In this course students will learn to appreciate the value of qualitative research as it offers contextual meaning of social phenomena. Students will become familiar with the nature, assumptions and logic of qualitative research. They will understand the available techniques for designing a qualitative research study while identifying and constructing theory.
This course is premised on the rationale that ethics can be learned. Ethical literacy is a critical priority in a world where some of the greatest challenges graduates will face will not be matters of fact but rather matters of value and judgement. Knowledge of the ethical rules associated with the Behavioural Sciences will equip students with the necessary tools to engage the moral self with professional rules of ethics. Included in the concept of a psychologically literate citizen, for instance, is an expectation that undergraduates will learn to behave ethically and humanely at work and in other everyday contexts. The same holds true for other Behavioural Science areas. Learners will therefore be given the opportunity to relate practical solutions to ethical dilemmas. Students will be able to distinguish ethics from ethical literacy, apply ethical skills to current situations and issues, Use ethical actions to resolve conflict.
In this course students will learn to appreciate the value of qualitative research as it offers contextual meaning of social phenomena. Students will become familiar with the nature, assumptions and logic of qualitative research. They will understand the available techniques for designing a qualitative research study while identifying and constructing theory.
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.
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.
This course is designed to trace the development of European political thought from the ancient Greek philosophical schools to the origins of modern political thought in the 19th century. Issues concerning the origins of political thought will be investigated with particular emphasis on the contribution of Ancient Egypt to Greek philosophy. The precursors to modern political thought and the evolution of political values and ideologies will be identified. Theories of the state and their socio historical milieu will be examined and the contribution of political philosophy to the development of political institutions will be addressed. The historical sources of contemporary civil arrangements and their philosophical assumptions will be reviewed and assessed. Emphasis and focus on particular philosophers and thinkers will vary from time to time. It is a course designed to provide tools of philosophical analysis for the political scientist.
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.
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.
