Never Too Many Movies: Spanish Catalan Society through Cinema (107104425)

General information

Type:

OPT

Curs:

Period:

S semester

ECTS Credits:

5 ECTS

Teaching Staff:

Group	Teacher	Department	Language
	Alex Fernández de Castro Krings	Sección Español	ENG

Group	Teacher	Department	Language
Year 1	Alex Fernández de Castro Krings	Sección Español	ENG

Course Learning Objectives

To acquire a deeper understanding of Politics and Society in recent Spanish history through some of the best Spanish movies produced in the past decades. Aditionally, some Latinamerican movies might be added to the syllabus to illustrate Politics or Society in recent Latinamerican history.

30 hour long course (10 sessions, 3 hours each), taught in English, to watch and discuss Spanish and Latinamerican movies from the last decades, which illustrate Political and Social changes in Spanish speaking countries through the XXth and XXIst centuries

CONTENT

1. ¿Land and Freedom¿, by Ken Loach (1995), ¿El Laberinto del Fauno¿, by Guillermo del Toro (2006), or ¿La Plaza del Diamante¿, by Francesc Betriu (1982) about Spanish Civil War.

2. ¿Los olvidados¿, by Luís Buñuel (1950), about life in the slums of Mexico DF in the 1940s-50s.

3. ¿La Colmena¿ (1982) or ¿Los Santos Inocentes¿ (1984), by Mario Camus, about Spain under Franco¿s dictatorship.

4. ¿What Have I Done to Deserve This¿ by Pedro Almodovar (1984) to discuss Spain immediately after Franco.

5. ¿El Secreto de Sus Ojos¿ by Juan José Campanella (2009), to discuss Argentina Ander the military dictatorship in the 1970s.

6. Balseros¿, by Carles Bosch and J.M. Domenech (2002), a documentary about Cuban immigrants in the US under Castro¿s regime.

7. ¿Motorcycle Diaries¿, by Walter Salles (2004) about Che Guevara and his awakening as a social and political leader.

8. ¿Flores de otro mundo¿ by Iciar Bollaín (1999) about Latinamerican immigrants in Spain.

9. Te doy mis ojos¿, by Iciar Bollaín (2003) about gender violence in Spain.

10. ¿Vicky Cristina Barcelona¿, by Woody Allen (2008), ¿L¿Auberge Espagnol¿, by Cédric Klapisch (2002) or ¿En Construcción¿, by José Luís Guerín (2002) to discuss Barcelona in the 21st Century.

Methodology

A full movie will be watched every class. Information about the director, cast and historical context will also be provided. 80% attendance and active participation from students will be required. Participants will have to write short essays, make a mid-term presentation about a movie that will not be watched in class, and write a final exam

ASSESSMENT

ASSESSMENT BREAKDOWN

Description	%
Final Exam	40
Constant Evaluation	60

Bibliography

About the Civil War :"The Spanish Civil War: "Reaction, Revolution & Revenge". Paul Preston. Harper Perennial, 2006

¿Homage to Catalonia¿. George Orwell. Penguin Books. First Edition, 1938.

"For whom the bells toll". Ernest Hemingway. Scribner Classics, 1996

About Barcelona + Catalunya: ¿Barcelona¿. Robert Hughes. Harvill-HarperCollins. 1992

About the Basque Country: ¿The Basque History of the World¿. Mark Kurlansky. Vintage, 2000

About Recent History: ¿The New Spaniards¿. John Hooper. Penguin Books, 2006

About football + society: ¿Morbo:The Story of Spanish Football¿. Phil Ball. WSC Books, 2001

About Working effectively with Spaniards: "Spain is different", Helen Wattley-Ames. Intercultural Press, 1999

Web pages:

About Spanish History: Library of the Congress. Country Studies: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/

Generalitat de Catalunya webpage (English option): www.gencat.net/catalunya/cat/historia.htm

Timetable and sections

Group	Teacher	Department
	Alex Fernández de Castro Krings	Sección Español

Timetable

From 2020/9/16 to 2020/11/25:
Each Wednesday from 12:30 to 14:00. (Except: 2020/10/28)

Group	Teacher	Department
Year 1	Alex Fernández de Castro Krings	Sección Español

Timetable Year 1

From 2020/9/16 to 2020/11/25:
Each Wednesday from 12:30 to 14:00. (Except: 2020/10/28)