NEW: Study Abroad
in CUBA This Summer!
APPLY by March 3 through the Office of Overseas Study
(see link below)
GEOG-G 306
"Issues in Latin America, the Caribbean and
Contemporary Cuba" (3 cr) Summer 2014 (First 6 Weeks, May 13 - June 20)
The first 3 weeks of this interdisciplinary field course
take place at IU Bloomington, then with 2 weeks of field activities in Cuba
from May 31 to June 15, and the remainder of the course in
Bloomington.
Field Destinations:
Field work in Cuba will primarily take place in Santa Clara, but also
includes Havana, Remedios, Sagua la Grande, Cayo de las Brujas (Islands of the
Witches), Jibacoa (coastal community).
Course Description:
This is an introductory course on the physical and human
geography of Latin America and the Caribbean, with particular emphasis on
Cuba.
Within a regional overview that anchors various
disciplines across space and place, the course brings forth the dominant
political, economic, social and environmental issues facing Latin America and
the Caribbean and Cuba, while giving the students basic tools with which to
analyze these issues. Special attention
is given to patterns of economic development, and the historical disputes
surrounding colonialism, neocolonialism, and neoliberal and socialist economic
policies.
The remainder of this course will be devoted entirely to
Cuba with the primary objective of giving the students the opportunity to get
to know the people and institutions of Cuba, while giving also giving them the
background to objectively understand and analyze why the Cuban Revolution
happened, how the Cuban state socialist economy and society functions, and how
the reform process intends to increase personal freedom, decentralize politics
and shift towards a mixed economy, while salvaging the positive achievements of
the revolution.
