Immersing Students in the Film, Literature and Politics of Latin America

Flora Gonzalez
Professor
Writing, Literature & Publishing

Using the literature and films of the region as a lens, students in Flora Gonzalez’s Politics, Film and Literature in Latin America (IN148) course examine the people, history, culture, and politics of Latin America. A vibrant course WebCT site represents a global perspective symbolizing the creative and intellectual energy of writers and filmmakers. Students commented that the site….

…helped for close analysis of films and literature pieces.

…definitely aided my overall learning experience in the class by making readings, video clips, etc. more readily available and explaining the course topics which helped in preparation for the essays.

Teaching an interdisciplinary course in which students are required  to synthesize concepts, Professor Gonzalez designed the course materials thematically rather than by file type; for example, rather than films on one page and links to readings on another, all materials are integrated on pages that reflect the course concepts and emphasize the relationship among politics, film and literature.

Links to film clips and readings are woven together under each main topic and annotated with questions to prompt critical thinking. Icons of national flags demarcate the links to film clips, reinforcing the international aspect of Latin America. Students use the readings and film reviews to understand selected scenes more deeply. Discussion questions prompt students to explore ideas before viewing the film clips.

Finally, this course site helps prepare students to write their final research papers. In the “About this Course” section of the site, Professor Gonzalez posts paper topics and guidelines, as well as exemplary papers from previous semesters, marked with her annotations. The Library’s online “Research Guide” lists the library’s collection of books on Latin America, as well as direct links to library databases.

For more information on designing and organizing WebCT sites around course themes, please contact Instructional Technology at x8961.