The College of The Bahamas
Bachelor of Arts Degree Programme
in
Bahamian and Caribbean Cultural Studies
BA, BCCS
Dr. Paul Burkhardt
MAY 2001
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part I DEGREE PROPOSAL
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1. |
Introduction |
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2. |
Market Assessment |
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3. |
The BCCS Programme |
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3.1 BCCS Programme Description and Objective |
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3.2 BCCS Core Curriculum: Description and Rationale |
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3.3 BCCS Major: Discourses, Prescribed Electives, Advising |
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3.4 BCCS Multi-year Portofolio |
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3.5 BCCS Senior Capstone Thesis |
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3.6 BCCS Advisory Committee and Affiliated Faculty |
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3.7 BCCS Programme Structure and Requirements |
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3.8 Course Descriptions |
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3.9 Course Outlines |
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4. |
Implementation Plan |
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5. |
Management |
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6. |
Resources |
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6.1 Full-Time Faculty Qualified to Teach this Programme |
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6.2 Additional Full-Time Faculty Requirement |
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6.3 Ancillary Staff Required |
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6.4 Specialist Teaching Rooms,etc… |
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6.5 Tuition and Materials Required |
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6.6 Scheduling of Resource Requirements |
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7. |
Funding |
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8. |
Academic Policies |
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8.1 Length of Programme |
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8.2 Admissions Requirements |
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8.3 Transfer Students |
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8.4 Graduation |
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8.5 Programme Review |
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9. |
Conclusion |
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Appendix A |
Report of Feasibility, Needs & Market Assessment |
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Appendix B |
BCCS Course Descriptions |
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Appendix C |
BCCS Lists of Prescribed Courses
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Appendix D |
BCCS Advisement Form and Student Contract |
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Appendix E |
Course Proposals, Core Curriculum |
Over the past three decades, top research and liberal arts universities have developed a variety of interdisciplinary regional and cultural studies programmes designed to foster the growth of new knowledge and broader understandings by enabling study within and between traditionally separate disciplinary fields. These programmes simultaneously allow for a breadth of disciplinary approaches to important issues and a depth of substantive knowledge in areas of focus.
Interdisciplinary regional or area studies programmes (e.g., American Studies) traditionally have developed within and between social science disciplines such as history and humanistic disciplines such as literature. The combination of these and other disciplinary perspectives has allowed innovative research and fresh insights that have revitalised the traditional disciplines and firmly established new interdisciplinary fields of study.
More recently, the interdiscipline of cultural studies has emerged from the fields of literary theory, critical theory, sociology, history and anthropology. Cultural studies employs diverse methodologies and conceptual approaches from these disciplines to make sense of the shared systems of linguistic and cultural performances that structure and give meaning to the social groups constituting society.
These cultural systems or discourses include not only the forms and practices of both “Culture”—literature, theatre, etc.—and “culture”—popular music, traditional festivals, etc.—but also the seemingly inconsequential quotidian activities that comprise everyday life. Viewing these discourses simultaneously as symbolic systems of meaning and real material practices and social relations struck through with unequal relations of power, cultural studies work explores the interconnections between the cultural, the social, the economic and the political.
A wide range of scholars in traditional disciplines from the humanities to the social and natural sciences have begun to employ cultural studies approaches to understand the foundational assumptions, systemic characteristics and socio-political effects of their own practices and knowledges within academic discourses. Thus, cultural studies provides conceptual and methodological lenses for a critical and comparative understanding within and between academic disciplines. Consequently, many undergraduate and graduate interdisciplinary programmes (e.g., Women's Studies, African Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, etc.) are incorporating cultural studies curricula to enable better understandings of both their substantive objects of study as well as the interdisciplinary concepts and methodologies they employ.
Graduates from interdisciplinary area and cultural studies programmes are in high demand for a wide variety of positions in business, government, non-governmental organisations and education. Employers and graduate schools recognise that a broad-based education coupled with critical thinking skills allow such graduates to apply diverse methodological and conceptual tools to solve the complex problems characterising an increasingly global society.
The College of The Bahamas pursues a vision of becoming "a university local, regional and international in character and focus that sustains excellence in teaching, research and service in an environment that thrives on quality, innovation and inquiry to meet the evolving needs of its constituents." To this end, the School of English Studies proposes the creation of an interdisciplinary B.A. in Bahamian and Caribbean Cultural Studies (BCCS) that combines COB's existing strengths in disciplinary approaches to regional phenomena with a core curriculum in interdisciplinary and cultural studies theory.
The School of English Studies has conducted an extensive survey of potential COB students (N = 502) to measure the demand for a variety of potential programmes such as Literature, Creative Writing, Linguistics, Bahamian Studies and Cultural Studies (see summary report and analysis, Appendix A).
Because cultural studies provides a natural framework for interdisciplinary and area studies work, the School of English Studies has created a programme that combines the two areas of interest indicated by students. According to the survey, approximately 21 percent of incoming students surveyed would be drawn to the BCCS programme. At The College of The Bahamas, approximately four hundred students eligible for the BCCS programme are admittedly yearly. Thus, it is projected that a considerable number of these students (circa 20%, or 80 students) would be drawn to this programme. This demand exceeds the minimum number of 20 students required for initial implementation and suggests the feasibility of the long-term development and sustainability of the BCCS programme.
3.1 General Programme
Description and Objectives
The B.A. programme in Bahamian and Caribbean Cultural Studies will provide students with a rigorous, multi-disciplinary liberal arts approach to the study of The Bahamas and the Caribbean within larger global contexts. A broad base of knowledge will be acquired through carefully guided lower and upper-division coursework offered by existing programmes in foreign languages, the humanities and the social and natural sciences. This coursework will be framed by an extensive core curriculum in interdisciplinary and cultural theory and methodologies. Analytical depth will be demonstrated through the completion of a senior thesis capstone project under appropriate faculty supervision.
The integrated educational experience offered by the combination of a cultural studies core curriculum and interdisciplinary coursework relevant to The Bahamas and Caribbean from other existing programmes is designed to:
· To provide students with a broad-based knowledge of The Bahamas and the Caribbean.
· To provide students with the concepts and abilities to employ interdisciplinary and cultural studies theory.
· To combine the existing strengths of COB in local and regional studies with a core curriculum in interdisciplinary and cultural theory to facilitate critical understandings of the cultural, social and economic power relations connecting phenomena in The Bahamas and the Caribbean with larger-scale international contexts.
· To enable students to combine a rigorous knowledge in depth from existing disciplinary and substantive fields with a comparative and critical breadth of knowledge by framing interdisciplinary work within a core curriculum in interdisciplinary and cultural theory.
· To prepare students for life-long learning and critical thinking through a truly student-centered liberal arts experience in which they strategically apply theoretical and substantive knowledge to the field research projects they have designed.
· To allow for flexible specialisation within and between disciplinary knowledges to provide highly qualified graduates prepared for employment in response to the changing needs of society, governmental and non-governmental organisations, industry and education.
· To prepare students for further studies at the graduate level in a variety of fields.
3.2 BCCS Core
Curriculum: Description and Rationale
The backbone of the eight-semester BCCS Programme is a sequence of core courses taught by faculty from the School of English Studies and the School of Social Sciences. While the majority of these courses are taught by SES faculty and crosslisted, some involve guest lecturers from other schools, are team taught or are offered by School of Social Sciences faculty.
In the first year, the core course ENG 125 (see BCCS Course Descriptions, Appendix B) provides the essential concepts and methodologies of interdisciplinary and cultural studies work, introduces students to relevant disciplines through guest lectures and develops the abilities to recognise, compare and evaluate the knowledge provided in later coursework. The second year core courses ENG 230 and 231 focus and apply these concepts and abilities by studying at different scales the power relations obtaining in various historical contexts of the region. In the third year, ENG 307 brings faculty together from SSS and SES to team teach a course that covers chronologically a variety of Bahamian and Caribbean writers who have contributed to economic, political, and social and cultural thought. ANT 3xx explores how culture relates to national identity in the region. ENG 321 is a cross-listed methods course that prepares students to design and implement cultural studies research projects. In the 400-level Special Topics course, faculty from across COB offer more specialised courses that focus in detail on specific issues and problems in The Bahamas and Caribbean. The core concludes with a capstone thesis sequence in which students design, implement and write-up a cultural study project on an issue of relevance in The Bahamas or Caribbean. Throughout the core curriculum, longitudinal coherence is provided by gradually elaborating, focusing and developing conceptual approaches to key substantive contexts and issues of the region.
In addition, students are required to take specific lower division courses in the history and literatures of the region and are required to achieve basic competence in either Spanish or Haitian Creole. Students must choose from lists of prescribed courses for many of their general education electives. The core curriculum frames students' other coursework and gives them the abilities to evaluate and strategically select courses from various disciplines as they design their individual programmes of study in close consultation each semester with the BCCS Programme Coordinator.
3.3 BCCS Major:
Specialized Studies of Discourses, Prescribed Electives & Advising
In addition to the BCCS Core Curriculum and other required courses, the BCCS programme requires students to develop and sustain focused upper-division study in two discourses (i.e., Discourse I and Discourse II).
Following the cultural studies theory that frames students' interdisciplinary coursework, discourses are seen as shared systems of meaningful human practice. Such discourses may be disciplinary and involve considerable coursework in a particular programme: for example, the system of shared values, concepts, methodologies, relations and activities that comprise the discipline of academic criminology. But discourses may often be conceptualised thematically across disciplines: for example, studying the discourse of globalisation—simultaneously an ideological system as well as system of economic, social and cultural phenomena—might require coursework in the humanities, social and natural sciences. Thus the BCCS programme allows for flexible specialisation within and between existing disciplines to allow new understandings of the multifaceted realities of The Bahamas and the Caribbean.
The BCCS Programme is fundamentally student-centered; students learn about disciplinary study, evaluate academic discourses and strategically design the large part of their programme of study. Both Discourse I and Discourse II will be designed by the student in close consultation with the BCCS Coordinator.
The BCCS Advisory Committee (see 3.6) has reviewed current and proposed COB course offerings to identify courses of substantive, conceptual or methodological relevance to cultural studies of The Bahamas and the Caribbean and created the BCCS Lists of Prescribed Courses. Discourse I will consist of courses with substantive content from The Bahamas and/or the Caribbean chosen from Prescribed List I; Discourse II will consist of courses of conceptual or methodological relevance to interdisciplinary cultural studies of regional phenomena chosen from Prescribed List II (see Appendix C).
The general education and lower division free elective courses will be drawn strategically from the BCCS List of Prescribed Electives. Students should consult with their faculty advisor and with the BCCS Coordinator each semester for advisement concerning appropriate courses for their programme (see Advisement Form & Semester Schedule, Appendix D). Particular foresight and care is required to ensure that prerequisites for later upper division courses are fulfilled in a timely manner. It is particularly important for students to enrol during their early years in courses that will provide the necessary prerequisites and background for the courses in Discourse I and Discourse II and for their subsequent thesis research. During the second year students must submit a tentative course plan indicating the planned content of Discourse I and Discourse II. The Coordinator will make available before registration a list of applicable courses to be offered the following semester.
3.4 BCCS Multi-year
Portfolio
Students in the BCCS programme are required to construct and maintain a portfolio throughout their four years of study. At each semester's advising session with the Coordinator, students will present their ongoing BCCS portfolio that will include selections from their coursework as well as a narrative rationale explaining their course selection and developing programme design. The portfolio will culminate in the Capstone Thesis.
3.5 Senior Capstone
Thesis Project
The senior thesis is a project intended to deepen the student's understanding of a specific issue or problem in the region, to draw together his or her work in separate disciplines and to demonstrate proficiency in cultural studies and depth of knowledge in the students' selected Discourses. It provides an opportunity for students to work closely with individual faculty members and to explore further issues that may have arisen in earlier course work and research. It represents a significant amount of work. Students should begin planning the thesis during the methods course in the third year and should approach a faculty member at that time to direct the thesis as mentor. A prospectus and preliminary bibliography should be submitted to the faculty mentor and BCCS Coordinator for approval during the Fall semester of the senior year. The fieldwork and thesis will be completed in the Spring semester and submitted for review by the faculty mentor and BCCS Advisory Committee.
3.6 Advisory
Committee and Affiliated Faculty
An interdisciplinary Advisory Committee composed of the BCCS Coordinator, representative faculty from across COB and an external member will oversee the operations of the BCCS programme. The Advisory Committee will meet regularly to revise the BCCS Lists of Prescribed Courses and Electives as new courses are approved by Academic Board, to read and certify the Capstone Theses and to periodically evaluate the performance of the BCCS programme.
Faculty interested in participating in the BCCS programme by mentoring students, by team-teaching courses or by proposing their own Special Topics courses will be designated as BCCS Affiliated Faculty. The Affiliated Faculty will meet annually with the Advisory Committee to consult on the development of the programme.
3.7 BCCS
Programme: Structure and Requirements
The proposed 120-credit BCCS curriculum complies with The College of The Bahamas’ requirements for B.A. programmes. The 39 credits required in General Education fall within the prescribed range of 36-39 credits. The 69 credits comprising the major are within the prescribed range of 60-80 credits.
Within the BCCS major, 45 credits have been designated as required courses, 24 at the lower division and 21 at the upper level; these required courses comprise the BCCS Core Curriculum. The remaining 24 credits comprising Discourse I and Discourse II are to be chosen from Prescribed List I and Prescribed List II respectively in regular consultation with the BCCS Coordinator. BCCS majors must maintain an average of 2.5 or higher in major courses. The credit structure is outlined below:
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
General Education
Requirements.……………….…………………………......39 credit hours
Of
these credits, thirty are in the lower division (100 and 200 levels) and nine
are in the upper division (300 and 400 levels). The BCCS programme includes a Foreign Language Requirement;
students must complete 6 units in either Spanish or Haitian Creole as part of
their lower division General Education Humanities Requirements. Students are encouraged to continue to
develop foreign language proficiency through electives or as a part of
Discourse I or II if appropriate.
Course
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CRS
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ENG 119 |
3 crs |
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ENG 120 |
3 crs |
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HMNS Humanities Requirement |
9 crs |
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SOSC Social Sciences Requirement |
9 crs |
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NSES Natural Sciences Requirement |
9 crs |
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MATH 140 |
3 crs |
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CIS 105: Computer Literacy |
3 crs |
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LIBR 013: Library Orientation |
0 crs |
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COUN 001: Student Development Seminar |
0 crs |
Major
Courses…...………………………….……………..…………………......69 credit hours
Of these credits, twenty-four are in the lower division (100
and 200 levels) and twenty-one are in the upper division (300 and 400 levels).
BCCS Core
Curriculum…………………………………………………………45 credit hours
Course
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CRS
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ENG 125 Introduction to Interdisciplinary
Cultural Studies |
3 crs |
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HIST 112 History
of The Bahamas I |
3 crs |
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HIST 113 History
of The Bahamas II |
3 crs |
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HIST 170 West
Indian History I |
3 crs |
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LIT 202 West
Indian Literature I |
3 crs |
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LIT 200 Bahamian
Literature II |
3 crs |
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ENG 230 Culture
and Power I |
3 crs |
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ENG 231 Culture
and Power II |
3 crs |
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ENG 307 Seminar
in Bahamian & Caribbean Thought |
3 crs |
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ENG 321 Methodologies
of Cultural Studies |
3 crs |
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ANT 3-- Imagined
Communities: Approaches to National
Identity |
3 crs |
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ENG 418 Special
Topics in Bahamian & Caribbean Studies |
3 crs |
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ENG 420 Senior
Thesis I |
3 crs |
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ENG 421 Senior
Thesis II |
6 crs |
Discourse I (from Prescribed List I)…………...………………………………….12
credit hours
Discourse II (from Prescribed List II)…………………………………………….12
credit hours
The
courses constituting Discourse I and Discourse II will be chosen by the student
in consultation with a faculty advisor and the BCCS
Coordinator from the BCCS Prescribed Lists I and II respectively (see Appendix C). These courses should be at
the 300- or 400- level.
Free
Electives……………………...…………………………..……………….…12 credit hours
The Free Elective at the lower-level will be chosen from the List of Prescribed Electives (see Appendix C) in order to satisfy necessary prerequisites for later coursework.
3.8 Course
Descriptions
See Appendix B for descriptions of courses required in the major. See Appendix
D for the BCCS Advisement form,
including BCCS Prescribed Lists I & II and the Student Contract.
3.9 Course Outlines
See Appendix E for course proposals, including course outlines for the BCCS Core Curriculum.
In Fall 2001, students who qualify will be admitted into the first year of the Bachelor of Arts, Bahamian and Caribbean Cultural Studies Programme.
In addition, those students who have satisfactorily completed an Associate of Arts degree at The College of The Bahamas, or another approved institution, and meet the Programme requirements, will be admitted to Year 3 of the Programme. These students may be required to augment their existing degree to meet the Core Curriculum requirements for graduation in BCCS. However, because the structure, content and naming of the lower level will have been different for a number of COB programmes, some past coursework may satisfy existing curricular requirements. The BCCS Coordinator will review transcripts and determine remaining requirements on a case-by-case basis.
In the Spring Semester of 2002, the new course Introduction to Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies in the BCCS Core Curriculum will be offered. The remainder of required courses in the First Year of the Core Curriculum will be offered as usual in their respective programmes. Note that after initial implementation, one section of all 100-300 level courses in the BCCS Core Curriculum will be offered per academic year until enrolment mandates additional sections.
Spring Semester – 2002
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Course to be Offered |
CRS |
Status |
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ENG 125 Introduction to Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies |
3 crs |
New |
In the Fall Semester of 2002 and the Spring Semester of 2003, courses required at the 200 level will be offered in addition to the 100 level Core Course.
Fall Semester – 2002
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Courses to be offered |
CRS |
Status |
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ENG 230 Power Relations I |
3 crs |
New |
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Spring Semester – 2003 |
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ENG 231 Power Relations II |
3 crs |
New |
In the Fall Semester
of 2003 and the Spring Semester of 2003, the full complement of courses in the
BCCS core curriculum will be offered including the following. Students who will have entered in the Fall
Semester of 2001 will now have upper division standing. At this time, qualified transfer students
will be accepted into the Third Year of the BCCS Programme.
Fall Semester – 2003
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Courses to be offered |
CRS |
Status |
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ENG 307 Seminar in Bahamian &
Caribbean Thought |
3 crs |
New |
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ENG 418 Special Topics in Bahamian
& Caribbean Studies |
3 crs |
New |
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ENG 420 Senior Thesis I |
3 crs |
New |
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Spring Semester – 2004 |
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ENG 321 Methodologies of Cultural
Studies |
3 crs |
New |
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ENG 421 Senior Thesis II |
6 crs |
New |
By this time it is expected that ANT 3-- will be offered on a regular basis by the School of Social Sciences. Additional sections of ENG 418 (Special Topics in Bahamian and Caribbean Cultural Studies) may be offered each academic year depending upon faculty and student interest.
The BCCS Programme Coordinator will be responsible for administration, course scheduling and evaluation of the Bachelor of Arts, Bahamian and Caribbean Cultural Studies. The Coordinator should be a fulltime faculty member from the Social of English Studies and will be required to teach in SES programmes. The Coordinator should be someone who has demonstrated a high degree of proficiency in interdisciplinary and cultural studies education and practice.
As indicated in the Bachelor of Arts, Bahamian and Caribbean Cultural Studies Proposal in Principle the following are requirements for operation of the programme that will be shared with other SES programmes:
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6.1 Full-Time Faculty Qualified to Teach this Programme Dr. Nicolette Bethel, School of English Studies, School of Social Sciences. Dr. Paul Burkhardt, School of English Studies. Dr. Earla Carey-Baines, School of English Studies. Haldane Chase (Study Leave). Note: Above faculty represent those in School of English Studies qualified to teach the core curriculum of the Bahamian and Caribbean Cultural Studies programme. There are many other faculty members throughout The College of The Bahamas who are qualified and who currently teach courses in other programmes that might be included within this interdisciplinary programme's curriculum. The minimum qualification for teaching at the B.A. level is a Master of Arts or Master of Science degree (or equivalent). |
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6.2 Additional
Full-Time Faculty Requirement At this time, May 2001, SES
faculty is sufficient to share the teaching load of expanded course offerings
for the Bachelor of Arts in Bahamian and Caribbean Cultural Studies. One existing SES faculty member will serve
as Coordinator for the programme.
Assuming current SES faculty levels are sustained over the next two
years, one additional SES faculty member trained in interdisciplinary
cultural studies work will be necessary in the Fall Semester of 2002. |
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6.3 Ancillary Staff Required |
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Job
Description |
Full Time |
Part Time |
Existing |
New |
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Secretary |
ü |
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ü |
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Clerk/Typist |
ü |
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ü |
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Work Study Student |
ü |
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ü |
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(These
positions will be shared with Writing, Linguistics and Literature) |
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6.4 Specialist Teaching Rooms, Laboratories, Workshops and other Structural Facilities Needed. None. |
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6.5 Tuition and
Materials Required a)
Capital Expenditure: None. b)
Recurrent Expenditure: ·
Journal Subscriptions · Books and other media · Programme marketing |
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6.6 Scheduling of Resource Requirements
The projected resource requirements for implementing the BCCS Programme are as follows:
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Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
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One Lecturer (S) |
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Journal Subscriptions (S) |
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Full-time Clerk Typist (S) |
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Books and Manuals (S) |
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Marketing of Programme |
Marketing of Programme |
Marketing of Programme |
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S = To be shared with other departments in the School of English Studies |
||
A Bachelor of Arts, Bahamian and Caribbean Cultural Studies Programme will be self-supporting after an initial start-up period and will contribute significantly to The College of The Bahamas’ total funding needs. Because the BCCS programme relies heavily upon courses offered in existing programmes, the costs of implementing and sustaining BCCS will be quite low for a B.A. programme.
BCCS will draw a significant number of students initially from The Bahamas, but eventually from abroad as well. Thus BCCS will benefit The College of The Bahamas not only in terms of academic quality and prestige, but also in terms of tuition dollars.
Furthermore, BCCS will help the development of a number of other new B.A. programmes in the traditional disciplines of the humanities and social sciences by providing increased student numbers—and tuition dollars—in new courses with marginal enrolment.
8.1
Length of Programme
Full-time: Four Years.
Part-time: Eight Years.
A part-time student will be required to have completed not less than twenty-four credits in the first two years. The period of Candidacy shall be governed by the existing College policy.
8.2
Admissions Requirements
Students wishing to enter the programme must have successfully completed five BGCSE's/GCE/s at "C" level and above or equivalent (including English Language) or must obtain the permission of the Chair and Programme Coordinator. It is expected that admission to BCCS will be competitive and enrolment capped to match the implementation plan and faculty resources.
BCCS majors must at the end of their second year apply and be approved to enrol in upper-level courses. At this point, majors must submit their ongoing BCCS Portfolio including a tentative concentration plan outlining the course content of Discourse I and Discourse II to the Coordinator for approval. Completion of lower-level core-curriculum and major courses is required, with a 2.5 G.P.A. in those courses. An overall G.P.A. of 2.0 in all coursework is required for upper-level standing.
BCCS majors must maintain a G.P.A. of 2.5 or higher in all coursework in the major. An overall G.P.A. of 2.0 in all coursework must be maintained.
BCCS majors are required to meet with their faculty advisor and the BCCS Coordinator at least once per semester for professional advising, monitoring of student progress and graduation requirements.
8.3
Transfer Students
Students wishing to transfer into the BCCS Programme from another institution or another major within The College of The Bahamas need a general credit evaluation by the Admissions Office to determine whether courses can be accepted for general credit.
Transfer students must present transcripts and other materials to the BCCS Coordinator to evaluate whether courses can be accepted for major credit. Transfer students must complete the entire BCCS Core Curriculum, prescribed general education courses, language requirements or equivalents.
8.4
Graduation
A Candidate for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Bahamian and Caribbean Cultural Studies must complete the general education requirements, have a minimum of 120 semester hours of credit, of which 60 are earned at COB or other upper level institutions. The last 30 semester hours must be earned at COB.
The Candidate must complete the entire 69 semester hours constituting the BCCS Core Curriculum and Major Courses as outlined in 3.7 above.
Prior to graduation, the Candidate must submit the final BCCS Portfolio—including the completed Senior Capstone Thesis—for approval by their faculty mentor, the BCCS Coordinator and BCCS Advisory Committee.
Students may exit BCCS with an Associate of Arts Degree after successful completion of all required first and second year courses (60 credits).
8.5
Programme Review
The BCCS Programme has an Advisory Committee including an external member that will regularly review the progress, status, quality and relevance of the BCCS programme. Internal cross-moderation of student work within all courses will continue.
The BCCS Advisory Committee along with the faculty of the School of English Studies propose the implementation of the B.A. Programme, Bahamian and Caribbean Cultural Studies.
The BCCS Programme will contribute to the excellence of COB’s curricula, will drive innovation in teaching and student inquiry through interdisciplinary cross-pollination, will bring faculty from various Schools to work together, will attract more students from The Bahamas and abroad, and will help move COB to achieve its vision of becoming a “university local, regional and international in character and focus.”
In a world increasingly interconnected by social, economic and cultural practices and unequal relations of power, there is great need for ethically sensitive, broadly aware national and global citizens. Students graduating with the B.A., Bahamian and Caribbean Cultural Studies will be uniquely prepared to critically analyze and find solutions for the complex problems faced by society, by industry, by governmental and non-governmental agencies, and throughout the field of education.
Appendix B
HIS
112 HISTORY OF THE BAHAMAS I (3)
A study of the history of The Bahamas from the pre-colonial period to the formal ending of slavery in 1838. Major themes include settlement and slavery which are compared with other British Colonies. The Bahamas' development as non-sugar plantation colony is examined.
Prerequisite: None.
HIS
113 HISTORY OF THE BAHAMAS II (3)
A study of the History of the Bahamas from 1838 to 1980. Major themes include the development of modern Bahamian society, Bahamian nationalism and new modes of economic survival.
Prerequisite: None.
ENG 125
INTRODUCTION TO INTERDISCIPLINARY CULTURAL STUDIES (3)
This course introduces students to the history, concepts and techniques of cultural studies. It focuses on the substantive, methodological and paradigmatic approaches to culture in various disciplines and on how cultural practices and socio-economic relations and contexts mutually determine systems of meaning, discourses, and individual and group identity.
Prerequisite: ENG 119.
HIS 171 West
Indian History I (3)
A study of the main developments in the history of the West Indies up to the end of the eighteenth century. The European arrivals and their rivalries. Sugar and Slavery, War and Trade.
Prerequisite: None.
LIT 200
BAHAMIAN LITERATURE II (3)
An exploration of the written literature of The Bahamas, set against cultural and historical backgrounds. This course develops the critical framework for and insights into Bahamian literature.
Prerequisite: Any 100-level Literature course and ENG 120
or permission of the Instructor or Chairperson.
LIT
202 WEST INDIAN LITERATURE I (3)
An introduction to West Indian Literature through a close reading of works selected to represent periods, regions and themes. The course examines the broadly shared cultural and historical contexts of the English speaking territories in the West Indies.
Prerequisite: ENG 120, Acceptance into the second year of the programme.
ENG
230 CULTURE AND POWER I: COLONIALISM, IMPERIALISM, GLOBALIZATION AND
POST-COLONIALISM (3)
This course elaborates cultural studies concepts and methodologies by examining the large-scale power relations shaping the development of The Bahamas and the Caribbean. Beginning with the relations of slavery and colonialism through imperialism to globalization and post-coloniality, students study the relationships between large-scale historical socio-economic contexts and cultural practices.
Prerequisite: ENG 125 or permission of the Chair or Coordinator.
ENG
231 CULTURE AND POWER II: GENDER, RACE AND CLASS (3)
This course elaborates cultural studies concepts and methodologies by focusing on smaller-scale power relations shaping cultural practices in The Bahamas and the Caribbean. Students learn to understand and evaluate power relations between individuals and groups distinguished through cultural categories such as sex / gender, race / ethnicity, class and nationality.
Prerequisite: ENG 230, or permission of the Chair or Coordinator.
ENG
307 SEMINAR IN BAHAMIAN AND CARIBBEAN
THOUGHT (3)
This course guides readings tracing the development of critical thought in the region. Proceeding contextually from the colonial period through decolonization to post-coloniality and globalization, readings focus in the areas of politics, economics and social and cultural thought. This course is team taught by faculty from English Studies and Social Sciences.
Prerequisite: Third Year Standing.
ENG
321 METHODOLOGIES OF CULTURAL STUDIES
(3)
This course focuses on methodologies of cultural studies and research design and implementation. Students learn the variety of disciplinary conceptual and methodological approaches comprising cultural studies work and evaluate and synthesize these approaches in their own research design. Course is crosslisted with Anthropology and Sociology.
Prerequisite: Third Year Standing.
ANT
3-- IMAGINED COMMUNITIES: APPROACHES
TO NATIONAL IDENTITY (3)
This course examines various theories of national
identity in some detail. Grounding
their discussion in a socio-historical context, students consider the concept
of the nation-state from a number of different angles, and apply these theories
cross-culturally. Case studies focus on
the Americas, specifically the Caribbean and The Bahamas.
Prerequisite: ANT 100 or SOS 111 or Third-year
standing and permission of the instructor (cross-listed with School of English
Studies).
ENG 418 SPECIAL
TOPICS IN BAHAMIAN/CARIBBEAN CULTURAL STUDIES (3)
Prerequisite: Third Year Standing or permission of Chair or Coordinator.
ENG
420 SENIOR THESIS I (3)
A guided independent study designing and
implementing the capstone project in Bahamian and Caribbean Cultural Studies.
Prerequisite:
Fourth Year Standing, majors only.
ENG
421 SENIOR THESIS II (6)
A guided independent study implementing and writing
the capstone project in Bahamian and Caribbean Cultural Studies.
Prerequisite: ENG 420, majors only.
Appendix D
All students are required to keep a
copy of this Advisement Form which is to be presented for advisement.
Name of Student: _______________________________ Date of Entry: __________________
Address:_________________________________________ Student No.: _________________
Telephone: __________________________ Placement Score: ________ENG _______MATH
BGCSEs/GCEs: _____________________________________________________________
Programme Advisor:___________________________________________________________
|
Course Status |
Course Abbreviation/No |
Course Name |
Cr |
Semester |
Grade |
Advisor’s Initials |
DEFICIENCIES |
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CourseStatus |
Course Abbreviation Number |
Course
Name |
Cr |
Prerequisites/ Co-requisites |
Sem |
Gr |
Advisor’s Initials
|
|
|
YEAR I |
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|
GEN ED |
LIBR 013 |
Library
Orientation |
0 |
Admission
to Prog |
|
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|
GEN ED |
COUN 001 |
Student
Development Seminar |
0 |
Admission
to Programme |
|
|
|
|
|
GEN ED |
CIS 105 |
Introduction
to Business Applications |
3 |
Admission
to Programme |
|
|
|
|
|
GEN ED |
ENG 119 |
College
English Skills I |
3 |
BGCSE ENG
“C” |
|
|
|
|
|
GEN ED |
ENG 120 |
College
English Skills II |
3 |
ENG 119-P |
|
|
|
|
|
GEN ED |
MATH 140 |
Basic
College Math |
3 |
BGCSE
Math “C” |
|
|
|
|
|
GEN ED |
GEO 113 |
Human
& Cultural Geography |
3 |
Admission
to Programme |
|
|
|
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|
GEN ED |
NSES |
|
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
MAJOR |
ENG 1-- |
Introduction
to Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies |
3 |
Admission
to Programme |
|
|
|
|
|
MAJOR |
HIS 170 |
West
Indian History I |
3 |
Admission to Prog |
|
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|
MAJOR |
HIS 112 |
History
of The Bahamas I |
3 |
|
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FREE C |
|
see List
of Prescribed Electives |
3 |
|
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|
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|
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|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
|
30 |
|
|
|
|
|
YEAR II |
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|
GEN ED |
SOS 111 |
Introduction
to Sociology |
3 |
Admission
to Prog |
|
|
|
|
|
GEN ED |
HMNS |
SPA 100
or CRE 100 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
GEN ED |
HMNS |
SPA 101
or CRE 101 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
GEN ED |
SOS 215 |
Race
& Ethnic Group Relations |
3 |
SOS 111-P |
|
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|
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MAJOR |
HIS 113 |
History
of The Bahamas II |
3 |
|
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|
MAJOR |
LIT 202 |
West
Indian Literature I |
3 |
Admission
to Prog |
|
|
|
|
|
MAJOR |
LIT 200 |
Bahamian
Literature II |
3 |
100 level
LIT and ENG 120-P |
|
|
|
|
|
MAJOR |
ENG 2-- |
Culture
& Power I |
3 |
|
|
|
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|
MAJOR |
ENG 2-- |
Culture
& Power II |
3 |
|
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|
FREE C |
|
see List
of Prescribed Electives |
3 |
|
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|
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TOTAL
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30 |
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|
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YEAR III |
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|
GEN ED |
ENG 301 |
Advanced
Writing Skills |
3 |
ENG 120/3rd
Year |
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GEN ED |
NESE
(300-) |
|
3 |
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MAJOR |
Discourse
1 |
See
Prescribed List I |
3 |
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MAJOR |
Discourse
1 |
See
Prescribed List I |
3 |
|
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MAJOR |
Discourse
2 |
See
Prescribed List II |
3 |
|
|
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|
MAJOR |
Discourse
2 |
See
Prescribed List II |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
MAJOR |
ANT 3-- |
Imagined
Communities: Approaches to National
Identity |
3 |
Ant 1xx
OR Soc 111 OR instructor permission |
|
|
|
|
|
MAJOR |
ENG 3-- |
Seminar
in Bahamian & Caribbean Thought |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
MAJOR |
ENG 3 |
Methodologies
of Cultural Studies |
3 |
|
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FREE C |
300 level
+ |
|
3 |
|
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TOTAL
|
30 |
|
|
|
|
|
YEAR IV |
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|
GEN ED |
SOSC
(300-) |
|
3 |
|
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|
MAJOR |
Discourse
1 |
See
Prescribed List I |
3 |
|
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|
MAJOR |
Discourse
1 |
See
Prescribed List I |
3 |
|
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|
MAJOR |
Discourse
2 |
See
Prescribed List II |
3 |
|
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|
MAJOR |
Discourse
2 |
See
Prescribed List II |
3 |
|
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MAJOR |
ENG 4-- |
Special
Topics in Bahamian/Caribbean Cultural Studies |
3 |
|
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|
MAJOR |
ENG 4-- |
Senior
Thesis I |
3 |
|
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MAJOR |
ENG 4-- |
Senior
Thesis II |
6 |
ENG 4-- |
|
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FREE C |
300 level
+ |
|
3 |
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|
|
|
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TOTAL
|
30 |
|
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TOTAL PROGRAMME CREDITS
|
120 |
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NOTES:
A.
Undergraduate Free Choice Electives should be drawn from the
BCCS List of Prescribed Electives Below in order to satisfy prerequisites for
later coursework
B.
Students who may exit with the A.A. degree after year two
take 200- level courses for General Education and Free Choice electives to meet
200 level credit requirements.
C.
To satisfy graduation requirements, the student must
complete:
1.
No fewer than 120 credit hours composed of courses shown
above.
2.
No fewer than 60 credit hours at the 300 level or above with
a minimum of 18 credit hours at the 400 level.
3.
The programme with an overall minimum GPA of 2.0 and a GPA of
2.5 in major courses.
|
BCCS Prescribed List I: Courses of Substantive Relevance Discourse I |
BCCS Prescribed List II: Courses of Conceptual/Methodological
Relevance Discourse II |
|
ENG 4--* Special Topics in Bahamian and Caribbean Cultural
Studies GEO 400* Advanced Bahamian Geography HIS 301 The Atlantic World I 1400-1600 HIS 302 The Atlantic World II 1600-1800 HIS 307 History of the Caribbean I 1490-1804 HIS 308 History of the Caribbean II 1804-1980 LIT 302 West Indian Literature III LIT 400 Cultural Studies in the Bahamian Context LIT 410 Caribbean Women Writers MUS 300 Bahamian Music and Folk Culture POL 313 Political Economy of the Bahamas PSY 400 Caribbean Psychology SOS 3--* Seminar in Bahamian Society Note: * indicates proposed courses |
ANT 3--* Identity, Self
and Other ANT 3--* Ethnographic
Research: Anthro. Appr. to Fieldwork GEO 320 Geography and
the Environment GEO 320* Advanced Economic
Geography GEO 345* Islands of the
World GEO 361* World Cities GEO 362* Trade and
Transportation GEO 410* Seminar in
Environmental Problems GEO 420* Seminar in
Economic Geography GEO 421* Seminar in Social
Geography GEO 423* Political
Geography GEO 424* Historical
Geography GEO 460* Seminar in Urban
and Regional Planning LAW 311 Law and Criminal
Justice LIT 415 Subversion, Mimicry and Identity: Issues in Post- Colonial Literature POL 314 Field Seminar in Policy Studies POL 315 Project Management: Seminar and Colloquium POL 414 Field Seminar in Policy Studies PSY 3--* Diversity in Psychology II PSY 3--* Cultures and
Behaviour PSY 4--* Group Dynamics SOS 4--* Sociology of Culture SWK 306 Community Organization |
|
BCCS List of Prescribed Lower Division
Electives 100- level
200- level |
|
|
ANT 1-- Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ANT 1-- Introduction to Social Anthropology ART 185 Art Appreciation BIOL 116 Ecology COM 106 Introduction to
Communication COM 150 Introduction to
Mass Communications CRE 100 Conv Creole I (n/a if used for Gen. Ed.
Req) CRE 101 Conv Creole II (n/a if used for Gen. Ed.
Req) FRE 100 Conversational French I FRE 101 Conversational French II GEO 100 Introduction to Bahamian Geography GEO 101 Agricultural Geography
of the Bahamas GEO 102 Introduction to
the Geography of Tourism HIS 115 Introduction to African Studies LIT 100 Bahamian Literature I: Oral Tradition LIT 111 Practical Criticism LIN 121 Elementary English Structure MARI 100 Introduction to
Oceanography PIL 160 Introduction to Philosophy I PIL 161 Introduction to Philosophy II POL 111 Introduction to Political Thought I POL 112 Introduction to Political Thought II POL 113 Government and Politics in the Bahamas PSY 111 Introduction to Psychology SPA 100 Conv Span (n/a if used for Gen. Ed. Req SPA 101 Conv Span II (n/a if used for Gen. Ed.
Req) SWK 100 Introduction to Social Welfare SWK 106 Intro to the Princ and Pract of Soc
Casework SWK 107 Introduction to Social Group Work TOUR 100 Introduction to
Tourism TOUR 101 Elements of Tourism Note: * indicates proposed courses |
CRIM 200 Criminology CRIM 201 Criminal Justice CRIM 208 The Police, State
and Society CRIM 219 Juvenile
Delinquency ECON 211 Principles of
Macroeconomics ECON 214 Economics of
Tourism ECON 215 Economic
Development ENSC 201 Environmental
Science FLE 200 Foreign Language Experience FRE 201 Intermediate French Level I FRE 202 Intermediate French Level II FRE 250 Advanced French I FRE 251 Advanced French II GEO 200 Advanced Bahamian Geography GEO 205 The Developed World: West Indies GEO 220 Economic Geography GEO 221 Population and Settlement GEO 221* Social and
Cultural Geography GEO 223 Geography of Underdevelopment GEO 261* Urban Geography GEO 290 Overseas Field Studies in Human and
Physical Geo HIS 225 The Nature of History HIS 270 West Indian History II 1800-present LAW 200 Elements of
Administrative and Constitutional Law LAW 205 Bahamian Legal
System LAW 208 Criminal Law LIN 200 Language in Society LIN 205 Seminar in Bahamian Dialect LIN 210 Language Development LIN 220 Introduction to Socio-linguistics POL 211 Politics and Society in the Third
World POL 213 Introduction to International
Relations POL 214 Comp Gov: The Political Economy of the Caribbean POL 220 Modern Political Ideology PSY 2-- Diversity in Psychology I PSY 266 Social Psychology REL 211 Sociology of Religion REL 212 Religion in Bahamian Life REL 213 Contemporary Ethical Issues (Societal) REL 215 Introduction to the Philosophy of
Religion SOS 201 Social Structure in the Third World SOS 202 Sociology of Tourism SOS 203 Sociology of the Family SOS 216 Sociology of Development SOS 217 Crime and Society SOS 218 Sociology of Human Sexual Behaviour SOS 220 Social Policy, Planning and Evaluation SPA 201 Intermediate Spanish Level I SPA 202 Intermediate Spanish Level II SPA 240 Advanced Spanish I SPA 241 Advanced Spanish II SWK 204 Principles and Practice of Social
Casework SWK 205 Social Group Work SWK 219 Social Issues TOUR 200 Cultural and
Heritage Tourism TOUR 206 Transportation and
the Tourist TOUR 214 Ecotourism |
Student’s Signature: _____________________________________ Date: ________________
Advisor’s Signature: _____________________________________ Date: ________________
Chairperson’s Signature: __________________________________ Date: ________________
Graduation Semester: _____________________________ Year: _______________________
Credits Taken at 300 level: ________________________ 400 level: ____________________
GPA in Major Field: ___________________ Cumulative GPA: ________________________
________________________________________________ ____________________
Signature, Records Assistant, Graduation Date
________________________________________________ ____________________
Signature, V.P., Student Affairs Date
THE COLLEGE OF THE BAHAMAS
GEN ED LIBR 013 Library Orientation 0
GEN ED COUN 001 Student Development Seminar 0
GEN ED CIS 105 Introduction to Business
Applications 3
GEN ED ENG 119 College English Skills I 3
GEN ED MATH 140 Basic College Mathematics 3
GEN ED GEO 113 Human and Cultural
Geography 3
MAJOR HIS 170 West Indian History I 3
GEN ED ENG 120 College English Skills II 3
GEN ED Natural Sciences Elective 3
MAJOR HIS 112 History of The Bahamas I 3
MAJOR ENG 1-- Introduction to
Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies 3
FREE CH Free
Elective from List of Prescribed Electives 3
GEN ED Humanities Foreign Language (SPA 100 or
CRE 100) 3
GEN ED SOSC 111 Introduction to Sociology 3
MAJOR LIT 202 West Indian Literature I 3
MAJOR HIS 113 Bahamian History II 3
MAJOR ENG 2-- Culture & Power I 3
GEN ED SOS 215 Race and Ethnic Group
Relations 3
GEN ED Humanities Foreign Language (SPA 101 or
CRE 101) 3
MAJOR LIT 200 Bahamian Literature II 3
MAJOR ENG 2-- Culture & Power II 3
FREE CH Free
Elective from List of Prescribed Electives 3
GEN ED Natural Sciences Elective 3
MAJOR ENG 3-- Seminar in Bahamian &
Caribbean Thought 3
GEN ED Humanities Advanced Writing Skills 3
MAJOR Discourse 1 See Prescribed List I 3
MAJOR Discourse 2 See Prescribed List II 3
YEAR
III: SEMESTER II
MAJOR ANT 3-- Imagined Communities:
Approaches to National Identity 3
MAJOR ENG 3-- Methodologies of Cultural
Studies 3
MAJOR Discourse 1 See Prescribed List I 3
MAJOR Discourse 2 See Prescribed List II 3
FREE CH Free
Elective
GEN ED Social Science Elective 3
MAJOR ENG 4-- Special Topics in
Bahamian & Caribbean Studies 3
MAJOR Discourse 1 See Prescribed List I 3
MAJOR Discourse 2 See Prescribed List II 3
MAJOR ENG 4-- Senior Thesis I 3
YEAR
IV: SEMESTER II
MAJOR Discourse 1 See Prescribed List I 3
MAJOR Discourse 2 See Prescribed List II 3
MAJOR ENG 4-- Senior Thesis II 6
FREE CH Free
Elective 3
General Education Requirements
LIBR OI3 0
COUN 001 0
ENG 119 College English Skills I 3
ENG 120 College English Skills II 3
MATH 140 Basic College Mathematics 3
CIS Computer Literacy 3
2 Social Science Electives
(SOS 111 & SOS 215) 6
2 Natural Science Electives
(GEO 113 & 1 other) 6
2 Humanities Foreign Language Requirement in Spanish or
Creole 6
Total credits 30
Free Electives (see list of prescribed electives) 6
6
Major Courses
ENG 1-- Introduction to Interdisciplinary
Cultural Studies 3
HIST 112 History of The Bahamas I 3
HIST 113 History of The Bahamas II 3
HIST 170 West Indian History I 3
LIT 202 West Indian Literature I 3
LIT 200 Bahamian Literature II 3
ENG 2-- Culture and Power I 3
ENG 2-- Culture and Power II 3
Total Credits 24
General Education Requirements
1 Social Science
Elective 3
1 Pure and Applied
Science Elective 3
1 Humanities Elective
(ENG 301) 3
9
Free Electives 6 6
Major Courses
ENG 3-- Seminar in Bahamian & Caribbean
Thought 3
ENG 3-- Methodologies of Cultural Studies 3
ANT 3-- National Identity in The Bahamas
& the Caribbean 3
ENG 4-- Special Topics in Bahamian &
Caribbean Studies 3
Discourse I See Prescribed List I 12
Discourse II See Prescribed List II 12
ENG 4-- Senior Thesis I 3
ENG 4-- Senior Thesis II 6
45
TOTAL
CREDITS (Upper Division) 60
TOTAL
CREDITS (B. A. PROGRAMME) 120