International Journal of Bahamian Studies
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Avicenna's Deterministic Theory of Action and its Implication for a Theory of Justice
Get PDFIn this essay two issues are critically addressed, namely, the foundation of Avicenna's ethical determinism and its implication for a theory of justice.
As to the first issue, it regards the analysis of Avicenna's deterministic theory notwithstanding his rare but ambiguous use of the free will, suggesting terms such as "will", "voluntary" and "choice". In such a theory, where everything is governed by the laws of pre-established harmony, the ethical evil done by man is viewed in the same way physical evil is, as contingent, minimal, determined by God, and having its proper function within world order and harmony.
As to Avicenna's justification of punishment, one must recognize that Avicenna did not address the issue in its socio-juridical context. Rather, he addressed it from a religious point of view, but the implication for a theory of social justice seems to be obvious: because of universal determinism, including man's actions, all threats and promises (as well as punishment by human civil courts) have a deterrent function.
Objections are raised against this deterministic philosophy to show that it is founded on a misleading argument of order and harmony. More objections are raised to show that Avicenna's conception of justice, based on determinism is inhumane and unsatisfactory
Results from a Mammography Audit and Patient Attitudes Study at the Princess Margaret Hospital
Get PDFThis paper reports the results from (1) a mammography audit from the Princess Margaret Hospital and 2) patient attitudes towards mammographs in the context of national risks of breast cancer. The audit allows for the quality of mammographic diagnoses to be assessed. Information on patient attitudes and follow-up to mammograms is required so that health care providers can better interact and educate patients.
Between 2000 and 2002 about two percent of 4,322 patients were diagnosed with breast cancer. A family history, previous mastectomy, or a patient having a complaint was found to elevate the risk of breast cancer. In the telephone study, the cancer detection rate was 18.8 per 1000. The positive predictive value of mammogram reports was 15.4%; the recall rate was 12.2%. The biopsy yield was 32.1%. The sensitivity and specificity of mammograms in 2001 were 100% and 89.5% respectively.
The telephone study of 1,092 previous patients found that doctors were a major influence in getting patients to have a mammogram. Many women were ignorant about essential aspects of mammography and this probably resulted in many of them not returning for subsequent mammograms. Patients who should have had follow-up appeared not to have followed the doctor's recommendation. National data on breast cancer indicated that women in New Providence have a higher risk of breast cancer compared to women in other Bahamian islands
A Collection of Abstracts of Recent Doctoral Research on The Bahamas
Get PDFAbstracts of .three recent doctoral dissertations by College of The Bahamas facult
A History of Anglicanism in the Caribbean and The Bahamas
No full textA history of growth and development of the Anglican Church in the Caribbean from its beginning in the 17th century to present day
Issues in the Evaluation of Teaching Performance in Higher Education
Get PDFThe implementation of evaluative procedures in higher education is widespread with major concerns in the areas of: quality of teaching, curriculum content, subject relevance, coursework assessment, staff helpfulness and accessibility.
In the main, the objective of this monitoring and evaluation is to maintain standards, identify weaknesses and to improve, wherever possible, the quality of courses and institutions. Often the methods employed to assess professional performance are contentious (Curling, 1994), particularly so when criteria are sought for the granting of tenure, promotion, the renewal of contracts and the dismissal of staff (College of The Bahamas Evaluation Report, 1985). Among other evaluation procedures, student evaluation of lecturer's teaching performance receives its share of faculty criticism and hostility.
This paper is concerned with student evaluation of teaching performance in higher education. Initially the methodology employed in this review is described. Selected issues in student evaluation of teaching performance are presented and examined. Finally the review is summarized and suggestions made
Bahamian English or Bahamian Creole? A Socio-Historical Investigation
Get PDFIn this paper I propose to examine particular socio-historical conditions prevailing in the formative years of the Afro-Bahamian contact situation that contributed to the evolution of the Afro-Bahamian speech variety. Through such an investigation I attempt to shed some light on the question posed in the title, which seeks to identify the genesis of Afro-Bahamian, more specifically, the question of whether the linguistic system of the Bahamian slave society in the eighteenth century was genetically and topologically related to an English grammar or to an African grammar.
A number of socio-historical factors were linguistically significant during the early years of colonization of the Bahama Islands which created a contact situation far removed from that of plantation colonialism in the Caribbean Islands. To this end I consider early settlement of the islands, the economic and social organization, the relative distribution of the African and English populations, codes of social interaction and settlement patterns.
These factors, in varying degrees, contributed to the distinct acculturative processes resulting in a unique Afro-Bahamian speech variety, locally referred to as Bahamian dialect. Given the archipelagic nature of the Bahama Islands, and the relative isolation of one from the other during the eighteenth century, I further consider differences in socio-historical circumstances among the islands that contributed to differences in emerging linguistic system of the slave society. This investigation is confined to three areas: the northeast islands (Harbour Island and Eleuthera), New Providence and the southeast islands (Cat Island, Exuma, San Salvador, Long Island, Crooked Island and Caicos)
Training for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in The Bahamas
No full textThis article is adapted from a survey report entitled "Management Training for Small Business in Canada". It was funded by the Federal Government in 1990 and is composed of two studies. The first is a review of various sources of information available on the topic of small business management training. The second study comprises the results of a nation-wide survey of 187 professionals involved in activities related to management training. Whereas the survey report evaluates existing management training services available to Canadian small businesses, this article applies the research findings to the Bahamian environment. Preliminary research on the training and development needs of Bahamian SMEs supports the general consensus emerging from this comparative study that both Canadian and Bahamian small businesses, as a whole, do not devote enough time and resources to management training
Latin American Essay: Literary Constructions of Cultural Identity
Get PDFThis article provides a careful look at three essays that deal directly with the relationship between cultural identity and the specificity of the Latin American essay, reviewing and questioning the prevailing understanding of the Latin American essay's origin. This leads to a comprehensive contextualization of works by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento and José Martí that goes beyond monolithic literary studies
Race and Patriarchy in Othello
No full textThis paper argues that both patriarchy and racism shape the dynamics of Othello. Othello's blackness affects his behaviour toward his wife as well as his attitude to himself. Desdemona's pariah status as a result of marrying a black man partially accounts for her murder. On the other hand, Othello, as oppressed Other, is also, in his role as a male within the patriarchal tradition, the oppressor. Othello's need to establish and maintain hegemony over his wife makes his behaviour no different from that of other men operating in the framework of patriarchy. Ultimately, Othello is as much a man as he is a black man