This course is a sub-field of Political Science. It focuses on the relationship between politics and economics. More specifically, it is the interaction of the market and powerful state and non-state actors. The course seeks to address two overarching questions: Why is there a need to study international economic issues from a political perspective? What is the relationship between the political and economic order? The course is divided into three parts. Part I discusses the nature of and contending approaches to IPE. Part II examines global governance, global finance, regionalism and international trade. The final part of the course focuses on the case of China in the global political economy.
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This course builds on the theoretical understandings of development that students acquired in Modernization and Development. It surveys a number of important issues involved in the process of globalization and the ways in which they impact on the process of development. This course is geared to elucidating the complexities that exist in the systemic nature of capitalism and to underscore the developmental challenges that confront modernity.
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This course is designed to deepen students’ understanding of economic theory and methods. It is a major step above what they would have covered in their introductory course even though it builds on many of the same concepts. Topics include: unemployment, money and inflation; economic fluctuations within the context of the ISLM framework; stabilization policy and the problems of government debt and budget deficits. By the end of the course students should have a good understanding of how economies work and how to make them work better, that is, more efficiently.
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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.
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Insights into Caribbean social structure and the advent of the colonists from the 16th to the 20th centuries are offered, allowing students to understand the relationship among ethnicity, race, class and colour in West Indian societies, and how the historical legacy of slavery and indentureship produce cultural traditions and customs impacting on social structure and society.
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The course addresses the fundamental principles undergirding the theoretical and empirical foundations of macroeconomics at the intermediate level. In this regard, it uses a combination of mathematical and intuitive analysis to provide some understanding of the subject area. The application of analysis that comes mainly from studies of the more developed economies, offers lessons that are valuable for all countries including the Caribbean.
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This course is geared towards introducing students to contemporary Latin American Government and Politics. It will also give students an understanding of the main social, political and economic features present in contemporary Latin America. They will explore also the competing theories that have been used to explain development and underdevelopment in the region as well as other salient Latin American issues and identify changing political and economic trends in the region.
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This course introduces the student to the unique characteristics of the Caribbean economy. It highlights the challenges and opportunities. The impact of globalisation on small economies of the Caribbean as well as the challenges and possibilities associated with economic integration within the region will be explored.
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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.
