Time Schedule:
Cynthia Steele
SPAN 334
Seattle Campus
Overview of the history of Latin American cinema, including the new Latin American cinema of the 1960s; the development of strong film industries in Mexico, Cuba, and Brazil; and recent developments in the context of globalization and democratization. Prerequisite: either SPAN 301, SPAN 310 or SPAN 314, any of which may be taken concurrently.
Class description
An overview of the current New Wave of Latin American Cinema, including examples from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Cuba. Genres range from the road movie to the crime caper; from the biopic to the political satire and historical epic. Issues explored include endemic poverty, underdevelopment and colonialism; increasing levels of urban violence; revolution and dictatorship; recovery from authoritarianism and human rights abuse; and struggles for human rights of marginalized groups and for democratization. Students will write two five-page analytical essays and keep a journal of responses to films and readings. Spanish majors and minors will write and do at least half of their research in Spanish. The course will be conducted in Spanish and films will be in Spanish or Portuguese with English subtitles.
Student learning goals
Required Text: Shaw, Deborah, ed. Contemporary Latin American Cinema. Ranham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2007.
Films: Los diarios de motocicleta/The Motorcycle Diaries (2004). Dir. Fernando Mireilles (Brazil); Y tu mamá también/And Your Mother, Too (2001). Dir. Alfonso Cuarón (Mexico); Cidade de Deus/City of God (2002). Dir. Fernando Mireilles and Katia Lund (Brazil); Nueve reinas/Nine Queens (2000). Dir. Fabién Bielinski (Argentina); Madame Sata (2002). Dir. Karim Ainouz (Brazil); Kamchatka (2002). Dir. Marcelo Piñyero (Argentina); Bolívar soy yo/Bolívar is Me (2002). Dir. Jorge Alí Triana (Colombia); Lista de espera/The Waiting List (2000). Dir. Juan Carlos Tabío (Cuba); and La otra conquista/The Other Conquest (1999). Dir. Salvador Carrasco (Mexico).
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
