Academics

Academics

Students will enroll in up to four courses taught in Spanish. Students who need more support with the Spanish language take an extra non-credit language course (see below). Students are recommended to take a combination of courses (two and two) offered through Casa de Las Américas and direct-enrollment courses through the University of Havana in the schools of Arts & Letters or Philosophy, History, and Sociology. (A&S Students MUST take two university courses.)

Center courses are delivered by a group of carefully selected faculty, recognized experts from Casa de las Americas and the University of Havana. The CASA-La Habana Center offers multiple courses (4 credits each), while the university offers courses that are two or four credits.  Students can choose from courses in literature, the arts, Afro-Caribbean studies and music at the University of Havana’s Faculty of Arts and Letters, or courses in Cuban history, philosophy and religion, political sociology, and Latin American thought through the Faculty of Philosophy and History.  Students interested in a 32 hour or 2-credit course make arrangements with faculty to supplement instruction so that it can count for 3 credits.

Students may be requested to take a supplemental Spanish language course to help them in university coursework and daily life in Cuba.

In addition to the academic program, the Cuba study center will arrange special topics-based lectures, exhibitions, recitals, and local field visits to expose students to the tremendous cultural mosaic of the country.

Your academic experience abroad is going to be very different from home. Working under the policies and processes of the local institution, managing with fewer and slower electronic resources, and functioning in a very different social and economic setting brings new challenges and insights.

Courses and Credit Approval

  • To discuss program fit, such as program type, expectations, level of structure/independence, or to compare options, get advice from Global Learning advisors and returned students. 
  • For assistance in selecting courses, see your faculty or college advisor. (Note: You may earn elective, distributional, minor or major credit depending on your major and college.)
  • Complete the Proposed Course of Study form that is part of the Global Learning application for a record of how your courses will count for credit at Cornell.

Academic Policies

  • Take the equivalent of 15 Cornell credits for a full semester, even if it is possible to take fewer and still graduate on time
  • Complete all the academic work and stay until the end of the program, defined as the last officially-sanctioned exam for any course you take abroad

Registration and Grades

  • You will be registered at Cornell and will earn credit for approved coursework for your semester/year study abroad
  • Decisions on the final allocation of credit are made upon successful completion of the course (equivalent of a “C” or higher—all courses for a letter grade)
  • Grades will appear on the Cornell transcript in the same format as they are recorded on the original transcript generated by the study abroad program or university. Grades are not factored into the Cornell GPA