Postgraduate Student Profiles

Ashwin Pienaar

Ashwin Pienaar is a Masters student in the department and is currently working for the "Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel" (EAPPI), an advocacy organisation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The EAPPI seeks to support local and international efforts to end the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and bring a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a just peace, based on international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. The organisation recruits volunteers primarily from Europe, Scandinavia, the US, and South Africa. For more information visit www.eappi.org

Georgina Barrett

Georgina's research interests include International Relations, Security Discourses, the United Nations System, and the Efficacy of International Sanctions. Georgina is a lecturer and PhD student in the Department.

Bongani Nyoka

I started at Rhodes University in 2005, and received a BSocSc with a triple-major in Politics, Philosophy and Industrial Sociology in 2007. I enjoyed studying Politics in my undergraduate years so much that I decided to come back for honours in Political Studies, 2008. Apart from the pure academic advancement of being a postgraduate, I would say that I have developed as a person in many ways. I found that Political Studies offered the right mix of theory and empirical analysis. I found the Department of International and Political Studies an excellent place to study. It’s great to be in a cutting-edge research and teaching environment. I’m learning to look and think far beyond conventional academic boundaries’

Varsha Lalla

My name is Varsha Lalla. I am currently doing my honours degree in Political Studies. This is my first year at Rhodes and I absolutely love it because it challenges me to think about the world in ways I never had before. The standard is high and as a result you are always kept on the top of your game. Even though this has often made me want to cry the fact remains that I've grown a lot as a person and an academic.

 Boitumelo Sethlatswe

My main reason for joining the Politics Department at Rhodes was my due to my idealism and interest in politics and current affairs in general. I have found over the years that idealism falls away but the department replaces that with sound knowledge and a deeper understanding into how the world works. I am thoroughly enjoying the Honours programme as I find it challenges me to think at a heightened level which will hold me in good stead for my future career endeavours.

Carmen West

I completed my undergrad here at Rhodes University, majoring in Politics and Economics. The decision to go into Politics Honors was the best decision by far - I am passionate about International Relations and am studying with the intention of pursuing a career in the Foreign Service.The Rhodes Political and International Studies Department has been remarkable - the standard of the lecturers and resources available has made studying Politics an exciting and highly rewarding experience.

Bridgett Hannah

My name is Bridget Hannah and I completed my BA at Rhodes, majoring in History and Politics. I chose to pursue Honours in the Department for multiple reasons but mostly attributed to the array of interesting courses offered by the knowledgeble and engaged lecturers in the department.My future interests lie in IR and pursuing diplomacy, especially with regards to South-South development regarding South America and Africa. As such, the IR courses by the department offer a great starting point in terms of my practical ambitions, while we are also encouraged to follow courses that reflect our passions elsewhere. Rhodes has been a fantastic learning experience all round and I expect it to enrich further in this years experiences!

Byron McFadden

As a Marxist i came to Rhodes because i heard that it had quiet a
left-leaning faculty. I have found this to be a fairly accurate
assessment, at least in so far as the humanities are concerned. On the
whole the subjects i have chosen (namely politics and history) have
enlightened my worldview to an extent that i doubt would have been
possible in certain more conservative institutions. In addition, as i
progressed through the earlier years of my BA i was able to exercise
more and more intellectual freedom over my choice of subject and
research topic, i found this to be far more helpful and interesting
then if i were 'read to' (which the word lecture originally denotes).
Campus life is also quite easy going and there is a fairly lively
(although still somewhat stunted) activist community. I also enjoy the
'openness' of the Rhodes campus, which is not closed off to the
surrounding community.I hope it continues this way and rumours that
the university wants to physically enclose the grounds prove to be
untrue.

Andisiwe Mthatyana

My name is Andisiwe Mthatyana. I am currently doing my honours in
International Studies. I started at Rhodes University in 2007, and received a Bachelor of Social Science degree with a double-major in Political & International Studies and Industrial & Economic Sociology in 2009. When I came here at Rhodes University, I was passionate about International studies but later on in my undergraduate studies, I fell in love with Political Philosophy. I enjoyed Political & International Studies during my undergraduate studies and I decided to come back for honours in 2010. The most important thing that I like about the department is that it challenges us to think independently and in that way you become a good academic.