Unit information: Modern Culture & the Reworking of the Past in 2014/15

Unit name	Modern Culture & the Reworking of the Past
Unit code	HISP31029
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Professor. Ginger
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

The twenty-first century so far has been marked by an obsession with the past. Politicians, cultural figures, and (in Latin America) revolutionaries have returned to supposed founding moments of the modern world in search of inspiration for the present. At the same time, there is an increased awareness of how much a consciousness of history shaped the modern period of culture continuously from its very beginnings. This has changed our understanding of what it means to be ‘modern’. This module explores how this experience of the past has shaped visions of Spain and Latin America through the development of visual culture, including cinema, from the revolutions of 1808 through to the present day. We will study four films and a selection of other images.

Aims:

• To introduce students to a significant body of knowledge of a complexity appropriate to final year level. The content matter will normally include one or more of the following: literature; social, cultural or political history; linguistics; cultural studies; film, television or other media.

• To facilitate students’ engagement with a body of literature, including secondary literature, texts, including in non-print media, primary sources and ideas as a basis for their own analysis and development. Normally many or most of these sources will be in a language other than English and will enhance the development of their linguistic skills.

• To develop further skills of synthesis, analysis and independent research, building on the skills acquired in units at level I.

• To equip students with the skills to undertake postgraduate study in a relevant field.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Successful students will:

• be knowledgable about a significant cultural, historical or linguistic subject related to the language they are studying;

• will have advanced skills in the selection and synthesis of relevant material;

• be able to evaluate and analyse relevant material from a significant body of source materials, usually in a foreign language, at an advanced level;

• be able to respond to questions or problems by presenting their independent judgements in an appropriate style and at an advanced level of complexity;

• be able to transfer these skills to other working environments, including postgraduate study.

Teaching Information

Two seminar hours per week across one teaching block (22 contact hours)

Assessment Information

5000 word essay (100%)

Reading and References

Bolívar soy yo (2001), dir. Jorge Alí Triana

Selected paintings and photographs: Manet, Lucas, Laurent, Clifford, Picasso, Kahlo (details to be supplied in course documentation)

¡Que viva México! (1931), dir. Sergei Eisenstein

Frida (2002), dir Julie Taymoor

Como agua para chocolate (1992), dir. Alfonso Arau

Additional prescribed readings for seminar topics in coursebook