Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

It would be highly advisable to have previously studied film or cultural analysis, preferably at university level, in Stage 1. In SML, the relevant modules would be: SML1021 Introduction to International Film or SML1022 Introduction to Cultural Studies.

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

In consonance with the overall aim of the degrees offered in the SML, to contribute to students’ broad-based knowledge of aspects of the history, politics, society, and culture of a variety of Latin American countries, through the systematic study of cinema as an art form and a cultural expression of the context within which it is produced.

In addition, this module aims to make aspects of the above available to non-language students from other Schools.

Outline Of Syllabus

This module aims to introduce students to the film cultures of Latin America via a focus on three national cinemas. Students will learn about the development of film industries in the chosen contexts from the mid-20th century to the present day. In the first semester, they will focus on the role played by cinema in the development and contestation of national identities in each national context. In semester two, they will reflect on the representation of other identities and debates in cinema, especially those relating to gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and class. Students will be encouraged to consider how these issues interact with the narratives and myths of national identity explored in Semester 1.

The module is organised in order to develop students’ understanding of the social, political, and cultural contexts of the chosen Latin American countries, their familiarity with specific selected films from each place, and their ability to critically analyse films, paying attention to both form and content. The module is comparative in spirit, and students will be required to connect and contrast material from both semesters, as well as from different national contexts. The module is taught in English, and all films studied have English subtitles.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

- Familiarity with key terms and concepts in film theory and analysis.
- Knowledge of key concepts and theories of national identity, gender, and postcolonial studies.
- Recall and distinguish between key historical events and cultural developments in each of the relevant countries from the mid-twentieth century onwards.
- Display a broad familiarity with the history and evolution of the national cinemas under discussion.
- Show detailed knowledge of selected key films from each of the national cinemas.

Intended Skill Outcomes

- Recognise, recall, and apply key terms and concepts to closely analyse sequences of film.
- Recognise, recall, and apply theoretical concepts and frameworks to the analysis of film.
- Analyse a film within its historical, social, and cultural context.
- Carry out a detailed comparison of more than one film.
- Write well-argued, analytical essays to deadline.
- Take notes effectively from lecture material and in small group teaching, as well as from journals and secondary material.
- Find secondary material in bibliographies devoted to film, cultural studies, and Latin American studies.
- Operate effectively as part of a team, and participate effectively in group discussion.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

**The blended learning mode of teaching showed to be very effective as it allowed students to reflect in their own time.**

Lecture materials, in the form of non-synchronous recordings and activities made available on the VLE, allow definition of the scope of the syllabus, an introduction to a body of knowledge, and modelling of the analysis required. They will provide contextual information relevant to the films, and introduce students to key theories and debates relating to national identity, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and class, particularly in relation to film.

Small group teaching (seminars) will provide the students with the opportunity to discuss the films and topics individually and in small groups, and practice detailed analysis of film form. Larger workshops will further develop students’ ability to think comparatively, to apply theoretical concepts, to produce arguments, and to debate. Seminars and workshops take place in person, but could be scheduled online if necessary without undue disruption.

All knowledge outcomes are addressed by the combination of structured guided learning, scheduled learning and teaching activities, and guided independent study. All primary and secondary materials are available in English or with English subtitles.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Reflecting the module’s comparative spirit, assessments will require students to engage with films from different national contexts. The semester 1 24-hour exam will feature a choice of questions focusing on national identity. Students will be required to answer one of the questions by analysing at least two films from different national contexts.

The semester 2 assessed essay will encourage students to develop their comparative analysis further still, by providing scope for the exploration of the relationship between national identity and other identity categories or debates through the comparative analysis of film.
In both assessments, students will be required to pay attention to form as well as content and apply theoretical and contextual knowledge to produce nuanced comparative analyses of films, as practiced during seminars and workshops. The module will be assessed in English.

General Notes

N/A