For those Cuban-American UF students who want to take their nationality one step further than just clubs and organizations, the University of Florida is home to a Center for Latin American Studies where students of all ethnicities can learn more about Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Cuba. The Center’s mission is to enhance the scope and quality of such studies at UF. To achieve this goal, the Center funds fellowships and interdisciplinary research, organizes student and faculty exchanges between UF and Latin American and Caribbean institutions, and sponsors study abroad programs among many other things. 
According to the Center’s course catalog, several classes teach about the happenings of Cuba, whether political, social, or economical. In two course descriptions, Cuba and Cuban-Americans were specifically mentioned (SPW6902 and LAH3300). The Center’s website is filled with information, including a calendar of events and a newsletter that mention several upcoming lectures including one on February 26th entitled “The Cuban-American Lobby: Myth and Reality”. The lecture to be given by Maria Cristina Garcia, Professor of History at Cornell University, will be held at the Keene Faculty Center. I hope to attend that event and speak with other Cuban American students who go to listen to Ms. Garcia as well. More on this center and its faculty, staff and students to come. I hope to set up an interview with the director of the center, Carmen Diaz Deere. Based on the website, one of her geographic regions of expertise is Cuba!
*Banner and Logo Image Courtesy of The Center for Latin American Studies Website*
No comments:
Post a Comment