Course Description
N/A Teaching guide (syllabus) for this course was not present.
Course Summary
Under the instruction of professor Pilar Ucar Ventura, this course was an entertaining way to learn about Spain's culture through watching and critically analyzing movies. We reviewed many themes, symbols and the historical context of the movies to better understand them. After each movie we would often have a homework assignment due in relation such as explaining the role of women, rewriting the finale of a movie, or comparing movies with each other and explaining what makes them similar. It was through this course that I learned for the first time what happened to Spain during and after WWII. Before hand I had been ignorant to the dictatorship that gripped Spain under the authoritarian rule of Franco. I hadn't known very much about Spain's history besides it's founding after the Reconquista and it's colonization in the Americas. Once arriving in Spain it made me realize why it felt like it was socially one step behind the United States. Spain was closed off to outside influences until it's cultural movement in the 80's after the death of Franco.
The following films were watched outside of class and analyzed during lecture:
La lengua de las mariposas
Los años barbaros
Mujeres al borde de un ataque
Los lunes al sol
El penalti mas largo del mundo
La isla minima
La boca del lobo (Peru)
In La lengua de las mariposas we learned life was like leading up to the Spanish civil war. Themes we touched base on included free thinking, liberty, music and revolution. In Los años barbaros, the film followed two students whom are arrested after writing graffiti on their school property saying, "University, free it was." This was enough for them to be taken away to serve a long sentence in the construction of Franco's tomb. Later on they're helped to escape the camp by two foreigners and seek refuge in France. Themes discussed include, freedom of expression, repression, and political extremism. In Mujeres al borde de un ataque, the professor made sure we learned that directo Pedro Almodovar has significantly contributed to Spanish culture during the 80's movement. The movie is a reflection of how Spain was changing with the help of outside influences through music and new ideas. Such ideas include, drugs, sex, and abortion. The movie also focused on women's changing role and how they've become independent but not entirely because they are always emotionally attached to men. In Los lunes al sol, we follow a group of friends that are living in an economic depression after Spain joined the European Union. This dreary film touches base on themes such as gender roles, poverty, and suicide. There was no improvement on anyone's situation which reflected how Spain remained stagnant. In El penalti mas largo del mundo, the movie shows a similar situation to the previous film but in a humorist light. The characters are also struggling to gain better economic footing and use football to change their lives. In my opinion, La isla minima was one of the most significant movies that we analyzed in class. This film represents how Spain wasn't completely recovered from Franco's reign. Although a cultural movement happened in Madrid, the same wasn't true for the towns that were outside of the city.
Below is an assignment completed towards a film that was presented in class but unrelated to Spanish culture. The profesor had invited a friend from Peru whom also taught the same subjects and gave us the opportunity to learn about culture in Peru.
The following films were watched outside of class and analyzed during lecture:
La lengua de las mariposas
Los años barbaros
Mujeres al borde de un ataque
Los lunes al sol
El penalti mas largo del mundo
La isla minima
La boca del lobo (Peru)
In La lengua de las mariposas we learned life was like leading up to the Spanish civil war. Themes we touched base on included free thinking, liberty, music and revolution. In Los años barbaros, the film followed two students whom are arrested after writing graffiti on their school property saying, "University, free it was." This was enough for them to be taken away to serve a long sentence in the construction of Franco's tomb. Later on they're helped to escape the camp by two foreigners and seek refuge in France. Themes discussed include, freedom of expression, repression, and political extremism. In Mujeres al borde de un ataque, the professor made sure we learned that directo Pedro Almodovar has significantly contributed to Spanish culture during the 80's movement. The movie is a reflection of how Spain was changing with the help of outside influences through music and new ideas. Such ideas include, drugs, sex, and abortion. The movie also focused on women's changing role and how they've become independent but not entirely because they are always emotionally attached to men. In Los lunes al sol, we follow a group of friends that are living in an economic depression after Spain joined the European Union. This dreary film touches base on themes such as gender roles, poverty, and suicide. There was no improvement on anyone's situation which reflected how Spain remained stagnant. In El penalti mas largo del mundo, the movie shows a similar situation to the previous film but in a humorist light. The characters are also struggling to gain better economic footing and use football to change their lives. In my opinion, La isla minima was one of the most significant movies that we analyzed in class. This film represents how Spain wasn't completely recovered from Franco's reign. Although a cultural movement happened in Madrid, the same wasn't true for the towns that were outside of the city.
Below is an assignment completed towards a film that was presented in class but unrelated to Spanish culture. The profesor had invited a friend from Peru whom also taught the same subjects and gave us the opportunity to learn about culture in Peru.
Work Sample
tarea__la_cult_espn_-_opinion_la_boca_del_lobo.pdf | |
File Size: | 36 kb |
File Type: |