Charting the Course of Communication Studies in the English-speaking Caribbean: Disciplines, Developments and Future Directions
Abstract
This paper documents an aspect of the evolution of communication as an academic discipline in the English-speaking Caribbean. With an initial focus on the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication based at the Mona Campus of the University of West Indies, the paper outlines some approaches to studying and teaching communication within the region by describing course curricula, as well as research output associated with faculty members of the Institute. Challenges and opportunities associated with the development of the communication discipline are also discussed. Suggestions for assessing developments in Caribbean communication scholarship are made using a proposed framework capturing philosophical, theoretical, methodological, educational and practical issues. The paper ends with suggestions for possible future directions for the further establishment of communication scholarship in the Caribbean.
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