Civics and Ethical Studies

The Bachelor of Arts Degree in Civics and Ethical Studies is the oldest national program with a standardized curriculum. Its goal is to provide graduates who have good civic knowledge, skills, and competence in the vast areas of Civic and Ethical Studies with a remarkable degree of civic attitude and moral standards so that graduates of this program can play an exemplary role in society. In this regard, Injibara University broadly recognized the importance and relevance of launching this program, as the program’s relevance has already been evaluated and validated nationwide. Thus, the program was official inaugurated under the College of Social Science and Humanities by admitting extension students on 7/8/2018.  

Currently, as of 2024, the department is offering courses for both undergraduate and Post-graduate students in both regular and summer programs.  In addition to this, the department of Civic and Ethical Studies, in collaboration with the sister Department of Political Science and International Relations, is also offering common courses (i.e., Logic and Critical Thinking, Moral and Civic Education, and Global Trends) to all colleges of the University. Besides to undergraduate regular and summer program, the department has drafted the curriculum for the Master of Arts in Governance and Development in 2022/2023, and started teaching-learning process in 2023/2024.

In parallel to offering relevant, efficient and quality education and training, the department has a mission of conducting demand driven research, and rendering efficient community services in the areas of human rights, governance studies, public policy, development studies, peace and conflict, federalism, political studies, international relations and diplomacy, public service delivery, and other cross-cutting issues (such as, gender and development, globalization, environment and development, gender based violence, child rights, corruption and development, human trafficking and displacement, and so on).

There are currently 12 academic staff on duty and 1 academic staff on study leave.

Major Rationales of the Program

Global Level

• Need for citizens with knowledge of the globalized world to address challenges and fast-changing developments.
• Trends of increased interdependence, regionalization, nationalism, and democratization require citizens to adapt and build capacity for global understanding and competitive skills.

Regional Level

• Ethiopia’s role in regional organizations, like AU, COMESA and EU requires citizens to redefine their contributions as regional and global citizens.
• Need for citizens skilled in conflict management and resolution to address persistent regional conflicts.
• Importance of citizens equipped to navigate cultural imperialism due to global interdependence.

National Level:

• Profound social, economic, and political transformations in Ethiopia since 1991 require citizens with values of civics participation, anti-corruption, equality, and national identity.
• Need to produce graduates who can contribute to democratization, securing national interests, and economic development of the country.

Vision, Mission, and Objectives

Vision

To be the leading center of excellence in Ethiopia for developing ethical, civic-minded professionals who champion good governance, manage conflicts constructively, and drive sustainable development in the country and the broader region, advance ethical standards, and empower citizens with the knowledge, skills and attitude to build a peaceful and prosperous society by 2030.

Mission

Department of Civic and Ethical Studies has a mission of offering relevant, efficient and quality education and training; conducting demand driven research and rendering efficient community services.

• Producing professionals who have the desired academic knowledge, sufficient professional skills and attitudes, good citizenship, and those ethical and democratic values;
• Promoting reflective and social pragmatic principles and practices of teaching and learning;
• Conducting impactful research and modeling good governance practices; and
• Providing impactful community services in the broadest areas of Civics and Ethical Studies;
• Endeavoring for the successful implementation of Ethiopia’s short and long-term plans of providing quality education for all;

Objectives of the Program

General objective

• To produce graduates with strong civic knowledge, competence, and responsibility in Civic and Ethical Studies by equipping them to effectively address the socio-economic and political challenges facing the country.

Specific objectives

• To produce graduates with strong civic capacity, moral standards, and competence in Civic and Ethical Studies.
• To produce graduates equipped with multidisciplinary approach that could effectively contributes in addressing the multifaceted problems of Ethiopian societies;
• To harvest graduates that are bound to democratic and ethical standards, skilled with the art of deliberation and reasoning that play exemplary role in the society;
• To train professionals to influence democratization, secure national interests, and drive economic development.
• To cultivate graduates with values of industriousness, self-reliance, pursuit of knowledge, saving, and community participation.
• To develop graduates equipped to fight against social evils, like corruption, harmful cultural practices, social discrimination, and human rights violations.

Values

The Department of Civic and Ethical Studies has taken the following core values of the university:

• Customer First: priority should be given the customers.
• Quality in All: makes quality its priority in every aspect of its activities.
• Indigenous Knowledge: values and incorporates indigenous knowledge and perspectives.
• Diversity and Tolerance: promotes diversity, inclusion, and tolerance.
• Ethical Commitment: upholds the highest standards of ethics and integrity.
• Sustainability: prioritizes environmentally sustainable practices and solutions.
• Care for the Community: strives to change and solve the problems of the community.
• Equality in All: treats everyone equally regardless of color, religion, gender, disability or ethnic background in all service and resource provisions.
• Equity in All: encourages fair access of resources and services to all groups of society.
• Recognition: we value, respect and appreciate ideas and contributions of others to the growth and transformation of the Department.
• Democratic Thinking: promotes the freedom of expression and culture of participatory decision making.

Management Structure

The chief executive of the department is the head of department.

Admission Requirements

• Entry to the Bachelor of Arts in Civics and Ethical Studies is allowed to students who have completed their preparatory education in the field of social sciences and also successfully passed first-year freshman courses. These students are generally eligible to be admitted to the departments or program’s regular and continuing education programs. The University shall set different entry requirements for enrollment in the continuing education programs.

Duration of the Study

The program is a four years of study period, including the first-year freshman program.

Graduate Profile

The graduates of this program are expected to develop a wide range of competencies that will enable them to:

• Play active and exemplary roles in promoting peace, constitutionalism, and rule of law, democracy, and human rights through citizen participation.
• Serve as promoters of good governance and development.
• Develop mechanisms to combat corruption, rent-seeking, and other malpractices and immoralities.
• Appreciate and uphold moral values and principles in their interactions with fellow citizens and the environment.
• Strive to promote gender and minority equalities in economic, social, and political spheres.
• Demonstrate commitment to ethical values, principles of professionalism, and leadership in service delivery institutions.
• Provide consultancy and training services in various areas of civics and ethics.
• Serve as diligent, work-loving, and purpose-oriented organizers, developers, and educators of ethical values and principles, as well as societal change analysts in public organs, municipalities, and training centers.
• Develop skills as far-sighted, democratically-principled experts in civics and ethics with strong interpersonal qualities and
• Exhibit entrepreneurial and diligent work-loving behavior that generates positive externalities on the business behavior of others.

Professional Profile

The program aims to produce graduates who can provide professional services at governmental, non-governmental, private, and institutional levels, both nationally and internationally. Graduates can work as, but not limited:

1. Teachers/instructors and consultants;
2. Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Experts;
3. Human Rights Commission Experts;
4. Electoral experts at national and regional level;
5. Security advisers and experts;
6. International Diplomats;
7. Public service providers and administrators;
8. Professionals in public sector ethics and civic duties;
9. Experts in Peace Building and Conflict resolution;
10. Developers of ethical principles, standards, and citizens’ manuals in civil service;
11. Governance and Leadership Experts;
12. Public relations Experts;
13. Office of Ombudsman Experts;
14. Gender and Development Experts;
15. National and International Civil Servants;
16. Justice Officers;
17. Advisors, managers, and educators for civic issues and undertakings;
18. Trainers, inspectors and promoters of human rights, environment, culture, and heritage;
19. Social work professionals managing humanitarian crises; and
20. Advisors, analysts, and idea providers for policymaking at various levels;

Module and Course Clusterization

This program consists of Seven Modules. The first module is the Common Courses Module and the courses clustered init are compulsory courses. The rest six modules are professional compulsory modules in which each thematic module has its own thematically clustered courses that are professional courses of Civics and Ethical Studies. Both the Common Courses Module and the six professional compulsory modules along with the courses clustered under each module are briefly listed as follows:

The First module is made to have 15 freshman common courses, which are compulsory common courses to the freshman students according to the new education and training policy at the university level, to be delivered in the first year, first and second semester, for learners of the program which is given by Freshman College. The courses clustered under this module are: Logic and Critical Thinking; Economics; Entrepreneurship; Communicative English Skills I; Geography of Ethiopia and the Horn; Mathematics for Social Sciences; Physical Fitness; Introduction to Emerging Technology; Social Anthropology; General Psychology; Communicative English Skills II; Civics and Moral Education; Global Trends; History of Ethiopia and the Horn; and Inclusiveness.

The Second professional thematic module– which is named as ‘State, Democracy, and Human Rights’ module, has 7 professional courses under it. These are: Society, State and Government; Citizenship: Theory and Practice; Political Philosophy I; Social Change and Social Institutions; Survey of Human Rights; Political Philosophy II; and Democracy and Election.

The Third thematic professional module– which is named Philosophy and Ethics has 4 thematically clustered courses under it, namely: Introduction to Philosophy; Moral Philosophy; Applied Ethics; and Professional Ethics and Civic Virtue.

The Fourth Module is entitled by Federalism, Constitution and Peace building, consisting of 6 courses, namely: Constitution and Constitutionalism; Diversity and Multiculturalism; Federalism: Theory and Practice; Introduction to Peace and Conflict; Indigenous Conflict Resolution and Peace building; and Public Law and Public Administration.

The Fifth module is entitled as Governance and Development Module consisting of 6 courses. These are: Development Theory and Practice; Issues on Gender and Corruption; Public Policy Formulation and Administration in Ethiopia; Politics of Development Dynamism in Ethiopia; Environment Governance and Sustainable Development; and Migration and Human Security.

The Sixth one is the Global and Regional Relations Module comprising 7 courses, namely; Politics of the Horn and the Middle East; Survey of African Socio-Political Systems; International Political Economy; Regional Cooperation and Integration; Ethiopian Foreign Policy and Diplomacy; International Law and International Organizations; and Contemporary Global Issues.

The Seventh Module is Research and Project Module containing 5 courses. These are: Project

Planning and Development; Research Methodology for Social Sciences I: Qualitative Research; Research Methodology for Social Sciences II: Quantitative Research; Senior Essay in Civics and Ethical Studies I; and Senior Essay in Civics and Ethical Studies II.

Future Academic Career Opportunities

Bachelor of Arts Degree graduates in Civic and Ethical Studies will have the opportunity to attend their Master’s Degree in one or more of the following:

• Political Science; Human Right Studies; Governance Studies; Development Studies; Peace and Conflict Studies; International Relations; Foreign Policy and Diplomacy; Regional and Local Development Studies; Comparative Politics; Public Policy Studies; Civics and Ethical Studies; Gender and Development Studies; Federal Studies; Hydro- politics and related.

Click the links Below to see all Details about the Staff:-

• Staff