Cuba at the Crossroads

Cuba at the Crossroads was prepared by Elise Weisenbach for Tulane University’s Stone Center for Lation American Studies Summer Teacher Institute, Havana, Cuba, 2016.

Unit Introduction and Credits

Lessons

Lesson 1: 90 Miles Eleguá

Focus: Cuban culture, migration, music; Afro-Cuban contributions to music and religion

Perspective: Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan

Lesson 2: The Reality Tour

Focus: Cuba during the 1990’s Special Period of economic crisis after the dissolution of the Soviet Union

Perspective: American cartoonist Bill Griffith

Lesson 3: Superheroes of the 21st Century

Focus: Normalization of U.S. relations with Cuba

Perspective: Cuban artist Pablo Borges; Cuban-American poet Richard Blanco

Lesson 4: Policies from Obama to Trump to Biden

Lesson 5: Patria y Vida: How One Song Fueled an Uprising

NOTE TO TEACHERS: Some resources may become inactive. If you need a resource and cannot access it, please email eweisenbach@branfordschools.org.

Web Designers and Research Assistants

2021-2022: Hanna Bloomquist, Andrew Bono, Ava Cosgrove, Samantha Esposito, Joshua Josephy-Zack, Mia Josephy Zack, Alan Koultchaev, Sushant Kunwar, Alex Sweeney, Isabela Whittaker

2020-2021 Riyanshu Bam, Hanna Bloomquist, Ashley Duong, Samantha Esposito, Joshua Josephy-Zack, Mia Josephy Zack, Abigail Pawlowicz

2019-2020 Jason Hackett, Joshua Josephy-Zack, Mia Josephy-Zack