THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES
CAVE HILL CAMPUS
FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
FOUN 1301 – LAW, GOVERNANCE, SOCIETY AND
ECONOMY IN THE CARIBBEAN
COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LIST
available via the Faculty’s Website at www.cavehill.uwi.edu/fss
LECTURER: MR. ORLANDO MARVILLE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is one of the foundations courses of the University and seeks to instill in all students
of the University some knowledge of their systems of government and governance, their laws,
constitutions and how they evolved. Students should be able to specify the difference between
the Westminster and Whitehall modes of Government. It also deals with the origin and
structure of Caribbean society. Initially conceived as a commonwealth Caribbean course, it is
now extended to cover the two “new” CARICOM member states of Haiti and Suriname.
Wherever Caribbean appears, it should be understood to mean member states of CARICOM. It
covers areas, such as, poverty and development and looks at some of the challenges facing the
region in terms of CARICOM’s own efforts at integration, the coming challenge of globalization
and the need for the development of our own internal institutions as represented by the
Caribbean Court of Justice.
The course is divided into three sections for the purpose of grading. 10% of the total marks will
be allocated for work done by students during tutorials; another 5% can be gained by an
attendance of 80% at tutorials, and 15% for an essay on the coursework. The essay will be
written in a tutorial session. The remaining 70% is for the final examination. There are two
lectures and one tutorial per week. “It is in your best interest to attend all lectures and
tutorials, always making notes both from what the lecturer and your colleagues present”.
READING LIST
Compulsory Reading
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Hilary Beckles – Black Rebellion in Barbados
Elsa Goveia – W.I. Slave Laws of the 18th Century
Dellimore, Jeffrey – An Approach to the Challenge of Poverty
Mark Harding – Slave, Slavery and Insurrection
Rod Hague – Comparative Government
Manual by Dr. Hamid Ghany: (It should be recognized that this book is dated and that it
contains no material on Haiti and Suriname. The course lectures will attempt to fill in the gaps
and bring the students up to scratch.)
Early Caribbean
Johnson, Kim: http://www.raceandhistory.com/Taino/ Caribs and Arawaks
Stepherd, Verene: Slavery, Marronage and Rebellion (Caribbean Civilisation Reader)
Flick, Carolyn: The Making of Haiti (Caribbean Civilisation Reader)
Dew, Edward: The Trouble in Suriname
Price, Richard: The Guiana Maroons
Plummer, Brenda Gayle: Haiti and the Great Powers
Sociology and Political & Legal Systems of the Caribbean
Antoine, Rose-Marie Belle: Commonwealth Caribbean Law and Legal Systems. Haitian website
entitled The Republic of Haiti: The Constitution and Parliament of Haiti.
Barrow, Christine and Reddock, Rhoda: Caribbean Sociology: Introductory Reading
CARICOM website, CARICOM.Org: The Caribbean Court of Justice
DeLa Bastide, M.A: The Case for the Caribbean Court of Appeal (1995) 5 Carib LR 401
Williams, Geraint: Political Theory in Retrospect.
Emmanuel, Patrick: Governance and Democracy in the Commonwealth Caribbean: An
Introduction (Monograph Series No.3, Institute of Economic and Social Research
La Guerre, John (Ed.) Issues in Government and Politics in the West Indies (School of Continuing
Studies, UWI, St. Augustine)
Industry and Poverty
Lewis, Sir Arthur: The Industrialisation of the British West Indies
Beckford, George: Persistent Poverty
Craig, Susan: Contemporary Caribbean (Sociological Reader, Vol.1)
Lewis, Oscar: Children of Sanchez
World Bank: (Latest possible update) Poverty Reduction and Human Resource Development in
the Caribbean.
Recommended Reading:
Orlando Patterson – The Sociology of Slavery
Ralph Henry – Poverty Revisited
Highman – Slave Populations in the British Caribbean
Williams, Eric: Capitalism and Slavery
James, CLR: The Black Jacobins
Birch, Anthony H: The British System of Government
Dolbeare, Kenneth et al: American Politics (DC Health & Co 1985) Chapters 9 & 10
Price, Richard and Sally: Stedman’s Suriname
Sunshine, Catherine: The Caribbean: Survival, Struggle and Sovereignty (Washington DC 1985)
Thompson, David: Political Ideas (Penguin 1990)
Paul Barton-The African Olmecs: Kim Johnson www.raceandhistory.com/Taino
Pantin, Reader in Caribbean Economies
COURSE CONTENT
The course will roughly follow the direction suggested by the manual with the essential
difference that less attention will be paid to the details of the parliamentary systems of the
member states. Greater focus will be concentrated on the following wider issues, related to the
Reading Lists above:
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General Political Theory
The origin and structure of CARICOM societies
The structure and nature of Government in CARICOM
Caribbean Legal Systems
Governance
The Models of Caribbean Society
The Development of women’s rights
The Caribbean Court of Justice
Contemporary Caribbean Social and Economic Problems
Poverty and Poverty alleviation
Challenges facing the CARICOM region, including the CSME, globalization and the
coordination of their external policies.
Mr. Orlando Marville
Course Coordinator
September 2014
ESSAY QUESTIONS
Students are required to choose one essay for submission from the questions below.
This will account for 15 per cent of your course work allocation.
Requirements:
 Word Limit – 1,500
 Essay will be written in class
1. Maya Society was an example of a great civilisation. Discuss the various aspects
of this civilisation.
2. The Caribbean Court of Justice has come of age with their decision on the
Shanique Myrie case with respect to the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. Discuss.
3. “I am a woman, hear me roar”. Discuss this in light of the fact that women still
continue to be part of the vulnerable groups in Caribbean Society.
4. What were the essential differences between the Lokono and the Kalina?
5. What has been the impact of either Marx or Montesquieu on modern society?
6. What are the differences between Haiti and Suriname?
7. How important is the electoral system in creating a democratic system?
8. How applicable is the Plantation model to contemporary Caribbean society?
9. The proliferation of crime and violence in our societies is based on the levels of
poverty. Discuss?
10. What must CARICOM do to fit into the world of globalisation?
TUTORIAL QUESTIONS
Students are required to present one (1) tutorial question and this is for 10% of your
total grade. Additionally students will be assigned 5 per cent for 80 per cent attendance
at Tutorial sessions.
1. Describe the differences between the Kalina and the Lokono or outline the
achievements of the Maya, particularly in the areas of writing, medicine,
architecture, astronomy and mathematics.
2. Will the decision in the Shanique Myrie case lead other CARICOM member States
into joining the appellate jurisdiction of the CCJ?
3. The continued abuse of women speaks to the need for a sea change in the
attitude of men towards women. This is a prerequisite for the further
advancement of women in our societies. Discuss.
4. When money talks, democracy walks away. Discuss.
5. Discuss the impact made by either Montesquieu or Marx on the modern world.
6. What are the differences between Belize and Haiti in terms of electoral systems
and of their populations?
7. Discuss the flaws in the First Past the Post electoral system and suggest changes
you might make in your country.
8. Discuss the difficulties involved in creating CSME.
9. How far are crime and poverty related?
10. We are still mired in the plantation in our thinking about our economies and
ourselves at a personal level. Discuss