Social Structure & Caribbean Society

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Course

SOCI 303

Semester

Spring

Year

2021

Catalog

School of Arts and Sciences

General Course Information

Course Lecturer Name(s): Damian E. Greaves

Course Director Name: N/A

Course Lecturer(s) Contact Information: dgreaves@sgu.edu; Ext. 3653

Course Director Contact Information: N/A

Course Lecturer(s) Office Hours: Tues & Thurs: 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.; Fri.1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Course Director Office Hours: N/A

Course Lecturer(s) Office Location: Ballsier Building, Upper level

Course Director Office Location: N/A

Course Support: Nikisha Thomas: nthomas@sgu.edu; 6392

Course Management tool: To learn to use Sakai, the Course management tool, access the link https://apps.sgu.edu/members.nsf/mycoursesintro.pdf

Course Curriculum Information

Course Description:

This course is designed to provide students with a firm grounding in Caribbean studies. It examines the social stratification of Caribbean societies and its major cleavages. It begins with a critique of classical theories of social stratification as proposed by Karl Marx, Max Weber and Davis & Moore among others. It will retrace the steps of history to examine and analyze the genesis of Caribbean social structure and its distinctive characteristics. The course will analyze aspects of sociological theorizing in the Caribbean specifically the Plantation, Plural and Creole society models. These models will be assessed to determine their utility in an understanding of the social, political and economic conflicts prevalent in contemporary Caribbean society and in the formation of Caribbean identity.

Course Objectives:

Students should:

SOC – PO-1 Define and apply key concepts in Caribbean social structure and their role in understanding contemporary Caribbean Society

SOC – PO-2 Identify distinctive epochs of change through history and their contributions to Caribbean Social relations

SOC – PO-3 Evaluate the utility of various theories and models of Caribbean Society to an understanding of Caribbean Social structure

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to:

Describe and understand key concepts in Caribbean Social Structure
Trace the distinctive features of Caribbean social structure through history
Apply key concepts of Caribbean Social Structure to an understanding of contemporary Caribbean Society
Demonstrate a sociological understanding of contemporary Caribbean Society
Provide a critique of theories of Caribbean society and their application to contemporary Caribbean Social structure
Illustrate what combines and divides us as a resilient society in the Caribbean

Program Outcomes Met By This Course:

Students will be able to:

1. Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to explain complex social issues and problems; particularly, Caribbean social reality

2.Demonstrate their critical thinking skills to sociological analysis.

3. Employ sociological research methods to investigate and explain social issues

SAS Grading Scale: Grades will be assigned as follows:

A = 89.5% or better

B+ = 84.5 - 89.4%

B = 79.5 - 84.4%

C+ = 74.5 - 79.4%

C = 69.5 - 74.4%

D = 64.5 - 69.4%

F = 64.4% or less

Course Materials:

Text: There is no special text recommended for this course

Supplementary Readings/Resources:

Bridget Brereton – The White Elite of Trinidad, 1838-1950

Brian Moore – The Culture of the Colonial Elites of Nineteenth-Century Guyana

C.L.R. James – The Black Jacobins

C.L.R. James – The case for West Indian Self-Government

Colin Clarke – Religion and ethnicity as Differentiating Factors in the Social Structure of the

Caribbean (MMG Working Paper 13-06. ISSN 2192-2357 www.mmg.de/workingpapers)

C.Y Thomas – The Poor and the Powerless

Derek Gordon – Class, Status & Social mobility in Jamaica

Eric Williams – British Historians and the West indies

Franklin W. Knight – The Caribbean: The Genesis of a Fragmented Nationalism

Franklin Knight. General History of the Caribbean: Vol.111. The Slave Societies of the Caribbean

F.S.J Legister – Only West Indians: Creole Nationalism in the British West Indies (Chap.2)

George Beckford – Plantation Society Model

George Brizan – Grenada Isle of Conflict (Chap 8: Slavery & the Plantation System1783-1833

Gordon K. Lewis – Main Currents in Caribbean Thought

Horowitz Michael (ed.) - Peoples & Cultures of the Caribbean

Johnson & Watson (ed.) – The White Minority in the Caribbean (Chap 2, 3, 5, &6)

Karl Watson – Salmagundis vs. Pumpkins: White Politics and Creole Consciousness in Barbadian Slave Society, 1800-34.

Lloyd Braithwaite – Social Structure in Trinidad – a Preliminary Analysis

M.G. Smith – Culture, Race and Class in the Commonwealth Caribbean

Office of the United Nations- United Nations Sub Regional Analysis of the Development Context in

Barbados and the OECS (2011)

Sharit Kumar Bhowmik – The Plantation as a Social System

Course Grading Requirement:

Evaluation Criteria	Deadline for Submission	Percentage of Grade
Forum Discussion 1	Feb. 4^th.	10%
Midterm Paper	March 4^th	25%
Panel Discussions	April 6^th & 8^th	10%
Presentations	April 27^th	15%
End of Term Paper	April 29^th	30%
Attendance & Participation	N/A	10%
*TOTAL		100%

Course Requirements:

Attendance & participation in classes and timely completion of all assignments

Course Schedule:

Jan. – May.
Date	Topic/Reading
January Mon. 17^th – 21^st	Course Information/ Orientation, Introduction of class members; Team Building – Course Assignments
	*Module one: The Caribbean in Historical Perspective*
Mon. 24^th	The Transition: From the Indigenous Peoples to the Enslaved
Wed 26^th	The Transition: From the Enslaved to the Emancipated
Fri. 28^th	The Transition: From Settler Communities to Exploitation Societies
Mon. 31^St.	*Module Two: Application of Classical Theories of Stratification to Caribbean Social Structure* Functionalist Perspective
Wed. 2^nd	Marxist Perspective: Class; Capitalist Economy; Conflict, Power & Superstructure
Fri. 4^th	Weberian Perspective: Class, Status, Power & Party Deadline for Forum Discussion 1 Topic: How significant is Caribbean Plantation and Enslavement History, to your understanding of Caribbean Social Structure? Justify your response.
Mon 7^th	Independence Holiday
Wed. 9^th	*Module Three: Models of Caribbean Society* Plural Society model
Fri. 11^th	Plural Society Model
Mon. 14^th	Plantation Society Model
Wed. 16^th	Plantation Society Model
Fri. 18th	Plantation Society Model
Mon. 21^st	Creole Society Model
Wed. 23^rd	Creole Society Model
Fri. 25^th	Creole Society Model
Mon. 28^th	Classless Society Model
March Wed. 2^nd.	Classless Society Model
Fri. 4^th	Deadline for Mid-term paper *Topic: Choose One* of the classical theories of stratification and discuss its application to Caribbean social structural arrangements.**
Mon 7^th –Fri.11^th	Midterm Exams
	*Module Four: The White Minority in Caribbean Society*
Mon. 14^th	The White Minority
Wed. 16^th	The White Minority
Fri. 18^th	The White Minority
	*Module Five: The Masses In Caribbean Society*
Mon. 21^st	Caribbean Peasantry
Wed. 23^rd	Caribbean Peasantry
Fri. 25^th	Caribbean Peasantry
	*MODULE Six: Stratification System & Caribbean Social* *Transformation*
Mon. 28^th	Race, Class, Colour, Gender & the Power Order
Wed. 30th	Interplay of Race, Colour, Class & Gender,
April Fri. 1^st	Good Friday Holiday
Mon. 4^th	Easter Monday
	Panel Discussions: Four Panel Presentations on the Applicability of the Four Models of Caribbean Society to Modern Caribbean Society Social Structural Arrangements
Wed. 6^th	Panel 1 & 2
Fri. 8^th	Panel 3&4
	*Module 8: Social Mobility & Social Stratification in the* *Caribbean*
Mon. 11^th	Occupational Mobility and Its Impact on Caribbean Social Structural Relations
Wed. 13^th	Impact of Social Mobility Patterns on Caribbean Social Structural Relations
	*Module 6: Social Cohesion - Inclusion and A sense of Belonging in Caribbean Society*
Fri. 15^th	Social Cohesion - A Conceptual Approach
Mon. 18^th	Issues Affecting Social Cohesion in Caribbean Society: Economic Opportunity
Wed. 20^th	Social Pillars Affecting Social Cohesion: Protection
Fri. 22^nd	Social Pillars Affecting Cohesion: Educational Opportunity
Mon. 25^th	Social Pillars Affecting Cohesion: Access to Health
Wed. 27^th	Group Presentations
Fri. 29^th	Deadline for Submission of End of Term Paper Topic: “An analysis of Caribbean social transformation must consider the region’s social structural relations”. Discuss.
MAY Mon. 2^nd – Fri. 6^th	Final exams

School of Arts and Sciences Master Syllabi — Info for All Sections

Plagiarism Policy

Academic Integrity

The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:

“Plagiarism is regarded as a cardinal offense in academia because it constitutes theft of the work of someone else, which is then purported as the original work of the plagiarist. Plagiarism draws into disrepute the credibility of the Institution, its faculty, and students; therefore, it is not tolerated” (p. 48).

Plagiarism also includes the unintentional copying or false accreditation of work, so double check your assignments BEFORE you hand them in.

Be sure to do good, honest work, credit your sources and reference accordingly and adhere to the University’s Honor Code. Plagiarism and cheating will be dealt with very seriously following the university’s policies on Plagiarism as outlined in the Student Manual.

Your work may be subject to submission to plagiarism detection software, submission to this system means that your work automatically becomes part of that database and can be compared with the work of your classmates.

Attendance Requirement

The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:

“Students are expected to attend all classes and or clinical rotations for which they have registered. Although attendance may not be recorded at every academic activity, attendance may be taken randomly. Students’ absence may adversely affect their academic status as specified in the grading policy. If absence from individual classes, examinations, and activities, or from the University itself is anticipated, or occurs spontaneously due to illness or other extenuating circumstances, proper notification procedures must be followed. A particular course may define additional policies regarding specific attendance or participation” (p. 9).

Examination Attendance

The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:

“All matriculated students are expected to attend all assigned academic activities for each course currently registered. Medical excuses will be based on self-reporting by students. Students who feel they are too sick to take an examination or other required activity on a specific day must submit the online SAS medical excuse, which is available on Carenage. Students are only allowed two such excuses a year. Upon consultation with the Director of University Health Service, the third excuse will result in a mandatory medical leave of absence. The policies regarding make-up examinations are at the option of the Course Director” (p.46).

For additional specific examination policies and procedures, refer to the St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020), pages 31 through 37.

Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services Policy

The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:

“A student with a disability or disabling condition that affects one or more major life activities, who would like to request an accommodation, must submit a completed application form and supporting documentation to the Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services (SAAS) located in the Dean of Students Office. It is highly recommended that students applying for accommodations do so at least one month before classes begin to allow for a more efficient and timely consideration of the request. If a fully completed application is not submitted in a timely fashion, an eligibility determination may not be made, and accommodations, where applicable, may not be granted prior to the commencement of classes and/or examinations” (p. 8).

Disclaimer

It is the responsibility of the student to read and understand the policies, laws, rules and procedures that while they could affect your grade for a course, have not been specifically outlined in the course syllabus. These are contained in the St. George’s University Student Manual.