Module manager: Dr. Peter Haysom-Rodríguez
Email: p.haysom@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
SPPO2020 – Film & Literature in the Portuguese-Speaking World
This module is approved as a discovery module
This module offers students an introduction to films from across the continents and contexts of the Portuguese-speaking world. Comprising a multitude of ‘schools’, styles and themes, the cinemas of Portuguese-speaking countries have encompassed an immense range: from revolutionary filmmaking practices in the Global South, to African Futurisms, to the international acclaim of Brazilian directors in Oscars and Golden Globe Awards. This module will cover ground breaking, internationally celebrated films spanning multiple continents, from various decades of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Moreover, students will be exposed to a range of innovative interpretive lenses, including Feminist Film Theory, Postcolonialism, Cinema & Race, African Futurisms and Star Theory. In doing so, the module will give students the opportunity to explore varied, complex and pluricontinental patterns of world cinema(s). Knowledge of the Portuguese language is not required. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run, and you may be asked to choose another module.
The aim of this module is to enable students to understand and apply critical approaches from Film Studies to specific cinematic products from the Portuguese-speaking world. Students on this module will gain an introduction to key filmic works from Brazil, Portuguese-speaking Africa and Portugal. Classes will combine breadth with depth, covering cinematic texts through multiple angles and theoretical frameworks. The lectures and seminars will encourage students to conduct close analysis and independent interpretations of these works, and to consider how they represent key cultural and social processes within Portuguese-speaking countries.
The module is delivered through a combination of interactive lectures and student-led seminars. The lectures introduce students to key historical, social and political developments underpinning the set texts, as well as relevant theoretical and methodological frameworks for reading those films. Seminars then build on this foundation by allowing students to apply these ideas through close scene analyses and verbal reactions to the texts.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1: Appraise cinematic production in Portuguese across several continents, operating within a context of World Cinema;
2: Critically engage with a representative selection of Portuguese-language films, through close analysis and interpretation;
3: Apply knowledge of socio-political realities within Portuguese-speaking countries to discussions of audio-visual texts.,
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
4. Interpret audio-visual texts critically, without recourse to outside reading or external stimuli.
5. Develop a consistent, evidence-based argument, with rigorous citation and referencing of secondary resources.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Lectures | 15 | 1 | 15 |
| Seminars | 12 | 1 | 12 |
| Private study hours | 172.5 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 27.5 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Generally speaking, oral feedback (and peer-to-peer feedback) is provided to students during seminars. Students will be given advice on how to develop and hone their ideas, and how to present them through reasoned arguments and suitable cinematic terminology.
- In advance of Assessment #1 (Close Reading), students will produce a short Close Analysis of a scene studied during the semester. They will then receive written feedback by email, as well as oral feedback in a one-to-one meeting. The final class of Sem 1 will be a Close Reading preparation workshop.
- In advance of Assessment #2 (Essay), students will submit their chosen essay title and short detailed plan. They will then receive written feedback by email, as well as oral feedback in a one-to-one meeting. The final class of Sem 2 will be an Essay preparation workshop.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Close Reading Assignment | 35 |
| Coursework | Essay | 65 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team