Course Description
This course will examine the multiple ways that Hispanic and Brazilian filmmakers have seen Hispanic world, its people, religious beliefs and cultures for more than a century. This course provides the student with a range of perspectives on cultural developments in Spain, Brazil, Latin America and the Caribbean from the colonial to the modern period, using critical and literary texts as well as films. Taught in English.
Reflective Narrative
In Hispanic Cinema, we got to view different film makers' perspectives on the Hispanic world which can help us process and understand the development of Hispanic people, beliefs and cultures. This course contributed to the fulfillment of MLOs 1: Language Proficiency and MLO 3: Literary and Cultural Knowledge. One film I was moved by was Maria, Full of Grace (2004) which transpires between Bogota, Colombia, New Jersey, USA, and NYC, USA. During the film, we follow the protagonist’s journey, Maria, 17-year-old, through her living in the lower social class of Bogota, Columbia to exploring the role of drugs which creates another pathway for people in Colombia. Throughout the events of the film, the film conveys Colombia’s lower social classes do not get enough support from their government and have to turn to drug and human trafficking in order to survive. This film exposes the government not providing sufficient support to their lower classes, which in turn cements the drug industry in other countries, as it provides monetary needs to support the lower class. This also supports what we already see present in Latin American cultures, such as women being seen/ treated as disposable. I was able to analyze this perspective through the assignment of comprehension questions. Another country analyzed was Spain. With my classmates, we presented “Spain Cinema” where we analyzed different film directors such as Pedro Almodóvar and Luis Buñuel. I had presented on Luis Buñuel who was known as the father of cinematic surrealism, as he added his trademark of surreal images like chickens populating nightmares, a cow appearing in bed, or aspiring saints desired by luscious women. We watched two of his films in class, That Obscure Object of Desire and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Both films portray women differently. That Obscure Object of Desire portrays women as evil, exotic, beautiful obscure objects that are irresistible and humiliate men. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown portray women as independent and that their nerves are related to the men in their life.
This course contributed to the understanding of the different perspectives film directors may have had on their society. One in Colombia focuses more on the drug industry being detrimental to women and another one portrays women as powerful in their sexuality. I would like to further explore more female directors because it would be interesting to compare the two different perspectives in modern and older films. This course definitely opened my eyes to the fact that films are a form of narrative that may tell us other things about the societies they take place in and details we may not always pay attention to.
Assignments
"Comprehension Questions for María, Full of Grace"
"Spain Cinema"
This course will examine the multiple ways that Hispanic and Brazilian filmmakers have seen Hispanic world, its people, religious beliefs and cultures for more than a century. This course provides the student with a range of perspectives on cultural developments in Spain, Brazil, Latin America and the Caribbean from the colonial to the modern period, using critical and literary texts as well as films. Taught in English.
Reflective Narrative
In Hispanic Cinema, we got to view different film makers' perspectives on the Hispanic world which can help us process and understand the development of Hispanic people, beliefs and cultures. This course contributed to the fulfillment of MLOs 1: Language Proficiency and MLO 3: Literary and Cultural Knowledge. One film I was moved by was Maria, Full of Grace (2004) which transpires between Bogota, Colombia, New Jersey, USA, and NYC, USA. During the film, we follow the protagonist’s journey, Maria, 17-year-old, through her living in the lower social class of Bogota, Columbia to exploring the role of drugs which creates another pathway for people in Colombia. Throughout the events of the film, the film conveys Colombia’s lower social classes do not get enough support from their government and have to turn to drug and human trafficking in order to survive. This film exposes the government not providing sufficient support to their lower classes, which in turn cements the drug industry in other countries, as it provides monetary needs to support the lower class. This also supports what we already see present in Latin American cultures, such as women being seen/ treated as disposable. I was able to analyze this perspective through the assignment of comprehension questions. Another country analyzed was Spain. With my classmates, we presented “Spain Cinema” where we analyzed different film directors such as Pedro Almodóvar and Luis Buñuel. I had presented on Luis Buñuel who was known as the father of cinematic surrealism, as he added his trademark of surreal images like chickens populating nightmares, a cow appearing in bed, or aspiring saints desired by luscious women. We watched two of his films in class, That Obscure Object of Desire and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Both films portray women differently. That Obscure Object of Desire portrays women as evil, exotic, beautiful obscure objects that are irresistible and humiliate men. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown portray women as independent and that their nerves are related to the men in their life.
This course contributed to the understanding of the different perspectives film directors may have had on their society. One in Colombia focuses more on the drug industry being detrimental to women and another one portrays women as powerful in their sexuality. I would like to further explore more female directors because it would be interesting to compare the two different perspectives in modern and older films. This course definitely opened my eyes to the fact that films are a form of narrative that may tell us other things about the societies they take place in and details we may not always pay attention to.
Assignments
"Comprehension Questions for María, Full of Grace"
"Spain Cinema"