Center for Latin American Studies

Students will draw on what they know or imagine about Cuba in order to engage existing knowledge, perceptions, and questions they might have about it. They will then review photographs from these collections, describe what they see, and then read statements by the authors. They will engage in a rhetorical analysis of the photograph—what aspects of the photograph communicated to the student? What did those aspects communicate? Teachers using the text With Eyes and Soul: Images of Cuba can have students analyze photographs on their own, and then with the poems the authors have paired with each photograph (in Spanish and English).

Depending on the educational context, this unit ends with a creative exploration: a photographic project and gallery, a writing activity, or with a student-driven research project.  

Objectives:

 Explore Cuba through photographs, engage student interest in Cuban society
 Develop a more nuanced understanding of human and cultural diversity in Cuba over time (1980s/2000s)
 Understand photos as arguments or texts—that photographs are not merely reflections of reality but mediated images that convey meanings
 Consider a photographer’s emphasis or point of view
 Understand the importance of the context in which a photo was taken, and the elements of a photograph that contribute to its mood