BACHELOR OF SCIENCE HONOURS IN GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT (GPM)
| Module Code | Module Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| GPM101 | Fundamentals of Government and Governance |
Public administration is essentially about managing the business of government. The course is designed to introduce students to the principles and functions of government. The main objective is to enable students to identify and describe some of the most notable features of modern governments. The concepts of government and governance are explored in detail. The aim is to enable students of public administration to evaluate functions, structures, types or forms of governments and to put into practical application the key essentials of governance that include legitimacy, transparency, accountability, rule of law, responsiveness and effectiveness that are discussed in this course. Students should demonstrate ability to evaluate governments and their operations. Arising from the above, the following are some of the major objectives of the course: |
| GPM102 | Introduction to Public Management | Public management assumes two dimensions: it is a field of study and it is also a practice. At the heart of public management is “a blend of the planning, organising, and controlling functions of management with the management of human, financial, physical, information and political resources” (Overman 1984). Following this understanding, core issues that the module will cover include management functions, decision making, national budgeting, performance management and public sector reforms, among several others. The substantive questions of public management are: What is the nature of the context within which public management is practiced? Which actors and what processes are involved in the practice of public management? How are the theoretical paradigms and their changes over time influencing public management practice? What ethical standards should be maintained in the public service? |
| POSD101 | Introduction to Political Science |
This module is designed as an introduction to the discipline of Political Science, and to the study of those complex human activities and relationships that are politically relevant. Political Science, therefore, is the science of politics or the use of scientific methods to study politics. We may refer to economic, social, cultural, psychological, or any other forms of human activities and relationships, but we do so only to the extent that those activities and relationships are politically salient.The module proceeds from the premise that the political aspects of human society invariably have to do with power, influence, control, and authority, as Robert Dahl postulates in his seminal work,Modern Political Analysis. These political aspects occur in different contexts of human and institutional interaction, that is, at both the national and international levels. Although the boundaries of political science as a discipline may be a subject of considerable controversy, what is indisputable however is the fact that human relationships propel society forward. Since ancient times, the end of studying politics has been the achievement of the common good or an ideal society. There is widespread misunderstanding of politics and political processes. Many people fear politics and political activity. The deep misunderstanding of politics is accompanied by an equally prevalent misconception of what political science is. A common error is to equate political scientists with politicians, and to assume that political science is about training students to become politicians. |
| GPM104 | Organisation Theory and Public Management | This module is meant to give a comprehensive introduction to students on the subject of organisational theory, which basically falls into three periodised categories of classical, neoclassical and modern theories. It unpacks the basic assumptions, strengths, weaknesses and relevance of organisational theories to contemporary managerial and organisational practices in the public sector. Following the trajectory in the development of organisational theory, the module is also meant to impart theoretical insights and enable evaluation of the applicability of the various organisational theories to present day organisations. Overall, the module capacitates students to explore key contemporary organisational issues from an informed perspective. |
| GPM105 | Government Finance | The module examines the management of government finances. These are the finances of the public as an organised group under the institution of government. Its subject matter evolved over a long period, borrowing theories, concepts, principles, and precepts from a diverse range of areas of specialisation; a process that lent a multi-disciplinary approach to its study. Its macro concerns span issues relating to the fundamentals of public financing and philosophical and theoretical issues in public finance management. At the micro level, the course adopts a practical thrust, examining strategies and practical challenges in mobilising, utilising, and controlling financial resources within government ministries and public bodies. Particular attention is paid to tax and non-tax revenue sources and internal and external expenditure control systems. The role of international finance in development and efforts toward keeping public debts within sustainable limits are also interrogated and analyzed. While Zimbabwe is used as the entry and main referent point, issues of managing public finance should be appreciated within their regional and global context. This module’s multi-disciplinary and comparative approach ensures that students are more academically positioned to critically relate public finance scenarios in their localities to regional and international trends and practices. |
| GPM106 | Administrative Law | The course will serve to impart basic knowledge relating to the administration of the State with a focus on the law and legal principles governing the administration and regulation of agencies of government. |
| FSBT100 |
Social & Behavioural Theory (Faulty Wide Module) |
This interdisciplinary module introduces students to foundational concepts in the social and behavioural sciences, spanning Sociology, Social Work, Psychology, Demography, Political Science, Public Policy, and Lifelong Learning. It equips students with analytical tools, values, and competencies to study human behaviour and society through the lens of social and behavioural theory. Emphasis is placed on theorising as a practical activity, encouraging students to critically apply theory to issues affecting individuals, groups, communities, and societies. The module also serves as preparation for professional practice, fostering skills for engaging with policy, politics, economics, and knowledge production as emerging social scientists. |
| SDLSSB101 |
Student Development and Life Skills (University Wide Module) |
This module equips learners with essential personal, social, and professional skills to thrive in academic and everyday life. It focuses on self-awareness, emotional intelligence, communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and responsible decision-making. Students will also develop practical competencies such as time management, teamwork, leadership, and adaptability, preparing them to navigate challenges and opportunities in both personal growth and future careers. |
| IDSB101 |
Information & Digital Skills (University Wide Module) |
The Information and Digital Skills module develop learners’ ability to find, assess, and use information effectively while building confidence with digital tools. It covers online research, data management, communication, and collaboration, emphasizing ethical and responsible practices. By completion, learners can critically engage with digital resources across academic, professional, and everyday settings. |
| LAICSBND100 | Language Acquisition And Intercultural Communication For Social And Behavioural Sciences - NDEBELE | This module provides students with a foundation in spoken Ndebele and introduces basic aspects of Ndebele linguistic structure. A conversational approach will be adopted, with students spending a significant amount of time on oral practice. It is a university-wide module designed to meet the needs of non- Ndebele -speaking students. The module seeks to contribute to the branding of the UZ graduate by responding to the needs of industry and society, producing graduates who are able to communicate effectively with local communities where language may otherwise be a barrier to access and success. Together with its cultural corollary, the module offers specialist communicative training for individuals working or intending to work with language across various programmes and within different communities. The module will also function as a language clinic, providing learners with opportunities to seek clarification on issues related to Ndebele language learning as well as broader Ndebele socio-cultural matters. Ndebele is an official language and the second most widely spoken language in Zimbabwe. It belongs to the Nguni subgroup of the Bantu language family, which implies a degree of mutual intelligibility between Zimbabwean Ndebele and other Nguni languages such as Zulu, Xhosa, Swati and South African Ndebele. These languages are spoken by more than 40 million people across South Africa, Eswatini and Zimbabwe |
| GPM201 | Theory and Practice of Public Policy | The purpose of this module is basically to facilitate research-informed analysis and solutions of issues confronting communities, government and industries. To this end, students will be exposed to the key concepts, theories, philosophies, processes of public policy, drawing practical experiences from Zimbabwe, Africa and the world in general. Students will learn how to define and characterise public problems and suggest solution strategies. Generic and emerging value considerations in public policy (policy philosophies) will be explored in an effort to identify values that should inform good public policy making. Students will also explore the processes through which public policies are formulated, adopted, implemented and evaluated, identifying key state and non-state actors involved at each stage. Thus, at the end of this GPM201 module, students are expected to have appreciated the following policy questions: What are public policies? How are public problems identified, analysed and solved? What key values should inform good public policies? How can theories be applied to understand public policies? How are public policies formulated, adopted, implemented and evaluated? Who are the key state and non-state actors/players influencing public policy making in Zimbabwe and other African countries? How are local and global dynamics such as Vision 2030, Sustainable Development Goals, Climate Change, Artificial Intelligence influencing state policy choices and actions? |
| GPM202 | Fundamentals of Local Governance |
Fundamentals of local governance is one of the important courses that a public administrator ought to comprehend. The course allows one to appreciate the basic skills requirements for a student of governance and public management and to have critical skills in understanding how local, provincial and central governments operate. It exposes students to the relationships and intersections between the local authorities, communities, and other stakeholders. It is meant to enlighten undergraduate students on governance and public management through the lenses of modern local governance within the country, the region, and globally. This will go a long way in preparing the students to participate in local governance as employees, councillors, analysts, and stakeholders. |
| GPM203 | Strategic Human Resources Management | The module is designed to broaden the student’s scope on aspects of strategic human resource management exposing students to the daunting task of managing relations between human resources and organisational development aims of the organisation. In general, the module examines how an organisation deals with most valued assert (the personnel) given its central role in organisational performance. The personnel functions from Human Resource planning to training and development are examined in this module. All Human Resource Managers whether in the public or private sector that have an interest in organisational efficiency must make the effective management of people a predominant aspect of their occupation. The module thus approaches management from the standpoint of theory and practice since in the industry; practices are based on the application of theory. |
| GPM204 | Policy Analysis, Management and Governance |
Research-informed policy knowledge and practical skills are needed to ensure balanced analysis and long-term solutions to complex problems confronting communities, industries and society at large. National policies are also expected to comply with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a long-term measure to mitigate Climate Change. These global imperatives largely provide the context of Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030, National Development Strategy 1(NDS1) and the soon-to be adopted NDS2. GPM 204 responds to these concerns by exposing students to the concepts, theories, principles, processes, and global and local experiences relating to policy analysis, management and governance. To this end, virtual and physical teaching and learning activities will be conducted, guided by the following questions: What is policy analysis? What are the defining characteristics of policy analysis? How are policy problems identified, analyzed and solved? What is policy management and policy governance? What are the characteristics of good policy management and policy governance? How can capacities for policy analysis, management and governance be strengthened in state institutions? While the module has Zimbabwe as its principal case study, concerted effort is taken to situate learnt experiences within African and global contexts. |
| GPM205 | Public Enterprise Management and Governance | The module provides students with an opportunity to explore recent public enterprise management debates. This module aims to help students understand the nature, extent and rationale of reforms and changes in management of the public sector. Public enterprises have been created in both developed and developing countries with vast responsibilities which include; as vehicles to address market shortfalls, capital short-falls, indorse development and ensure national control over the overall direction of the economy. They traverse all sectors of the economy, providing diverse regulatory, promotional, allocation and distributive roles. They are expected to make significant contributions to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The way these state entities are organised and managed has a direct bearing on national development. Despite the positives supposed to be derived from public enterprises, public enterprises performance has been affected by corruption, management deficiencies, technological backwardness and recently corona virus. This module seeks to expose students to the strategic role of public enterprises in national development, how they are managed and the structural and situational challenges constraining their expected developmental role. Its cardinal questions are: What is a public enterprise? What are the major objectives of Public Enterprises (PEs)? What specific roles are they expected to play in national development? What fundamental principles inform their management? How are they different from private enterprises? How are they managed? What management problems constrain the administration of PEs? What has been the trajectory of their performance over the decades? What accounts for these performance trends? Which methods can be used in re-inventing public enterprises in Zimbabwe? These issues will be analysed taking into context, local, continental and global country experiences. |
| GPM206 | Government Procurement and Contracting |
Government procurement and contracting is one of the important courses that a public administrator ought to comprehend. The course allows one to appreciate the basic skills requirements for a procurement practitioner, and to have an understanding of the basic principles of procurement, tendering, contracting and the expected procedures. The laws governing public sector procurement and institutions involved in the procedures must be fully comprehended by the students. Of particular importance is an understanding of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act [Chapter 22:23], and the Public Procurement General Regulations of 2018, which are the foundations upon which the course is built. The provisions related to procurement that are mentioned in the Administrative Justice Act [Chapter 10:28], and the Competition Act [Chapter 14:28] are essential. On a global scale, students are expected to acquaint themselves with the Methodology for Assessing Procurement Systems (MAPS). Equally important is an appreciation of the ethical issues in public procurement, and some of the notable controversies that have characterised public procurement in Zimbabwe. Students should also understand the role of digital technologies in the procurement process. Students should also be able to understand how electronic procurement can address the procurement shortfalls which are faced by most developing countries like Zimbabwe. This course arises because, across the world, governments engage with private players who provide designated goods and service on contract. The questions to be answered are:
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| SDLSSB201 |
Student Development and Life Skills (University Wide Module) |
This module equips learners with essential personal, social, and professional skills to thrive in academic and everyday life. It focuses on self-awareness, emotional intelligence, communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and responsible decision-making. Students will also develop practical competencies such as time management, teamwork, leadership, and adaptability, preparing them to navigate challenges and opportunities in both personal growth and future careers. |
| CCLSSB201 |
Critical Consciousness & Life Skills (University Wide Module) |
Develops students’ awareness of social, cultural and personal issues while fostering essential life skills for decision-making, problem-solving and responsible citizenship. |
| RISSB202 |
Research and Innovation Skills (Faculty Wide Module) |
This module equips learners with the essential knowledge, tools, and practices required to conduct effective research and foster innovation in academic, professional, and entrepreneurial settings. It emphasizes critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and the application of systematic research methods to generate new ideas and solutions. |
| SSRM201 |
Social Science Research Methods (Faculty Wide Module) |
This module engages with the emergence of Social Science Research Methods and their need to deal with unique experiences, meanings making processes and interpretations of people and thus of society. At the end of the module students should be able to conduct qualitative research to inform policies and development initiatives. |
| LAICSBCH200 | Language Acquisition And Intercultural Communication For Social And Behavioural Sciences -CHINESE | This module provides students with an appreciation of the Chinese language. It introduces basic aspects of the Chinese language and linguistic structure. The module uses a comprehensive approach where all aspects of the Chinese language will be adopted, with students spending a significant amount of time on oral practice to enable them to gain confidence in communication. This module fairly responds to the industry and societal needs following the flood of Chinese people venturing into various industries in Zimbabwe and requiring various services. This module serves to bridge the language gap and provides profound advantages for our society by increasing social cohesion, and enabling authentic cross-cultural connections. Beyond mere communication, this module acts as a bridge that dismantles stereotypes, promotes inclusivity, and prepares individuals to navigate a globalized world as it produces graduates who have an understanding of the Chinese community and are able to communicate effectively in situations where language may otherwise be a barrier. |
| GPM301 | Public Health Services Administration | This module focuses on the topical issue in Public Health Services Administration. This module provides an introduction to public health management with a focus on the major tasks confronting managers of health care organizations. This follows the appreciation that even though public health service administrators are the operations managers of health institutions they have not been appreciated as they are not directly linked to the core business of the institution. Students through attachment to the different hospitals namely Chitungwiza, Parirenyatwa and Harare hospitals need to appreciate the meaning of a health care, health system, principles of a health delivery system, the organisation of health systems, characteristics of a fundamental health system as well as the challenges in public health services delivery. |
| GPM302 | Public Sector Development |
Public sector over the years experienced changes across the globe. These changes induced multiplier effects on the management styles, content, magnitude and the scope of public service delivery. This course investigate the development trajectory of the public sector in Africa, paying particular attention on the environmental impact, theoretical underpinnings undergirding the discipline, capacity building measures, and the influence of politics. The leading questions are: What is a public sector development? What are public sector development strategies? How theories help in the understanding of the discipline? How strategies have been implemented and managed in Africa? What public sector challenges are being encountered? What has been the impact of public sector development strategies on promoting efficiency, accountability, effectiveness and good governance? What is the politics of public sector development? What initiatives have been taken to build capacity for managing the public sector in Africa? |
| GPM303 | Local Governance and Management |
This module provides a comprehensive understanding of local governance and management, focusing on the key challenges and opportunities facing local governments in modern days. Students will explore various topics, including devolution, decentralisation, climate change, economic development, equity, public health, technology, local government elections, laws and administration, and comparative local government systems. The module will equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to manage and lead local governments in a complex, effective, and rapidly changing environment. |
| GPM304 | Organisational Change and Development | An organisation is “a consciously coordinated social entity, with a relatively identifiable boundary, which functions on a relatively continuous basis to achieve a common goal or a set of goals” (Robbins 2001: 704). This module focuses on developing knowledge and skills in Organizational change and development for human resources practitioners, middle managers, senior managers and organisational consultants. Skills development is backed by practical skills garnered from fieldwork research. Organizational Development can be defined as studying successful organisational change. This follows the appreciation that organizations do not exist in a vacuum, but rather in a constantly changing operating environment, and for them to survive they must adjust, adopt and adapt to change as it comes. Changes come on many fronts: social, economic, political, technological as well as cultural. The module will therefore examine change processes, change management and deal with resistance to change in organizations from fieldwork experiences. Other important issues such as gender and development, sustainable development will also be discussed in the module |
| GPM305 | Project Planning and Management | The module GPM 305: Project Planning and Management aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and competencies required to plan, manage, and evaluate projects effectively. Students will learn to apply theoretical concepts and practical tools to manage projects from inception to completion, ensuring that projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards. |
| GPM306 | Government Auditing | This course provides an in-depth understanding of government auditing, focusing on its importance in promoting accountability, transparency, and good governance in the public sector. Students will explore the legal and institutional frameworks undergirding government auditing, the politics of government auditing, and the challenges and opportunities in the field. |
| EPECPSB301 |
Entrepreneurship, Professional Ethics Communication and Philosophy (University Wide Module) |
The module capacitates students with skills to organically grow enterprises through cultivating employees that are creative and innovative. These skills and knowledge are the corner stone of enterprise growth as they remove dependence on the owners to all in the organisation. Through the module organisational rejuvenation and sustainable competitiveness hence growth is guaranteed. |
| SDLSSB301 |
Student Development and Life Skills (University Wide Module) |
This module equips learners with essential personal, social, and professional skills to thrive in academic and everyday life. It focuses on self-awareness, emotional intelligence, communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and responsible decision-making. Students will also develop practical competencies such as time management, teamwork, leadership, and adaptability, preparing them to navigate challenges and opportunities in both personal growth and future careers. |
| GPM380 |
Industrial Attachment |
Industrial Attachment provides learners with supervised, hands-on practical experience in a real-world organizational or community development setting. The module bridges theory and practice by allowing students to apply knowledge and skills acquired during their studies to professional environments. It focuses on experiential learning, workplace ethics, problem-solving, and professional development, while exposing learners to institutional operations, project implementation, and stakeholder engagement. The module also emphasizes reflective practice, reporting, and supervision to enhance learning outcomes and career readiness. |
| GPM401 | Public Sector Accountability |
Accountability occupies an important place in the public sector. It is not a nascent practice or relatively new phenomenon in the public sector but can be conceptualised within an understanding of a wider narrative that can be traced back to New Public Management paradigm. This course investigates public sector accountability in Africa, paying particular attention to the role of judicial and independent institutions of probity in ensuring accountability, the software aspects of ethics and corporate as well as the influence of politics. This module draws on key elements of public administration to introduce students to approaches for understanding accountability concerns in the public sector. The module will focus on a variety of ways on how the public sector can improve in discharging public goods and services effectively and efficiently. In addition, the module will examine more effective ways to ensure accountability, improve public sector performance and spread creative ideas for efficient service provision. The guiding questions are: What is a public sector accountability? What public sector accountability challenges are being encountered? What has been the impact of judicial and independent institutions of probity in ensuring public sector accountability? What is the role of corporate governance in promoting efficiency, accountability, and effectiveness in the public sector? What initiatives have been taken to enhance accountability in the public sector in Africa? |
| GPM402 | Government Budgeting and Fiscal Sustainability | Public Sector Finance is the fine art of budgeting, spending and managing public monies. Managing finance in the public sector is not easy just as it is not easy in any large corporate or small business or at individual level. As business grows so do financial inflows in any organization hence managing finances only when it is possible is dangerous. The success of any organization or country is defined by the quality of its financial management systems and sustainability strategies. Finances are the life blood of any organization whether private or public. The course is designed to equip students with practical budgeting, investment management and sustainable financial management strategies. The main objective is to enable students to acquire skills to prepare budgets, carry out effective capital budgeting, analyze cash allocation and investment priorities and advise government on sustainable financial management. The concepts of budgeting and fiscal sustainability are explored in detail. At the end of the course, students should demonstrate ability to evaluate government financial management strategies and their impact on government operations |
| GPM404 | The State and Public Management in Africa | This module is meant to give a comprehensive introduction to students on the subject of organisational theory, which basically falls into three periodised categories of classical, neoclassical and modern theories. It unpacks the basic assumptions, strengths, weaknesses and relevance of organisational theories to contemporary managerial and organisational practices in the public sector. Following the trajectory in the development of organisational theory, the module is also meant to impart theoretical insights and enable evaluation of the applicability of the various organisational theories to present day organisations. Overall, the module capacitates students to explore key contemporary organisational issues from an informed perspective. |
| GPM405 | Leadership Theories and Practices |
Leadership is central to the success of any organisation, be it public, private, multi-national, large or small. Day and Antonakis (2012) define leadership as an attempt at influencing the activities of followers, through the communication process, towards the attainment of some goal or goals. In similar vein, Mesterova, Prochazka and Vaculik (2015) define leadership as the process of influencing the activities of an individual or a group in efforts toward goal achievement in a given situation. Wisner (2011) adds another dimension by defining leadership as the development of a clear and complete system of expectations in order to identify, evoke and use the strengths of all resources in the organisation, the most important of which is people. One of the key issues in the governance of any institution is the provision of strategic direction and the leadership to steer the organisation towards the intended goals. Therefore, it is priceless for Public Administrators to appreciate the virtues of a sound and effective leader. This module summarises key issues that are central to sound and effective leadership in the 21st century. |
| GPM470 | Research Project | The project is aimed at getting students to apply all research skills that they acquired over the duration of the degree programme to a topic covering a topical issue in the country. Thus, the project is meant to give each student an opportunity to identify a topic of her/his choice, write a proposal, develop a study design and tools, collect and manage data, analyse and present the findings, discuss findings in the context of contemporary literature and theories and provide meaningful recommendations from the study. At the end of the project the students will be able to design research projects, collect and analyse data, undertake professional writing which includes journal articles and policy briefs, policies and programmes that enhance innovation and industrialisation. |
| SDLSSB401 |
Student Development and Life Skills (University Wide Module) |
This module equips learners with essential personal, social, and professional skills to thrive in academic and everyday life. It focuses on self-awareness, emotional intelligence, communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and responsible decision-making. Students will also develop practical competencies such as time management, teamwork, leadership, and adaptability, preparing them to navigate challenges and opportunities in both personal growth and future careers. |