Be one of a select group of students to experience Cuban culture firsthand, learning how one Caribbean nation has played a unique role in shaping global perceptions of what is possible.
Since its beginning, the Sarah Lawrence College in Havana program has aimed to expose American students to one of the most culturally dynamic societies in the Western Hemisphere.
As the longest continuously running study away program in Havana, we offer a small and intimate classroom experience, as well as full Spanish language immersion as students explore the intriguing complexities of Cuba in the 21st century. These experiences promise a sense of authenticity influenced by Sarah Lawrence traditions and ideals.
Academics
Each student in the Sarah Lawrence College in Havana program takes four courses for credit:
- A required seminar at the Center for Demographical Studies. In this seminar students conduct research on a topic under one-on-one supervision of a Cuban professor (4 credits)
- Three electives at 4 credits each in either the humanities, social sciences, and/or the arts ( 12 credits) at the University of Havana and/or the Insituto Superior De Artes (ISA)
Please note: Students may be required or permitted to pursue an Advanced Spanish language course as one of their electives. This decision will be determined in conjunction with the Director of the Program.
All courses are taught in Spanish. Students are enrolled in classes with their Cuban peers at the University of Havana and Instituto Superior De Artes (ISA).
Study Away Information
Program Segments
Students participate in seminars, conferences, fieldwork, and site visits designed to provide the fullest of Cuban experiences.
There are an assortment of independent study opportunities, such as researching certain aspects of contemporary Cuban society with a faculty mentor, or blending theory and practice in music, dance, and visual art.
Students take the seminar course through Centro de Estudios Demográficos (CEDEM), a unique research center at the University of Havana. Designed exclusively for Sarah Lawrence students, the course examines gender, health, education, and sustainable development throughout Cuban society. Students study theoretical as well as practical perspectives on life in Cuba.
Sarah Lawrence in Havana students follow the same curriculum as Cuban students and are subject to the same standards and requirements.
Cultural Activities in Havana
While living in Havana, students explore the cultural and social features that make the city unique. As a program, students visit medical facilities, political institutions, schools, jazz, hip-hop, and rumba concerts, Afro-Cuban religious communities, Art workshops, and historic sites. Throughout the semester, programmed “charlas” offer the chance for students to engage and dialogue with leading Cuban artists, scholars, political figures, and musicians.
On their own, students also have time to explore the range of activities available in a large, vibrant capital. Past students have participated in athletic events, dance and fitness classes, language exchanges, music groups, after school programs for children, capoeira groups, cycling clubs, the University Student Federation, and other activities.
Through these activities, students gain a deep understanding of Cuba and its complex history and culture in ways that go beyond the classroom.
Visits in Havana have included:
- The National Assembly at the Cuban Capitolio
- Urban agricultural cooperatives
- Ballet and theatre
- Rumba, son, jazz and hip-hop concerts
- Clinics, hospitals, and maternity wards
- The Casa de Africa
- The National Center for Sexual Education
- Public Schools
- Centers for the aged
- Art and History Museums
- The International Havana Film Festival
- The Havana World Music Festival
Excursions Outside Havana
To broaden their understanding of the country, students take several trips during the semester, with itineraries designed to build cultural fluency. Every semester includes one week in Santiago de Cuba in Oriente province, arguably the “most Caribbean” of all cities, along with other smaller excursions.
Past trips have included:
- Santiago: the main city in the Oriente province, located at the base of the Sierra Maestra mountains, Santiago has been Fidel’s revolutionary power base, and is the birthplace of Son music and conga parades.
- Matanzas: known as the “Athens of Cuba,” a key center for Afro-Cuban religion, music, and culture, both past and present.
- Las Terrazas: an eco-reserve with spectacular biological diversity.
- Varadero, Pinar del Rio, and Viñales: tobacco country.
- Trinidad, Cienfuegos, and the Valle de los Ingenios (Sugar Mill Valley): Trinidad is located near the Escambray mountains, ideal for nature hikes.
- Playa Girón (site of Bay of Pigs invasion)
Where Students Study
University of Havana: Humanities, Literature, Social Sciences, and Film History
Founded in 1728, the University of Havana is the largest and oldest institution of higher learning in Cuba. Sarah Lawrence students have access to a broad range of classes taught by faculty in five general areas:
- Philosophy, history, and sociology
- Arts and letters, including literature
- Psychology and women’s studies
- Biology
- Health sciences
While the Cuban students are enrolled in carreras, or “majors,” with fixed programs of study and fewer electives, Sarah Lawrence students choose individual classes from within the curriculum to suit their interests and areas of study. Students will find both subtle and significant differences from the US approach to each discipline. For instance, the Cuban psychological tradition emphasizes family, community, and the social environment, rather than the individual.
Centro de Estudios Demograficos (CEDEM): Seminar Research Course
CEDEM is the home of the Sarah Lawrence program within the University of Havana, and is a 15-minute taxi ride across the river Almendares. This social research institute works exclusively with Sarah Lawrence College and offers a seminar research course that introduces students to a broad spectrum of issues, particularly those affecting the Cuban people since 1989.
Past research topics include:
- The Impact of the US Embargo on Cuba
- Employment in Cuba
- Sustainable Development and Organic Agriculture
- AIDS in Cuba: Governmental Action and Social Perceptions
- The Interrelation of the Process of Urbanization and Gender in Havana in the ‘90s
- Characteristics of Community Work in Cuba and the US
- Cuban Women and Socio-Economic Participation
- Cuba: An Aging Population
- The Role of Youth in Social Programs for Young People
- Sexuality and Sexual Education in Cuba
- Children and Family in Cuba
Students are paired with a Cuban professor, who serves as a research advisor throughout the semester. Through CEDEM, the Sarah Lawrence program has also organized panels on subjects ranging from AIDS to women’s and gender issues, changing each year to accommodate student and faculty interests and concentrations.
Instituto Superior de Artes (ISA): Performing & Visual Arts
In addition to studying at the University of Havana, students can take classes at the Instituto Superior de Artes—the national Cuban art school. ISA houses five schools in the arts, and professors are all active musicians, dancers, or artists.
Each facultad (faculty) in the arts provides a combination of theory and practice. Studying at ISA is comparable to conservatory work in the US, so it is ideal for students who are serious about pursuing artistic achievement through concentrated study.
Visual Arts: ISA’s Facultad de Artes Plásticas offers studio courses in the visual arts. Students interested in enrolling should bring work samples to Cuba for portfolio review. Most Cuban students who enroll at ISA have highly developed visual arts skills and have attended art schools. Assessment of level is therefore important for appropriate placement.
Past studies include:
- Studio work in painting
- Tutorials in special areas, such as wood sculpture
- Cuban and Latin American painting, history, and theory
Music: ISA’s Facultad de Música offers a music program combining tutorial study in composition, voice, and/or instrumentation, with work in theory, history, and performance. Music students need a proficiency level and must audition before enrolling. ISA’s music professors are active professionals who help students access Cuba’s cultural scene.
Past studies include:
- Canto Clásico Cubano
- Guitar: Practice and Theory
- Percussion: Cuban Rhythms
- Percussion: Practice and Theory
- Popular Dance (Danza Folklórica)
- Cuban and Afro-Cuban Rhythms
Fundación del Nuevo Cine Latino-Americano (FNCL): Film History
Students interested in Cuban and Latin American film history may attend the Fundación, which offers classes exclusively for US students. Founded by Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez and located in a beautiful estate, FNCL organizes film festivals and retrospectives, and houses one of the best film libraries in Cuba. The program faculty member is both a documentary filmmaker and a film critic, in addition to being an excellent teacher.
Tres guitar classes were by far my most exciting, challenging, and stimulating academic experience in Cuba… His approach to teaching the tres focused as much on technique as it did on understanding Cuban musical styles and how to accompany a singer or instrumentalist in bolero, son, changüi and other Cuban genres… Jorge’s teaching went well beyond the classical tres pedagogy—we brought in elements of jazz and a lot of improvisation in our playing together, making this a creative and collaboratory musical experience.— Program participant
Living in Havana
Students studying in the Havana program stay in a casa particular: a part of a Cuban home available for rent, similar to a homestay.
Housing and Orientation
Casa Particular
Students live in apartments that are owned and managed by Cuban families. The apartments are in one building located in the Vedado neighborhood, between the central road of Línea and the Malecón, approximately a 20-minute walk to the University of Havana.
Living arrangements vary, with some apartments organized as a more traditional home-stay, while others offer dorm-style living. In home-stays, Cuban hosts live side by side with the students. In dorm apartments, they live right next door. In either case students will be interacting with their hosts on a daily basis. For part of the semester, students will have weekly family dinners with their hosts with time dedicated to chatting in Spanish and getting to know each other. Our hosts enjoy offering insights into living in Havana, and are available to answer questions, share advice, and care for the students as if they were family.
Each room has its own bathroom and access to a kitchen. Students will coordinate their laundry needs with their respective Cuban hosts. Students are provided with bed linens and towels. Breakfast is served daily in the apartment and included in the cost of room and board.
Orientation
Shortly after students arrive in Cuba, they are immersed in the language to prepare for academic written Spanish and classroom discussions of text.
Throughout the first week, students also participate in several orientation sessions and register for classes. The resident program director provides assistance and remains available for the entire semester.
I felt very safe throughout the whole program. Vedado seemed to be a very safe area and I never felt unsafe or preoccupied walking the streets or coming home, even late at night. The house was very secure and I never felt preoccupied with anyone entering the building, nor unsafe with the caseros, empleados, or other students within the house. I appreciated having doormen who worked late because I felt that they were always looking out for us and would be there if we needed them.— Program participant
Admission & Financial Aid
The Sarah Lawrence College in Havana program is highly selective and is open to juniors and seniors enrolled at any accredited American college or university. Students may apply for application in either the fall or spring. Students are not permitted to stay in Cuba for an entire year.
Applications & Deadlines
All applications and supporting materials are due:
- Fall Applicants: February 15
- Spring Applicants: October 15
Tuition & Fees
Students are charged the cost of Sarah Lawrence tuition each semester. Suggested costs to cover meals, airfare and personal expenses are available here.
Financial Aid
Sarah Lawrence College students who normally receive financial aid may apply their awards to any College-sponsored program abroad.
Sarah Lawrence College offers limited financial assistance to guest students on this program. Students should consult their home school's financial aid office for guidance on other financial aid resources.
For more information about Sarah Lawrence financial aid options, e-mail the Office of Global Education.
Program Handbook
Academic Calendar
Fall 2024
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Sunday, September 1
Students arrive in Havana (before 5pm if possible)
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Monday–Tuesday, September 2–3
Orientation trip to Las Terrazas
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Wednesday, September 4
Orientation activities, including language classes, advising, and registration, at University of Havana
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Monday, Septemeber 9
Classes begin at University of Havana
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Mid-October / early November (dates TBD)
Weeklong trip to Santiago and weekend trip to Matanzas
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Tuesday, December 17
Students must vacate housing and depart for airport
Spring 2025
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Friday, February 14
Students arrive in Havana (before 5pm if possible)
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Saturday, February 15-16
Orientation trip to Las Terrazas
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Monday, February 17
Orientation activities, including language classes, advising, and registration, at University of Havana
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Monday, February 24
Classes begin at University of Havana
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Mid March/April (dates TBD)
Weeklong trip to Santiago and weekend trip to Matanzas
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Tuesday, June 3
Students must vacate housing and depart for airport
(Note that because of the semester’s late start, students may leave up to a week early for summer internships or other commitments).
These dates may be subject to change
Note regarding family visits: Visiting your student may be illegal under US law. Sarah Lawrence is not responsible for travel decisions made by families and friends of students. Additionally, if you choose to visit, please: 1) check with your student about TBD trip dates, and 2) be considerate of your student’s intense academic schedule, (especially around Thanksgiving). Please don’t ask them to be a full-time tour guide.
Students are charged Sarah Lawrence tuition and fees.