Assessment:

Coursework - 60%, Final Exam - 40% (face-to-face)

Political Science students are asked to take this course in semester 2.

The  summer offering will depend on the students’ registration number.

Exempted if completed ASc. In Social Work

This course is designed to develop an awareness of the main process of cultural development in Caribbean societies, highlighting the factors, the problematic and the creative output that have fed the emergence of Caribbean identities. It also develops a perception of the Caribbean as wider than island nations or linguistic blocs and stimulates students’ interest in, and commitment to Caribbean civilization and to further their self-determination.

This course will therefore be devoted to provoking critical thinking about the political, economic and social challenges and opportunities in the implementation of ICTs for e-Government and in the wider context of e-Governance. It will introduce the student to a variety of theoretical ways of thinking about technology within the broader framework of political science. This is important because convergence of ICTs is reshaping traditional methods of social discourse and the way we interact; exacerbating traditional methods of how knowledge and information are created, managed and utilized as a competitive asset for development; redefining core concepts in contemporary political life such as power, sovereignty, privacy, security, representation, accountability, transparency, individual rights, liberty, democracy, moral agency and ethics. Moreover, the assertion those developing countries will be able to leapfrog traditional technologies and engage newer ones to realise their development goals, have also not been realised. By studying e-governance, students will not only be investigating technical issues, but also the less overt political machinations that go into how these technologies are being used in making decisions about how to engineer information infrastructure for political agendas and the significant implications for political life.

What is theory? Why is it useful? What are the obstacles to developing theories of international relations? Why do states act the way they do? How do we identify change in the international system and how do we explain and account for these changes? Theory is an essential element to the discipline of international relations. It provides different lenses to and assess world events and phenomenon. The course is designed to introduce students to the prevailing theories of international relations and how they are used and misused in the analysis of contemporary policy issues. This class will cover the major theories of international relations. We will examine a variety of theoretical approaches that offer diverse perspectives on the major questions of international relations.

This course covers the concepts, principles, objectives and practical applications of sustainability and sustainable development from an environmental, social, economic, corporate and political perspective. There is a natural environmental orientation to an overarching course of this nature, however, it seeks throughout to identify and analyse relationships between environmental sustainability and socio-economic factors, most centrally, the relationship between resource consumption (individual and collective) and sustainable livelihoods. The course examines, inter alia, the origins of sustainability, sustainability concepts, terms, standards and indicators, economic activity/output and sustainability, the role of industry and issue of waste, the issues of energy, water and clean air; environmental issues, political implications and decision-making and discourse/policy trends in energy, resource use, pollution, climate change and water; the three ‘E’s’ – environment, economics and equity; the environmental-social nexus – current and future resource availability and constraints, livelihoods and policy-making; sustainability in the business world – resource allocation, investment, stakeholders, shareholders, public and/v private-sector actors, the role of NGOs, multilaterals, bilaterals. The course also examines the global political economy of sustainability: individual versus collective state action, the tragedy of the commons, sustainable development, rights, obligations, sacrifices, opportunity costs as viewed by the developed and developing world.

The course takes a critical and holistic approach to global environmental politics and is designed to show how the instrumental and the intrinsic value of the environment are politicised. It examines the relationship between global political forces and environmental change and provides a comprehensive view of the roles and interests of governments and independent agencies. Considering that non-interference is the basic principle governing international politics today, the contents of this course will provide the basis on which the learner can examine fundamental questions like whether or not environmental protection provides a legitimate reason to interfere in the affairs of another state. The course takes a critical approach to politics of the environment. Learners who intend to become participants, decision-makers, advocators and planners in logistics, public management or international policy will benefit from this interface.

The inclusion of this course is premised on the recognition that professional management is applicable at all levels of politics. The proper coordination, planning, organisation, direction, control of activities and negotiation of positions, have an immediate effect on the types of outcomes one seeks. It is essential for political science majors to know how people manage political activities, navigate the world of politics and achieve desired outcomes. Knowledge and “know-how” about these key abilities gives the graduate an advantage in a highly competitive field. Cultivating the attributes that are useful for political management makes the graduate equipped to work with political parties, governmental and non-governmental organisations and the media. Additionally, involvement in applied politics offers the political science major an opportunity to help talented individuals become effective public leaders. The curriculum covers the field of applied politics and encompasses consulting, campaigns, electioneering, lobbying, advocacy and negotiation, fundraising, political communication, political leadership and the attendant ethical dimensions. Political management like other types of management activities is goal oriented.

Professional Development Courses in Political Science are generally geared towards Faculty, established political science practitioners and post-graduate students. This course breaks through those barriers by aligning to the programme’s rationale to give learners a rounded education that will allow them to acquire the skills needed for entry into an exciting career and the certification and skills needed for professional advancement in the context of public, private or not-for-profit organisations. The American Political Science Association, Department of Educational, Professional, and Diversity Programmes have in recent times taken several initiatives to promote undergraduate professional development. In April 2013 for instance, they hosted an Undergraduate Research Week . Within the same context, this course helps to position the Political Science student to take on career building strategies like writing for public audiences or conferencing undergraduate projects and research papers, seeking membership in global political science networks, and seeking mentorship from established scholars and practitioners in the field. Because Political Science is an interdisciplinary area, and undergraduates pursue a diverse set of interests in their post-University life, learners must show that they can adapt when they move forward to graduate school or enter a new profession. This course is therefore included to help prepare the undergraduate for internship, networking and the post-UWI experience.

This course begins by examining a number of competing definitions of the Caribbean and the approaches to regionalism that have been derived from them. It looks at the various implications of small size for survival in the international system. It will also examine Caribbean regional organisations and evolving approaches to regionalism and multilateralism in the 21st century. The course continues by analysing the Caribbean’s changing political and economic relations with the rest of the world. Students will discuss the challenges and opportunities posed by globalization, the rise of new major powers (China, India, Brazil etc.) and by a changing international system for Caribbean states, and their range of foreign policy responses. They will also explore the dynamics of the deepening economic and political links among actors within the Caribbean Basin and between themselves and the rest of Latin America. We study the principal issues and trends in Caribbean – US relations and Caribbean-EU relations.