Topics in Latin American, Latina and Latino, and/or Iberian Cultures (395-0-1)
Topic
The Urban Gaze: Film, Theory and the Contemporary
Instructors
Alfonso Fierro Obregon
Meeting Info
Fisk Hall 114: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM
Overview of class
The Urban Gaze: Film, Theory, and the Contemporary Latin American City
This class will approach the contemporary Latin American city through the lens of film and critical theory. Each week, we will relate one (or two) films with a work of recent critical theory that illuminates different aspects of the neoliberal reality in the region from the 80s to the present: privatization and dispossession, domestic labor and exploitation, growing slums and processes of urban self-determination, economic crises and growing grassroots economies, among other subjects. We will explore how Latin American filmmakers have turned to experimental modes of cinematography -particularly documentary approaches- to capture the daily lives, conflicts, political situations, and dignities of the region's urban inhabitants. This way, these films bring to the screen reflections on Latin America that dialogue with critical concepts such as baroque economies (Verónica Gago), cuir territoriality (Tadeo Cervantes), survival circuits (Saskia Sassen), or the multitude (Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri). As a project for this class, students will create a short documentary video on the Latinx Chicago. Prerequisite: 1 course from SPANISH 250-0, SPANISH 251-0, SPANISH 260-0, or SPANISH 261-0.
Learning Objectives
• Learn and discuss about contemporary cinematographic forms and languages in Latin America.
• Explore key critical theory texts and concepts in relation to the contemporary Latin America urban experience.
• Relate critical approaches from disciplines such as sociology, philosophy, and anthropology with experimental filmmaking languages.
• Undertake a creative project that allows you to reflect on contemporary Chicago and dwell from your own perspective on the concepts and materials explored in class.
Class Materials (Required)
All required materials (readings and films) will be available on Canvas.
Class Attributes
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Prerequisite: 1 course from SPANISH 250-0, SPANISH 251-0, SPANISH 260-0, or SPANISH 261-0