Film & Media Studies 328 - The Cinema of Pedro Almodóvar

(Offered as SPAN-347, FAMS-328, EUST 347 and SWAG-357) Pedro Almodóvar has defined world cinema for the last five decades. As Spain’s most celebrated film director, Almodóvar has created his own cinematic universe. Almodóvar lit up Spain’s movie screens beginning in the 1980s with his confrontational takes on gender, sexuality, religion and family. Now a globally-recognized and award-winning queer filmmaker, Almodóvar has matured from his raunchy beginnings in the Madrid punk scene to become a director sensitive to the LGBTQ+ community, marginalized people, and human rights, though he still manages to stir up controversy. In this course, we will consider a panorama of Almodóvar films from the 1980s to the 2020s during periods of political, social and cultural transition in Spain. Particular emphasis will be placed on how the director has represented gender identity and sexuality throughout his career. Through weekly screenings, course readings, written assignments and a final video essay, we will work through Almodóvar’s ongoing dialogue with Spain’s social history and culture, as well as his cinematic legacy throughout Europe, Latin America and the United States. 

This course is conducted in Spanish, with most readings in English; prior exposure to film studies is not required. 

Prerequisite: Spanish 301 or permission of instructor.  Limited to 25 students. Fall semester: Professor Brenneis

How to handle overenrollment: SPAN, FAMS, SWAG, LLAS and EUST majors first, then by seniority (seniors, juniors, sophomores)

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Emphasis on visual analysis, group work, critical analysis of readings, and written work. Instruction and films in Spanish; readings in Spanish and English. Discussion format in which active listening and participation in Spanish is crucial. Assessments include short written responses, graded essays and a final edited video essay.