Spanish Through Film

SPA4222.01
Course System Home Terms Spring 2026 Spanish Through Film

Course Description

Summary

Students with burgeoning linguistic skills will learn the language through an immersion in Latin American and Spanish film in the second half of this full-year introduction to the Spanish-speaking world. While there will be some discussion of more common tactics such as stylistic nuances, script-writing, acting, dubbing, and directors’ biographies, it is expected that we will continue to develop sufficient linguistic ability to focus on cinematographic and social movements, thus treating the films as ideologemes, representations of political import. The paraphernalia associated with mastering a foreign language – explicit grammar sessions, vocabulary, oral and aural practice, text – will be on offer, but it will generally be student-driven, servicing the content, corroborating the hope that in confronting our own preconceived notions of the Spanish-speaking world we will simultaneously debunk those regarding how a language is taught. Students will therefore learn to speak, listen, read and write in increasingly meaningful scenarios. Conducted in Spanish.

Learning Outcomes

  • Linguistic Goals:
    develop familiarity with and partial control of the phonetic system
    develop control of basic structures
    develop vocabulary in discrete areas/limited topics
    develop sentence-level discourse
    develop abilities to listen, speak, read, write about limited topics
    develop familiarity with limited complex structures
    develop strategies for interpersonal discourse
  • Cognitive Goals:
    recognize cultural products and practices
    develop awareness of different registers
    identify essential information from texts
    use extra-linguistic clues to identify context
    infer vocabulary, grammar and content through context
    make linguistic and cultural observations
    describe familiar and concrete situations
    express preferences and feelings
    collect data on familiar and concrete subjects
  • Research Skills:
    ask questions
    identify main ideas from films/texts (written and oral)
    express main ideas with supporting examples
    express opinions
    make a claim

Prerequisites

1 term of Spanish at Bennington or permission of the instructor.

Please contact the faculty member : jpitcher@bennington.edu

Instructor

  • Jonathan Pitcher

Day and Time

MO,WE,TH 8:30am-9:50am

Delivery Method

Fully in-person

Length of Course

Full Term

Academic Term

Spring 2026

Area of Study

Credits

4

Course Level

4000

Maximum Enrollment

18

Course Frequency

Every 2-3 years