Course Assignments

Assignment #1: Essay Exam

Watch the testimony of Concha Carretero (2008) alongside the films Las trece rosas (2007) and La voz dormida (2011).

In the interview, Concha recounts her experiences in Madrid's women's prison, Cárcel de Ventas, where she was incarcerated with the thirteen militants of the Juventudes Socialistas Unificadas (JSU) who were summarily executed and later remembered as Las Trece Rosas. Following the release of the 2007 film Las Trece Rosas Concha collaborated with director Benito Zambrano to develop another film about the Francoist repression based on Dulce Chacón's 2002 novel La voz dormida. Select one of the below essay questions to interpret Concha's testimony in relation to the films.

1. What social and political causes are the women committed to in these stories? In other words, what do they give importance to? What causes are worth fighting for according to them?

2. The Francoist repression that followed the Civil War sought to weaken or annul the social and political convictions of the defeated. How does this repression appear in the different stories? Are these practices successful?

3. Think, for example, of the voiceover of Hortensia's daughter at the end of the film and the voice of Concha Carretero sixty-years later. Concha and Hortensia as mothers seem to challenge received notions about what it means to be a mother and also about gender impositions (i.e. how a woman should behave according to “social norms”). How do their commitments to political and social ideas shape their roles as mothers/wives/women?

4. Both the films and Concha's testimony are products or examples of “historical memory.” Explain how these artifacts articulate their commitment to history and compare them.

Assignment #2: Close Listening

Select a translated testimony and complete the following close listening assignment:

1. Create a chronological list of historical periods and/or events that the interviewee lived through. Provide a brief explanation of each period and/or event, and describe its impact on the interviewee.

2. Create a list of individuals and/or organizations that were important to the interviewee. Provide a brief explanation of who or what they were, and describe the nature of the interviewee's relationship and its significance.

3. Discuss three themes that are central to the testimony. Examples include, but are not limited to, ideology, politicization, persecution, mourning, solidarity, and family. 

4. Describe the interviewee’s narrative style, oral delivery, and/or flow. Is there anything significant about the way in which the interviewee tells their story?

5. Are there curious, surprising, tense, and/or particularly emotional moments in the testimony? If so, describe them and explain what you make of them and their significance?

6. Are there confusing moments in the testimony? If so, describe them and explain what you do not understand.

Assignment #3: Project Proposal

Write a one-page overview of your proposed testimony-based project with an annotated list of sources you plan to use. In your overview you should establish:

1. The topic(s), event(s), and/or theme(s) you plan to examine and why they are important.

2. How you plan to use and/or feature your selected testimony (i.e. create video clips, base a character off of the interviewee, etc.), and how this treatment will help you represent the interviewee and/or their story. 

3. The final format of your project (i.e. digital storymap, graphic novel, podcast, etc.) and how that format allows you to explore your chosen topic(s), event(s), and/or theme(s).

Your annotated list of sources should include any bibliographic materials and/or digital assets (such as digitized items from archives or museum collections) you plan to use. For bibliographic materials use your preferred citation style and write a short annotation that explains how the source will help you explore your proposed topic(s), event(s), and/or theme(s). For digital assets include the Name, URL, Rights Statement or License that regulates the use of the asset with a brief explanation of how you plan to use it given these regulations, and a short annotation that explains how this particular asset will help you explore and/or present your proposed topic(s), event(s), and/or theme(s). For additional assistance determining fair use, please consult: Mona Ramonetti, “Research & Subject Guides: Copyright, Fair Use & the Creative Commons: Home.” 

Assignment #4: Project Drafts and Peer Reviews

Post a project draft, and complete reviewer reports for 2 of your peers. Reviewer reports should address the following:

1. What topic(s), event(s), and/or theme(s) does this project explore? Are these topic(s), event(s), and/or theme(s) explored successfully from a historical perspective? From a creative perspective? Explain.

2. How is the testimony used or featured? Do you think this treatment is successful? Why or why not? 

3. How does the format of the project advance and/or hinder the author's interpretation? Explain. 

4. Do you have additional comments and/or recommendations for the author?