Study Abroad: Cuba: History, Culture, and Identity

Cuba: History, Culture, and Identity

Location: Cuba: Havana

Term: Fall, Spring

SIT Study Abroad

http://www.sit.edu

PO Box 676 Kipling Road Brattleboro, Vermont 05302-0676 United States

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Phone: (888)272-7881

Fax: (802)258-3296

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Description

Examine Cuba’s artistic and cultural developments as part of the island’s broader history.
Coursework and field assignments will reveal and scrutinize Cuba’s cultural, religious, and geographical diversity.

This program will provide an immersive cultural examination of Cuba's rich artistic traditions; ethnic heritages and identity; and historical developments. The program will be based in the political and cultural capital of Havana and include field-based learning in select provinces.

History and Identity
Contemporary Cuban identity has been shaped by a multitude of influences; examining these factors will be a major component of the program. Coursework will explore Cuba's diverse heritage; religious practices (Catholicism and Santeria); transformative historical developments (independence and revolution); and popular sports culture, particularly baseball; among other topics.

Students will scrutinize the role of key factors such as class, ethnicity, and gender in shaping contemporary Cuban identity.

Culture and Arts
Students will journey deep into the world of Cuban culture and gain direct exposure to the country’s literature, arts, film, music, dance, architecture, and design.

Topics covered in the classroom with corresponding field experiences could include:

* Cuban music with performances, concerts, and dance sessions
* Contemporary Cuban film including film sessions and discussions with contemporary filmmakers and critics
* Cuban literature through reading sessions and discussions with contemporary authors
* Contemporary Cuban art and architecture through onsite visits to Old Havana and discussions with historians and architects
* Coursework will be delivered primarily by faculty members of the Union Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba). The intensive Spanish course will be taught by experienced language professors.

The program will incorporate integrated classes, guided visits, workshops, and field assignments.

Highlights

Discovering Havana
The program will be based in the Cuban capital of Havana. During the week, students will have intensive Spanish instruction as well as lectures by local artists and scholars from the Unión Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC). UNEAC is an association of academics, writers, musicians, actors, painters, sculptors, and artists of different genres; it was originally founded by the Cuban poet Nicolas Guillén in 1961.

Cultural and community events could include:

* Visiting the house of a Santero
* Eating lunch in a local paladar
* Touring a cigar factory
* Dancing in a ceremony invoking the Orishas
* Participating in a performance of batá drums.

Complete Spanish Language Immersion
The program features intensive language classes and daily immersion in Cuban culture. Students can rapidly advance their Spanish on this program. Language instruction is provided at intermediate and advanced levels; the language course will complement and facilitate other program components.

Students also will gain the unique opportunity of completing field assignments and research in Spanish through the Research Methods and Ethics course and Independent Study Project.

Note: The entire program will be conducted in Spanish. Students must have completed at least four recent semesters of college-level Spanish or the equivalent to participate in the program.

Independent Study Project
Students in the Cuba program will conduct an Independent Study Project based on an approved topic relevant to the program theme. Sample topic areas include:

* Novisimos Cuban writers: Where are they now?
* La Nueva trova and the Cuban Revolution
* Jose Marte as the founder of Cuban identity
* Influence of the San Antonio de los Banos film school in Latin American cinema
* Old Havana as a UNESCO World Heritage site

Cost in US$:

Cost Includes:

Credit Available

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participant.

Application Process Involves

Written Application
Letters of Reference
Physical Exam/Health Records
Transcript

Typically The Application Process Time is

3 weeks

SIT Study Abroad's Mission Statement

A pioneer in experiential, field-based study abroad, SIT offers semester, summer, and academic year programs for undergraduate students in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as comparative programs in multiple locations.

Programs focus on critical global issues in specific geographical and cultural contexts using an interdisciplinary approach. Studying with host country faculty and living with families, students gain a deep appreciation for local cultures and become immersed in diverse topics ranging from the politics of identity to post-conflict transformation, from global health to environmental policy.

Year Founded

1932