School for International Training Offers a Semester in Cuba
Time is short -- Act Now for Fall 1996 Semester!
Hi,
We have in place a program for university students to study for a
semester in Cuba, organized by School for International Training
(SIT) which provides accredited programs for 160 US universitites in
40 countries around the world. But given all the ups and downs that
you are familiar with, it took awhile to get this all into place
after Clinton's Oct.6 "opening", and to be sure it could still
happen after the passage of Helms-Burton.
As a result, although we have an excellent program planned, the
announcements are just going out now, and it may be too late for the
September semester if we don't get at least 10 students RIGHT NOW.
Therefore we are asking everyone who has contact with university
students (preferably jr or sr year) who might be interested in this
program and who could contribute to it constructively, to pass on
this information, and urge those interested to get in touch with
Linda Farthing, the Regional Director fo the Americas. They can
email her for more information at ASA_AMERICAS@MCIMAIL.COM.
or write, fax or call:
Admissions College Semester Abroad
School for International Training
Kipling Road, P.O. Box 676
Brattleboro, VT 05302-0676
1-800-336-1616
FAX 802-258-3296
Following is the basic program offered. Could you please announce,
post, network this information as widely as possible to those you
think would be interested and would be good participants in this
program???
CHRONOLOGICAL OUTLINE OF THE SEMESTER
Week 1 Orientation, Havana environs
Weeks 2 - 7 Intensive Spanish Language Training, Life and Culture
Seminar, Methods and Techniques of Field Study Seminar, field trips
to Pinar del Rio and Isle of Youth,
Week 8 Rural workcamp, Cienfuegos area
Weeks 9-10 Field excursion to Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo
Weeks 11 - 14 Independent Study Project period
Week 15 ISP presentations and Evaluation, Havana environs
Life and Culture Seminar
(6 credits)
The Life and Culture Seminar is an intensive interdisciplinary
course which, together with related field study experiences,
provides students with insights into Cuban life and society.
Major Course Objectives
1) To expose students to the present-day political, economic,
social, and cultural realities of Cuba in the context of their
historical background;
2) To develop cross-cultural awareness and self-understanding based
on respect for differing ways of life.
Methods
The seminar integrates formal classroom lectures with field
experience and complementary readings from a variety of sources.
Emphasis is placed on teaching students to evaluate, integrate, and
analyze information received from diverse sources through group
discussions and written assignments. The core of the seminar is a
lecture series given by experts in the fields of history, politics,
geography, economics, social anthropology, and the arts and
humanities, supplemented by field visits to historical, cultural,
and local development sites. Lectures are generally held in the
classrooms of the Instituto Superior Politecnico "Jose Antonio
Echeverria" in Havana, drawing on expertise from that university.
Other lectures and seminars, in the case of field trips or visits to
rural development project sites, are held on location. Most lectures
are given in Spanish and are of approximately two hours duration,
including follow-up discussion time.
An important supplement to the seminar is the homestay experience,
planned for the Isle of Youth and Santiago de Cuba. Living with
host families allows students to learn about Cuba through direct and
daily immersion in the culture. Similarly, informal interactions in
Havana, on the trips to Pinar del Rio, Cienfuegos, and Guantnamo,
and during the Independent Study Project expand and reinforce
students' cultural experience and knowledge.
The following topics are included in the lecture series:
History and Politics
Spanish colonization and independence; the Spanish-American war;
the Batista period; Castro and the Cuban revolution; Cuban socialism
and the changing role of the Communist party; relations with U.S.
Economics and Development
Sugarcane dependence in colonial and client economies;
"Rectification" and the introduction of mixed economic approaches;
new approaches to agriculture, tourism, health, industry and energy.
Social Institutions
The role of the Communist party in everyday life; churches in a
socialist environment; women's groups, cooperatives and neighborhood
"brigades"; higher education and literacy; emerging role of
non-governmental organizations.
Cultural Anthropology and the Humanities
Afro-Cuban heritage and practices; Spanish influences; cultural
influences from the U.S., the role of baseball and sports; the
"Youth" Culture; film. performing and literary arts.
Field trips designed to illustrate classroom learning and readings
are taken to Pinar del Rio, Isle of Youth, Cienfuegos, Santiago de
Cuba and Guantanamo.
People can also contact me at kwald@igc.apc.org or kwald@infomed.cu if
they need more information.
Thanks for your help in distributing this,
Karen
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