Department of Geography

Geographies of the Caribbean

• Credits: 3
• Level: Undergraduate, Year 3
• Semester: 2
• Status: Elective course for BSc/BA major (Geography) and BSc Geography
• Pre-requisites: GEOG 1901; or GEOG 1131, GEOG 1132 or HOD permission.
• Course coordinator:
• Note: replaces GEOG 3001. Students who have already completed that course may not additionally take this one.

Course coverage

Caribbean geography: physical geography, climatology, economy and economic though, social conditions, urban dynamics, rural activities.

Significance/Rationale

Level III Geographies of the Caribbean introduces students to the Caribbean environment, Caribbean history and development issues in the Caribbean. This course provides students with the necessary conceptual framework and critical analysis to understand the contemporary Caribbean and the many issues it is facing today. The UWI Geography degree allows for the progressive intellectual development of students through Levels I to III, so this course is designed to prepare students to be useful and bring progressive ideas, whatever the job and to position they will engage in here in Trinidad or elsewhere in the region.The course contributes to the preparation of UWI geography graduates for the 21st century, by exposure to critical thinking, effective communications and self-motivated learning.

Course description

This course provides a geographically-based intellectual and analytical approach to making sense of the connections within the Caribbean and the challenges posed to the region by an increasingly globalized world. It provides a geographical evaluation of settlement, cultures, resource use, economic structure, and growth problems of selected Caribbean countries and of the region as a whole.