Course List

Psychological literacy is the major outcome of a major in psychology. It involves acquisition of specialized knowledge, grounding in scientific thinking, capacity to think critically, acting ethically, competency in using and evaluating information, effective communication, respect for diversity and being reflective about one’s own and others’ behaviour. The psychologically literate citizen is able to draw upon this knowledge of psychology and apply it to a broad range of situations. The time for the psychologically literate citizen is overdue. As indicated by U.S. President Barack Obama at Arizona State University in May 2009.

This course gives the student the opportunity to grow academically, through participation in a service-learning experience. Students will meet real needs in the community by applying knowledge from the course. This course will examine elements of disaster response, volunteerism, civic engagement, service learning, social innovation, healing proposals and service projects and will expose students to the four basic principles of service learning namely, engagement, reflection, reciprocity and public dissemination. Students will complete 30 hours of service over a five week period (Weeks 7 to 11), which may include participating in community enhancement activities or other community projects that are related to disaster risk reduction/management. During the 5 weeks of community service, students will be expected to reflect on their experiences and document their reflections in their online journal while completing other tasks online. Students will work with selected NGO’s, CBO’s or other established community groups and partners in their respective territories, in post-disaster response or disaster preparedness/risk management service areas that positively impact the community.

This course will introduce students to classical social theory through an understanding of the work of writers such as Auguste Comte, Max Weber, Karl Marx and George H. Mead. The main focus of this studying is to understand the central ideas of these writers and to reflect on the usefulness of their theory in contemporary Caribbean societies. This reflection will support students’ further investigations of the explanations given for issues on the front line of Caribbean societies’ development agendas. At the same time, students will learn about the central ideas and perspectives of writers such as Edward Kamau Brathwaite, M.G. Smith and George Beckford. The combination of classical and Caribbean schools of social inquiry will set the tone for a synthesizing of perspectives on race, class, gender, ethnicity and the family in society. This process will assist students with developing their theoretical base in social theory, as well as independent thought on happenings in Caribbean society.

This course addresses those general philosophical questions which form a necessary grounding to the understanding of these techniques and procedures which follow. It will not be dealing with those methodological issues featured in faculty introductory courses. Some of the topics include: epistemological issues and theories of knowledge, Weberian and other perspectives, causality and association, social sciences as a science, induction and deduction, the distinction between a social problem and what is socially problematic.

Sem 1 - Assoc S/Work

Must have Math as part of matriculation requirement or do IYMS

This course critically examines the theoretical perspectives of 19th and early 20th century pioneers of sociology like Comte, Spencer, Durkheim, Du Bois, Marx, Weber, Martineau and
Addams. The main focus is an understanding of the transition from traditional to modern society and its attendant challenges such as class, race and gender inequality. Theorists’ works would be analysed within their own specific social and historical context as they addressed the central concerns of social order and change. Specifically, the course provides an understanding of past and contemporary social issues as well as the roots of social scientific thinking and the basis for theory building. It will examine the philosophical (ontological, methodological, epistemological) bases of sociological theories. During the course concepts, related to theory building, like axiom, tautology and taxonomy will be defined.

This course aims to give students an introduction to contemporary trends in sociological theory. At its core, the course examines a range of theoretical debates that have acquired international prominence in recent years. Sociological theory unavoidably has to be approached from an international perspective. This is due to, on the one hand, the universalising claims inherent in many contemporary theoretical approaches and, on the other hand, the proliferation of sociology, sociologists, and sociology departments throughout the world. At the same time, however, questions remain as to the scope of relevance of internationally dominant theories that emanate from leading sociology departments and publishing houses in Western Europe and North America. The present course addresses this tension by introducing students to a broad range of contemporary theories and interrogating their importance to social research in the Caribbean.