Dear SAAPS Members and Other Interested Scholars

This newsletter brings you the early 2006 updates on current and forthcoming events and activities of the South African Association of Political Studies (SAAPS). We look forward to your participation in these SAAPS events!

You are also welcome to navigate the website on www.saaps.org.za for further information. We are currently in the process of effecting a full update. Updates will be maintained throughout the year.

SAAPS SEPTEMBER 2006 BIENNIAL CONFERENCE, UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE: We are delighted to report that the arrangements for the Biennial Conference are well advanced and that abstracts are streaming in. Our thanks go to Keith Gottschalk and his UWC colleagues. The conference will take place from 5 – 8 September 2006, on the campus of the University of the Western Cape (UWC), Cape Town, South Africa. For more information, please visit the SAAPS website, which is also hyperlinked to conference information on www.uwc.ac.za/ems/pols. We look forward to making this one of the greatest SAAPS conferences ever. Please ensure that you will be there!

POLITIKON SAAPS has issued the advertisement for the appointment of a new editor-review editor team for Politikon. Please see the SAAPS website for the full advertisement, which includes details on requirements and functions. The new editor will commence duties as soon as possible after June 2006, and will be responsible for the editing of the journal for two years. The first edition that the incoming editor will produce will be the issue of April 2007. The closing date for applications is Tuesday 9 May 2006. The editor and review editor should apply as a team. Applications should be sent to the President of SAAPS, Prof Susan Booysen, on sbooysen@icon.co.za.

BEST STUDENT AWARD, 2005 The process to select the two best students of 2005 – undergraduate and Honours – has commenced. We request heads of department and other academic leaders in the universities to identify their top 2005 students. Nominations will comprise a letter of motivation by the head of department or other senior academic, a curriculum vitae of the student, and the two best assignments that the student produced in 2005. I shall also be contacting heads of department to formally request nominations.

However, in the interim, please send applications to sbooysen@icon.co,za or to Prof Susan Booysen, Graduate School of Public & Development Management, PO Box 601, Wits 2050, South Africa.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL AND UPDATE OF CONTACT DETAILS Secretary-treasurer Dr Thabisi Hoeane kindly requests SAAPS members to renew their membership, as this becomes due. We are investigating facilities to do this online. However, in the interim, please contact Thabisi on t.hoeane@ru.ac.za, should you require information or wish to make your payments. Furthermore, kindly remember to notify Dr Hoeane of any change in your electronic or postal contact details. Several SAAPS members on campuses that went through mergers still have to notify us of new contact details. We obviously also encourage hitherto non-members – including students and other young scholars – to become SAAPS members.

SAAPS SURVEY OF POLITICAL STUDIES IN SOUTH AFRICA, CIRCA 2005/6 At last year’s Pietermaritzburg research colloquium, the general members’ meeting requested fellow council member Anthoni van Nieuwkerk and I to initiate a survey of the current ‘State of Political Studies’ in South Africa. We shall be in touch very soon. As a first part of this project, we shall be focusing on challenges that scholars in South Africa experience in the teaching (or, facilitation of learning) in Political Studies. We also plan to link the survey to presentations and roundtable discussions at SAAPS’ September conference.

SAAPS SEMINARS: In planning seminar activities for 2006, you are invited to bear in mind the option of SAAPS’ co-sponsorship of departmental or other in-house seminar activities. We invite departments, institutes, research organisations or student groups to join in the SAAPS seminar series. For participation, email the Secretary-Treasurer, Dr Thabisi Hoeane, or Deputy President Gampi Matheba with details and request approval.

SAAPS provides sponsorship of R300 for hosting Political Studies seminars under the joint auspices of SAAPS and the host department / institution / grouping of interested scholars. This small amount may be used at the discretion of the seminar organisers (refreshments, assistance, etc.). The minimal conditions are:

• The seminar should be promoted as a joint activity of the local department / institute and SAAPS; o SAAPS membership forms should be on display and there must be encouragement for new members to join; and o The seminars should encourage participation (either as presenters or as audience participants) from emerging scholars and/or students.

With best wishes on behalf of the SAAPS Executive Committee

Susan Booysen

Prof Susan Booysen, President, South African Association of Political Studies (SAAPS)