Program Dates: May 19 - June 25, 2009

HIS353 W - 3 credits*

History of Cuba (Cuba After Castro)
Tuesday & Thursday 9am - 12:30pm

Dr. Andy Gomez
Assistant Provost and Senior Fellow
Email:  agomez@miami.edu

On July 31^st, 2006, the Cuban government officially announced that Fidel Castro had undergone emergency surgery and would “temporarily transfer” power to his brother, Raul Castro.  Since the start of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, many have anticipated what Cuba would look like after Fidel Castro.  This course will provide students with a brief overview of how Fidel Castro came to power.  More importantly, it will look into the future by studying various scenarios of a Cuba under Raul Castro (succession), how long this may last, and what the future government of Cuba without Raul Castro could possibly look like (transition).  Additionally, we will examine what possible role the Cuban-American community could play in Cuba’s political, economic, and social future.  We will also study the lessons learned from governments in transition in Central and Eastern Europe as well as Latin America.
* This is a writing intensive course

HIS451 - 1 - 3 credits
Directed Study on Latin American History
Arranged
Students will have the opportunity to participate in a Directed Study/Internship with Casa Bacardi at the University of Miami. They may choose one (1) out of the three (3) topics:

1.      Cuban-American participation in the upcoming presidential elections in the US

2.      The psychological transformation of values and attitudes of Cubans on the island in support of a new government

3.      Cuba after Fidel Castro! Where will it go? What will it look like? What should the US role be?

Depending on chosen topic, the instructor will vary between Dr. Andy Gomez, Jaime Suchlicki, or Brian Latell.