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International Studies Program - Study Trip 2012 to Cuba: "Cuban Transitions: Heritage, Ecotourism, and Cultural Transformations in the 21st Century"
Spring semester 2012
This Year's Study trip will focus on:
The aftermath of the Período Especial (Special Period), Cuba has undergone far-reaching change. This course looks from the inside out at the cultural and political manifestations of that change, which range from a new cultural openness to protocapitalist entreupreneurism, from alternative definitions of Cubanidad emerging from below to regional leadership in sustainability projects. The course begins with an introduction to the history of revolutionary Cuba, augmented by a focus on Che Guevara and his place in contemporary Cuban iconography and nationalism. The course then addresses the impact of the Período Especial on the internal life of Cuba and Cubans as well as on Cuba’s relation to the world beyond its borders. Topics covered in this section include the economic strategies employed in the midst of crisis, and particularly the reinvigoration of tourism as a source of hard currency; the psychological and physical consequences for Cubans of Cuba’s involvement in Angola; the food shortages that led to the development of alternative modes of production, including urban and sustainable/organic agriculture, and the increasing social dissatisfaction that prompted a dramatic increase in the emigrant flow in the mid-nineties. Questions about the nature of the nation and nationality raised during the Período Especial encouraged new relations between the Cuban State and Cuba’s artists; the course explores these changed relations focusing on Cuban film and hip-hop and cyberpunk in particular. Reconceptualizations of the Cuban nation also combined with the resurgent tourism economy to stimulate an emphasis upon Cuba’s heritage culture, and the development of Cuban Heritage Tourism; the course explores this aspect of Cuban development through focused readings as well as visits while in Cuba to several World Heritage sites. Transitions of the magnitude that Cuba has experienced over the past two decades have a profound environmental impact. From sustainable tourism and agriculture to serious attention to the problem of environmental degradation (including loss of biodiversity and the impact of global warming on coastal ecologies and heritage sites), Cuba is poised to take a leadership role in the region around issues of environmental conservation and justice. Participating Faculty: Colleen Cohen (ANTH), Leslie Offutt (HIST), and Lisa Paravisini (HISP/ENST), instructors
In addition to preparing group projects based upon their work in the course and their research in Cuba students will participate with faculty to author a video book, based upon the course.
BOOKS: The following books are required for the course:
Lydia Chavez, ed., Capitalism, God, and a Good Cigar: Cuba Enters the Twenty-First Century (Durham: Duke University Press, 2005)
Aviva Chomsky, A History of the Cuban Revolution. (Malden, MA: John Wiley and Sons, 2010)
Sujatha Fernandes, Cuba Represent! Cuban Arts, State Power, and the Making of New Revolutionary Cultures (Durham: Duke University Press, 2006 (selected chapters)
Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón: Che: A Graphic Biography (New York: Hill and Wang, 2009)
Mayra Montero, The Messenger: A Novel. Edith Grossman, trans. (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2000)
Joseph Scarpaci and Armando Portela, Cuban Landscapes: Heritage, Landscapes, and Place (New York: Guilford, 2009)
Video book: Cuba
SCHEDULE OF SESSIONS
Week 1 (Jan. 19) – Historical background
Week 2 (Jan. 26) – Período Especial, looking inward (balseros, returning troops) Week 3 (Feb. 2) - Período Especial, looking out (tourism)
Week 4 (Feb. 9) – Cuban Landscapes and Heritage Tourism
Week 5 (Feb. 16) – Media and Culture – Film, Hip-Hop, Cyberpunk
Week 6 (Feb. 23) – Ecotourism and Environmental Issues
Week 7 (Mar. 1) - New Directions; gearing up for trip
March 3-17 -Travel in Cuba (see itinerary)
Week 7 (Mar. 22) – Recap
Week 8 (Mar. 29) – Individual Group meetings with faculty
Week 9 (Apr. 5) - Group work
Week 10 (Apr. 12) – Group Projects
Week 11 (Apr. 19) – Group Projects
Week 12 – Group Projects
Posted Tuesday, October 4, 2011