CUBA: CULTURE & SOCIETY

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Location: Havana, Cuba
Institution: Casa de las Américas
Term: Summer Quarter (2013 Program Dates: June 24 - August 18)
Application Deadline: March 1, 2013
Language Requirement: Intermediate Spanish skills; Student must have completed the two-year foreign language requirement in Spanish (or equivalent) to be eligible for this program.
Academic Interests: RTVF, Theater, Communications, Journalism, Political Science, Social Policy, English, Latin American Studies, Spanish language

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The Northwestern IPD Cuba: Culture & Society program exposes students to the unique relationship between the United States and Cuba, the effects of political transition on society, and a rich culture that has influenced music, art, and literature around the world. The program focuses on Cuban social transformation, with an emphasis on race, gender, and the influence of globalization, through the study of literature and cinema. The program combines study and various site visits to cultural and historic places in Havana and surrounding areas. All courses are taught in Spanish, and students must demonstrate two years of Spanish at the university level (or equivalent) to be eligible for the program.

HOST INSTITUTION

Founded in 1959 right after the Cuban revolution, Casa de las Américas promotes Latin American and Caribbean studies, arts and culture. Casa de las Américas is one of the premier research institutions in Latin America and offers a multidisciplinary educational program, including classes, lectures, workshops, and exhibits on arts and culture. The institution awards the Casa de Las Américas Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in Latin American culture, arts, and literature.

COURSES

Health and Healing in Cuban History (1 credit)
This course overlays the history of healing, medicine, and health in Cuba with other events in Cuban history from colonial times to the present, with an emphasis on developments that took place in the last fifty years. The class will consist of a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops conducted on the field, mostly in English. Visits to museums, walking tours of the city, and other site-centered activities will be a central component of the course, not only as sources of content material but also as exercises in participatory learning.
Course Instructor: Adrian Lopez Denis

Cuban Literature Since 1990 (1 credit)
This seminar will provide an overview of Cuban literature of the last two decades, with particular attention paid to analyzing the impact of global markets and local policies on literary production.
Course Instructor: Margarita Mateo

The Politics of Race and Gender in Cuban Cinema (1 credit)
This course will provide a panoramic overview of the ways in which race and gender are presented in Cuban cinema, using interracial relationships—and how they are portrayed in cinema—as a proxy to understand the complex interaction between gender and race in contemporary Cuba.
Course Instructor: Joel del Rio (Cuban Essayist and Journalist)

Contemporary Cuban Culture and Society (1 credit)
This seminar approaches the analysis of social and political dynamics in contemporary Cuba from the point of view of cultural studies. Through discussion of contemporary issues, students will explore the relationship between social change and cultural development in Cuba.
Course Instructor: Victor Fowler

HOUSING & MEALS

Students will stay in Casa Lilly, a casa particular located within walking distance of Casa de las Américas, the Malecón, and the Universidad de la Habana. Students will stay in double or triple rooms, equipped with air conditioning, secure lockers, and private bathrooms. Breakfast and some group meals are included.

EXCURSIONS

Students on NU-IPD programs in Cuba will have the opportunity to participate in several guided excursions to famous sites in and around the city of Havana. Possible excursions include trips to Old Havana, Parque Lenín, Maqueta de la Habana, and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de la Habana, among others. Students will also take a day trip to Varadero, a weekend trip to Viñales Valley in Piñar del Río Province, and a trip to Trinidad and the surrounding provinces.

PROGRAM COSTS

Summer 2013 Program Fee= $7,500, which includes tuition, program-related excursions, housing, visa, health insurance, and round trip airfare between Miami and Havana. Students should also budget $810 for the Study Abroad Administrative Fee, about $500 for domestic airfare to and from Miami, and approximately $2,000 for books and discretionary expenses, including meals, non-program transportation, and incidentals.

Students applying to this program are eligible for IPD Study Abroad Fellowships and may be eligible for external funding opportunities. Students participating in this program are subject to Withdrawal Policies for Northwestern-Sponsored Programs.

For more information about billing, finances, and financial aid for study abroad, please refer to the Money Matters resource page of the Study Abroad Office website or contact Krista Buda in the Financial Aid Office.