Undergraduate Course: Latin American Film: History, Identity and Social Justice (Ordinary) (ELCH09018)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will offer an introduction to a range of Latin American films from different periods and styles, focusing on how filmmakers have recorded and contested societal and political upheaval. Students will examine a selection of Latin American films (originally in Spanish and in some cases Portuguese and Indigenous languages) in order to explore issues relating to history, identity and social justice. The syllabus includes films from Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Cuba and Colombia, among other countries, and the course will make reference to broader continental and international currents, such as Third Cinema. The material will be discussed in terms of both the aesthetic contributions the films have made and their foregrounding of discourses on memory, violence, state terror, gender discrimination and ethnicity. |
| Course description |
A selection of the following themes will be covered:
- Introduction to Film Theory and Analysis;
- Latin American Film history overview;
- Third Cinema, Imperfect Cinema, and pornomiseria;
- Patricio Guzman and the Pinochet dictatorship;
- Post-dictatorship film in Argentina;
- Urban culture and film aesthetics;
- Displacement and the politics of land;
- Gender and sexuality
- Indigenous and Afro-Latin American narratives.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | In order to be eligible to take 4th Year Options, Visiting Students should have the equivalent of at least two years of study at University level of the appropriate language(s) and culture(s). |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2018/19, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 2 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Summative Assessment Hours 4,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
170 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
70 %,
Coursework
30 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
1 take-home exam essay of 1500 words, worth 70% of the final mark and scheduled during exam diet;
and
1 close-analysis film commentary of 1000 words, worth 30% in total.
One group class presentation for which they will receive feedback. This constitutes the formative component of assessment.
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| Feedback |
Feedback will be given on a continuous basis in the classes in response to student participation and activities. Written and oral feedback will be offered on a group presentation, which constitutes the formative component of the course, and written feedback with a grade will be given for the close-analysis film commentary, which constitutes the course's assessed coursework. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Familiarize students with a diverse range of Latin American films, including fiction and documentary modes
- Facilitate an awareness of the importance of cultural interventions in broader political struggles and social contexts
- Develop students' critical awareness of key concepts and frameworks in analytical writing on Latin American film, and enable them to apply terminology effectively
- Hone skills in researching, verbal presentation, and written communication, in general and in relation to specific cultural contexts
- Foster group activity in order to enhance student's oral communication skills and competence in interpersonal interaction
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Reading List
Selected films (some are shorter films, others full features):
Chircales (Marta Rodríguez and Jorge Silva, Colombia; 1965-72)
Agarrando pueblo (Carlos Mayolo and Luis Ospina, Colombia; 1977)
Cabeza de Vaca (Nicolás Echevarría, Mexico; 1992)
Chile, la memoria obstinada (Patricio Guzmán, Chile; 1997)
Los rubios (Albertina Carri, Argentina; 2003)
Fresa y chocolate (Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Cuba; 1993)
La ciénaga (Lucrecia Martel, Argentina; 2001)
El violín (Francisco Vargas, Mexico; 2005)
Alma y Esperanza (Itandehui Jansen, Mixtec-Dutch, Mexico; 2012)
Mu drua ¿ mi casa (Mileidy Orozco Domicó, Embera-Katio, Colombia; 2012)
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Jessica Gordon-Burroughs
Tel: (0131 6)50 3679
Email: j.gordonburroughs@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Kat Zabecka
Tel: (0131 6)50 4026
Email: K.Zabecka@ed.ac.uk |
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