Social Behaviour and Conflict Management

Degree Type: 

Diploma

Department: 

Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Modes of Study: 

Sandwich

About Programme: 

 

The Accra Sports Stadium tragedy of May 2001 brought to the fore the need to invigorate sections of the country’s protection agencies. The field of sociology has much to offer by way of insights into crowd behaviour, group dynamics, community relations, sensitivity training, conflict management, gender relations, violence, leadership and human security.  

Entry Requirements: 

Candidates applying for admission into the programme should have any of the following requirements:

Minimum credits in GCE Ordinary level including English and Mathematics or its equivalent

Or

Aggregate 20 or better at SSCE with at least a pass in English and Mathematics or its equivalent

Or

Teacher’s Certificate ‘A’ or its equivalent

Or

Stenographer Grade Two Certificate

Two passes in GCE Advanced Level excluding General Paper

An undergraduate degree will be an advantage

In addition to the above requirements, prospective students should have been working in a protection agency for a minimum of three years.

Career Opportunities: 

In an effort to contribute toward the growth and development of Ghana as a peaceful, democratic country, mindful of the human rights of all of its citizens, the programme is designed specifically for those in charge of the preservation of peace and security in the country who seek to continue their education and equip themselves with knowledge and analytical skills that will enhance their efficiency.

Programme Structure

Level 150

First Semester

PSB 309: SOCIAL STATISTICS
3 Credit(s)

 

The course covers topics such as statistical concepts, data tabulation and graphical presentation. In addition, other statistical measures

such as central tendency, dispersion are taught. Students are also taught the normal curve, the null hypothesis, the correlation coefficient, regression analysis and chi-square statistic.
PSB 310: THEORIES OF SOCIAL CONFLICT
3 Credit(s)

 

This course covers topics such as basic concepts and theories of social conflict, conflict resolution, management, transformation,

mapping, and containment. In addition, the course deals with the theoretical bases of various types of social conflict.
PSB 311: COUNSELLING
3 Credit(s)

 

The course covers topics such as the difference between counselling and advice in the context of conflict management, theories of counselling,

tools for counselling such as religion, psychiatric tools, and occupational therapy, and forms of counselling and application of counselling skills, and dispute resolution.
PSB 312: POLITICAL ECONOMY
3 Credit(s)

 

This course discusses issues relative to the concepts of politics, economics, orthodox political economy and heterodox political economy. It also discusses the theories of liberalism, neo-liberalism, Marxism, dependency and their relevance to national and global development trajectories. This course further exposes students to emerging political economy issues such as state-market integration, the role of civil society, social innovation and social entrepreneurship in shaping development agenda. Finally, this course highlights how subjective framings may mould political and economic decisions within national and international contexts.

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PSB 313: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
3 Credit(s)

 

This course introduces students to basic and fundamental concepts of international relations. It examines the major theories and issues in the study of international relations such as realism, foreign policy, international behaviour, actors in the international system (nation-state, sub-state and non-state actors, such as IGOs and NGOs) human rights, and  gender.

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PSB 314 : COMMUNITY RELATIONS 3 CREDITS
3 Credit(s)

 

This course introduces students to the intricate web of relationships that exist among members of a community as well as those between communities and local organisations. It examines the concept and theory of community, organization and structure of community, and community entry protocol.  Rights and responsibilities of individuals, social networks, social capital, social systems, and corporate social responsibility are also discussed.

Second Semester

PSB 302: LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO CONFLICT PREVENTION, MANAGEMENT AND RESOLUTION
3 Credit(s)

 

The course introduces students to the legal procedures, practices and institutions involved in conflict management. It deals with an in-depth study of the laws that regulate crowd behaviour, riot, violence and other criminal offences. Dispute resolution institutions such as the courts in Ghana are studied together with alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. Fundamental human rights and freedoms under the 1992 Constitution of Ghana are considered with emphasis on women, children and disabled person’s rights.
PSB 303: RESEARCH METHODS
3 Credit(s)

 

The course discusses relevant topics and areas of social research such as positivism and interpretivism, types of social research, steps in conducting social research, research design, research proposal, sampling techniques, ethical issues in research, data collection techniques, data management, report writing and presentation.
PSB 304: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN GHANAIAN SOCIETY
3 Credit(s)

 

This course discusses current issues in Ghanaian society. It examines the nature of the Ghanaian family and domestic violence, teenage pregnancy, old age, ethnicity and nepotism, conceptions of governance and corruption, the nature of HIV/AIDS and poverty, conflict prevention strategies and management in Ghana.
PSB 305: UNDERSTANDING PEACE AND PEACE BUILDING
3 Credit(s)

 

The course discusses the following topics: understanding the concepts of peace and peace building, negotiation of peace and the approaches to peace and peacebuilding. It also looks at the role of peace in development.
PSB 306: INFORMATION LITERACY
3 Credit(s)

 

The course covers the following topics: accessing, retrieving  and evaluating information both manually and electronically, academic databases, library support systems,

management and use of online journals and other electronic resources.

PSB 307: ETHNIC CONFLICTS IN AFRICA
3 Credit(s)

 

This course exposes students to concepts such as ethnic group, ethnicity, conflict, and peace. In addition, the ethnic composition of the African nation states from the Berlin Conference through pre-independence to the post-independence era is examined. Theories associated with ethnic prejudices and stereotypes as well as the nature and functions of conflict in Africa are discussed.