Overview
Welcome to the Department of Political Science and International Relations (PSIR), one of the three academic components of the College of Leadership Development Studies. The Department is the hub of policy thinking and research, as well as the academic mill and platform from which sound ideas, discourses and political constructs for nation-building emerge. These, coupled with the fact that we run Political Science, Policy and Strategic Studies and International Relations, which are some of the flagship programmes in the University, make us a leading unit, which contributes in dynamic ways to the realization of the medium and term long-goals of the University in “Raising a New Generation of Leaders” to achieve the University Vision of 10:2022.
Our Vision
The Department of Political Science and International Relations is currently poised to projecting what The Chancellor of the University, Dr. David O. Oyedepo often emphasizes as the restoration of the dignity of the black race. In addition to this, the Department is tacitly aligned and committed to the University’s Vision 10:2022 and ‘ReCiTe2’ (Research, Citation, Innovation and Teaching) agenda, both aimed at evolving Covenant University into a World-Class Research University and One of the Top 10 universities in the world by 2022.
To this end, PSIR, through research, citation and teaching pedagogy in our areas of core competence, including diplomacy, peace and conflict, power, negotiation, nation building, gender, public administration, et cetera, is positioned and committed to the realization of the University vision. Also the PSIR has domesticated the University Vision and Agenda by its own Departmental Vision, namely ‘Mission to Rebuild our Research and Academic Capacity”, with a drive to embark on research production that will lead to the leapfrogging of the Department to one of the Top Ten Research-Departments in the University.
Our Mission
PSIR’s mission is also linked to Covenant University’s mission of creating knowledge and restoring the dignity of the black man via a Human Development and Total Man Concept-driven curriculum, which employs innovative, leading edge, teaching and learning methods, research and professional services: that promote integrated, life-applicable and life-transforming education relevant to the context of Science, Technology and Human Capacity Building.
Our Core Competences
PSIR is the largest research-oriented and student-centered department in the College of Leadership Development Studies. The Department also prides itself in first-rate teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Our research and teaching cover the traditional fields of International Relations, Comparative Politics, Public Policy, Diplomacy, Personnel Administration, Strategic Management and Leadership and Research Methods. In collaboration with faculty in other departments we also emphasize cross-cutting areas of Operational Research.
In addition, our areas of research span strategic thoughts, organizational behavior, electoral behaviour, international relations, political theory, political institutions and public administration. See the departmental handbook for Policy and Strategic Studies.
PSIR has three programmes with a broad range of choices which are:
- International Relations
- Political Science
- Policy and Strategic Studies
There is provision of methodical and consistent personal support to students to ensure their learning development, which encompasses excellent quality project supervision, advising, individual feedback on their progress, and tutorial support. We offer excellent teaching informed by research and students are provided opportunities to experience research-led learning, through involvement in individual or collaborative research networks. Faculty in PSIR are active researchers in their various areas of research interest as demonstrated by the proven quality research engagements within the departmental research groups, their involvement in funded research projects, their external recognition and their research leadership qualities.
We are very proud of our graduates and their accomplishments: they are highly resourceful professionals who pursue successful careers in a wide range of contexts in the competitive global labour market. In addition, it should be noted that our graduates have no problem getting employment of their choice in the labour market across the different sectors of the nation’s economy. Graduates of Policy and Strategic Studies, Political Science and International Relations have the advantage of securing good employment into the Policy and Strategy Department of the Nigerian Central Bank and other commercial banks in Nigeria, Personnel Department of public and private sector organizations, diplomatic missions of foreign countries based in Nigeria and Nigerian diplomatic missions abroad, military and para-military organizations within and outside the country as attested to by our graduates in different parts of the world. The implication of the aforementioned is that our graduates are readily available and employable in all human endeavours both within and outside the country.
I encourage you to visit our website to find information about our programmes, students’ achievements and awards, our research cluster and research activities. It is my hope that prospective students will be encouraged to join any of our three aforementioned programmes at the undergraduate level.
As department, you can contact us at (hodpsir@covenantuniversity.edu.ng)