Courses
Art; Criminal Justice; Caribbean Marine Biology; Chemistry; Community Health Services; Caribbean Literature; Recreation Techniques; Food, Nutrition, and Culture in Jamaica; Health Care Delivery Systems; Sociology; and Social Development and Social Welfare in Jamaica
Syllabi will be available soon!
Art Studio in Jamaica
ART 492/680 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Susan Fitzsimmons
susan.fitzsimmons@usm.edu or 601.266.4973
Prerequisites: permission of instructor
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.
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Criminal Justice in the Caribbean
AJ 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.
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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.
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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,
vanadium detection, heavy metal pollution, medicinal uses of
vanadium-containing compounds, and pertinent literature as it relates to uptake
of vanadium(V) by the Ascidian nigra tunicates. Hands-on activities in the
laboratory and field trips will emphasize identification, methods of collection
and preservation, extraction and characterization, and testing the environment
where these natural organism 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 be
explored. Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in CHE 107 & L (General
Chemistry II & Lab) 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. Thomas McIlwain - thomas.mcilwain@usm.edu or 601.266.5437
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.
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Literature of the Caribbean
ENG 496/596 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Joe G. Delap- jdelap@jsu.edu or 256.782.8186
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, as students address questions related to those subjects.
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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 the course will be an in-depth look at techniques for teaching.
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Food, Nutrition, and Culture in Jamaica
NFS 492/692 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Bonnie Gerald – bonnie.gerald@usm.edu or 601.266.5377
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.
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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 explores the overall health delivery systems of Jamaica. Field trips to various sites such as health centers, hospitals, volunteer and service agencies, home environments, and local schools enable students to examine the care and services of populations in Jamaica. The student will be exposed to alternative and holistic health care models. Nursing education and the status of nursing in Jamaica will be explored. This course includes readings, class discussions, site visits, interactions with local Jamaican people and nurses, and lectures by health officials.
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Sociology of Jamaica
SOC 489/589 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Tom Osowki
tom.osowski@usm.edu or 601.266.5252/228.214.3262
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 or 601.266.5915
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 that are 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).
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