UNIVERSITY OF GHANA
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
SECOND SEMESTER, 2017/2018
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE TITLE: POLITICS OF
IDENTITY IN GHANA
COURSE CODE: POLI 458
VENUE: JQB 24
LECTURE RERIOD: MON 1:30 PM-3:30
PM
COURSE INSTRUCTORS:
MR. A. K. D. FREMPONG
Office Location: F20
Kweku Folson Building, Dept. of Political Science
Office Hours: Monday
7.30-8.30am Friday: 11.30am-12:30pm
DR. ISAAC OWUSU-MENSAH
Office Location: Dept. of
Political Science, Room 5
Email: iomensah@ug.edu.gh
TEACHING ASSISTANTS
Alberta Enyaawah Arthur, Ellen
Quaicoe, Richard Boakye
Office Location: Graduate Assistants Office (F17) Kweku
Folson Building
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Course Title
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POLITICS OF IDENTITY IN GHANA/
POLI 458
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Purpose and Objectives
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Identity is a manifest feature
of every society because in terms of politics, religion, region, ethnicity,
gender, age, or socio-economic status, etc, society is pluralistic with
different interests pursued by various groups. Often, identity groups have
antedated the emergence of the modern state system and have endured in most
countries despite policies of assimilation and integration. The issue becomes
even more complicated by the fact that people have multiple identities and
occupy multiple social statuses. How then does a post-colonial state promote
national integration among its citizens within the context of competing
identities? What is the role of the state in the struggle among the identity
groups for the control of political power and national resources;
particularly in the context where the assumption of one group to power
alienates other groups?
This course analyses the
challenges of nation-state building in Ghana; forging a nation out of the
diverse group of people living within its borders. To what extent have
efforts to promote national identity been either promoted or hindered by
competing ethnic, regional and religious identities? What roles have partisan
politics, chieftaincy, women, and youth played in Ghanaian politics? Overall,
how have the interplay of such identities shaped political actions and
alignments in the varying phases of Ghanaian politics?
Upon completion of this course
students should be able to:
· Understand
Identity and how it shapes national politics
· Appreciate
the impact of regionalism and ethnicity on politics in Ghana
· Understand
the roles and dynamics of political party and religion in politics
in Ghana
· Critically
discuss the prospects and challenges of Women and Youth
participation in Ghanaian politics
· Analyze
the role of the institution of chieftaincy In Ghanaian politics
· Contribute
meaningfully to discussions on issues of Identity and
Politics in Ghana
A theoretical analysis of the
concept and forms of identity is followed by their application in Ghanaian
politics since independence, with particular emphasis on the Fourth Republic
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WEEK NO
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Date
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Lecture Course
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Tutorials
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Venue
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Assessment
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1-3
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5-19 Feb 2018
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Understanding Politics of
Identity
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What is Identity and how does
it affect national politics?
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Lecture: JQB24
Tutorial: DLR
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4-6
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26 Feb -12 Mar 2018
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Regionalism and Ethnicity in
Ghanaian Politics
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Challenges of Regionalism and Ethnicity
in Ghana
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Lecture: JQB24
Tutorial: DLR
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7-8
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19-26 Mar 2018
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Party Politics in
Ghana
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Dynamics of Party
Politics in Ghana
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Lecture: JQB24
Tutorial: DLR
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9-10
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02 Apr - 9 Apr 2018
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Women and Youth in Ghanaian
Politics
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Examine prospects and challenges
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Lecture: JQB24
Tutorial: DLR
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11-12
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16-23 Apr 2018
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Chieftaincy and Politics in
Ghana
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Chieftaincy –State Relations
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Lecture: JQB24
Tutorial: DLR
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13
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30 Apr 2018
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Religion and Politics in Ghana
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Extent and Influence of religion
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Lecture: JQB24
Tutorial: DLR
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Reading List
Allah-Mensah,
B. (2004). Women in politics and public life in Ghana. Accra: Friedrich Elbert Foundation.
Allman,
J. M. (1991). “Hewers of wood, carriers of water”: Islam, class, and politics
on the eve of Ghana's independence. African studies review, 34(2),
1-26.
Ansah-Koi (1998) “Walking the Tightrope: Chiefs,
Chieftaincy and the 1996 Elections in Ghana”, in J. R. A. Ayee, ed. The
1996 General Elections and Democratic Consolidation in Ghana, Accra:
Gold-Type Ltd, pp. 139-155.
Boafo-Arthur,
K. (2003). Chieftaincy in Ghana: Challenges and Prospects in the 21 st Century.
African and Asian Studies, 2(2), 125-153.
Boafo-Arthur,
K. (2007). Ghana: One decade of the liberal state. Zed Books.
Bob-Milliar,
G. M. (2014). Party youth activists and low-intensity electoral violence in
Ghana: a qualitative study of party foot soldiers' activism. African Studies
Quarterly, 15(1), 125.
Chazan,
N. (1982). Ethnicity and politics in Ghana. Political Science Quarterly,
97(3), 461-485.
Crawford,
Y. (1976). The politics of cultural pluralism.
Debrah,
E. (2007). Fifty years of party politics in Ghana: The balance sheet.
Frempong,
A. K. (2004). Ethnicity, democracy and Ghana’s election 2004’. Voting for
Democracy in Ghana: Ghana’s, 157-86.
Frempong, A. K.
D. (2015). Elections in Ghana (1951-2016) Accra: DigiBooks. Available
at the Department General Office
Frempong,
A. K. (2007). Political conflict and elite consensus in the liberal state.
Frempong,
A. K. (2001), Ghana’s election 2000: The ethnic undercurrent. Deepening
democracy in Ghana: Politics of the 2000 elections, 1, 141-159.
Gyapong,
S. K. (2006). The role of chieftaincy in Ghana‟ s democratic experiment. Chieftaincy
in Ghana: Culture, Governance and Development, 1, 183.
Gyimah-Boadi,
E. (2003). The political economy of ‘successful’ethno-regional conflict
management. Can Democracy Be Designed? The Politics of Institutional Choice
in Conflict-Torn Societies.
Ayee, J. R (nd) “Voting Patterns in the 2004
Elections”, Discussing Issues not Sensations http://ghanaelectionwatch.com/blog/index.php?itemid=5
Jockers,
H., Kohnert, D., & Nugent, P. (2010). The successful Ghana election of
2008: a convenient myth?. The Journal of Modern African Studies, 48(1),
95-115.
John, S.
P. (1991). Religion and Politics in Ghana. Accra: Asempa Publishers, 12.
Kelly, B. (2005). The 2004 elections in northern
Ghana. Review of African Political Economy, 455-461.
Oquaye (1996) “Youth, Politics and Society in
Ghana” in Drah. F. K. & Oquaye, M. eds. Civil Society in
Ghana, Accra: FES, pp. 163-202.
Van
Gyampo, R. E. (2008). The Youth and Political Ideology in Ghanaian Politics:
The Case of the Fourth Republic: an Inter-faculty Lecture Delivered on 18th
October 2008 at the University of Ghana. University of Ghana.
Plagiarism Policy
Be reminded of UG Plagiarism Policy (Refer
to UG Public Affairs Website)
Examination
Interim Assessment: Two sit-in Assignments. Time
will be communicated later
End of Semester Examination: Two-&-Half-Hour
Paper of two Sections. Section A: 50 short-answer questions (compulsory
for 50marks) and Section B: three-essay questions (answer any
one for 20marks)
