Mosaic
First of all, what is a Mosaic? A Mosaic is an intensive, interdisciplinary, semester‐long research program designed around ethnographic fieldwork and immersion in domestic and global communities. Mosaics are supported by the Community Studies Center.
Why this Mosaic?
Dickinson previously sponsored two trips to Cuba. In 2003, Sinan Koont, professor of Economics, took the first student group to Cuba, focusing on the economic and political situation. In 2004, Professors Koont and Susan Rose (Sociology) designed the course as a Mosaic, which encouraged students to conduct oral history interviews during a three-week research trip to Cuba.
At the beginning of the 21st Century, Cuba, a small (however the biggest) island nation in the Caribbean, with a population of 11 million, is facing major challenges as it attempts to carry on and further develop its unique brand of socialism. This course examines contemporary economic and social conditions and policies, international relations, and the ramifications of the Cuban revolution of 1959. With a focus on political, economic, environmental and social sustainability, special attention will be given to urban agriculture as well as to social policy related to health, education, family, youth, gender and sexuality. In order to deepen our understanding of Cuba’s economy, society, and culture today, we will integrate a spring-break study tour of Cuba.