Caribbean Studies Program

Interest meeting March 28, 2013 at 12:15 in International Center 410.

"I would definitely recommend it" says Pearl River Community College student, Alison McDaniel, in an article from The Drawl, PRCC's newspaper. Check out what else Alison had to say in the article below, complements of The Drawl, PRCC's newspaper.

The Caribbean Studies Program 2013 application will be available starting April 1, 2013!

Visit the Caribbean Studies Program Photo Gallery

The Program

For over 25 years students from Southern Miss and institutions around the nation have been studying abroad on this Southern Miss original program. From 28 December, 2013 to 12 January, 2014, students on The Caribbean Studies Program will spend two weeks in Jamaica, earn 4 credit hours, and bring in the new year in the Caribbean! The Program is based in Montego Bay, Jamaica, at El Greco Resort with a relaxing ocean front view just ten minutes walking distance outside of the city. Students will call El Greco home for the majority of the program, but will also experience day and overnight excursions to the cities of Ocho Rios and Kingston, Jamaica. 

Dates

28 December 2013 - 12 January 2014

Eligibility

Minimum program eligibility requirements include the completion of at least 28 semester hours with an overall 2.0 GPA  for undergraduates (or consent of program director) and graduate standing for graduate students. All students must be in clear academic standing. Students must also satisfy any additional prerequisites described under the individual course listings. Final authority over enrollment rests with the Director of International Education and the Caribbean Studies Director.

Cost (fees subject to change)

The price for undergraduates is $TBA and $TBA for graduates.

For a frame of reference, the cost for the 2012-2013 program was $3,899 - $4,199. There is always a possibility costs will increase pending feul costs (flight is included in the cost) and other variables. 

Please be advised that credit earned on the Caribbean Studies Programs count as spring 2014 credit. Therefore, if you exceed the maximum number of hours allowed under the tuition cap (19 for undergraduates; 13 for graduates), additional tuition charges will apply.

(Cost includes round-trip airfare from New Orleans; tuition; fees; lodging; international student identity card, ground transportation; field trips and some social activities. Students are responsible for food and personal expenses.)

Accommodation

All students and faculty in the Caribbean Studies Program reside at the El Greco resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. El Greco is an oceanfront condominium complex. Students typically are housed with one room mate. Each air-conditioned room contains a bathroom, and an efficiency living/dining area. A private pool and restaurant are located on the grounds along with internet service. Continental breakfast and daily cleaning service is provided.

Financing

Students who are accepted for participation in the Caribbean Studies Program may apply for financial aid if they meet federal requirements for a Guaranteed Student Loan. Students requiring financial aid should contact Frances Sudduth at the Southern Miss International Programs Office before requesting a study-abroad financial aid application from their university's Financial Aid Office.

Pell Grants, faculty/staff dependent scholarships, faculty/staff tuition waivers, and graduate assistantships are also accepted. Students are advised to begin the financial aid process well in advance of those deadlines. Students should apply for financial aid through the school in which they are currently enrolled and seeking a degree.

Financial aid agreements between Southern Miss and other universities are available, if requested. If more information is needed, contact the Southern Miss International Programs Office. 

Please note: If you are eligible for both the honors travel award and the Golden Key discount, only one may apply to the cost of the program.  We will apply the award/discount which gives you the highest award/discount. 

Application Deadline (subject to change)

Completed online application, with $250 deposit, will be accepted until October 2013, specific date TBA, space permitting. Southern Miss will acknowledge receipt of applications and students will be informed of their registration status. The balance of fees will be due seven days after the application deadline. Applications are processed in the order of receipt. Students may apply at any time prior to the deadline and are urged to apply early.

Cancellations and Refunds

Except in cases of academic ineligibility or course cancellation, deposits are non-refundable. Fees, exclusive of deposit, are refundable if written notification is received prior to the payment deadline. Thereafter, no refunds will be available. The International Programs Office should be notified of all cancellations. Refund requests must be made in writing.

Assistance and Information

Director: | Dr. Tim Rehner | School of Social Work
Phone: 601.266.4163 | Email: tim.rehner@usm.edu 

The Office of International Programs | Caribbean Studies Program
International Center 401 | 601-266-6809 | studyabroad@usm.edu 

Courses offered in 2012 - 2013

(all classes subject to change, if a class is canceled students will be notified by the Office of International Programs to select an alternate class. A final listing of 2013-2014 classes should be available in the fall semester).

Marine Biology: Field Biology in the Caribbean
BSC 404/404L or 504/504L - 4 credit hours
Prof. Scott Milroy - 228.688.7128

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.

Chemistry: Natural Products Chemistry in the Caribbean
CHE 332/332L - 4 credit hours
Prof. Alvin A. Holder - 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 field trips will emphasize identification, methods of collection and preservation, extraction and characterization, and testing the environments 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.

Prerequisites: 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.

Criminal Justice: Criminal Justice in the Caribbean
CJ 489/589 - 4 credit hours 

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.

Literature: Literature of the Caribbean
ENG 496/596 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Sherita Johnson - 601.266.4068

This course serves as an introduction to the literature of the Caribbean, primarily through fiction. Students 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 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 engage critical theories on race, gender and post-colonialism.

History: Disease and Death: The Atlantic Slave Trade and Its Viral Connections
HIS 498/511 - 4 credit hours

This course examines the impact of the Atlantic Slave Trade as it affected the transference and spread of diseases, such as yellow fever and hookworm, as they spread through Jamaica and into the entire Caribbean rim and Gulf South.  Course material will include an historical look at the Atlantic Slave Trade Triangle and the subsequent diseases and intestinal parasites that were endemic to Africa but found their way into Jamaica and the New World in the holds of slave ships.  The class will explore the social, economic, political, and sanitary measures and effects of these diseases in Jamaica and throughout the region.

Recreation: Recreation and Sport for a Diverse Society - A Jamaican Experience
HPR 411/511 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Rick Green - 601.266.5576                                                     

This course is designed to introduce students to the methods and best practices of inclusive community recreation and sport service delivery.  Students will be introduced to contemporary models of inclusion and service delivery as they apply to community recreation and sport.  In the first half of the course, students will learn to apply these models to develop strategies for promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities into community recreation and sport programs. The course will provide students an opportunity to learn about the needs of people with disabilities from a historical perspective, and discuss legislation that guides current service delivery. Barriers to inclusion will be identified, and strategies for overcoming the barriers will be discussed.  Students will also be introduced to best practices for serving people with disabilities in Jamaica, including legislation, public and private service providers, and sport and recreation opportunities for people with disabilities as they compare to services in the United States.

Mass Communication: Caribbean Mass Media Systems
MCJ 489/589 – 4 credit hours
Prof: Cheryl Jenkins - 601.266.6241 

This course examines press freedom and politics in the Caribbean and the influence of new media technology on efforts to investigate and report on Jamaica’s unique political, social, and economic realities.  As is the case in all transitional countries around the globe, the media landscape in Jamaica is engaged in a process of presenting news coverage by incorporating new electronic technologies (blogs and social media), lasting effects of the post-colonial culture, current political ideologies, and traditional newspaper circulation.  The course explores the ideals of free expression along with the cultural and political constraints that can hinder the right of the press to report and expect a more transparent and accountable government.  Students will have the opportunity to explore, for example, how the media has reported the 2nd term of Jamaica’s first female prime minister, the 50th year anniversary of national independence, and other emerging social issues (tourism, crime, finance, etc.). The format for the class will include class visits to newspaper and TV agencies, special guest speakers, and opportunity to interact with Jamaican’s about their perceptions of the “news” and the press

Nutrition: Hunger and Justice in the 21^st Century
NFS 492/692 - 4 credits hours
Prof. Alicia Sample - 601-266-5184

The focus of this course is to examine issues around hunger and the nutrition transition occurring throughout the world with an emphasis on the Caribbean rim. Issues around food production, trade agreements, migration and agribusiness will be explored as well as health and chronic disease issues related to the nutrition transition. We will discuss global and local efforts to eradicate hunger and further explore issues around hunger and the nutrition transition by visiting markets, farms, plantations, urban and rural areas as well as having guest lecturers and presentations.

Nursing: Health Care Delivery Systems
NSG 489 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Cathy Hughes - 601.266.5493

This nursing course examines the overall health delivery systems and population-focused health care in Jamaica. The course uses a systems approach to explore the health of individual, family, and community and focuses on topics such as prevention, acute care, alternative and holistic health care, and volunteer agencies for the health care delivery system of the island.  Included are field trips to hospitals, health centers, community agencies, and the Ministry of Health. The examination of the delivery of care and services are facilitated through faculty lectures, Jamaican guest speakers, interactions with local Jamaicans and agency/site visits.

Prerequisites: first semester nursing junior or approval of instructor.

Social Work: Human Rights and Social Development in Jamaica
SWK 495/695 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Tom Osowski - 601.266.4163

This course provides a cross-cultural experience in which students learn about Jamaican culture, human rights, 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 visit Jamaican social service agencies in many of the traditional fields of practice (family and children, health, mental health, education, disabilities, and corrections).

Psychology: Culture and Psychology - Caribbean Studies
PSY 492/692 – 4 credit hours
Prof. Vivian Dzokoto - 804.828.4925

This course is designed for students to get a “hands on” introduction to Cultural Psychology and counseling from both U.S. and Caribbean American perspectives with an emphasis on Jamaica. The influence of global psychology has increased in recent years, and this course introduces students to basic and applied psychological principles as well as views of mental health within a Jamaican context. Students also investigate religious/folk beliefs, mental illness, cultural values, and family roles. The course includes site visits to local mental health agencies, churches, hospitals, and universities. Students will also be able to ask questions about psychology through interactions with Jamaican experts.  

Public Health in Jamaica 
CHS 492/792 - 4 credit hours
Prof. Ray Newman - 601.266.5435

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.