SP3MDR: Memory, Dictatorship and Cultural Resistance in the Southern Cone

Module code: SP3MDR

Module provider: Languages and Cultures; School of Humanities

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Catriona McAllister, email: c.mcallister@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: na

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 9 July 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

In the 1970s, authoritarian rule took hold across Latin America’s Southern Cone. Dictatorships in countries including Argentina and Chile were responsible for a period of state violence and human rights abuses that reshaped these countries’ political and cultural landscapes. This module will examine the politics and aesthetics of this crucial period  and its legacy in both Argentina and Chile. What was the political context that led to the military dictatorships in these countries? What cultural resistance took place under dictatorial rule? How have literature, film and other cultural forms attempted to come to terms with the trauma of the past? What is the role of ‘official spaces’ in creating and preserving collective memory? By combining historical analysis and a cultural focus, the module will explore multi-faceted attempts to create ‘memory’ through both a political and cultural lens.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Interpret the dictatorship and/or post-dictatorship period in one or both countries studied, particularly in relation to discourses of memory and human rights
2. Analyse literary texts, films and other sources in relation to their historical context
3. Construct critical and coherent written arguments, relating close analysis to theoretical frameworks

Module content

Topics for study may include:

• Historical context of the dictatorships in Argentina and Chile
• Pinochet’s coup in film and literature
• Artistic practices of cultural resistance
• Cultural representations of trauma and the task of mourning
• Narratives of the next generation
• Memory and the museum

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

This module will be taught through a combination of lectures and seminars. Students will be required to do preparatory reading for each seminar, participate in class discussion and undertake small-group work.

Study hours

At least 20 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Opportunity to submit essay plan for comment.

Reassessment

Additional costs