SALI6000 - Academic Writing for Graduate Students in an ELearning Environment
The overarching aims of this course contribute to the achievement of programme-level objectives that should enable learners to:
- value the importance of good writing to promote effective communication across the curriculum at the graduate level
- use an activity-based, constructivist e-learning environment (Mwanza & Engestrom, 2005) to master writing skills appropriate for higher education
This course will use 100% continuous assessment. There will be no final examination.
SALI6012 - Research Methods in the Social Sciences
The primary objective of this course is to expose students to research methodologies in order to enhance their capacity to conduct research projects. The course is also designed to ensure that students have an appreciation and understanding of the following: (i) the role of the philosophy of science in the research process; (ii) ethical issues in the conduct of social research; (iii) research design and preparation of research proposals. The summative assessment component of this course entails five graded assignments to be submitted online.
SALI6205 - The Global Political Economy
This course aims to provide students with an appreciation of the main structures of global governance—state and non-state—and their evolution over time, so that they can better understand the congealing environment within which states and other actors operate. It also facilitates general insight into the regime-making of major global institutions by exposing students to the main intellectual perspectives and approaches that legitimize as well as underpin them.
Students gain an analytic appreciation of the evolution of the global system and the main regulatory structures that exist as well as the distribution of power within the system. They will also leave with an understanding of the main theoretical perspectives underpinning the global political economy and their evolution over time. Ultimately, students will better appreciate the parameters within which policy is shaped, the interaction structure of the global and the local within specific conjunctures. The course follows an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on faculty trained across the social sciences. It is designed so as to attract students from all disciplines within the Faculty of Social Sciences. Students will be assessed by short answer questions (15%), one coursework essay submission (25%) and a final examination paper (60%).
SALI6200 - Understanding Contemporary Society and Development: Theories of the Present
This course will introduce students to the critical ferment and dissent that is present in theorizing and engaging with modern social change and development, drawing on literature that cuts across social spaces, geographies and history. It will provide students with an opportunity to develop and broaden their theoretical understanding of the ‘modern’ world, as well as, of the central problems debated within development studies; such as neo-liberalism and globalization, capitalism and inequality, social justice and freedom. The course will examine the scope offered by these frameworks and ideas for addressing, or speaking to, the entanglements between the social, economic, political and cultural forces which underpin social change, or development, and the form of ‘progress.’ This course uses continuous assessment during the lifespan of the course; there is no final examination for the course. The summative assessment component includes participation in discussion forums as well as four graded assignments which will be submitted online.
SALI6081- Caribbean Politics
The aim of this course is to enable you to be able to critically analyze aspects of Caribbean politics by outlining some of the main theoretical and contemporary issues. The course will examine models of democracy, systems of government, the contributions of Sir Arthur Lewis and key concepts in Caribbean political thought. Attention will also be paid to Caribbean constitutional issues as well as aspects of the judiciary and judicial politics.
Students do not need to have an interest in Caribbean politics to benefit from this course. For those who are politically conscious, this course will deepen that consciousness. For those who are politically disconnected, this course will open new vistas for understanding Caribbean politics. This course will also add value to the broader understanding about the role of Caribbean politics in the everyday lives of persons living in Caribbean societies. The assessment for this course includes in-class seminars (15%), a coursework essay (10%) and a final examination (75%).
SALI6104 - Social Inequality, Inequity and Marginalisation
This course examines social policy and social protection principles, against the background of human rights commitments, the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030) and relevant theoretical frameworks linked to development. It examines the situation of social inequality, inequity and marginalization in Caribbean Small Island Development States (SIDS) and analyses: a) the characteristics and causes of inequality and inequity; and b) current policies and programmes to reduce social inequality and inequity. It also provides opportunities to learn practical careerready social policy analysis skills using data from the Surveys of Living Conditions (SLCs). While the focus will be on inequality and marginalisation relevant to developing countries in the Caribbean, students will also be exposed to social policy issues in selected industrialised countries.
Students will also learn how to use quantitative and qualitative gender-sensitive data analysis tools to design and assess evidencebased, social policy protection programmes that will help to reduce social, economic and gender inequality and inequity. The assessment for this course includes graded discussions (10%), group assignment (15%), individual paper (25%) and a final take-home examination (50%).
SALI6021 - Macroeconomic Policy Analysis
This course introduces students to the nature of macroeconomic management in an open economy with specific reference to small developing countries (SDCs). The focus of the course will be the analysis of macroeconomic policy issues in these SDCs. It provides students with an in-depth understanding of internal and external equilibrium, the rationale for macroeconomic policy measures, and the impact and role of international and regional policy measures on SDCs. The assessment for this course includes a graded quiz and group discussion (20%), a research paper (20%) and a final examination (60%).
SALI6023 - Monitoring and Evaluation
This course is designed to help you improve managing for development results through Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) in the work environment. Persons requiring a theoretical and applied introduction to the subject will also find the course useful. It focuses on the steps one would take in seeking to achieve and measure development results (outputs, outcomes and impacts). As such, the course content draws on lessons learned in the programme, project and policy environments which require practical application of results-based management and complementary tools and techniques. The assessment for this course includes class participation (30%), written assignment (15%), evaluation proposal/finalised research proposal (25%) and a final examination (30%).
SALI6031 - Techniques of Applied Social Statistical Analysis
This course is primarily geared towards enhancing students’ abilities to use and interpret statistical data in social research and policy contexts. To achieve this, students will be exposed to descriptive and inferential statistics in the context of regional and international research problems that emerge in social settings. The course recognizes the theoretical foundations underlying statistical inferences and exposes students to key theorems and theoretical distributions to enable their understanding of foundational concepts. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of statistics resulting from univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses as decision-making tools. The types of variables and its association to various statistical techniques will additionally be highlighted. These should enable students’ use of appropriate statistics in addressing emerging social problems and in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of relevant policy. Students will also be introduced to SPSS and STATA in order to enhance their skills in data management, data manipulation, data analysis, and the interpretation of resultant outputs. Accordingly, exposure to this course will enhance students’ capacity to independently function in policy and research environments. The assessment for this course includes coursework (50%) and a final examination (50%).
SALI6206 - Small States’ Development: Challenges and Opportunities
This course locates small states, their experiences of development and their attempt to theorize these experiences at the centre of its analytical focus. The perspective adopted will be broadly comparative, drawing on a range of constitutional typologies – formally independent, semi-autonomous and independent – across different geographic regions. This will be illustrated by way of a more focused examination of a range of issues covering the main disciplinary areas—political, social, economic and environmental.
The course also explores the relationship between small states, global institutions and the challenges and opportunities that these present. A discussion of national approaches will be supplemented by analysis of small states’ experiences in addressing challenges of development, and the regional organizations they have created to do so. Grounded in an interdisciplinary approach, the course draws on faculty and policy practitioners trained in fields such as Economics, Politics, International Relations and Sociology. At the end of the course students are expected to view small states experiences through an inter-disciplinary lens, which should strengthen their competence to make appropriate policy responses. The assessment for this course includes four coursework assessments, including online participation (50%) and a final examination (50%).
SALI6109 - Social Investment in Children
This course seeks to examine the critical social issues and social policy challenges in relation to children. The dimensions and causes of child vulnerability will be discussed within several theoretical frameworks. Current policies and programmes in developing countries to reduce vulnerability of children will be assessed. Crosscutting issues in the course will be discussed using gender and stratification analyses. The objectives of the course are to: sensitize students about the issues facing children, especially children in developing countries; expose students to the international, regional and local commitments and conventions that provide standards on how children should be treated; train students in social investment analysis and particularly social investment in children; sensitize students on issues and challenges in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of policies and programmes in relation to children. The assessment for this course includes coursework (50%) and a final examination (50%).
SALI6110 - Development Co-operation and Aid Effectiveness
This course covers issues in international development cooperation, Official Development Assistance (ODA), policy making and negotiations, project identification, design, implementation and evaluation. It will take an agency/actor focus to analysis of the role of power, influence, use of knowledge and cognitive resources in development cooperation and policy processes and outcomes. The course will help students to grapple with the tensions between policy preferences and control of the development process that takes place between the domestic policy makers, administrators and the international development community. The course will examine the role of international development agencies, the state, decentralized governments and civil society organizations in determining what kinds of development take place and to whose benefit. Issues of participation, local ownership, partnership and political conditionality will also be examined. Case studies of successful and worst-case scenarios will be integral to the mode of delivery in order to make the course accessible and practical. The assessment for this course will include an individual project (30%), participation in discussions (20%) and a final examination (50%).
SALI6020 - Microeconomic Policy Analysis
This course uses microeconomic theory and empirics to investigate major questions in microeconomic development. The course comprises 11 units distributed over a 12-week period. The course covers: welfare analysis; (in)equality and efficiency and the link between growth and inequality; market failure and government responses; government failure; institutional governance for public utilities; social capital and economic outcomes; rural land market; credit market; bargaining and efficiency in sharecropping; agriculture supply response; return to education; case for and against microcredit; individual and household response to remittances; welfare effects of remittances. The assessments in this course will take the form of participation in weekly discussion forum (10%), two graded essays (50%), and a final examination (40%).
SALI6203 - Leadership Seminar
The content of this course will be based on theories, concepts and practices found in the literature on leadership, institution building and organizational development. One emphasis will be the application of these to real life situations, using a thematic approach. Issues of differentiated styles and situational demands will be a core consideration in all discussions in the seminars. Of critical importance will be the exploration of ethics and its implications for leadership action and decision-making. In this context will be the interrogation of the ‘bottom-line’ vs. the moral and human demands of leadership. Issues such as decision-making, dispute resolution, negotiation, diversity, change, talent- and risk-management will underpin all the discussions. Women’s leadership will be a major theme and, while being presented in two (2) discrete units, it will be a thread running through all the topics. The assessment for this course includes participation in class discussions (10%), a presentation (15%), a case study report (35%) and a final examination (40%).
SALI6060 - Research Paper
This course provides for the authentic assessment of research competencies gained in the MSc Development Studies programme. It is a core (compulsory) course in which each student will undertake a modest piece of independent research on a topic which interests her/him and is relevant to the discipline. Each student will be assigned a supervisor to guide him/her in the planning and execution of the research project and preparation of a Research Paper. Students will draw on the knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired in SALI6012: Research Methods in the Social Sciences and SALI6031: Techniques of Applied Social Statistical Analysis; as well as philosophical and theoretical approaches to Development explored in other courses of the MSc. Development Studies Programme. The assessment for this course includes assignments (20%) and a final examination (80%).
SALI6011 - Public Policy Analysis and Management
There has been a relatively recent profusion of public policies globally, to deal with a wide array of developmental challenges in many areas that include: the environment, gender, children, youth, poverty, entrepreneurship, culture, sport as well as governance. Given the importance of public policy in shaping the development process and outcomes, this course trains students in the peculiarities of the policy process in order help the Caribbean and other small island states develop the required human and technical capacity in this critical area. With this goal in mind, the students are exposed to the particular theoretical and methodological approaches to policy analysis and management based on the critical examination of relevant cases both regionally and globally. The course assessment will be based on three coursework assignments (40%) and a final examination (60%).
SALI6106 - Deviance, Conflict and Social Management
The course focuses on isolating, understanding and analyzing the various structural contexts that produce conflict, deviance, violence (including criminal and family violence), and ultimately, divide societies. It also gives simultaneous attention to the peculiarities in those contexts that inevitably work to prevent or discourage peace. The specific aims of the course are to: examine the characteristics of deep-rooted conflicts and analyze the nature of much of high levels of deviance, crime, violence and internecine political “tribal” warfare; critically examine the theoretical frameworks that underline peace-building strategies and approaches; understand the complexities and challenges involved in implementing national peace building strategies; provide policy directions for the prevention and reduction of conflict and preparing a crime prevention strategy. The assessment for this course includes a course work (100%). There is no final examination.
SALI6022 - Quantitative Methods for Economic Decision-Making
Quantitative methods emphasize objective measurements and the statistical, mathematical, or numerical analysis of primary data collected through surveys, questionnaires, and polls, or by manipulating secondary data using computational techniques. This course provides students with a range of quantitative methods which are commonly used in social science decision-making and policy analysis. Students will learn advanced data and statistical analysis techniques and the logic behind them. Moreover, the focus of the course will be on the application of quantitative techniques to a wide range of socio-economic development situations. The limitations associated with these techniques will also be examined. Students will therefore learn how to make sense of real-world data to help answer research questions, inform policy, and further their understanding of the dynamic relationships that exist in society. Students will also be shown how to carry out quantitative techniques using statistical programs (Stata and R). Students will therefore gain hands-on experience in using the programs to acquire, manage, and assess real-world data. The assessment for this course includes participation in class discussions, course assignments (50%) and a final examination (50%).
SALI6103 - Integration: Policies and Practices in Commonwealth Caribbean
The course will explore the concept of regional integration (and related concepts of regionalism, regionalization and regional cooperation). It will review internal and external factors which influence integration and disintegration at global and regional levels. It introduces the variable geometry of integration in the Commonwealth Caribbean, allowing learners to critique the historical, political, economic, social and cultural performance of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). They will also explore the relationships between the aforementioned regional movements and other integrative strategies, including the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Commonwealth and the Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM) of the Association of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP).The assessment for this course includes participation in class discussions (10%), course assignments (30%) and a final examination (60%).
SALI6108 - Environment and Sustainable Development
As a global community, inhabiting a single planet, the ways and extent to which we use nature’s resources in one place impacts the entire global system and international community. Societal development, in part defined by “modernization” of every sphere of life and livelihood, has been accompanied by quantum technological change. The conceptual framework of this course places the environment within the context of socio-economic development. This course highlights three main areas in which development has been the root cause of significant environmental trends through: (i) changing global and local climates; (ii) the pollution of air, land and water at all levels of scale; and (iii) creating stresses on the equitable availability and accessibility of water and food. Further, in this course, we examine the consequences of these trends for sustainability of the environment for future generations. The assessment for this course includes multiple choice quiz (15%), participation in class discussions (10%), group project (25%) and a final examination (50%).
SALI6001 - Regulating Sexual Citizenship in ‘Postcolonial’ Nations
This course introduces students to some of the main debates that are occurring globally around issues of sexualities, sexual regulation, nation-building and citizenship. Students will engage with some hegemonic western theorisations that have emerged within this extensive field on sexual citizenship. However, the course also introduces students to diverse and interdisciplinary perspectives on a number of key related themes bearing on sexual citizenship within “postcolonial” societies, with a special focus on the Caribbean. These writings, though not homogenous, commonly explore and problematise the constructions, policing and differential positionality of gender and sexualities —as well as the complex ways they intersect with an array of other socially constructed categories, such as ‘race’, ethnicity, class and nationality, to shape notions of inclusion and exclusion— in such geographical regions as Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The assessment for this course includes three graded critical reflections on key themes and theories in the course. There is no final examination. Further information on regulations for the MSc Development Studies Degree, please familiarise yourself with the Board for Graduate Studies and Research Regulations for Graduate Certificates, Diplomas and Degrees (2018) edited July 31, 2019 which can be accessed at: https://www.mona.uwi.edu/postgrad/sites/default/files/postgrad/uploads/ RevisedGeneralRegulations.pdf