This course explores how cinema produced in the United States and Mexico, from the silent period to the contemporary moment has mediated and commented on the presence of Mexicans in what is today the U.S., as well as the migratory experience. Because cinema is an industrial art form, we will examine the impact of social, historical, and political conditions as well as the impact of global economic structures on cinema throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Students will acquire knowledge of the periods of US and Mexican cinema history and a familiarity with critical approaches to...

This course explores the role of cinema in constructing and mediating ideas about race throughout Latin America in the context of the region's national formations from the early 20th century through the 21st. As a popular visual medium central to the processes of nation building, cinema in the region provides a unique vantage point to understand the multiple and vying proposals regarding the role of racial plurality in local projects of identity. Students will study films from Mesoamerica, the Andes, Brazil and Cuba with attention to both their production contexts within the broad history of...

Who is Pedro Almodóvar and why are his films synonymous with “Spanish” culture? How do his films narrate contemporary Spanish history, disrupt gender norms, challenge traditional Catholic values, irk politicians in both the Left and Right, uphold and deconstruct Hollywood film style, and generally reframe the way Spanish cinema is perceived globally? Controversial genius, global auteur, national icon and standard bearer for queer culture, and arguably the most influential Spanish filmmaker since Luis Buñuel (possibly more than Buñuel), Almodóvar is without a doubt also the most...

This course provides students with basic communication skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) in Basque and introduces students to Basque culture and history. This course counts towards the Spanish major and minor.  T/TH 3:30-4:50 pm; 3072E Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics Building  Instructor: Maialen Casquete de la Puente