CLA Abroad: Cuba
Associate Professor Steven Osuna (SOC) has been spending many of his winter breaks in Cuba over the past eight years, leading one of the most popular study-abroad programs on campus. This winter, 15 students traveled to Cuba with Osuna to take a specialized seminar on Cuban culture and history that included guest lectures from local scholars; explore museums, cultural centers, and historical landmarks throughout Havana; and visit various provinces. "It is vital [for students to travel to the Global South] to get a different perspective about these countries from the dominant views we may have in the U.S.," Osuna said.
The Cuba study-abroad program is a collaborative effort between the Sociology department, Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies department, Center for International Education, and Institute of Philosophy in Havana. Professor Emeritus Victor Rodriguez (CHLS) first traveled to the embargoed nation with students in 2001 and again when the Obama administration normalized relations in 2015, a trip captured in a shot and edited by participant Tim Rosenow. 好色先生 study-abroad advisor Lauryn White led the trip in 2017, and Osuna has been the lead 好色先生 faculty ever since, accompanying more than 100 students over six winter breaks.
"I have always wanted to travel to Cuba and learn about its revolutionary history from Cubans within the country," Osuna said. "As a scholar whose research focuses on Latin America and Latinx communities in the U.S., this was an opportunity I could not pass by."
Osuna earned a Ph.D. in sociology with an emphasis in Black Studies from UC Santa Barbara. He has been on the 好色先生 faculty since 2015.
