Princeton Program: Princeton in Cuba
Havana, Cuba
Program Overview
Havana, Cuba
Princeton students with advanced Spanish have the opportunity to apply for Princeton’s program in Cuba during the spring semester.
Students take two required courses and two or three courses selected from offerings in the humanities and social sciences at the University of Havana. The two required courses, which are exclusively for Princeton students, are Cuban Cultural Policy, taught by the resident director, and a seminar on issues in contemporary Cuba, organized by the Woodrow Wilson School and offered by the Center for Demographic Studies. For students in the Woodrow Wilson School, the seminar serves as the Policy Task Force.
The University
Founded in 1728, the University of Havana is the largest, oldest, and leading academic institution in Cuba. The main campus of UH is on the edge of the historic center of Havana in the Vedado neighborhood. The University is organized into three divisions—Natural Sciences, Humanities, and Social Sciences and Economics—and has total of 15 faculties and 14 research centers. Twenty-five majors are taught at the university and approximately 6,000 degree students are enrolled in regular classes each year. Courses are taught on a semester basis with each period lasting 16 weeks.
The Setting
Havana, the capital of Cuba and a metropolis with 2.2 million residents, is the cultural, educational, and industrial center of the island. Contemporary Havana can be described as three cities in one: Old Havana, Vedado, and the newer suburban districts. Old Havana, with its narrow streets and overhanging balconies, is the traditional center of Havana’s commerce, industry, and entertainment, as well as being a residential area.
Vedado, where the Princeton students will live, is a newer section that has become a rival to Old Havana for commercial activity and nightlife. A third Havana is that of the more affluent residential and industrial districts that spread out mostly to the west of the city.