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The City in Latin American Film
Honors 336-03
Fall, 2005
Wednesday, & Friday 2:30 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
Honors (HR) 204
Dr. Manuel F. Medina

Prerequisites:

A class in Spanish, or Latin American Culture would be helpful but is not required.
This class counts as a WR course.
Credit Hours: 3

Office and Phone:

Humanities Building, Third Floor, Rm. 329-B
Telephone: 852-0501
E-mail: manuel.medina@louisville.edu
Class URL: modernlanguages.louisville.edu/spanish/classes/film_city/

Office Hours:

Mondays: 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Wednesdays: 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., or by appointment
Class description: A study of the portrayal of “The City” in Latin American film produced since 1985.
Course Objectives and Goals: ? To study the development of the Latin American cinema since 1985.
? To analyze the social, cultural, political, and historical contexts in which the films were produced.
? To examine how the directors portray the city in their films.
? To write analytical studies of Latin American film.

Required Texts:

Giannetti, Louis. Understanding Movies 10th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002.
Suggested Text: Corrigan, Timothy. A Short Guide to Writing about Film. 4th Ed. New York: Prentice Hall, 2004.
Supplementary Readings available from theLibrary Electronic Reserve site.

Grading policy and distribution:


Grade scale

Letter grades have the following numerical values on a 100-point scale:
95.5%-100% A+
92.5%-95.4% A
89.5%-92.4% A-
85.5%-89.4% B+
82.5%-85.4% B
79.5%-82.4% B-
75.5%-79.4% C+
72.5%-75.4% C
69.5%-72.4% C-
65.5%-69.4% D+
62.5%-65.4% D
59.5%-62.4% D-
0%-59.4% F

Attendance:

First: If you don’t attend class, you’ll miss important information that will help you better understand the subject matter, the readings and to do well on the exams.

Second: I will deduct points from your grade for every un-excused absence, after the first two, using the following scale:

Note: Please, contact me regarding excused absences such as medical emergencies, jury duty, and other I could include in this category.

Participation:

Critical reading, thinking, questioning, discussing, and writing are essential components in this course. Students must come to class having read the assigned materials and having watched the film in advance and to be prepared to discuss, argue, and perhaps rethink the issues raised. I expect each student to attend all classes and be an active participant in all class discussions and presentations.

Exams:

The exams will test your ability to put in practice the film analytical skills learned in class.

Oral presentations:

You will give two oral presentations: one to provide a film’s social context and another one to showcase a film. I will provide details on the second week of classes.

Weekly assignments:

You will be required to submit weekly answers to questions about the assignments (the readings and the films).

Papers

( proposal, draft copy and presentation copy):
Deadlines:
Select a Topic: Due Wed. Sep. 21

Proposal: Due Wed. Oct.19.

Draft: Due: Wed. November 16

Presentation Copy. Due November 30.

Student Academic Rights and Responsibilities:

Every student is expected to be thoroughly familiar with the University's Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities and Student Conduct which can be found in the General Information section of the Undergraduate Catalog.

Along with preparing for and attending class, each student has the responsibility of promoting high academic standards. Students are expected to cooperate in all classes with the instructor to achieve an optimal learning environment. The College of Arts and Sciences does not tolerate cheating, fabrication, falsification, multiple submission, plagiarism, or complicity in academic dishonesty. The College of Arts and Sciences has a statement of academic discipline for action against students who cheat or plagiarize.

Policy on Instructional Modifications or accommodations:


I encourage students who have a disability or other educational, physical or mental limitations or conditions which may impair their ability to complete assignments or otherwise satisfy course criteria to meet with me to identify, discuss and document any feasible instructional modifications or accommodations. Please notify me no later than the end of the second week of the semester or no later that the end of the second week after you get diagnosed with a disability or condition, whichever occurs first. You may contact the Disabilities Resource Center for information and auxiliary aid.

The University of Louisville is committed to providing access to programs and services for qualified students with disabilities. If you are a student with a disability and require accommodation to participate in and complete requirements for this class, contact the Disability Resource Center (Tobbins A Hall 852-6938) for verification of eligibility and determination of specific accommodations.
Note: The instructor reserves the right to make changes in the syllabus when necessary to meet learning objectives, to compensate for missed classes, or for similar reasons.