Spartan musicians rehearse for a performance in Cuba on a recent summer trip. Photo by D. Michael Cheers

SJSU student Alysia Trillio (sax), Dr. Ruth Wilson,chair of the the African American Studies Department and student Kenyatta Yarn, sing the popular praise and worship song Let Us Break Bread Together, led by Professor Virginia Groce-Roberts, on Sunday, June 12, along the Malecon outside the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba. The gospel ensemble also performed at a Catholic Church in Regala, and at Ebenezer Baptist Church, which is part of the Dr. Martin Luther King Center in Havana.

Dr. D. Michael Cheers, a professor in the College of Applied Sciences and Arts School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and Dr. Wilson, of the College of Social Sciences, led a summer faculty-led program in Cuba from June 10-19 on Afro-Cuban Literature, Culture and History. The course was designed to examine the role Africans played in the development of the island nation, and assess the next generation’s perception of their future role in the world. To prepare for the course, students learned about the history of Cuba, literature and culture via seminars and lectures during their spring semester. The six-unit course required students to study in Cuba for two weeks and on campus or online for two weeks this summer. The ultimate goal of the course is to have the student’s present research papers or creative works at undergraduate research conferences during the 2016/17 academic year.

The course is one of more than 25 summer faculty-led programs offered by a number of colleges with support from the College of International and Extended Studies. The courses offer students an opportunity to study abroad, to be immersed in another culture and to earn course credit.