This Level 6 module aims to give you an understanding of the historical, contemporary, internal and external forces that have shaped modern Cuban politics, including aspects of cultural continuity and discontinuity, migration, the political challenge to notions of the nation-state; and the complexities and polarization of approaches to understanding Cuban history and political events.

The first four weeks of the course deal with the economic, social and political history of Cuba from the colonial period to the revolution of 1959, providing a basis for an understanding of the present day. The following six weeks take a thematic approach, examining Cuba during the Cold War, the issue of leadership and political culture, the effect of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the development of health and education since 1959, the issue of the Castros’ succession and the relationship with the United States. 

The module is designed to be deliverable either completely online or by using a combination of face-to-face and online sessions in a hybrid fashion. The teaching and learning activities are closely aligned with the Learning Outcomes and are designed to provide frequent feedback loops intended to help you perfect key skills as well as deepening and extending your knowledge of politics, economics and international relations using Cuba as a case study.