Course Schedule

UNIT 1: LOOKING FORWARD AND LOOKING BACK: INTRODUCTION TO LATIN AMERICA

Week 1

22 January (Tues.) Overview

• Discussion of class objectives, format and materials. See Course Information

24 January (Thurs.) Summary of research findings

• In class: student summaries of findings from research projects
• Begin reading Chesa Boudin, Gringo: A Coming of Age in Latin America. Textbook

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Week 2

29 January (Tues.) Gringos in Latin America

• Discussion of readings: (1) Chesa Boudin, Gringo: A Coming of Age in Latin America (textbook); (2) Steven W. Bender, "Gringos in the Latina/o Imagination," in Greasers and Gringos (2003), pp. 154-161 E-Book (questions/comments on reading to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)

31 January (Thurs.) Latin America in theoretical context

• Discussion of "Identity Construct #5: Latin America," ch. 10 of Reframing Latin America, ed. Erik Ching et. al., pp. 147-167. E-Book (questions/comments on reading to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)

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Week 3

5 February (Tues.) The Hollywood paradigm

• Discussion of Latino films from last semester in relation to the Hollywood paradigm
• Come to class prepared to describe at least one film from last semester in terms of its proximity or distance from Hollywood norms, as described in the following readings: (1) Douglas Gomery, "Hollywood as Industry," in The Oxford Guide to Film Studies (1998), pp. 245-254 Moodle Gomery; (2) Maria Pramaggiore and Tom Wallis, "Social Context and Film Style: Hollywood's Industrial Context," in Film: A Critical Introduction (2008), pp. 311-318 Moodle Pramaggiore and Wallis; (3) Charles Ramírez Berg, "Strategies for Latino screenwriters: Ya basta con el Hollywood paradigm," Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media 38 (1993): 96-104 Online; (4) optional--David Bordwell, "Classical Hollywood Cinema: Narrational Principles and Procedures," in Narrative, Apparatus, Ideology. A Film Theory Reader (1986), 17-34 Online

UNIT 2: ADAPTATIONS OF THE HOLLYWOOD PARADIGM: MEXICAN MELODRAMAS

7 February (Thurs.) Third World filmmaking

• Discussion of Roy Armes, Third World Film Making and the West (1987), part one, pp. 9-49, 163-173 ACLS Humanities E-Book (questions/comments on reading to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)

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Week 4

12 February (Tues.) Mexico vis à vis Hollywood and the United States

• Discussion of Stephen D. Morris, "Analyzing Perceptions of Self and Other" (first half of chapter) and "Gringolandia in the National Cinema," in Gringolandia (2005), pp. 1-10, 189-214 Moodle Morris (questions/comments on reading to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)
• In-class mini reviews of the films for this unit: Doña Bárbara, Rosa Blanca, Como agua para chocolate (10 minutes max per film review)

14 February (Thurs.) Mexican melodramas of the Golden Age I

• Discussion of the film Doña Bárbara, Mexico, 1943, 138 min., b & w, prod. co. CLASA Films Mundiales, dir. Fernando de Fuentes, cin. Alex Phillips, comp. Prudencio Esaa. Cast includes María Félix (Doña Bárbara), Julián Soler (Santos Luzardo), María Elena Márquez (Marisela). Based on the 1929 novel by Rómulo Gallegos. Setting: Llanos del Orinoco, Venezuela. Screening: Wednesday, 13 Feb., 7:00 PM, Stein 314 (questions/comments on the film and related readings to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)
• Related readings: (1) Charles Ramírez Berg, "Mexico in the Movies: Mexicanidad and the Classical Mexican Cinema," in Cinema of Solitude (1992), pp. 12-27 Moodle Ramírez Berg; (2) Joanne Hershfield, "La Devoradora: The Mexican Femme Fatale," in Mexican Cinema/Mexican Woman (1996), pp. 107-116 Moodle Hershfield 17-29; (3) optional--"Civilized Folk Marry the Barbarians: The Nationalist Nation," ch. 12 of Reframing Latin America (2007), ed. Erik Ching et. al., pp. 201-227 E-Book; (4) optional--E. Ann Kaplan, "Classical Hollywood Film and Melodrama," in The Oxford Guide to Film Studies (1998), pp. 272-282 Moodle Kaplan, Melodrama
• Online material (in Spanish): Fernando de Fuentes and Doña Bárbara (1943) (Directores del Cine Mexicano)
  

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Week 5

19 February (Tues.) Mexican melodramas of the Golden Age II

• Discussion of the film Rosa Blanca, aka The White Rose, Mexico, 1961 (released in 1972), b & w, 100 min., prod. co. CLASA Films Mundiales, dir. Roberto Gavaldón, prod. Felipe Subervielle, cin. Gabriel Figueroa, ed. Gloria Schoemann. Cast includes Ignacio López Tarso (Jacinto Yáñez), Reinhold Olszewski, Rita Macedo, Begoña Palacios. Based on the novel of the same name by Bruno Traven. Setting: Veracruz, Mexico and Los Angeles, US. Screening: Monday, 18 Feb., 7:00 PM, Stein 314 (questions/comments on the film and related readings to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)
• Related reading: Ariel Zúñiga, "Roberto Gavaldón," in Mexican Cinema, pp. 193-201 Moodle Zúñiga
• Online material: Steve Dollar, "Lincoln Center Offers Roberto Gavaldón's Mexico" (The New York Sun, August 22, 2008; "Who was B. Traven?" (Film Society of Lincoln Center); Roberto Gavaldón (UCLA Film and Television Archive's Series); Roberto Gavaldón (Directores del Cine Mexicano--in Spanish)

21 February (Thurs.) Contemporary Mexican melodramas

• Discussion of the film Como agua para chocolate, aka Like Water for Chocolate, Mexico, 1991, color, 114 min., prod. co. Cinevista, dir. and prod. Alfonso Arau, cin. Emmanuel Lubezki, comp. Leo Brouwer. Cast includes Lumi Cavazos (Tita), Marco Leonardi (Pedro), Regina Torné (Mamá Elena). Based on the novel by Laura Esquivel. Setting: US/Mexico border. Screening: Wednesday, 20 Feb., 7:00 PM, Stein 314 (questions/comments on the film and related readings to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)
• Related readings: (1) Stephen M. Hart, "Like Water for Chocolate," in A Companion to Latin American Film (2004), pp. 171-178 Moodle Hart, Like Water; (2) Barbara Tenenbaum and Harmony Wu, "Film Foray: Como agua para chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate)," ch. 16 of Reframing Latin America (2007), pp. 286-305 E-Book; (3) Mike González, "Food in Latin America," ch. 21 of Contemporary Latin American Cultural Studies (2003), pp. 268-277 Moodle González; (3) José Carlos Avellar, "Mexican Melodrama: The Remake", UNESCO Courier 48, 7-8 (1995): 1-4 Online
• Online material (in Spanish): Como agua para chocolate (1992) (Directores del Cine Mexicano)
• images of main characters

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Week 6

26 February (Tues.) In-class exam

• Exam on film stills and clips from unit 2 on Mexican melodramas (in preparation, rewatch the three melodramas and review Yale University Film Analysis website at http://classes.yale.edu/film-analysis/, ch. 3 of Timothy Corrigan, A Short Guide to Writing About Film, and the class handout on basic film terminology) Practice exam

UNIT 3: SUBVERSIONS OF THE HOLLYWOOD PARADIGM: LATIN AMERICAN "THIRD" CINEMA

28 February (Thurs.) Introduction to the "New Cinema" of Latin America

• Discussion of the documentary Cinema of the Humble, part 1 of New cinema of Latin America, 1983, 85 min., prod. co. Channel 4 (United Kingdom), dir. Michael Chanan. Screening: Wednesday, 27 Feb., 7:00 PM, Stein 314 (questions/comments on the film and related readings to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)
• Related readings: (1) Ana M. López, "An 'Other' History: The New Latin American Cinema," in Resisting Images (1990), pp. 308-330 Moodle Lopez, History; (2) Michael Chanan, "New Cinemas in Latin America," in The Oxford History of World Cinema (1996), pp. 740-749 Online; (3) optional--Julio García Espinosa, "For an Imperfect Cinema," and Fernando Solanas and Octavio Gettino, "Alternative Aesthetics. Towards a Third Cinema," in Film and Theory (2007), pp. 265-286 and 298-316 Moodle Stam
• Online material: Robert Lauer, webpage with selections from Michael T. Martin, New Latin American Cinema, vol. 1 (2007) (Ohio University)

VACATION

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Week 7

12 March (Tues.) "Third Cinema" in Latin America I

• Discussion of Roy Armes, "Approaches to Reality" and "Third Cinema," in Third World Film Making and the West (1987), pp. 80-85, 87-100 ACLS Humanities E-Book(questions/comments on reading to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)
• In-class mini reviews of the films for this unit Yawar Mallku, Batalla de Chile: Lucha de un pueblo sin armas (10 minutes max per film review)

14 March (Thurs.) "Third Cinema" in Latin America II

• Discussion of film Yawar Mallku, aka Blood of the Condor, Bolivia, 1969, 96 min., prod. co. Ukamao Limitada, dir. Jorge Sanjinés, cin. Antonio Eguino. Cast includes the communal leader of Kaata, Marcelino Yanahuaya (Ignacio Mallku), a female miner from Huanuni, Benedicta Huanaca (Paulina Yanahuaya), a male miner from Huanani, Vicente Vernero (Sixto). Settings: a rural village in the Bolivian altiplano and the city of La Paz. Screening: Wednesday, 13 March, 7:00 PM, Stein 314 (questions/comments on the film and related readings to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)
• Related readings: (1) Roy Armes, "Jorge Sanjinés," in Third World Film Making (1987), pp. 293-304 ACLS Humanities E-Book; (2) Stephen M. Hart, "Blood of the Condor," in A Companion to Latin American Film (2004), pp. 69-76 Moodle Hart, Blood; (3) Chris Lippard, "National, Cultural, and Linguistic (In)Securities: Perceptions of the United States in Some Bolivian Films," in E Pluribus Unum?: National and Transnational Identities in the Americas (2005), pp. 193-204 Moodle Lippard; (4 optional) Stephen M. Hart, "Mama Coca and the Revolution: Jorge Sanjinés's Double-Take," in Contemporary Latin American Cultural Studies (2003), pp. 290-299 Moodle Hart, Mama; (5 optional) Julianne Burton, "Jorge Sanjinés (Bolivia)," in Cinema and Social Change in Latin America (1986), pp. 35-47 Moodle Burton, Sanjinés
• Online material (in Spanish): Centenario del cine en Bolivia (1998)

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Week 8

19 March (Tues.) Preparation for Global Society Common Event

• Discussion of: (1) Marcela Escobari-Rose, "Selling Culture Without Selling Out" and "Praying to the Virgin of Guadalupe," chs. 13 and 22 of In the River They Swim: Essays from around the world of enterprise solutions to poverty (2009), pp. 103-112, 188-195, plus one other chapter of students' choice; (2) Michael Maren, Introduction to The Road to Hell: The Ravaging Effects of Foreign Aid and International Charity (1997), pp. 1-12 Moodle Maren; (3) Jane Schneider, "World Markets: Anthropological Perspectives", in Exotic No More: Anthropology on the Front Lines (2002), pp. 65-85. Moodle Schneider (questions/comments on reading to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)

Global Society Common Event: Wednesday, March 20, 4:00 pm, St. Joseph’s Chapel: Marcela Escobari-Rose, executive director of Harvard's Center for International Development, will speak on Entreprise Solutions to Global Poverty (sponsored by the Ciocca Office of Entrepreneurial Studies)

21 March (Thurs.) "Third Cinema" in Latin America III

• Discussion of the documentary Batalla de Chile: Lucha de un pueblo sin armas, aka Battle of Chile: Struggle of an Unarmed People. Pt. 1. La insurrección de la burguesía, aka The insurrection of the bourgeoisie, Chile/Cuba, 1974, 96 min., prod. cos. Equipo Tercer Año, Chris Marker, ICAIC (Instituto Cubano de Cine), dir. Patricio Guzmán, cin. Jorge Müller, ed. Pedro Chaskel. Setting: Chile, mostly the city of Santiago. Screening: Wednesday, 20 March, 7:00 PM, Stein 314. The screening of part 1 of Batalla de Chile will be followed by a screening of another documentary, Chile, Memoria obstinada (aka Chile, Obstinate Memory, Canada, 1997, 75 min.), made by Patricio Guzmán in 1997 after the return to democracy in Chile (questions/comments on the documentaries and related readings to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)
• Related readings: (1) Julianne Burton, "Patricio Guzmán (Chile)," in Cinema and Social Change in Latin America (1986), pp. 48-68 Moodle Burton, Guzmán; (2) Ana M. Lopez, "The Battle of Chile: Documentary, Political Process, and Representation," in The Social Documentary in Latin America (1990), pp.267-287 Moodle Lopez, Battle; (3) Stephen M. Hart, "La batalla de Chile," in A Companion to Latin American Film (2004), pp. 77-82 Moodle Hart, Battle
• Online material: Press Kit for the DVD release in North America of the three-part documentary (ICARUS Films)

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Week 9

26 March (Tues.) Screening report

• Discussion of screening reports on films from unit 3 on "Third Cinema" (due on Moodle by midnight)

VACATION

UNIT 4: WOMEN FILMMAKERS IN LATIN AMERICA

2 April (Tues.) Introduction to women filmmakers and feminist theory

• Discussion of the documentary The Long Road, part 2 of El nuevo cine latinoamericano/New cinema of Latin America, 1983, 85 min., prod. co. Channel 4 (United Kingdom), dir. Michael Chanan. Note: Please make arrangements to see the documentary individually or in small groups in the MRC either before leaving for vacation or Tuesday morning before class. (questions/comments on the film and related readings to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)
• Related readings: (1) Teresa de Lauretis, "Rethinking Women's Cinema: Aesthetics and Feminist Theory," ch. 19 of Film and Theory: An Anthology (2000) Moodle Lauretis; (2) E. Ann Kaplan, "Women, Film, Resistance: Changing Paradigms," in Women Filmmakers: Refocusing (2003), pp. 15-28 Moodle Kaplan, Women; (3 optional) Anneke Smelik, "Feminist Film Theory," in The Cinema Book (1999), pp.353-365 Online

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Week 10

4 April (Thurs.) Women filmmakers in Latin America II

• Discussion of readings: (1) Lisa Shaw and Stephanie Dennison, "Reflections on Modernity, Gender and Nation in the Latin American Context," intro. to Latin American Cinema (2005), pp. 1-10 Moodle Shaw and Dennison; (2) Elissa Rashkin, "An 'Other' Cinema," intro. to Women Filmmakers in Mexico (2001) Moodle Rashkin, Women (questions/comments on readings to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)
• In-class mini reviews of the films for this unit Miss Mary, Jardín del Edén (10 minutes max per film review)

Global Society Common Event: Thursday, April 4, 4:00 pm, Seelos Theater: 18th Annual Worcester Latin American Film Festival presents a screening of the film Sleep Dealer (Alex Rivera, 2008), to be followed by a Q & A with the director (sponsored by Centro las Américas and various Worcester Consortium Colleges, including Latin American and Latino Studies at Holy Cross). Other festival films to be shown at Cinema 320 at Clark University (see online festival schedule)

9 April (Tues.) Transnational cinemas and Latin America II (see unit 5 below)

• Discussion of the science fiction film Sleep Dealer, United States, 2008, 89 min., prod. cos. Starlight Film Financing, Likely Story, This is That, dir. and ed. Alex Rivera, script Alex Rivera and David Riker, prod. Anthony Bregman, cin. Lisa Rinzler, comp. Tomandandy. Cast includes: Luis Fernando Peña (Memo Cruz), Leonor Varela (Luz Martínez), Jacob Vargas (Rudy Ramírez). Setting: US/Mexico border. Screening: Saturday, 6 April at 3:30 pm in Seelos Theater (to be followed by Q & A with one or more of the filmmakers) (questions/comments on the film and related readings to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am) Excerpts from reviews of Sleep Dealer
• Related reading: Guillermo Gómez-Peña, "1995--Terreno Peligroso/Danger Zone: Cultural Relations Between Chicanos and Mexicans at the End of the Century," ch. 8 of Borderless Borders: U.S. Latinos, Latin Americans, and the Paradox of Interdependence (1998) Moodle Gómez-Peña
• Online material: Sleep Dealer (Press Kit); Curtis Marez, "Preface" to special edition of American Quarterly on "Nation and Migration: Past and Future" (UC Davis)

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Week 11

11 April (Thurs.) Women filmmakers in Latin America III

• Discussion of the fiction film Miss Mary, Argentina/United States, 1986, 106 min., co-production by GEA Cinematográfica and New World Pictures, dir. María Luisa Bemberg, cin. Miguel Rodríguez. Cast includes Julie Christie (Mary Mulligan), Nacha Guevara (Mecha), Eduardo Pavlovsky (Alfredo), Nora Zinsky (Teresa), Donald McIntyre (Johnny), Sofía Viruboff (Carolina). Setting: Buenos Aires, Argentina--both the province (where the Pampas are located) and the capital city. Screening: Wednesday, 10 April, 7:00 PM, Stein 314 (questions/comments on the film and related readings to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)
• Related readings: (1) Elia Geoffrey Kantaris, "Re-engendering History: María Luisa Bemberg's Miss Mary," in An Argentine Passion (2000), pp. 122-136 Moodle Kantaris; (2) Julianne Burton-Carvajal, "María Luisa Bemberg’s Miss Mary: Fragments of a Life and Career History," in Redirecting the Gaze (1999) E-Books or Moodle Burton, Miss Mary
• Online material: Biography; Works: Miss Mary; Script of Miss Mary (María Luisa Bemberg: Filmmaker)

16 April (Tues.) Women filmmakers in Latin America IV

• Discussion of the fiction film Jardín del Edén, aka The Garden of Eden, France, Mexico/Canada, 1994, 104 min., prod. cos. Verseau Intl., Macondo Cine Video, IMCINE, dir. María Novaro, cin. Eric Edwards. Cast includes Renée Coleman (Jane), Bruno Bichir (Felipe Reyes), Gabriela Roel (Serena), Rosario Sagrav (Elizabeth), Alan Ciangheroti (Julián), Joseph Culp (Frank). Setting: US/Mexico border. Screening: Monday, 15 April, 7:00 PM, Stein 314 (questions/comments on the film and related readings to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)
• Related readings: (1) Andrea Noble, "'Yéndose por la tangente': The Border in María Novaro's El jardín del Edén." Journal of Iberian and Latin American Studies 7, 2 (2001): 191-202 Moodle Noble; (2) Elissa J. Rashkin, "María Novaro, Exploring the Mythic Nation," in Women Filmmakers in Mexico (2001), pp. 167-191 Moodle Rashkin, Novaro; (3) Miriam Haddu, "Re-mapping the Borderlands: María Novaro’s El Jardín de Edén," in Contemporary Mexican Cinema, 1989-1999 (2007), pp. 149-180 Moodle Haddu
• Online material: Great Directors (Senses of Cinema); Guillermo Gómez Peña (Pocha Nostra); María Novaro (Directores del cine mexicano)

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Week 12

18 April (Thurs.) Short essay

• Discussion of short essays on "New" Latin American Cinema (due on Moodle by midnight on April 25): see Corrigan, A Short Guide, chapters 4 and 6 for sample short essays with "Works Cited" at the end, and also E. Bradford Burns, "On Student Views of Film as History," in Latin American Cinema: Film and History (1975), pp. 93-111 Moodle Burns
• Holy Cross material: Latin American Films at Holy Cross
• Online material: El Ojo que Piensa; Latin American Cinema and Film Makers (Berkeley Media Center Film Bibliographies)

UNIT 5: TRANSNATIONALISM IN THE NEW MILLENIUM OR, ARE NATIONALIST PARADIGMS STILL RELEVANT?

23 April (Tues.) Introduction to transnational cinemas

• Readings: (1) Allen Meek, "A Century of Exiles," ch. 1 of Moving Pictures, Moving Identities (2003), pp. 3-17 Moodle Meek; (2) Nestor García Canclini, "Will There Be Latin American Cinema in the Year 2000? Visual Culture in a Postnational Era," in Framing Latin American Cinema (1997), pp. 246-258 E-Books or Moodle García Canclini
• In-class mini reviews of the films for this unit Crónicas, Sleep Dealer, American Visa (10 minutes max per film review)

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Week 13

25 April (Thurs.) Transnational cinemas and Latin America I

• Discussion of the film Crónicas, aka Chronicles, Mexico/Ecuador, 2004, 108 min., co-production by Producciones Anhelo, Cabezahueca, Tequila Gang, dir. and script Sebastián Cordero, cin. Enrique Chediak, comp. Antonio Pinto, ed. Luis Carballar. Cast includes: John Leguizamo (Manolo Bonilla), Leonor Watling (Marisa Iturralde), Damián Alcazar (Vinicio Cepeda), José MaríanYazpik (Iván Suárez), Camilo Luzuriaga (Capitán Bolívar Rojas). Setting: the city of Babahayo, in the coastal lowlands of Ecuador. Screening: Wednesday, 24 April, 7:00 PM, Stein 314 (questions/comments on the film and related readings to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)
• Online material: The Art of World Cinema: Crónicas (The Writing Studio); Crónicas Notes (Palm Pictures Press Release); Review (TV Guide); NPR interview with John Leguizamo (National Public Radio); Zinema (in Spanish)

30 April (Tues.) Transnational cinemas and Latin America III

• Discussion of the film American Visa, Bolivia & Mexico, 2007, 100 min., prod. cos. Programa Ibermedia, CONACINE Bolivia, Bola Ocho Producciones, Producciones por Marca, dir. Juan Carlos Valdivia, cin. Ernesto Fernández Telleria. Screening: Monday, 29 April, 7:00 PM, Stein 314 (questions/comments on the film and related readings to be posted to Moodle discussion list by 11am)
• Online materials: Bijan Tehrani, "American Visa is about the Bolivian dream vs. the American dream", 2007 (Cinema Without Borders); Reviews of the novel on which the movie is based (Akashic Books)

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Week 14

2 May (Thurs.) Review for final exam

• Review session for final exam

Global Society Common Event: Thursday May 2, 5:00 pm: End of Year Banquet (sponsored by Montserrat Global Studies)

14 May (Tues.) Final exam (11:30 am-2:00 pm, Stein 423)

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