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Drew International Seminars: |
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January 2001 & 2002
| The seminar:
What do you think of when you imagine Cuba? How about Puerto Rico? Where do you suppose those images came from? Reading fiction written in Cuba and Puerto Rico gives us a picture of life as people living there experience it, while reading fiction written by Cubans and Puerto Ricans living in the US can give us another picture--one based on memory. Comparing such works allows us to explore the role of memory in our imagination of "home," but only by visiting Cuba and Puerto Rico and experiencing life there for ourselves can we begin to differentiate the imagination from the reality. |
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| On this Drew International Seminar students will read and compare works of fiction and then visit the two islands with two professors, one from the Spanish Department and one from the English Department. In Cuba and Puerto Rico, students will conduct research and talk informally with Cubans and Puerto Ricans to help them explore these issues. | |
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The pre-departure course:
Taught in English, Spanish 117 focuses on contemporary fiction by authors living in the islands and by Cubans and Puerto Ricans living in the US. In order to understand the themes of "memory" and "reality," these works are placed in aesthetic, historical, socio-cultural, and political contexts though a general introduction to Cuba and Puerto Rico and the presence of Cubans and Puerto Ricans in North America. The course surveys the cultural history of the two islands, from the arrival of the Spaniards and African slaves to the formation of new cultural identities and the current situation. Students with no working knowledge of Spanish will need to complete a "survival course" in Spanish language. |
| On-Site Seminar:
In both Cuba and Puerto Rico we attend formal presentations and lectures; visit places of cultural and historical significance; and interact informally with local people, including other students. Time will also be set aside for student research, which will explore some of the aesthetic, historical, socio-cultural, and political issues found in the literature. Research projects may examine differences between memory or imagination and the reality portrayed in literature; issues of immigration/emigration; themes from the literature, such as gender, religion, race, class, or culture; similarities and differences between the two islands; or other topics of the student's own design. Guidance will be provided by the faculty members as students design these projects and conduct the on-site research. Students will also keep a daily journal, which may play a role in the daily discussions and debriefings. In this journal they will record the observations and reflections that will be the basis for the research paper. |
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| Travel to Cuba:
All participants in this program will travel to Cuba legally under U.S. law. The United States Treasury Department has issued the college a Specific License to lead this study abroad program in Cuba in January 2001 and 2002. |
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Special Considerations: Participants are required to have valid passports and International Student Identity Cards, which provide international health insurance. Those with allergies or other medical conditions should inform the faculty leaders and ensure that they have additional supplies of essential medications--which may be hard to replace if lost or stolen. |
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Living in Puerto Rico and Cuba
Due to Puerto Rico's special political status as a commonwealth of the United States, safety, security, and health issues are comparable to the US. Although travel to Cuba has been restricted due to an economic embargo, recent easing of restrictions by the United States government has made it easier for American citizens to visit Cuba for educational/intellectual purposes. In both locations, we live in university housing or in close proximity to local universities, intellectuals and other students. |
Ada Ortuzar-Young . |
The Faculty Leaders:
The January 2001 trip will be led by Professors Ada Ortuzar-Young of the Spanish Dept. and Sandra Jamieson of the English Dept. In January 2002, Ada Ortuzar-Young will be joined by Jim Hala of the English Dept. All three professors have led groups of students on other international trips (Ada Ortuzar -Young to Spain and Chile, Sandra Jamieson to Honduras, and Jim Hala to London). |
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Sandra Jamieson |
Jim Hala . |
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Re-Entry Activities:
Upon return to Drew, we will meet several times as a group to discuss our shared experiences in Puerto Rico and Cuba and for students to share ideas and work on their research projects. |
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Two..highlights. from the trip in January 2001 |
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| Meeting Cuban author Miguel Barnet (Autobiography of a Runaway Slave) | Click here to see more pictures | Listening to lectures under the palm trees in Puerto Rico. |
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| Contact:
Professor Ada Ortuzar-Young, Spanish
Department @ 973.408.3386 aortuzar@drew.edu
Contact: Professor Sandra Jamieson, English Department @ 973.408.3499 sjamieso@drew.edu Contact: Professor Jim Hala, English Department @ 973.408.3297 jhala@drew.edu |