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LACS Grad Students Travel to Cuba for International Education Course
Learn more about Abigail Smith and Sarah Kistner’s recent trip to Cuba as part of their coursework in International Education Policy.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Abigail: My name is Abigail Smith (she/her), I am an international student from Kingston, Jamaica studying International Education Policy as a Phd student. I currently work in the Global learning initiatives office as a graduate assistant. I became interested in the LACS certificate to connect with more graduate students on campus and to also deepen my knowledge of the region to enhance my studies.
Sarah: My name is Sarah Kistner, and I’m a first-year PhD student in International Education Policy. I also work at the Teaching and Learning Transformation Center here at UMD, where I support student success initiatives. I became interested in the Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS) certificate because of my longstanding passion for international education and my experiences working in the region over the years. I’ve always been drawn to understanding how history, politics, and culture shape education systems across the region and how we can learn from one another.
You just went to Cuba for a class. Can you tell us about the class and the purpose of this trip?
Abigail: Yes, so lucky for me this is my 3rd time going to Cuba, my first trips were in 2018. This trip specifically is led by Dr. Taylor Woodman and has been in an ongoing partnership over 10 years with the Cuban Pedagogues Association (APC) . The class is EDHI788X/798: International Investigations in Cuban Education: An International Fieldwork Practicum. Though Cuba is stones throw away from Jamaica, we did not learn much about their education system and developments. As a research interest of mine is South-South cooperation within higher education, I wanted to learn more about Cuba’s approach to the internationalization of higher education as they have been at the forefront of educating other Caribbean nationals since the 60s.
Sarah: The purpose of the trip was to gain skills in research through a fieldwork practicum and engage directly with Cuban educators, students, and community organizations. It was an immersive experience designed to challenge our assumptions and provide a more nuanced view of Cuban society. My goal was to learn more about how play is incorporated into their educational system and how it may shape their values as a society.
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About LACS
LACS is a a dynamic research center on the College Park campus and is well known internationally. In 1996, an undergraduate Latin American Studies and Caribbean Certificate program was established and the first cohort of LACS students signed up in fall 1997. The Certificate program continued in 2017, along with research support, academic presentations, student and faculty conferences and co-curricular cultural events. The Minor program started in the spring of 2019. The minor helps prepare students for careers related to Latin America.
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LACS provides a variety of undergraduate interdisciplinary programs and courses concerning the histories, cultures and peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, including transnational migrations in and beyond the region.
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LACS is firmly devoted to supporting the work of graduate student researchers and furthering a network of graduate student researchers and graduate education.
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LACS is a dynamic and supportive research community, in which each participant (undergraduate, graduate student, faculty, staff and public) is a crucial component of the whole.
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The Latin American and Caribbean Studies Center offers two residency programs for graduate students and community members.
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Our current publications include El Boletín and El Terrapino.
El Boletín is our bi-weekly email featuring exciting cultural information and Latin American and Caribbean events on campus and in the local community.
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Recent Research
Predicting crime in middle-size cities. A Machine Learning model in Bucaramanga, Colombia.
Machine learning strategies to predict crime tested in mid-size cities in Colombia.
Author/Lead: Juan GelvezNon-ARHU Contributor(s): María Paula, Nieto-Rodríguez & Carlos-Andrés Rocha-Ruiz
Crime prediction models are a useful tool for building prevention strategies in major cities. However, there are limitations for its application in intermediate cities, which have little information. This paper offers an effective computational strategy for crime prediction.
Conflict in Brazil: Evolving criminal actors, political linkages, and increased global relevance
The internationalization of Brazil's largest drug cartel, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC)
Author/Lead: Carolina SampóNon-ARHU Contributor(s): Marcos Alan Ferreira, Ryan Berg, Paula Miraglia & Juan Pablo Medina Bickel
Carolina Sampó, the 2022-2023 LACS Postdoctoral Fellow, was invited to present her research on the global activities of drug cartels at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, UK.
How International Donations of Environmental Aid Reach Subnational Beneficiaries in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico
The fight against climate change increasingly connects International Organizations (IOs), national governments, and subnational governments.
Author/Lead: Isabella AlcañizNon-ARHU Contributor(s): Agustina Giraudy
How are international funds to fight climate change and environmental degradation distributed to subnational beneficiaries? This research develops a novel multilevel theory that poses that tension between the preferences of the IO and national governments helps explain the subnational distribution of environmental aid – even more than pure environmental or social need.