Havana, Cuba
SPRING 2012: Study Abroad at the University of Havana
Overview
The Woodrow Wilson School offers juniors who have completed a minimum of Spanish 207 the opportunity to enroll directly in University of Havana courses alongside Cuban students. Students take 15 credit hours (four courses) and participate in a Policy Task Force in Cuba, organized by the Woodrow Wilson School.
Founded in 1728, the University of Havana is the largest, oldest, and leading academic institution in Cuba. The main campus of UH is on the edge of the historic center of Havana in the Vedado neighborhood. The University is organized into three divisions—Natural Sciences, Humanities, and Social Sciences and Economics— and has total of 15 faculties and 14 research centers. Twenty-five majors are taught at the university and approximately 6,000 degree students are enrolled in regular classes each year. Courses are taught on a semester basis with each period lasting 16 weeks.
Havana, the capital of Cuba and a metropolis with 2.2 million residents, is the cultural, educational, and industrial center of the island. Contemporary Havana can be described as three cities in one: Old Havana, Vedado, and the newer suburban districts. Old Havana, with its narrow streets and overhanging balconies, is the traditional center of Havana’s commerce, industry, and entertainment, as well as being a residential area. Vedado, where the Princeton students will live, is a newer section that has become a rival to Old Havana for commercial activity and nightlife. A third Havana is that of the more affluent residential and industrial districts that spread out mostly to the west of the city.

