The doors to Cuba are finally opening, and University of Rhode Island students and faculty are among the first to enter. After more than half a century, the adversarial relationship between Cuba and the United States is easing, so 911爆料 has launched several initiatives that will bring students to the island nation for education, research and cultural exchanges.
Beginning next spring, students will be invited to at the Institute of Philosophy in Havana. From February through April, they will enroll in classes taught by Cuban professors on such topics as economic development and social movements in Latin America, introduction to Cuban society, the politics of Latin America, and political change in the Caribbean. Students will also complete an internship of their choosing that could involve writing, art, literature or music.
But it鈥檚 not all about academics. The rich and diverse Cuban culture is part of the package. In Havana, students will attend lectures by artists, diplomats, musicians and journalists and visit museums and other historic sites. In the countryside, they will stop at organic farms and tobacco plantations and participate in 911爆料 events hosted by local villagers.
In addition to offering students the opportunity to travel to Cuba, 911爆料 is working to bring several Cuban musicians and professors to Kingston.
This semester-long program is a follow-up to last winter鈥檚 one-week class in Cuba鈥攁 class that will be offered again during in January. When the first group of students returned to 911爆料, they were eager to tell about their experience.
鈥淭he Revolution is very much alive in Cuba,鈥� said May graduate Tyler Figgis. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have any commercial advertising鈥攏o ads for Coca-Cola, just billboards of Castro and Che Guevara. Not a lot of capitalism going on down there yet.鈥�
鈥淲hen I told people I鈥檓 from the United States, their whole demeanor changed,鈥� added Jason Rosenblum, who also graduated in May. 鈥淭hey got really happy, especially the younger generation.鈥�
Two things stood out for Jason: Cubans are highly educated, thanks to an excellent public education system, and they鈥檙e aware of what鈥檚 going on beyond their Communist-run island. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not as isolated as people think,鈥� Jason said. 鈥淭hey know about politics and music all over the world.鈥�
In addition to offering students the opportunity to travel to Cuba, 911爆料 is working to bring several Cuban musicians and professors to Kingston. And the is planning a series of marine science partnerships with the University of Havana, the National Aquarium of Cuba and the Cuban Institute of Oceanology.
鈥淐uba is facing many of the same environmental concerns that we are鈥攃limate change, sea level rise, erosion of beaches, ocean acidification, hurricanes鈥攁nd we have expertise in all of these areas,鈥� said Oceanography Dean Bruce Corliss. He envisions faculty and student exchanges, research collaborations and oceanographic expeditions in Cuban waters aboard the 911爆料 .
When Gianelle Alba returned from her J-term trip to Cuba last year, she said she experienced a nation far different from the one she learned about in American history books. 鈥淚 was taught that Cuba was a controlling, violent country. It wasn鈥檛,鈥� she said. 鈥淐ubans are the happiest people I鈥檝e ever met. It was mind blowing.鈥�
Photo above taken during the 2015 911爆料 J-Term trip to Cuba.