Spanish 318-49100-01: Contemporary Spanish Culture Through Film
Profesora DiFrancesco, Assistant Professor
Office: 409 Muller Faculty Center
Office Hours: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11:00-11:50 a.m., and by appointment
Phone: 274-1412
E-mail: mdifrancesco@ithaca.edu
Texts: Course packet. You may pick this up from Tina Bennett on the 4th floor of Muller. There are also several texts and films on reserve at the library.
On-line Resources:
Dictionary: http://www.wordreference.com/
My personal webpage: http://www.ithaca.edu/faculty/mdifrancesco/
Course Description and Goals: In
this course, film is used as a tool through which students will learn about
Spanish culture and society.* While students learn about Spain’s tumultuous
history from just prior to the Civil War to the present day, they will also
learn how to critically discuss, analyze and write about film. As students
become astute critics of cinema, they will become increasingly aware of the
ways the camera lens narrates, serving not only to accurately reflect Spanish
culture, but also to subvert and manipulate it. The works of some of
This class furthers the mission of the Department of Modern
Languages and Literatures and the State and National Learning Standards by
providing students frequent opportunities to communicate in the target
language, both orally and in writing, and by developing an awareness and
appreciation for the cultures to which the Spanish language belongs.
*Please note that some
of the films we will be watching include adult content. If for any reason you
are upset by this kind of content, inform me and I will substitute another film
for you to study/view.
Films:
Books on Reserve:
Behind the Spanish Lens: Spanish Cinema under Fascism &
Democracy, Peter Besas
(1986)
Spanish
Cultural Studies: An Introduction: The Struggle for Modernity, Helen
Graham and Jo Labanyi (1995)
Contemporary
Spanish Cinema, Barry Jordan and Rikki
Morgan-Tamosunas (1998)
Contemporary
Spanish Cultural Studies, Barry Jordan, Rikki Morgan-Tamosunas (2000)
Blood
Cinema: The Reconstruction of National Identity in
Constructing
Identity in Contemporary
Spanish Cinema, Rob Stone
(2001)
Spanish National Cinema, Nuria Triana-Toribio (2003)
Mode of Assessment: Portfolio: You will hand in a portfolio for evaluation every three to four weeks and at the end of the semester. I suggest you use a 1.5” or 2” binder to compile your work. Use labeled dividers to organize sections (i.e., “Cuestionarios,” “Ensayos auto-reflexivos,” etc.). Make sure the outside of the binder is clearly labeled with your name, a place/phone number where you can be reached, your e-mail address, class level and section. If you lose your binder at any time during the semester, you must make up all lost work. No exceptions. On that note, make multiple copies of your work (i.e., have homework assignments and essays saved on computer and zip/CD, etc.). Each time your portfolio is collected, it will be evaluated/graded. Your portfolio must include:
More on Grades:
A: 94.9-100
A-: 90.0-94.8
B+: 88.0-89.9
B: 84.9-87.9
B-: 82.9-84.8
C+: 78.0-82.8
C: 74.5-77.9
C-: 72.9-74.4
D+: 68.0-72.8
D: 60.1-67.9
F: menos de 60.0
Requirements and Policies:
A. Though English subtitles are available
for most of the films we will watch, all films will be screened in Spanish. The
language to be used in class discussions, homework, quizzes, presentations, and
writing assignments must be Spanish. We will watch segments of the films
together, but you must watch the majority of films at the
B. All students are required to attend
weekly sessions and orally participate in discussions. Students are permitted
to miss a maximum of 2 class periods (i.e., one week of class). For each
absence beyond three, your final cumulative grade will be reduced by 2% percent
per missed class. After a total of 8 unexcused absences, the professor
maintains the right to withdraw any student. Please note that I regard
tardiness as equally offensive as excessive absence. Legitimate extenuating
circumstances (grave illness, hospitalization, funeral of a family member,
etc.) merit special consideration. Please see me if a special circumstance
requires you to miss class.
Make an
effort to arrive to class on time, and if some extenuating circumstance keeps
you from arriving on time, please be kind to those already in class (do not
interrupt the class more than necessary).
C. Students are required to have COMPLETED
the assignment listed for each class period PRIOR to the class in which the
material is covered. By "completed," I mean that students will have:
1) screened the movie listed, 2) read assigned texts, 3) written out questions that emerged from
viewing the film or doing the reading 4) TYPED OUT assignments to be handed in
at the beginning of class.
D. Again, students are expected to view
films analyzed outside of class. Though films will be available at the
E. Late assignments—essays, homework,
etc--will NOT be accepted unless there is some dire extenuating circumstance of
a medical or legal nature. Likewise, a student who misses an exam for any
reason will not be allowed to make it up unless 1) the exam was missed due to
grave illness and 2) a medical excuse deems that the student was too ill to
take an exam.
F. No electronic submission of any
assignment will be accepted. No handwritten submission of any assignment will
be accepted.
G. Students should turn off cellular
phones during class. Cellular phones distract your colleagues from the task at
hand, and I find such distractions personally annoying.
H. Academic dishonesty and/or plagiarism.
All assignments handed in must reflect the individual work of the student
handing in the assignment. I am personally offended and disturbed by acts of
academic dishonesty, cheating and plagiarism. The Ithaca College Student
Conduct Code describes these offenses and possible actions resulting from such
behavior here: STUDENT CONDUCT CODE OF ITHACA COLLEGE, APPENDIX II. If you have
ANY doubt as to how to cite or paraphrase a source, ask.