For more than 50 years, political tensions have kept citizens of the United States and Cuba, one of our nearest neighbors, in a state of estrangement. Fortunately, newly relaxed restrictions on travel are allowing Americans to once again visit Cuba through educational programs and “people-to-people” exchange. In this class we will explore the history and culture of Cuba, as well as the complicated nature of Cuban-American relations through reading and discussing essays, poetry, fiction and nonfiction by Cuban and Cuban-American writers as well as writers from other places.
Books:
*November 5: Selections from Bridges to Cuba (ed. Ruth Behar)
*November 12: Selections from A Reader’s Companion to Cuba (ed. Alan Ryan)
November 19: Dreaming in Cuban (Cristina Garcia)
November 26: In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd (Ana Menendez)
Dec 3: Adios Hemingway (Leonardo Padura Fuentes)
*The instructor will e-mail the class with details of the reading assignments for the November 5 and 12 classes.
