CUBA 

2017 Cuba: Street Photography

Photography and Art

This 6 credit integrated online/onsite/travel course module to be offered in the Spring 2017, gives students an opportunity to study two disciplines, each with a lens on the theme of CUBA and Latin America. We will use Cuba as a case study, integrating photography, art and culture with a seven day immersion in Havana.

The integrated courses include:

• ARH 310E:  History of Cuban Photography, Prof. Susan Stodddard

• ART 110:   Introduction to Photography, Prof. Robert Rainey
 

This course will introduce the students to the history of photography in Cuba of the 20th and 21st centuries, placing it in the context of photography in other Central/Latin American countries.

The progress of social and political histories in Cuba and the Caribbean is reflected in documentary photography as well as movements in art and literature, such as cubism, precisionism, magic realism, etc. These will be studied against the backdrop of the visual culture of Cuba, in painting, printmaking, sculpture and architecture in the 20th century, from Independence to Revolution, to the vibrancy of the arts culture in present day Cuba. Photography has played a role both historically and in shaping the present cultural expression. 

Cuban photographers are today recognized as being on the forefront of innovation. A visit to Cuba in the spring will give students direct experience of Cuban photography through opportunities to meet Cuban photographers, visit studios and galleries. Studying the works in the National Museum of Fine Art (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes) with its comprehensive collection of Cuban art will provide them with an opportunity to understand the visual heritage, the diversity of styles and the contemporary relevance of art in that country.

In addition, student photographers will be engaged in photographic practice on the streets of Havana. Providing them a larger context and a deeper comprehension of the special environment in Havana will hopefully serve to inform their own work in the course. 

The course will consist of readings, discussions, student presentations and papers, as well as a field trip to Cuba. Because it is a 300 level course, students will be expected to be able to participate and even lead class discussions, to make several articulate and thoughtful presentations in class with visuals, and to write a thoroughly competent research paper. 

2016 Cuba: Cultural + Change

Sociology and Art

This 6 credit integrated online/onsite/travel course module to be offered in the Spring 2016, gives students an opportunity to study two disciplines, each with a lens on the theme of CUBA and Latin America. We will use Cuba as a case study, integrating sociology, art and culture with a seven day immersion in Havana.

The integrated courses include:

• SOC 100E:  Introduction to Sociology, Prof. Lorien Lake-Corral

• ART 140:   Introduction to Digital Art, Prof. Robert Rainey
 

These courses can satisfy an art and social sciences elective, giving students an opportunity to complete two areas on a general education requirment.

2014 Cuba: Cultural Understanding Between the Arts

Art, Cuban Art/Achitectural History, Literature, and
Culture of Latin America, with a focus on Cuba.

This 9 credit integrated course module was offered in the Spring 2014, giving students an opportunity to study three disciplines, each with a lens on the theme of Cuba and Latin America. We will use Cuba as a case study, integrating art, history, literature, and culture with a ten day immersion in Havana, Trinidad and Cienfuegos. The integrated courses include:ARH 489: Cuban Art and Architecture

ENG 375: Contemporary Latin American Literature, and ART 140: Introduction to Digital ArtARH489: Cuban Art+Achitecture Course explored the arts of Cuba from the colonial period to the present (16th -21st centuries), included baroque, neoclassical and modernist architecture; painting, graphic arts, poster art, photography and cinema. 

ENG375: Contemporary Latin American Literature This course will look at Latin American literature of the 20th century and beyond, with attention to the relationship between literature and social change. Topics include issues of national identity, race, class, and gender. We will discuss a variety of styles, such as magic realism, testimonio, creative non-fiction, and poetry which cross traditional boundaries and experiment with language. Our case study will be Cuba, with a lens on literature and social movements. [3 credits]

 ART140: Introduction to Digital Art (This course is cross listed with PHO140.) An introduction to computer-aided image making. The course covers the concepts of color space, image capture and resolution, output options, raster vs. vector imaging, an overview of various software applications, digital manipulation, and an introduction to Adobe Photoshop. [3 credits]