Trident Learning

This course aims to provide a general introduction to the field of Caribbean Political Thought and engage you in developing your perspectives on this new field of enquiry. The theme for this semester is Leadership and Caribbean Political Thought. We will be looking at leadership historically and in the political context as it expresses itself from slavery through to independence and the global neo-liberalism of the 21st century. By the political, we understand the relations of authority and power in any community as these are embodied in a society's commanding and subordinate institutions. The political can also be considered in terms of the intellectual, cultural, religious and gender dimensions of power and authority in society. The exciting thing about Caribbean cultures is that they have been products of the early stages of capitalism and are associated with the emergence and development of global markets. Our societies are closely bound up with the economies and cultures of the shapers of the modern world in Europe and the United States and with the older worlds of Africa and Asia. These circumstances create fertile fields for intellectual creativity.

This course is an introduction to the academic subject of International Relations (IR). We will introduce the wide range of problems and perspectives that characterise this academic discipline by considering the IR scholars’ study issues. This introduction will set the scene for the conceptual tools that IR scholars have used to explain these issues will be examined. There will be an assessment of the forces underlying conflict and cooperation in the international system. The focus is on specific problems and the foreign policies of the major powers.