POLITICAL SCIENCE IN BAYERO UNIVERSIY, KANO

POLITICAL SCIENCE IN BAYERO UNIVERSIY, KANO

Social Sciences disciplines are facing serious challenges of relevance because of increasing complexity of human society and their lack of going beyond specialisation.

Since late twentieth Century the need of specialisation has disappeared from structure of knowledge in various sciences – both social and natural.

These complex transformation is making some sciences to loose their original identities

Political sciences across the globe is resilient. However, it becomes difficult to distinguish it from Political Economy because it survives as multidisciplinary in nature like Political Economy

More so, in some countries a different Political Science has emerged – called political studies to distinguish it from the traditional political science which still respects specialisation.

Political Science, since from its birth has being a multidisciplinary science. Aristotle said it was like a “mad man” in the market, stealing or snatching the method of many other disciplines to construct a theory of understanding human society.

However, American Political Science became like a counter revolution and set entirely new principles of the science which dominated the world, but which is now rejected even in United State of America.

In Nigeria, specifically in Department of Political Science, Bayero University, Kano the America’s counter revolution in the science still remains dominant.

This is to the extent that Political Economy in the Department is unconsciously taught as Political Science. Or is it consciously done as the “New Political Economy”?

Thus, Political Economy is treated as if is not a theory course. But each variant of Political Economy came as a theoretical critique of another, therefore it must be conducted as a theory course. Secondly, it must be a theory which tries to understand power relations in society.

Indeed, there is need of scientific revolution in the Department. This revolution may become a reality in teaching and research. This may be accelerated by multidisciplinary theories and approach in our research undertaking and by new research topics in Undergraduate and Postgraduate researches.

M. M. Yusif

24-06-2014