This course prepares students for investigating and applying a rigorous approach to research in economics in a professional setting and a real-life context. This course aims at developing students’ skills in theoretical and empirical analysis relevant to one or more areas in economics.
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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.
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This course is designed to provide an important set of skills for persons who work in the area of social policy and programming. The course will provide an overview of monitoring and evaluation models and designs. It will provide a systematic introduction to the steps involved in planning a programme evaluation, and in designing instruments, establishing samples, analysing and interpreting data, and preparing a report.
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This course provides an introduction to the econometric methods frequently used to analyze data. The courses focuses on the linear regression model and more specifically, the ordinary least squares (OLS) estimation procedure. Students will gain an understanding of how to use t-Test and F-Test to make inferences about the estimated parameters and the diagnostic tests that are available to test some of the assumptions of the simple OLS model.
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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.
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This course presents and examines the social and cultural forces that have implications for the formation and maintenance of social relationships. It exposes students to the concepts, theories, and methods involved in studying the family. It provides an opportunity for students to critically examine issues associated with marriage, family so that they can derive a clearer understanding of marriage and the family as critical institutions in society. The course helps students to apply theoretical perspectives to go beyond personal experiences and view the family from diverse social contexts.
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This course builds on the foundations learned in Econometrics by focusing on the practical application of econometric methods in solving econometric problems. It also introduces topics such as panel data analysis and modern time series methods.
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This course explores the distinct foundations upon which modern Caribbean politics rests. It attempts to identify the unique characteristics and experiences of Caribbean states to enrich the field of comparisons with other political systems. The special characteristics of small states, the varied impact of colonialism in the region, the nature of the political culture, along with class and ethnic influences, the founding roles of Caribbean leaders, the main state formations that have emerged, as well as the emergence of civil societies in the Caribbean are the main areas covered. The main purpose is to be able to understand the nature of contemporary Caribbean politics from the continuing impact of these foundations.
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This course will introduce learners to the basic components of political science and analysis. Topics will include historically based issues such as conceptions of the state, an examination of democracy and its applications in the Caribbean, the machinery of government, potential influences on political systems and more recent concepts such as globalisation. Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on establishing links between theories, concepts and real world scenarios in the Caribbean and beyond. On completing the course, it is expected that students will understand and appreciate the political process and its ultimate effect on the wider society.
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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.
