Cuba Tour

mailto:NVALDES@BOOTES.UNM.EDU
Thu, 6 Apr 1995 07:32:00 MST

Message-ID:  <01HP0E9B6H6K8WYINF@BOOTES.UNM.EDU>
Date:         Thu, 6 Apr 1995 07:32:00 MST
From: mailto:NVALDES@BOOTES.UNM.EDU>
Subject:      Cuba Tour
To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L

                 CUBA RESEARCH SEMINAR TOUR

The Cuban Economy, Foreign Investments and Cultural Change A Research Seminar for University Faculty and Graduate Students June 11-23, 1995

Organizer: Latin American Institute, The University of New Mexico. Faculty Guide: Nelson P. Valdes, Director, Latin America Data Base, University of New Mexico.

Total Cost of Tour: $1,200 (Does not include US-to-Havana round trip airfare)

The Latin American Institute at the University of New Mexico will conduct a fourteen day field research seminar in Havana, Pinar del Rio and Matanzas provinces on the present changes in the Cuban economy with special attention given to foreign, mixed enterprises and cultural institutions. The research seminar is designed to help faculty and graduate students come in contact with a variety of academics, social science institutes, corporations, policy advisors and analysts, foreign business people and foreign diplomatic personnel.

The seminar will be conducted in Spanish in order to help improve the language skills of English speaking researchers. The seminar should be of interest to University faculty who teach courses and write on Latin America, Economics, Business Administration, Political Science, History, Sociology and Humanities related areas.

Due to the individualized character of the research tour Professor ValdeĘs will assist participants with their research design prior to the tour, help with contacts while in the island, and collect research papers from participants after the trip in order to distribute the findings through a Cuba listserver in Internet.

Formal lectures by invited guests from academia and the public and private sectors will be given on a daily basis. Visits will be made to research centers, mixed enterprises and foreign corporations. Arrangements will be made for each participant if they need to stay for a longer period of time in order to conclude their research project.

Nelson P ValdeĘs (Director of the Latin America Data Base and Sociology Professor at the University of New Mexico), designer and coordinator of the seminar, will conduct the research tour in Cuba. The academic facilitator in Cuba will be the Centro de Estudios sobre America (CEA) which has extensive experience with academic seminars. CEA and the University of New Mexico have conducted academic seminars during the last 5 years.

There will be a minimum of 15 participants and a maximum of 25. The group will stay for two weeks in Cuba. The participants will stay at Villa Eulalia, a beautiful mansion on 5th Avenue run by the Ministry of Education. Villa Eulalia provides a private and lush home environment with a friendly and efficient staff. Participants will have double occupancy. Seven days will be spent in Havana. The group will travel to Pinar del Rio province in order to study recent developments in agriculture (agricultural markets, private cooperatives, de-statization of the state farms and the role of private foreign investments). There will be a visit to a number of mixed enterprises, a sugar mill, tourist sectors in Cardenas, Matanzas and Varadero as well as contacts with artists and writers. Individual research needs and interests will be arranged by the tour guide.

Please Note: Travel to Cuba Requires a U.S. Government License ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

In order to conduct the research seminar the Latin American Institute will request on behalf of each participant a research license. [The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department issues licenses on a case-by-case basis for noncommercial research purposes specifically related to Cuba by persons who are working to qualify themselves academically as professionals (Section 515.560b). Professional research is also permitted if the professional person can demonstrate that the research be generally of a noncommercial nature, that it be academic in nature, and that it will be related to Cuba. In either the case of a professional or a graduate student it is assumed that the person will be involved in a full work schedule. There should be a substantial likelihood of dissemination of the product of such research.] The Latin American Institute will consolidate all the applications of those participating in the research seminar in order to submit them to the Treasury Department. It usually takes the Treasury Department 25 working days to issue a license. It is imperative to have the necessary information at the LAI as soon as possible. [See the License Request Guidelines below]

The group will depart from Cancułn to Havana on Sunday, June 11 at 7:15pm. You should arrive in Cancułn by 4 pm. Return from Havana will be on Friday, June 23, 1995. The charter airline company (round-trip Cancułn/Havana) will be Marazul. Participants will arrange their own travel to and from Cancułn. Charter charges are $175.00 round trip Cancułn/Havana . You will also pay and airport tax of $15.00. Marazul can be reached at 1-800-223-5334. Ask for Bob Guild.

The Latin American Institute will make your visa arrangements with Cuba.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: April 14, 1995 .

You should send your application and all other materials to us before this date. At this time you should also send a copy of your passport along with your photograph. DO NOT SEND YOUR PASSPORT.

Deposit Deadline: April 14, 1995. Please send a deposit of $125.00 by this date. Please make your check or money order payable to the Latin American Institute. The Final Payment of $1,075.00 will be due on May 8, 1995. The total $1,200.00 will be refunded if a license is not issued on time by the US Dept. of Treasury.

(See Below for Applications)

-------------------------------------------------------------- Application for the Latin American Institute Cuban Economy research Seminar [to be used by the LAI]

Name (as it appears on passport):

Social Security Number:

Passport Number:

Location and Date where Passport was issued:

Home Telephone:

Home Address:

Work Address:

Fax Number:

E-Mail:

Profession:

Current Employment:

Highest Academic Degree, University and Year:

List Professional Interest Relevant to Seminar:

Level of Spanish Proficiency:

None____ Beginning____ Intermediate____ Advanced____

Have you visited Cuba before?

Reason for the visit:

Attach small passport photo with the application

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Cuba Research Seminar Tour

Application Statement to be Submitted to the Treasury Department ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

1. The name, address and telephone number of each participant.

2. Describe your research objectives while in Cuba. Please make sure that you state how it relates to the particular tour you are taking with the LAI. Your statement should be brief but specific and concrete.

[For example: I will research the impact that the marketization of food is having over the creative work of artists. I assume that as the need for dollars becomes more pronounced, artists will be ever more interested in producing works that sell well. I will interview artists as well as cultural institutions. I intend to write an essay looking at the place of Cuban artists in their society since 1989.]

[If you have any questions on research resources you could use while in Cuba, please do not hesitate to contact the LAI and leave a message for Professor ValdeĘs]

3. A copy of your Curriculum Vitae or resume. [Both professional persons and graduate students should submit this. In the case of a graduate student you should state the academic degree the applicant is working toward and how the research in Cuba is related to fulfilling the degree requirement].

[If you are a graduate student, you might wish to elaborate on courses that you have taken or that you intend to take, the MA or Ph.D. thesis you are considering writing on, or the essay you are planning to write for a course or to submit for publication in an academic journal.]

4. Your basis for representing that there will be a public dissemination of the product of your research.

[You should be aware that the tour guide is the moderator of an Internet listserver (Cuba-L) and also the director of the Latin America Data Base (LADB). The LADB will seriously consider publishing the best essays in one of our newsletters (including NotiSur and Chronicle of Latin American Economic Affairs). If the LADB does not publish the materials, Cuba-L will distribute the material you have written to all of its subscribers (presently numbering 560+ persons).]

[We urge you, of course, to seek other avenues to make the material known.]

5. State the dates that you intend to arrive and depart from Cuba.

[If you intend to stay longer than the duration of the tour, state so here.]

6. The telephone number of the person to contact in case we have any questions concerning the application.

We suggest that you include here the name of a professional colleague that is acquainted with your work related to Cuba. In the case of graduate students it might be useful to offer the name of a faculty member.

In the statement that you prepare make sure you indicate that you are asking the Latin American Institute to request a license on your behalf as part of a consolidated application. If you have any questions for the Treasury Department you can call 1-202-622-2480. Once you contact us, we will send you a copy of the document the Treasury Department has made available on "Licensing and Travel to Cuba".

Make checks payable to:

Latin American Institute c/o Cuba Research Seminar Tour 801 Yale N.E. University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Phone: (505) 277-2961 Fax: (505) 277-5989