Abstract

For over ten years, an interdisciplinary faculty team has been offering a course at the University of Hartford, Conn., USA on what has been called a "laboratory of diversity": the Caribbean region. <p> The course starts by dispelling students' commonly held stereotypes of the Caribbean and proceeds to promote understanding of the complex lives led by people from the rich mix of racial and cultural backgrounds that make up the island nations of the Caribbean. Cultural/religious amalgams are examined, ranging from slave blendings of Roman Catholicism with West African Yoruba leading to Voodun/ Santeria to the Rastafarian adaptation of Christianity into a cargo cult focusing on a Garveyesque return to Africa.</p><p> The influence of musical genres originating in the Caribbean and their effect on political and cultural development are traced including, most importantly, the world-wide political and social phenomenon of reggae. Literary selections feature critical analyses of Caribbean identity and ethnic conflict, and probing examinations of contemporary realities that have evolved out of what was, over four centuries, one of the most brutal and violent episodes of human history. External economic dominance is considered in terms of its impact on the lives of the region's inhabitants as well as its effect on a domestic politics of diminished sovereignty and consequent politics of protest against globalization. </p><p> A variety of teaching methods are used in the course. Participatory learning is encouraged through class discussions of controversial topics, journal keeping, sampling West Indian food, and critical analysis of music and literature from the region.</p>