MA Modern Languages and Cultures

This course unit introduces students to aspects of the cinematic representation of key social issues in the late 20th/early 21st century, in particular as they relate to contemporary Portuguese and Spanish cultures.  As well as for students of Spanish and/or Portuguese, this unit is also suitable for students of World Cinema.  All films are in Spanish or Portuguese, with English subtitles available.

Using a range of documentary, docufictional, and feature films, the unit will provide a critical awareness of the relationships between social issues, the impact of crisis on individuals and groups, and cinematic representation.

• To consolidate cross-cultural, interdisciplinary skills and knowledge
• To develop a nuanced understanding of the recent histories of Spain and Portugal
• To acquaint students with key cinematic works from contemporary Spain and Portugal, and develop the skills to analyse them formally and comparatively
• To develop skills in the application of theoretical models from Cultural and Film Studies to specific case studies in Spanish and Portuguese social and cinema history
• To develop awareness of and competence in appropriate research methods

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Analyse a range of issues and forms of representation in fictional, docufictional, and documentary film in Portuguese and Spanish
• Apply appropriate theoretical frameworks to that analysis
• Identify and deploy an appropriate methodology for each case study (whether issue or individual film)
• Display an interdisciplinary knowledge of social issues and their cinematic representation in Portugal and Spain

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Draw on an appropriately wide knowledge of the social issues listed in the Course Unit Overview
• Relate them cogently to their treatment in films of different genres
• Draw on appropriate theoretical and methodological resources

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Engage in independent reflection and enquiry
• Develop informed and theorized analyses of film form in context
• Develop an appreciation and critique of different forms of filmic representation
• Form judgments and opinions based on detailed cross-cultural knowledge

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Work towards conclusions on the basis of case studies
• Conduct effective issue-based research

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Identity key goals relating to social responsibility
• Enhance their ability to empathise with lives represented on screen
• Engage in independent reflection and enquiry
• Analyse data and provide a clear synthesis of the findings
• Deliver an oral presentation in a formal setting
• Write a report on a piece of original research
• Engage in group discussion
• Work as part of a team
• Work effectively in a one-to-one tutorial environment

• Written feedback on essay
• Verbal feedback on essay.
• One-to-one feedback on written work in progress

• Jo Labanyi and Tatjana Pavlović (eds), A Companion to Spanish Cinema (Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013). 
• Alberto Mira, Historical Dictionary of Spanish Cinema (Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2012)
• Carolin Overhoff-Ferreira, Identity and Difference Postcoloniality and Transnationality in Lusophone Films (Berlin: Lit Verlag, 2013) 
• Graeme Turner, Film as Social Practice. 4th edn (London: Routledge, 2007)