US-Cuba Policy

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The Colonial Roots
Early 20th Century
Castro's Revolution
Cold War Cuba
Human Rights In Cuba
Politics of Expatriates
US Policy & the Media
Effects of the Embargo
Images of Cuba Today

 

A Look at U. S. Foreign Policy in the Americas

Focus on Cuba

A thumbnail composite of some of the pictures found on this site.

Understanding how foreign policy affects the lives of people.

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The U. S. Foreign Policy in the Americas thematic unit provides an in-depth analysis of a regional issue that sheds light on a larger hemispheric issue. The unit involves individual research outside of class, group research on the World Wide Web, and small-group presentations of students' findings. Data is then shared among study groups via student-produced Web pages. Upon completion of the research, students present and discuss the issues. The project culminates in a group simulation in which the class is asked to design what they considered to be a rational and just foreign policy toward Cuba.
In this segment of our study, our class converged on foreign policy issues pertaining to the island republic of Cuba. We looked at the historical background of Cuba as a colony and as an independent country caught in the imperialistic struggles of the region. Also, we looked at current issues facing Cuba, including the economic sanctions that the U. S. government has initiated and justification of such a policy. Although this study could have taken a semester, we put these materials together over a period of five weeks.

Our class formed eight study groups of three to four students. These groups researched the following topic areas in order to build a composite picture of the issues effecting the development of U.S. foreign policy toward Cuba.
The colonial history of Cuba and the region
Cuba & the United States, A Chronological History
Cuba in the decades preceding Castro’s revolution
Castro’s rise to power: the revolution
Cuba in the Cold War: Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs, Angola
The issue of human rights in Cuba
The politics of Cuban expatriates and nationals
The stated U.S. policy on Cuba & influences by the media
The effects of the US trade sanctions on Cuba's economy

Plus an Exclusive Photographic Tour of Today's Cuba!

Information for teachers:

The assignment
Evaluation rubric
Links to related sites
Citing and searching on the WWW

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In February 2000, twenty of our students visited Cuba to observe the political and social reality of the country.
We were given total access and the freedom of travel to assemble the following documentary films:

Exploring Cuba

The Effects of the Embargo

Messages from the People

Post Trip- The News

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