Courses
Adapted Recreation: Techniques in Jamaica
Art
Caribbean Literature
Caribbean Marine Biology
Chemistry
Community Health Services
Comparative Education
Criminal Justice
Philosophical Studies Abroad: Environmental Ethics in the Caribbean
Food, Nutrition, and Culture in Jamaica
Health Care Delivery Systems
History
Social Development and Social Welfare in Jamaica
Sociology or Anthropology

Art Studio in Jamaica
ART 494/694 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Susan Fitzsimmons - Susan.Fitzsimmons@usm.edu  or 601.266.4972

The work for students in this class is to examine the institutions and patterns of Jamaican culture and listen deeply to the rhythms of life in order to identify new means of expression through both drawing and watercolor. Gathering from fields as diverse as art, anthropology, and ecology we will attempt to expand the parameters of our exploration of life’s possibilities. The study of Caribbean art, its current expression and its history, will demonstrate that individuals within a culture have great variability in their accessibility to expression and the creation of art. Lectures and visits to art studios plus the student’s own drawing and painting enable the “Jamaican culture” to teach us the uniqueness and commonality of our human perspective. 

Prerequisites: permission of instructor

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Field Biology: Caribbean Marine Biology
BSC 404/404L or 504/504L - 4 credit hours
Prof. Patricia Biesiot - patricia.biesiot@usm.edu or 601.266.4883

This course will introduce students to the marine biology of Jamaica through a series of intensive, hands-on field activities that focus on organisms from local sandy beaches, rocky shores, mangrove forests, sea grass meadows, and coral reefs. Readings, lectures, and discussions will address basic concepts of coral reef biology and the impact of human activities on coastal resources. Students must be able to swim independently. Students must bring their own snorkel, mask, fins, snorkeling vest; a snorkeling lesson will be given in Jamaica.

Prerequisites: Introductory Biological Sciences I and II (minimum grade of C) or permission of the instructor. There is an additional $125 lab fee charged for this course.

BSC 404/404L and 504/504L syllabi
BSC 404/404L and 504/504L schedule

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Chemistry: Natural Products Chemistry in the Caribbean
CHE 332/332L - 4 credit hours
Prof. Alvin A. Holder – alvin.holder@usm.edu or 601.266.4767

This course introduces students to medicinal plants indigenous to Jamaica. Lectures, reading, and discussions will focus on the chemistry of vanadium, medicinal uses of vanadium for the fight against diabetes, and permanent literature as it relates to uptake of vanadium (V) by Ascadia nigra tunicates. Hands-on activities in the laboratory and filed trips will emphasize identification, methods of collection and preservation, extraction and characterization, and testing the environment where these natural organisms proliferate. The laboratory work will take place at the University of the West Indies’ Mona Campus in Kingston. Applications for utilizing “natural products” from Jamaica and the Caribbean will also explored.

Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in CHE 107 & L (General Chemistry II & Lab CHE255/L) or permission of the instructor. There is an additional $100 laboratory fee for this course.

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Public Health in Jamaica 
CHS 492/792 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Lorene Wedeking - L_Wedeking@msn.com or 612-600-7095

This course explores public health issues in Jamaica. Students learn about public health challenges facing Jamaica with particular attention to the prevention and planning models for public health programs, disease management, and the sustainability and organizational structures of care management systems (both government and NGOs). The course requires students to identify similarities and differences between the Jamaican experience and the public health models they are familiar with in the USA.  The course includes lectures, guest presentations by Jamaican Public Health officials, and site visits to public health agencies.

CHS 492 syllabus || CHS 792 syllabus

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Comparative Education in the Caribbean
CIE 492/692 - 4 credit hours
Prof. David Daves - david.daves@usm.edu or 601.266.5917

This course, while comparing and contrasting the philosophies and current trends between Jamaican and US educational systems, focuses on the Jamaican educational system. Students will have opportunity to learn about access and preparation of students to schools, student success, academic programs and administrative support, and issues related to teacher training and retention. Additionally, the approaches for addressing the needs of students with learning difficulties as well as approaches for student evaluations will be explored. Students will have the opportunity to visit schools, the University of the West Indies, dialog with teachers and students and begin to grapple with the challenges of providing education within the context of a transitional / developing country. The course meets the needs of regular education and special education teacher candidates across the United States and will be offered for both undergraduate and graduate credit.

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Criminal Justice in the Caribbean
CJ 489/589 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Susan Hilal - susan.hilal@metrostate.edu or 651.999.5899

This course examines some of the dynamic factors associated with crime in Jamaica. It provides a broad overview of the criminal justice system in Jamaica. Students will explore issues related to law enforcement, courts, and corrections. The course provides students with opportunities to explore the relationship between crime, poverty, political and economic realities, tourism policies, and family and gender issues. Students will compare and contrast the organizational structures of the Jamaican criminal justice system with those they are familiar with in the United States.  Students are challenged in the course with readings, lectures, agency visits, and presentations by Jamaican professionals.

CJ 489/589 syllabi || CJ 489/589 Schedule

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Literature of the Caribbean
ENG 496/596 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Sherita Johnson - sherita.johnson@usm.edu or 601.266.4068

This course serves as an introduction to the literature of the Caribbean, primarily through fiction. Students will enjoy a rare opportunity to read and discuss literature while living within its cultural context, learning about the local political and social histories informing the literature.

Students will experience the sights, sounds, smells and tastes described in the literature studied, including exposure to the regional dialects and languages often found in the texts (Patois, Creole, etc.). Finally, students will engage critical theories on race, gender and post-colonialism.

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History in the Caribbean
HIS 498/511 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Curtis Austin - curtis.j.austin@usm.edu or 601.266.6973

This course examines the historical development of the Caribbean, with an emphasis on Jamaica. Through readings, lectures, and class projects, students will become familiar with various political, social, and economic trends that have shaped Jamaica and the rest of this region. Topics from slavery and war to Rastafarianism and reggae will be explored to provide students with an appreciation for Caribbean culture and history. Field trips to plantations, archeological sites, museums, markets, and other historical sites provide firsthand knowledge about topics covered in his course.

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Adapted Recreation: Techniques in Jamaica
HPR 411/511 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Rick Green - rick.green@usm.edu or 601.266.5576

This course provides activities, instruction and class projects designed to familiarize students with methods and techniques for adapting recreation activities for people with disabilities in inclusive recreation settings. Students examine strategies used in Jamaica to meet the needs of people with a variety of disabilities in a variety of settings. An initial review of types, causes and resultant limitations of disabilities will be included, along with a comparative examination of Jamaican laws and social perspectives regarding people with disabilities. The core feature of this course will be an in-depth look at techniques for teaching leisure skills to individuals with intellectual disabilities.

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Food, Nutrition, and Culture in Jamaica
NFS 492/692 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Keith Rushing - keith.rushing@usm.edu or 601.266.5091

This course explores the relationships between food, nutrition, and Jamaican culture and society. Students will learn about traditional foods and food patterns, including the role of food in the Jamaican family, religion, holidays, and other cultural traditions. Factors influencing dietary behaviors within this cultural context will be investigated. Students will also examine the nutritional implications of the traditional diet and current economic conditions, including the issues of food insecurity and hunger. Learning methods will include readings and discussions, conversations with Jamaicans, field trips, and “tasting” experiences

NSF 492 syllabus || NSF 692 syllabus

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Health Care Delivery Systems
NSG 489 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Cathy Hughes – cathy.hughes@usm.edu or 601.266.5493

This course examines the overall health delivery systems of Jamaica. The student will be exposed to alternative and holistic health care models. Course faculty and Jamaican guest lecturers will assist the student in the synthesis of knowledge. Field trips /site visits enable students to examine delivery of care and services at various sites.

Prerequisites: first semester nursing junior or approval of instructor.

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Philosophical Studies Abroad: Environmental Ethics in the Caribbean
PHI 499/599 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Chris Meyers- cd.meyers@usm.edu or 601.266.4524

This course will involve a philosophical analysis of our relationship with the natural world and our moral obligations regarding the environment. Specific issues to be covered include 1) debate over what sort of value natural objects posses, 2) economic factors in the exploitation of natural resources, 3) the relationship between poverty, overpopulation, and environmental problems, 4) unequal distribution of harms and benefits caused by manipulation of the environment, and 5) the application of ecological insights to environmental problems. Field trips will include a hike through Jamaica’s forests, observation of the environmental effects of mining and tourism, a visit with an eco-friendly Rastafarian community, and snorkeling/scuba diving on Jamaican reefs. (Students must have open-water certification to scuba dive, and will have to provide or rent their own gear).

PHI 499 syllabus||PHI 599 syllabus

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Sociology/Anthropology in Jamaica
SOC 489/589 - 4 credit hours
ANT 494/594 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Jim Flanagan - james.flanagan@usm.edu or 601.266.6306

This course examines the social and cultural systems of Jamaica.  Reading assignments and lectures focus on a variety of topics including social class, gender, ethnicity, the family, education, politics, religion, population, migration, and criminal justice systems.  Students examine the interactions of historical as well as current social and economic issues from the perspective of how they impact Jamaicans.  Students participate in field trips, visit local agencies and listen to guest lectures by Jamaican experts in selected areas.  All learning activities help students better understand the critical issues facing Jamaica in the new global economy.

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Social Development and Social Welfare in Jamaica
SWK 495/695 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Delories Williams - delories.williams@usm.edu or 601.266.4163
Prof. Tom Osowski - tom.osowski@usm.edu or 601.266.5852 / 228.

This course provides a cross-cultural experience in which students will learn about Jamaican culture, social development, and social welfare. Students explore issues related to social justice, social development, and social welfare, along with the service delivery approaches being used to address the social needs of Jamaicans. Students will visit Jamaican social service agencies in many of the traditional fields of practice (family and children, health, mental health, education, disabilities, and corrections).

Prerequisite: Social work majors

SWK 495 syllabus||SWK 695 syllabus

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