Course Catalogue

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This course aims to provide an introduction to Spanish cinema through analysis of a number of selected films by directors such as Pedro Almódovar, Luís Buñuel, Alejandro Amenábar, Icíar Bollaín, Víctor Erice, Fernando Trueba, Fernando León and Julio Medem.

20 x 1 hour seminars over both semesters as scheduled in MyCampus.

This is one of the honours options in SMLC and may not run every year. The options which are running this session are available on MyCampus.

Available to all students fulfilling the requirements for Honours entry into Spanish, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes who qualify under the University's 25% regulation.

None

None

Film review (700 words) - 20%

Analysis of a film clip (800 words) - 30%

Essay (2000 words) - 50%

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

This course aims to:

■ introduce Spanish cinema through analysis of selected films by directors such as Pedro Almódovar, Luís Buñuel, Alejandro Amenábar, Icíar Bollaín, Víctor Erice, Fernando León and Julio Medem;

■ explore the influence of cultural, social, economic, political and aesthetic factors on film production and reception;

■ analyse film language and explore issues such as the construction of national identity, gender, auteur cinema and the interface of Spanish cinema with Hollywood;

■ make students aware of the role that cinema has played in Spanish culture from the 1960s to the present.

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

■ analyse and historically contextualise a range of films;

■ display an ability to implement different forms of critical analysis of films (cultural, historical, socio-political, etc.);

■ present arguments related to the films studied in essays supported with appropriate critical evidence;

■ deploy appropriate research skills in preparing essays.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.