Module manager: Peter Watson
Email: P.J.Watson@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
Successful completion of Level 1 in BA programmes with Spanish.Pre-Requisite modules: SPPO1010 Pract Lang Skills in Spanish 1 or SPPO1091 Pre-Intermediate Spanish Language (A2 of the CEFR) or equivalent
| FILM2515 | Issues in Hispanic Cinema |
SPPO2670
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module allows students to develop their skills for the study of audiovisual media and the study of seminal film texts in a regional context by focusing on a selection of key issues pertinent to the study of Hispanic cinemas, from Spain and Spanish-speaking Latin America. These issues will typically include genre; star theory; popular tropes; audience engagement; cinematic and social responsibility; film history and politics; and the film industries of the regions in question, including Spain and Latin America. The module incorporates films produced over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Film movements and the work of directors and actors are analysed in relation to broader socio-cinematic questions (e.g. the ethics and aesthetics of depicting domestic violence on-screen, the relationship between melodrama, urbanization and poverty, representations of marginalised commmunities, national identity and memory). Knowledge of Spanish 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.
This module builds on the introduction to skills for the study of audiovisual media and the study of seminal film texts themselves offered to students of Spanish in level 1 by focusing on a selection of key issues pertinent to the study of Hispanic cinemas.
This module aims to:
- introduce students to key approaches, themes and developments in the study of Hispanic Cinemas
- allow students to apply their knowledge in academic and real-world contexts
- engage students with scholarship and to develop a good general understanding of key principles in academic research
- encourage students to reflect on a number of important ideas in Hispanic Cinemas such as genre; star theory; popular tropes; audience engagement; cinematic and social responsibility; film history and politics; and the film industries of the regions in question
- develop students' skills to engage with and analyse scholarship and analyse and discuss a wide range of materials, such as feature-length films, shorts and trailers, film festival programmes, manifestos, interviews, and reviews
- develop the ability to craft own arguments and use evidence to support them
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1- Apply key approaches to, and concepts in Hispanic Cinemas, to critical analysis.
2- Practise film criticism in both an academic and a broader non-academic context across different formats.
3- Analyse a range of primary materials sand use them critically as evidence to support own arguments.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4- Critically analyse key issues, presenting their own arguments in a well-structured and evidence-based form that adheres to standard academic conventions.
5- Communicate ideas and arguments taking into consideration questions of genre and audience, in Spanish and in English
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drop-in Session | 6 | 2 | 12 |
| Lecture | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Practical | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Seminar | 7 | 1 | 7 |
| Private study hours | 166 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 34 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Students will receive group feedback for the group presentations in seminars which are for formative assessment.
Students will be invited to discuss their marked essays with the module co-ordinator. Students will also be set unassessed tasks in advance of each workshop and the other seminars, which will allow for a more informal monitoring of their process and feedback.
Following essay feedback, students will be invited to redraft the essay introduction and provide a short summary commentary of improvements they would make
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay | 60 |
| Coursework | Film review | 40 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 16/05/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team