Brown in Cuba - Academics
The Brown in Cuba program, based in Havana, is a fall semester only program. Brown’s principle institutional partner is the Casa de Las Américas (“Casa”), the Cuban government's premier research institution – since its founding in 1959 -- on Caribbean and Latin American studies, Cuban culture and the arts.
Curriculum
The program begins with a one-week on-site orientation geared toward providing students with an introduction to the city of Havana -- as seen through a pre- and post-revolution lens -- so that students are prepared to understand basic social, political and cross-cultural elements that are part of their everyday lives. Field visits throughout Havana help students become comfortable navigating their way through their host city. Additional excursions are structured during the remainder of the semester.
Students enroll in a prescribed program of study that consists of four credit-bearing courses, each of which meet for a total of 60 hours and are delivered by a group of carefully selected faculty consisting of Brown’s Academic Director in Cuba and six professors contracted through Casa de Las Américas.
The prescribed program of study challenges students to achieve a critical understanding of the key issues facing Cuba today and enable them to interact with some of the country’s leading academic experts in the social sciences, arts and the humanities.
Course Requirements and Structure
The U.S. grading system governs the delivery of the academic program in Cuba. Students are expected to attend classes regularly, participate in group discussion and keep up with all assignments and required readings. Students who successfully complete four courses with a C- or higher will receive four Brown credits, in accordance with Brown guidelines for the transfer of study abroad credit.
Academic Calendar
NOTE: The academic calendar below is an approximation. Specific dates may vary.
- Student cohort meets in Miami: late August
- Orientation: First week in September
- Fall Semester Only: early September-mid December
Credit
Students receive a Brown transcript listing S (Satisfactory) for the courses they successfully complete with the equivalent grade of C- or better.
Updated: October 1, 2008