Module Identifier SP35020  
Module Title SEEING SPAIN THROUGH CINEMA  
Academic Year 2007/2008  
Co-ordinator Dr Jose M Goni Perez  
Semester Semester 1  
Pre-Requisite SP20130  
Course delivery Lecture   10 x 2-hours lectures and seminars  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Assessment 1 x 2,000-word essay in Spanish40%
Semester Assessment 1 x 2,000-word essay in Spanish40%
Semester Assessment Seminar participation and performance in Spanish20%
Supplementary Assessment 1 x 2 hour examination if continuous assessment submitted (2 essay questions in Spanish, equally weighted). 1 x 3 hour examination if no continuous assessment submitted (3 essay questions in Spanish, equally weighted).100%

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Enter social debates concerning the study of the interactions of 'Historical Memory' and Cinema in Contemporary Spain;
2. Understand the historical background of current representations of Franco's Spain and Democratic Spain;
3. To understand the current Spanish division between the old generation and the new generation;
4. Develop their skills in Comparative analysis and to show familiarity with cinematic and technical vocabulary;
5. Engage critically with a variety of scholarly material including monographs and specialised articles;
6. Present their findings in a logical, organised and scholarly fashion both orally - through debates and presentations in Spanish - and in written form - through essays and text commentaries written in Spanish.

Aims

In both Literature and Cinema - and in many cases the cinematic adaptation of the first - the 'Historical memory' and 'Tiempo perdido' have been the main intellectual components of Spanish art since 1980. In view of this, this module will trace the 'poietic' transformation and representation of five historical periods of Spain. It will focus both on the study of historical events as well as on their cinematic product. It will develop students' ability to engage in general aspects, such as socio-historical debates, issues of fictionalization in the interaciton between generations, the study of relations between history and culture, and more specific issues such as the use of language, slang and linguistic variation in Cinema.

The study of this subject also provides a background in which to understand contemporary debates in Spanish society about politics, national identity and the relationship between 'The two sides of Spain'.

Brief description

This course studies the phenomena known as 'Historical memory' and 'Tiempo' perdido' in contemporary Spanish cinema. Through a series of contemporary films the students will put into practice comparative analyses between different representations of main historical events. The period starts with contemporary representations of the Spanish Civil War and will end with the current social cinema. The aim of this course is to consider how these historical events and current events are being portrayed in Spanish cinema. A series of seminars - based around work on cinematic sources - will allow students to explore and debate the views on the 'Historical memory'.

Content

This module is structured around the following topics:
1. Guerra civil: Rewriting and revising the Spanish Civil War
2. Franco's Spain: The conflict after the conflict
3. The early freedom: La Movida; Pop Art and Popular Culture in cinema
4. The Democratic cinema (1982-1999): The self-reflexive view
5. Siglo XXI: Provocation and social debate

Module Skills

Problem solving Selection of reading material in target language and listening skills; answering questions posed by written assessment; seminar work.  
Research skills Preparation of written assessment; preparation for seminars both in Spanish and English.  
Communication Oral communication developed in seminars; written communication developed in assessments and exam.  
Improving own Learning and Performance Students will be able to assess their own progress week by week through their increased understanding of the issues raised and the skills developed.  
Team work Debates and group presentations in seminars.  
Information Technology Use of on-line journals and source collections; delivery of course materials and information via e-learning system.  
Application of Number n/a  
Personal Development and Career planning Acquisition of transferable skills; in-depth acquaintance with Cinema as an academic subject.  
Subject Specific Skills Acquisition of Modern Spanish vocabulary; slang expressions; corrupted grammatical structures, mispronunciations and 'ideolecto, fasolecto and sociolecto'.  

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
Caparrós Lera, José Ma. (1983) Cine español bajo el régimen de Franco (1936-1975) Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona
Caparrós Lera, José Ma. (1992) El cine español de la democracia: de la muerte de Franco al "cambio" socialista (1975-1989) Barcelona, Editorial Anthropos
Monterde Lozoya, José Enrique (1993) Viente años de cine español (1973-1992): un cine bajo la paradoja Barcelona, Paidós Ibérica
Sánchez-Biosca, Vicente (2006) Cine y Guerra Civil Española: del mito a la memoria. Prólogo de José-Carlos Mainer Madrid, Alianza Editorial
Vidal i Llorens, Nuria (1990) El cine de Pedro Almodóvar 2a ed.. Barcelona, Destino

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6