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"One of the most important lessons I learned was how reality differs for each individual. Jamaica has such a diverse population. For some, reality may be selling just enough buns and cheese to pay for a uniform and school fees for their child. For others, reality was sending their child abroad to attend university, and still others' reality consisted of having enough money to ride the school bus each day. I was encouraged to reflect upon my own reality and lifestyle, and to consider how these were affecting the lives of others. IPSL does it right."
- Sally, Xavier University
The program is based at the University of Technology, Jamaica. As the national university, it is highly regarded in Jamaica and the Caribbean, preparing students from a wide variety of backgrounds with strong qualifications and skills for entry into the workplace or for further studies. When field trips or organized cultural programs are relevant to deepen understanding, these are incorporated in the academic program. You will take four required courses for a total of 12 credits. A transcript is issued by the University of Technology, Jamaica, upon successful completion of the program.
This course introduces students to the written and oral works of the Caribbean as expressions of the lived experiences of its peoples. Through the study of novels, poetry, biography, and historical journals, students will examine the socio-historical context and Caribbean realities reflected in literature of the region.
Required | Recommended US Credits: 3 | More Course InformationThis course addresses major sociological issues, questions and themes in contemporary Caribbean society; evaluates the sociological impact of cultural continuities and changes within the Caribbean socio-cultural dynamic; and questions the rationale of ethnocentric applications to the assessment of Caribbean social phenomena.
Required | Recommended US Credits: 3 | More Course InformationThis course is conducted in two concurrent parts. The first part is a guided field exercise, designed to integrate your service experience with the formal learning of the program. Using the agency or community project in which you are serving as a case study, you conduct an intentional and sequenced investigation and prepare a major paper in which you analyze the agency as a microcosm of the cultural, social, economic and political issues of the larger society. The second part of the course is “Reflective and Literary Journal Writing,” for which you write a a literary, reflective journal based on the IPSL textbook, Charting a Hero’s Journey, drawing on the realities of your service activities or other experiences in Jamaica and documenting your inner and outer journey of service-learning in Jamaica.
Required | Recommended US Credits: 3 | More Course InformationExamines the political, social, and economic history of the Caribbean, as well as current topical issues in the Caribbean.
Required | Recommended US Credits: 3 | More Course Information