See this off-limits nation through the eyes of students and hear it through the music that surrounds them.

Watch the Video. (broadcast: Tuesday, December 17, Big Ten Network)

Study abroad in Cuba is an integrative program involving the MSU College of Music, College of Social Science, and the Universidad de La Habana holds promise for increasing artistic and scholarly exchange among Cuban institutions and MSU.

Launched in 2002, MSU's Culture and Sustainable Development in Cuba immerses students in Cuba’s rich culture through the study of music, social science, economics, history, and other disciplines. Last May, nearly 20 students from across MSU traveled to Cuba to engage with musicians, visual and performing artists, scholars, urban planners, medical providers, and other professionals living and working in the Caribbean nation.

As a result of this year's program, seven Cuban musicians from the National Laboratory of Electroacoustic Music recently came to MSU to collaborate and perform original pieces for electronic music and video. Cuban nationals will also be able to attend MSU on a regular visa for the first time in nearly 50 years, with one student currently enrolled for graduate studies through the College of Music.

In the coming year, MSU will work with several prominent Cuban institutions to explore additional educational and cultural exchanges in areas related to technology, community development, and medical and health sciences.

Photo courtesy of Ricardo Lorenz

Study Aboard Program

“Music and Sustainable Development,” in Havana, Cuba.

Participants in this program experience Cuba's rich culture; study music and national identity, music and entrepreneurship, and music and transculturation; attend workshops and performances; and fulfill course requirements: Integrative Studies (Social Science, Arts and Humanities), Music, Geography, Social Science, Urban Planning. This program is being offered in collaboration with Colegio San Geronimo, University of Havana, Oficina del Historiador (Havana, Cuba).  For more information, email program leaders Rene Hinojosa or Ricardo Lorenz.