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Link to padlet: https://padlet.com/tassahsemail/Caribbean_civilizations_AOandJC

FOUN 1101

Caribbean Civilisation

Portfolio

Student name: A’Shante O’Keife, Jalesa cox

Student ID number: A.O- 415000582 J.c -416001009

Faculty: Law

Campus: Cavehill campus

Degree Program: Law Undergraduate

Date: 11/28/16

Title of Portfolio: Caribbean Civlizations- Our Culture, Religious Practices and Environment

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Coral Reefs Make the news: An issue of Regional Importance

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Coral Reefs Make the news: An issue of Regional Importance

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The issue of possible ramifications of the death of coral reefs arose in the news last month. There was a large reaction worldwide after a supposed ‘Obituary’ of the Great Barrier Reef was the headline of a magazine. This lead to a widespread misunderstanding, but had positive effects. The news media coverage and social media popularity of the article increased public awareness of the issue. There were therefore renewed efforts and support for the ‘dying’ reef. We wished to consider several key questions that arose surrounding the topic below.
Geradia (gold) coral Photo: NOAA Hawaiian Undersea Research Lab
The image above shows coral found off the coast of Hawaii. It may be one of the oldest organisms in the world.

“Coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse, productive, and complex ecosystems on earth...” (John Wesley Tunnell, Coral Reefs of the Southern Gulf of Mexico, 2007) Coral reefs play a critical and often underappreciated role, are especially important in the Caribbean.  The process of development of coral reefs, reasons for their destruction, some socio-economic reasons for their importance will be briefly discussed.

“Coral reefs are formed by massive colonies of tiny animals called polyps (close relatives of jellyfish).” (G. Tyler Miller, ‎Scott Spoolman, Living in the Environment – 2008) Also important to the growth of coral reefs are coralline algae, annelid worms, some species of sponge and molluscs. These calcareous shell secreting species live together, and their death leaves behind the exoskeleton which creates the shapes and pores of the reefs. They are able to grow at or just below sea level, and can only survive in warm climates above twenty degrees Celsius and below thirty degrees Celsius. Living Coral hosts zooxanthellae which provide them nutrients. These micro-organisms need sunlight in order to photosynthesize. Therefore they are found in tropical and subtropical waters. Fringing, Atoll or Barrier reefs may be formed through this process.
" Fringing reefs surrounding Pacific islands "Taken from http://www.coral-reef-info.com/types-of-coral-reefs.html to show an example of a fringing reef.

As the names suggest, fringing reefs are found near the coastline, and barrier reefs stand between the coastline and deeper waters.  Atolls enclose Lagoons, forming a ring shaped reef.

According to Mark Spalding, Corinna Ravilious and Edmund Peter Green in World Atlas of Coral Reefs, Coral reefs can be affected in the region by several factors. These include:

·         Coral disease

·         Overfishing

·         Agricultural Runoff

·         Hurricanes

·         Indirect Effect of Tourism

·         Coastal Building Practices

·         Sedimentation and Pollution
·         Rising sea levels due to melting Polar Ice Caps

There are several socio-economic implications which can result from the destruction of coral reefs. The most blatant would be a loss of biodiversity. The loss of coral reefs would cause a ripple effect. There would be an obvious effect on the fishing industry. The loss of bio-diversity would cause a loss of jobs for those who fish. There may also be a loss of a food source for these people, and generally for our nations’ populations. These effects would have their own socio-economic results on the health, quality of life and economic status of the people affected. There would be a negative effect on tourism, which following such a disturbance in the systems of the sea life. Tourists may not only cease to come to enjoy the beauty of the reefs and our Caribbean waters, but also to study and understand the creatures that coral forms a habitat for and the role that these species play.
Black coral Photo: NOAA Hawaiian Undersea Research Lab
The image above shows Black Coral being harvested.

Therefore there is a loss of whatever possible discoveries and positive socio-economic impact that could result, including new food and medicine resources as well as jobs created through tourism, depended on so heavily in our region. Coral reefs also play the important role of protection of coastlines. Without reefs to play this evidently important role, there would be eroding damage to the coastline, to boats, and possible loss of life due to newly roughened waters.  These are a few of the possible negative effects of destruction of coral reefs.

Because of these possible harmful effects, the preservation of our reefs is an important issue in our Caribbean Society. The reefs are an important part of our geographical environment.

Sources:
Miller, G. Tyler. Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections and Solutions. South Melbourne Etc.: Thomson Learning, 2004. Print.

Bharatdwaj, K. Physical Geography: Oceanography. Discovery Publishing House, 2006. Print.

Green, E. World Atlas of Coral Reefs. University of California Press, 2001. Print.

Ray, C. et. al. Coastal-Marine Conservation: Science and Policy. 1 Apr 2009

Picture below:
screenshot of an article speaking about the viral magazine which contained an 'obituary' for the Great Barrier Reef.
Lewis, Sophie. "The Great Barrier Reef Is Not Actually Dead." CNN.com. CNN, 14 Oct. 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

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Before the start of the course, I had received feedback from others about what the course would be like. The changes in the course were quite unexpected. Initially I expected to increase or apply my pre-existing knowledge of History, Sociology and Caribbean Studies, hopefully in a new and exciting way. I expected evaluations surrounding my learning and of course, a classroom setting. I cannot say that all these things were achieved.

The course began as expected. The course director was engaging and entertaining and kept us interested while we watched the video of the lecture. However, there was an abrupt cancellation of the in-class lectures. It became a great struggle to find time to watch the online lectures. We were also expected to read the assigned book to complete the book report and online questions. This meant allocating time for these tasks, with no lectures to encourage you or remind you to complete them.

On top of this, through discussion with students, it could be concluded the information provided to students through the various tutorial lecturers was evidently inconsistent. But this might not have been any fault of their own because everything in the course was vague and indirect. Perhaps the creators of the course thought leaving instructions open- or basically not leaving instructions at all- would foster creativity and innovation. What it really did was leave students - who were used to clear and structured guidelines and not used to the opportunity to really make an assignment their own - running around like headless chickens, wondering what the 'right' way was in the face of all the 'suggestions'. I did not personally have this problem, and I liked the creative outlet, but I was a bit concerned that although all interpretations and angles are right once they meet the rubric's goals, some interpretations may be more right than others. I also miss the opportunity to get in-person feedback from a marking lecturer so that I can see where I've erred in a simple, timely manner.

In terms of the subject matter, the material was generally not new to me. As a law student I was not exempt from the course despite the fact that I've covered the course's material several times throughout my learning career. I suppose that this was the last opportunity for me to blatantly apply and be evaluated on the information learned from my social science and humanities background before settling in to the Law Courses. I am glad to have had such an opportunity as I will miss really focussing on these topics. I will try to apply them in my future courses in whatever way possible.

An intriguing part of the course was the book that was assigned. I enjoyed the read. The writing style, cliffhangers and underlying morals were worth the time it took to complete the book. I especially loved The Twilight of Daisy Powell, and I may actually reread that story in my free time. I also enjoyed the tutorials. We had an excellent tutor who would have been a perfect lecturer should he have been given the opportunity.

Altogether, the course was not as well executed as I would have liked. I sorely missed the classroom experience and disliked the online assignments greatly. However, the book report and this assignment were very enjoyable, as were my tutorials.

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Unit 7: Religion in the Formation of Caribbean Society

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Unit 7: Religion in the Formation of Caribbean Society

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Caribbean societies are generally described as pluralistic. "A pluralistic society is one in which more than one religion or philosophy exist together more or less peacefully." (Poobee S. Religion in a Pluralistic Society 1976)

Above is a Hindu symbol 'Aum' taken from
http://hinduismfacts.org/hindu-symbols/.
It is included to show an aspect of Hindu culture.

The pluralistic nature of West-Indian society is as a result of our unique History. Our varying, complex and intriguing combination of cultures is part of what forms our identity as Caribbean people. Its rich history and the migration of various groups over centuries created the state of cultural pluralism that exists in present day society. The process of did not only affect the population’s ethnic, ethic and social state, but also the art forms that developed in the region. According to Jacqueline Knorr - 2014, Creolization is a process that links indigenization with ethnicization against the background of ethnic diversity in a specific social context. In simpler terms, Creolization is a blending of cultures which is a result of exposure, coexistence, and interaction of two or more social groups. (Mark and Vaughan - 2004)

Above is a Catholic symbol 'the Crucifix' taken from

https://owlcation.com/humanities/catholic-symbols

It is included to show an aspect of Catholic religious beliefs.

Creolization would have been a part of the process of adaptation of the enslaved Africans that were mentioned in the fourth lecture. Despite attempts at degradation and violence, the African enslaved were able to assimilate. Similarly the indentured laborers prior to and following the emancipation of the enslaved Africans, brought with them their religious and cultural beliefs. These groups formed the topic of Unit 5: The Caribbean in Demographic Motion: Emancipation, migration and Indentureship. Evidence can be seen today throughout the region, perhaps most blatantly in Trinidad, Guyana and Jamaica.

Above is an Islamic symbol " The Star and Crescent  " taken from
http://religious-symbols.net/islam-symbols.html
It was included to show an aspect of Islamic religious beliefs.

The process of creolization generally has three main effects on the development of religions. Firstly, certain religious practices may have been prevented or restricted from growth through the use of various forms of social control. An example is the practice of drumming for religious ceremonies, which was banned. Secondly, new religious ideologies may be created as a result of creolization. These would include parts of both the dominant culture and the culture from which those who arrived came.

Above is a Rastafarian Symbol "The Rasta Flag" Taken from
http://jamaicans.com/ganja/
It was included to show an aspect of Rastafarian religious beliefs.

Finally, creolization may have encouraged the retention of certain religions that the indentured labourers and the enslaved Africans may have brought with them.

A video discussing a few religious groups in the region was created.  The video was created in order to include literature discussing a few religious groups' introduction to the region. Please follow this link to view the video that we created: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wisNEPTGt-I

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Caribbean civilization in my views is a little of History, Social Studies and Geography.  In this course the lecturer talk about slavery of persons of African decent and where we our heritage came from.  Caribbean civilization also focuses on the cultural development of the different Caribbean islands.  This course was basically taught with the intentions of educating the students about their countries and other countries, teaching us about their different cultures (religion, beliefs, language, norms, and backgrounds).

Overall it basically taught us about our ancestors, when they existed and what they did to make the islands/Caribbean what it is today.

In this course we also learnt about the diversification of the Caribbean’s ethnic background, what was done in the past and what is being now in the present to make the Caribbean what it is.

e.g the planting of sugar cane which was the main feature of the Caribbean.

Although everything was not discussed in the lectures, I made time to read some of the materials posted on e-learning, where I read about the various religions in the Caribbean and how these religions impacted the people, also about education and the Caribbean family structure and how the affected and impacted Caribbean people.

Overall, this course have had its challenges, such as the abrupt cancellation of the lectures which then forced us to having to watch one and a half hour long pre-recorded videoed lectures. Although , the lectures lasted and extra thirty minutes, to me it basically more interesting and interactive from my prospective and the students were able to be more interactive in the lectures in terms of asking questions and so forth and the lecturer would sometimes make a joke which kept the students going.

I think the course however, is very informative as we should be well educated about our roots and history and know what our ancestors and the people before our existence did to make way for us.

All that this course needs is a careful reviewing of it and some feedback from the students on what they prefer or what would interest them more and hopefully the course should be a success next semester with little or no hiccups.

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Coral Reefs Make the News: Part 2- Interview Reactions

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Coral Reefs Make the News: Part 2- Interview Reactions

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We wanted to see how the public felt about the news of the supposed 'death' of the Great Barrier Reef, and about the issue of damage to Coral Reefs in general. This small survey was done to get an ideaof the level of awareness of the students.This issue is one which can have negative ramifications on our entire region without some action on our part. We interviewed several UWI students about their knowledge of and reactions to the article. We also asked them if they felt as though there was anything they could do to help prevent further destruction of the Coral Reefs in the region. Some students knew quite a bit about the issue, others openly admitted to not caring. We concluded that raising awareness is an important step toward focusing the spotlight on this often ignored problem of regional importance. We agreed that it deserves governmental attention and general support of Caribbean people, and not just a few days in the news.
Please click the link below to view the video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxnlnCJlDCg6b1ZEcmtGU0FOZWc/view?usp=sharing

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Caribbean Cultural Expression: 'Carnival' - Does it achieve its purpose? 

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Caribbean Cultural Expression: 'Carnival' - Does it achieve its purpose? 

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(A'Shanté O'Keiffe)

As a Calypsonian, this topic is especially important to me. Calypso has always played an important role historically. It has existed not only as a voice of reason, and a voice in general for the oppressed or those who have been treated unjustly. Calypso has touched every topic of critical importance in the region- from reparations and African Culture and empowerment, the environment, politics, religion, the judiciary- even modern technology and sports as well as inter-regional agreements. Calypso sometimes filled with comedy, or even serious issues disguised as comedy, and has managed to retain its core musical elements in the face of heavy external influences due to globalization.

Calypso is only one element- Steel Pan, creative and beautiful wire bending skill, traditional costumes among many other elements that make our cultures unique, are seldom given the spotlight in the Carnival season. Yes, several nations do have Calypso competitions, both Junior and Senior, but these have been continuously back-burnered, with Soca, Jouvert and general revelry- associated categories in the forefront.

It would be ridiculous to suggest that these elements are not of critical importance. However, in light of the purpose of Carnival, that is often declared, does such a heavy focus on those elements truly allow a holistic expression of culture and true achievement of the purpose of Carnival as a platform for cultural expression and a memorial and celebration of emancipation?

We asked several UWI students how they felt about the Carnival Celebrations in their countries. They were asked whether they believe carnival celebrations where they are from achieve their purpose. The respondents were also asked to consider ways the celebrations can be improved to more accurately achieve their purpose. Please see the video we created by following this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxnlnCJlDCg6UDJqUXozY0Z1SHc/view?usp=sharing.

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Religion in the Caribbean Part 2: Religious Tolerance in Our Pluralistic Society

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Religion in the Caribbean Part 2: Religious Tolerance in Our Pluralistic Society

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Respect for differences and embracing our similarities is often considered an important part of what it means to be a Caribbean person. The region is often referred to as a melting pot. This is a part of what makes us unique and diverse.
Despite our apparent Pluralistic nature, there are many who feel uncomfortable expressing their religious beliefs and who may feel that others should not express their beliefs openly. These questions of tolerance were taken to the public. We interviewed several persons asking about their comfort expressing their religious beliefs as well as their feelings about others doing the same. The responses indicated that feelings are mixed on the issue.
Please Click the link below to watch the video that we created:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxnlnCJlDCg6ZTN1N004UFktdHc/view?usp=sharing