Topics in Cinema and Culture – White Men Gone Wild in Colonial Latin America

An exploration of films made in the last fifty years featuring “descents into savagery” and the colonial, alphabetic texts that inspired them. Topics to be discussed, among others: primitivism and progress; coloniality; media and mediation; race and gender; intercultural dialogues; healing practices; community-based performances.

Sample reading list:
Ciro Guerra, Abrazo de la serpiente
Carlos Saura, El Dorado
Armando Robles Godoy, La muralla verde
Nicolás Echevarría, Cabeza de Vaca
Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Como era Gostoso o Meu Francês

Reading/Writing assignments:
Watching one film every other week; reading 30-40 pages (primary and secondary texts) per week; attending the department’s Spanish and Portuguese film festival in the spring; six 600-word commentaries on film assigned for that day, one of which will be on a film shown at the department’s festival; one class presentation on one of the films or written texts; two 2,000 word papers on film(s) and/ or texts to be assigned by the instructor. No term paper or final exam.

Prerequisites and Restrictions:
One 200-level course above SPA 209 or instructor’s permission.

Other information:
Class conducted in Spanish. Films shown with English subtitles.

Faculty

Sections

S01

Tuesday and Thursday, 1:30 - 2:50 pm

Instructor(s)

Nicole Legnani