Examine colonial change, resistance and liberation across Africa, with attention to Zimbabwe and South Africa. Compare Pan African movements, organisations and debates, including contributions from women, workers and diaspora communities.
- African History and Pan Africanism 301 (Level 3, compulsory core module): Evaluate the legacy of Pan Africanism in continental and regional cooperation, culture and public life. Apply historical inquiry to a heritage, community or professional issue, recognising both achievements and contested interpretations.
Assessment and practical learning
- Philosophical arguments and economic exercises.
- Comparative political and policy analyses.
- An interdisciplinary research paper and oral defence.
Practical application
Examine a proposed regional policy question from all three disciplines. Identify empirical evidence, normative judgements and analytical assumptions separately before defending a recommendation.
African History and Pan Africanism practical learning
- African History and Pan Africanism 101: Create an annotated timeline or digital learning poster on a selected African society or historical development. Compare at least two credible sources and explain one connection with your field of study.
- African History and Pan Africanism 201: Develop a comparative case study of a liberation issue or Pan African debate relevant to Southern Africa. Use a historical document alongside a scholarly account and explain differences in purpose and interpretation.
- African History and Pan Africanism 301: Prepare a sourced heritage or civic-learning project connected with your field or a Southern African community. Explain its historical basis, audience, permission needs and limits. Obtain consent if you conduct interviews.
Subject descriptions
Each subject below includes its purpose, learning outcomes, main topics, practical task and assessment approach.
Academic Literacy and Study Practice
Stage 1: Foundations
Develop the reading, writing and evidence skills needed for study. You will examine reading strategies, argument structure, academic paragraphs. Write an evidence-based essay and document your revision decisions.
Learning outcomes
- Explain reading strategies in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between argument structure and academic paragraphs.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing referencing, information checking and study planning.
Main topics
- Reading strategies
- Argument structure
- Academic paragraphs
- Referencing
- Information checking
- Study planning
Practical task
Write an evidence-based essay and document your revision decisions.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Digital Business Skills
Stage 1: Foundations
Use everyday digital tools to organise business information accurately. You will build reliable spreadsheets, manage documents and share work responsibly. Activities address uneven connectivity, accessible communication and the protection of personal information in small organisations and public offices.
Learning outcomes
- Build a checked spreadsheet
- Organise retrievable business documents
- Apply appropriate access permissions
Main topics
- File organisation
- Word processing
- Spreadsheet formulas
- Presentations
- Collaborative working
- Privacy and access
Practical task
Create a shared office information pack with formulas, document versions and access instructions.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Business Communication
Stage 1: Foundations
Prepare purposeful communication for colleagues, customers and decision makers. You will organise evidence, adjust tone for different audiences and check whether a message leads to the intended action. Examples include multilingual workplaces, professional correspondence and short management reports.
Learning outcomes
- Write a concise business report
- Record decisions and assigned actions
- Present evidence for a defined audience
Main topics
- Audience and purpose
- Professional correspondence
- Report structure
- Meeting records
- Presentations
- Intercultural communication
Practical task
Produce a report, meeting record and five-minute briefing about a service problem.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Foundations of Public Administration
Stage 1: Foundations
Examine how public institutions organise accountable services. You will examine public purpose, administrative systems, institutions. Map responsibilities and service flow in a public-service case.
Learning outcomes
- Explain public purpose in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between administrative systems and institutions.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing public servants, service delivery and accountability.
Main topics
- Public purpose
- Administrative systems
- Institutions
- Public servants
- Service delivery
- Accountability
Practical task
Map responsibilities and service flow in a public-service case.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Political Studies
Stage 1: Foundations
Compare political institutions, ideas and participation. You will examine political authority, ideologies, political institutions. Analyse a public decision through contrasting political perspectives.
Learning outcomes
- Explain political authority in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between ideologies and political institutions.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing representation, participation and power.
Main topics
- Political authority
- Ideologies
- Political institutions
- Representation
- Participation
- Power
Practical task
Analyse a public decision through contrasting political perspectives.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Microeconomics
Stage 1: Foundations
Study how households and firms make choices under scarcity. You will examine prices, incentives and market structures, then use diagrams and calculations to explain changes in behaviour. Examples include food markets, informal enterprises and access to essential services.
Learning outcomes
- Analyse a market change
- Calculate and interpret elasticity
- Compare competitive and concentrated markets
Main topics
- Scarcity and choice
- Demand and supply
- Elasticity
- Consumer choice
- Production and costs
- Market structures
Practical task
Explain a local price change using data, diagrams and alternative explanations.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Macroeconomics
Stage 1: Foundations
Examine output, employment, inflation and external trade at economy level. You will connect household and business conditions to fiscal, monetary and exchange-rate decisions. Work with published indicators while distinguishing nominal values, real changes and differences between national contexts.
Learning outcomes
- Interpret a macroeconomic indicator
- Explain a policy transmission process
- Distinguish nominal and real changes
Main topics
- National accounts
- Growth and employment
- Inflation
- Fiscal policy
- Money and banking
- External balance
Practical task
Prepare an economic conditions briefing comparing two Southern African economies.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Public Ethics and Accountability
Stage 1: Foundations
Evaluate conduct through public duties and transparent reasoning. You will examine public interest, conflicts of interest, transparency. Analyse an ethical public-service case and document a response.
Learning outcomes
- Explain public interest in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between conflicts of interest and transparency.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing integrity controls, complaints and accountability.
Main topics
- Public interest
- Conflicts of interest
- Transparency
- Integrity controls
- Complaints
- Accountability
Practical task
Analyse an ethical public-service case and document a response.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Business Statistics
Stage 1: Foundations
Summarise data and judge the strength of numerical evidence. You will distinguish a population from a sample, choose appropriate summaries and interpret uncertainty. Business examples cover demand, customer service, workforce information and variation in operating performance.
Learning outcomes
- Select an appropriate data summary
- Interpret a confidence interval
- Explain limits of a correlation
Main topics
- Sampling
- Descriptive statistics
- Probability distributions
- Confidence intervals
- Hypothesis testing
- Correlation and regression
Practical task
Analyse an anonymised service dataset and write a short evidence report.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Research Methods and Evidence Analysis
Stage 1: Foundations
Plan an enquiry suited to a specific social or organisational question. You will compare qualitative and quantitative approaches, prepare ethical data collection and assess evidence quality. The module connects research questions to sampling, analysis and clear reporting of uncertainty and limitations.
Learning outcomes
- Formulate a research question
- Select a defensible research design
- Prepare an ethical data collection plan
Main topics
- Research questions
- Literature review
- Design choices
- Sampling
- Ethics
- Data analysis
Practical task
Submit a research proposal, instruments and a worked analysis of a pilot dataset.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Philosophical Reasoning and Ethics
Stage 2: Core subjects
Develop careful reasoning about knowledge and values. You will examine arguments, knowledge, moral reasoning. Write and defend a reasoned ethical argument.
Learning outcomes
- Explain arguments in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between knowledge and moral reasoning.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing political values, african thought and critical dialogue.
Main topics
- Arguments
- Knowledge
- Moral reasoning
- Political values
- African thought
- Critical dialogue
Practical task
Write and defend a reasoned ethical argument.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Introduction to African Philosophy
Stage 2: Core subjects
Examine African arguments about knowledge and community. You will examine oral and written traditions, knowledge, personhood. Compare philosophical arguments about a community issue.
Learning outcomes
- Explain oral and written traditions in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between knowledge and personhood.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing community, ethics and contemporary debate.
Main topics
- Oral and written traditions
- Knowledge
- Personhood
- Community
- Ethics
- Contemporary debate
Practical task
Compare philosophical arguments about a community issue.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
African Politics and Governance
Stage 2: Core subjects
Examine African institutions through historical and contemporary evidence. You will examine state formation, colonial legacies, constitutional change. Prepare a comparative African governance study.
Learning outcomes
- Explain state formation in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between colonial legacies and constitutional change.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing political parties, civil society and regional governance.
Main topics
- State formation
- Colonial legacies
- Constitutional change
- Political parties
- Civil society
- Regional governance
Practical task
Prepare a comparative African governance study.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Intermediate Microeconomics
Stage 2: Core subjects
Develop analytical models of consumer, producer and market behaviour. You will examine optimisation, strategic interaction and market failure, then use the models to evaluate economic choices. The module requires explicit assumptions and explains when a simplified model leaves important institutional factors outside the analysis.
Learning outcomes
- Solve an optimisation problem
- Analyse strategic interaction
- Evaluate a market intervention
Main topics
- Consumer optimisation
- Production theory
- Cost functions
- Market power
- Game theory
- Market failure
Practical task
Analyse a regulated or concentrated market using diagrams and numerical examples.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Intermediate Macroeconomics
Stage 2: Core subjects
Compare models explaining output, inflation and employment over time. You will examine short-run adjustment and longer-run growth while considering expectations and the open economy. Activities require you to state model assumptions and explain why different approaches produce different policy recommendations.
Learning outcomes
- Compare macroeconomic models
- Analyse a policy shock
- Explain a growth mechanism
Main topics
- Income determination
- Aggregate demand and supply
- Expectations
- Business cycles
- Growth models
- Open-economy adjustment
Practical task
Evaluate a fiscal or external shock under two macroeconomic models.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Econometrics
Stage 2: Core subjects
Estimate and interpret relationships in economic data. You will develop regression models, check assumptions and assess threats to a credible conclusion. The module connects statistical output with economic reasoning, reproducible analysis and clear communication of uncertainty, rather than treating a fitted relationship as proof.
Learning outcomes
- Estimate an economic relationship
- Diagnose a model problem
- Explain limits of an estimate
Main topics
- Regression estimation
- Inference
- Model specification
- Heteroskedasticity
- Time-series foundations
- Causal limitations
Practical task
Submit a reproducible empirical analysis with diagnostics and an interpretation report.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Development Economics
Stage 2: Core subjects
Compare explanations of poverty, growth and structural change. You will examine how institutions, markets and public decisions affect livelihoods, then analyse development interventions using evidence. Southern African cases connect household experience with employment, productive capacity and unequal access to resources and services.
Learning outcomes
- Compare development explanations
- Interpret an inequality measure
- Evaluate a development intervention
Main topics
- Development theories
- Poverty and inequality
- Institutions
- Structural change
- Human development
- Policy interventions
Practical task
Prepare a development policy appraisal using a clearly defined community or sector case.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Public Finance and Fiscal Policy
Stage 2: Core subjects
Study how governments raise and spend resources. You will examine taxation, public expenditure and borrowing, then assess the distributional and economic effects of fiscal choices. Cases connect policy objectives with budget constraints, service outcomes and the need for transparent public accountability.
Learning outcomes
- Explain a fiscal policy choice
- Assess distributional effects
- Interpret a public budget
Main topics
- Public goods
- Tax design
- Expenditure choices
- Fiscal incidence
- Public debt
- Budget policy
Practical task
Produce a budget policy note comparing two expenditure or revenue options.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Public Policy Analysis
Stage 2: Core subjects
Analyse policy problems through evidence and alternatives. You will examine problem framing, policy actors, options. Prepare a policy brief comparing practical alternatives.
Learning outcomes
- Explain problem framing in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between policy actors and options.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing policy instruments, implementation and evaluation.
Main topics
- Problem framing
- Policy actors
- Options
- Policy instruments
- Implementation
- Evaluation
Practical task
Prepare a policy brief comparing practical alternatives.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Geopolitics and International Political Economy
Stage 2: Core subjects
Examine the interaction of geography, power and economic relations. You will examine territory, resources, trade networks. Compare explanations of a regional policy issue.
Learning outcomes
- Explain territory in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between resources and trade networks.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing global institutions, strategic interests and regional choices.
Main topics
- Territory
- Resources
- Trade networks
- Global institutions
- Strategic interests
- Regional choices
Practical task
Compare explanations of a regional policy issue.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Regional Integration and SADC Governance
Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application
Evaluate regional cooperation through institutional evidence. You will examine regionalism, sadc institutions, trade integration. Prepare a regional cooperation brief.
Learning outcomes
- Explain regionalism in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between sadc institutions and trade integration.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing mobility, shared resources and implementation.
Main topics
- Regionalism
- SADC institutions
- Trade integration
- Mobility
- Shared resources
- Implementation
Practical task
Prepare a regional cooperation brief.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Public International Law
Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application
Examine law between states and international actors. You will examine sources, statehood, jurisdiction. Prepare a legal briefing on a supplied international dispute.
Learning outcomes
- Explain sources in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between statehood and jurisdiction.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing treaties, responsibility and dispute settlement.
Main topics
- Sources
- Statehood
- Jurisdiction
- Treaties
- Responsibility
- Dispute settlement
Practical task
Prepare a legal briefing on a supplied international dispute.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Fundamental Rights
Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application
Evaluate rights claims and appropriate remedies. You will examine rights holders, protected interests, state duties. Write a rights analysis using supplied constitutional materials.
Learning outcomes
- Explain rights holders in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between protected interests and state duties.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing horizontal application, limitations and remedies.
Main topics
- Rights holders
- Protected interests
- State duties
- Horizontal application
- Limitations
- Remedies
Practical task
Write a rights analysis using supplied constitutional materials.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Social Policy and Welfare Services
Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application
Evaluate welfare through need, rights and access. You will examine social protection, poverty, household needs. Compare responses to a defined community welfare need.
Learning outcomes
- Explain social protection in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between poverty and household needs.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing service access, policy instruments and evaluation.
Main topics
- Social protection
- Poverty
- Household needs
- Service access
- Policy instruments
- Evaluation
Practical task
Compare responses to a defined community welfare need.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Poverty, Inequality and Livelihoods
Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application
Analyse disadvantage through household and institutional evidence. You will examine poverty measures, inequality, livelihood strategies. Prepare a livelihood analysis and justified support proposal.
Learning outcomes
- Explain poverty measures in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between inequality and livelihood strategies.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing vulnerability, social exclusion and policy responses.
Main topics
- Poverty measures
- Inequality
- Livelihood strategies
- Vulnerability
- Social exclusion
- Policy responses
Practical task
Prepare a livelihood analysis and justified support proposal.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Gender, Diversity and Social Inclusion
Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application
Examine unequal participation in institutions and communities. You will examine gender relations, intersectionality, discrimination. Review a programme for barriers to equitable participation.
Learning outcomes
- Explain gender relations in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between intersectionality and discrimination.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing representation, inclusive practice and evidence.
Main topics
- Gender relations
- Intersectionality
- Discrimination
- Representation
- Inclusive practice
- Evidence
Practical task
Review a programme for barriers to equitable participation.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Applied Economics Research Project
Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application
Investigate an economic question using an explicit theoretical argument and suitable evidence. You will develop a research design, analyse data and assess alternative explanations. The completed study connects findings to policy or economic understanding while making limitations, uncertainty and reproducibility clear.
Learning outcomes
- Develop a testable economic question
- Analyse economic evidence
- Defend a qualified conclusion
Main topics
- Question and theory
- Literature synthesis
- Data preparation
- Empirical analysis
- Policy interpretation
- Research reporting
Practical task
Complete an empirical economics dissertation-style report and oral presentation.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Programme Impact and Evaluation Methods
Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application
Assess the evidence supporting claims about programme change. You will examine causal questions, comparison strategies, mixed methods. Design an evaluation and explain its causal limitations.
Learning outcomes
- Explain causal questions in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between comparison strategies and mixed methods.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing contribution, bias and interpretation.
Main topics
- Causal questions
- Comparison strategies
- Mixed methods
- Contribution
- Bias
- Interpretation
Practical task
Design an evaluation and explain its causal limitations.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Workplace Learning and Professional Portfolio
Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application
Connect taught subjects with supervised or carefully designed simulated professional work. You will agree learning objectives, record tasks and evaluate your decisions against evidence. The portfolio makes your individual contribution visible and identifies areas requiring further practice or specialist supervision.
Learning outcomes
- Set assessable workplace objectives
- Document your contribution
- Evaluate professional learning needs
Main topics
- Learning agreement
- Professional conduct
- Work evidence
- Supervisor feedback
- Reflective analysis
- Improvement planning
Practical task
Compile a verified or simulated workplace portfolio with supervisor or facilitator feedback.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Integrated Business Research Project
Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application
Investigate a defined business problem by combining knowledge from several management subjects. You will frame a useful question, gather appropriate evidence and compare feasible responses. The final report explains the recommendation, implementation implications and limitations of the enquiry rather than claiming certainty.
Learning outcomes
- Frame a researchable business problem
- Analyse relevant evidence
- Defend a feasible recommendation
Main topics
- Problem definition
- Research ethics
- Evidence collection
- Analysis
- Recommendations
- Implementation evaluation
Practical task
Complete an individual business investigation and present the resulting improvement proposal.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
African History and Pan Africanism 101
Compulsory core module · Level 1
Study African history through oral, written and archaeological evidence. Examine the diversity of African societies, knowledge and exchange, then trace the emergence of Pan African ideas about identity, solidarity and self-determination.
Learning outcomes
- Place selected African societies and events within a supported historical timeline.
- Compare historical sources and identify perspective, evidence and uncertainty.
- Explain the foundations of Pan Africanism and the contributions of Africans and the diaspora.
Main topics
- Historical inquiry, chronology, oral traditions and source evaluation
- African civilisations, states, trade, livelihoods and knowledge systems
- Southern African history, including Mapungubgwe and Great Zimbabwe
- Slavery, the African diaspora and changing ideas about identity
- Origins of Pan Africanism, solidarity, self-determination and cultural expression
Practical task
Create an annotated timeline or digital learning poster on a selected African society or historical development. Compare at least two credible sources and explain one connection with your field of study.
Assessment
Submit the timeline or poster, an annotated source list and a short explanation of the evidence. Assessment considers chronology, historical accuracy, source judgement and the clarity of your interpretation.
Learning resources
African History and Pan Africanism 201
Compulsory core module · Level 2
Examine colonial change, resistance and liberation across Africa, with attention to Zimbabwe and South Africa. Compare Pan African movements, organisations and debates, including contributions from women, workers and diaspora communities.
Learning outcomes
- Analyse the effects of colonial rule on land, labour, institutions and social relations.
- Compare liberation movements and Pan African arguments using contextual evidence.
- Explain how different groups shaped independence, solidarity and debates about freedom.
Main topics
- Colonial rule, land, labour, education and forms of resistance
- Nationalism, liberation and the end of colonial rule and apartheid
- Pan African congresses, organisations and contrasting interpretations
- Women, labour movements and diaspora participation
- The Organisation of African Unity and debates about unity, sovereignty and development
Practical task
Develop a comparative case study of a liberation issue or Pan African debate relevant to Southern Africa. Use a historical document alongside a scholarly account and explain differences in purpose and interpretation.
Assessment
Submit the case study, a source comparison and a reflection on your conclusions. Assessment considers context, evidence, recognition of different perspectives and the quality of your argument.
Learning resources
African History and Pan Africanism 301
Compulsory core module · Level 3
Evaluate the legacy of Pan Africanism in continental and regional cooperation, culture and public life. Apply historical inquiry to a heritage, community or professional issue, recognising both achievements and contested interpretations.
Learning outcomes
- Evaluate continuity and change from the Organisation of African Unity to the African Union.
- Assess a contemporary Pan African issue using historical evidence and contrasting views.
- Develop an ethical, well-sourced project connecting African history with your field or community.
Main topics
- The African Union, regional cooperation and Southern African integration
- Agenda 2063, development and debates about continental priorities
- Citizenship, migration, diaspora connections and cultural exchange
- African knowledge, heritage, public history and contested narratives
- Research ethics, source attribution and evaluation of a community or professional project
Practical task
Prepare a sourced heritage or civic-learning project connected with your field or a Southern African community. Explain its historical basis, audience, permission needs and limits. Obtain consent if you conduct interviews.
Assessment
Submit a project brief, an annotated source portfolio, a public-facing learning resource and an evaluation of your interpretation. Assessment considers evidence, ethical practice, historical reasoning and usefulness to the intended audience.
Learning resources
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Bachelor of Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Course modified date: 13 October 2026
Use philosophy, politics and economics together to examine public choices. You will practise reasoned argument, analyse institutions and interpret economic evidence while making assumptions and values explicit.
- Teacher: ImfundoSpace Administrator
- Enrolled students: There are no students enrolled in this course.
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