Political Science Academic Discipline in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

For nearly two decades or so, the political science programme organized on the basis of core and elective subjects had the benefit of the departmental structure. However, with the completion of administrative re-structuring in 2001, the departmental structure came to be replaced by a programme. Beyond the administrative changes, the political science programme as whole in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) despite its popularity, continues to be marred by certain epistemological problems. The heavy emphasis on empiricism very much influenced by the American academia continues to negate the larger role of theory and philosophy in terms of training and equipping students both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. While the relevance of the programme can be seen in its expansion into various sub-fields such as international relations, international political economy and strategic and security studies, the recent emphasis on multi-disciplinary approach poses problems in terms of strengthening the core discipline as such.