Centro de Estudios Demograficos (CEDEM)

CEDEMAffiliation with CEDEM is the most distinctive component of the Sarah Lawrence program. Part of the University of Havana, this social research institute works exclusively with Sarah Lawrence College and offers a core course that will introduce you to a broad spectrum of issues, particularly those affecting the Cuban people since 1989. At the Center, you will be paired with a Cuban professor, with whom you will meet regularly and will serve as your research advisor throughout the semester. Through CEDEM, the Sarah Lawrence program has also organized panels on subjects ranging from AIDS to women’s issues in Cuba. The panels are subject to change each year depending on student and faculty interests.

The following are among the research topics that students on the program have explored through CEDEM:

  • The Impact of the U.S. Embargo on Cuba
  • Employment in Cuba
  • Sustainable Development and Organic Agriculture
  • AIDS in Cuba: Governmental Action and Social Perceptions
  • The Interrelation of the Process of Urbanization and Gender in Havana in the ’90s
  • Characteristics of Community Work in Cuba and the U.S.
  • Cuban Women and Socio-Economic Participation
  • Cuba: An Aging Population
  • The Role of Youth in Social Programs for Young People
  • Sexuality and Sexual Education in Cuba
  • Children and Family in Cuba