Enhancing language learning and cultural literacy through cinema

Abstract

This article discusses how films can be used as a teaching tool to enhance language learning and further cultural literacy. Its theoretical foundations are based on studies that emphasize the importance of the learning environment and the need to assess the psychosocial variables —i.e., why the students are studying a particular language and what their other interests are. Arguing for the need to integrate concrete and theoretical inputs in foreign language learning, the article suggests some currently available methods to improve learning outcomes through the use of films. The article illustrates this approach by describing how films can be used when learning Spanish as a foreign language and exploring the multicultural realities of Latin America. The development of filmmaking in the region is outlined, including the predominant themes of different periods. The aim is to shed light on the many opportunities for cultural analysis that films offer and to show that each film represents a particular world. This historical overview indicates how filmmakers’ perspectives have changed and clarifies how contemporary cinema lends itself to the study of the region’s many different social realities. In addition, several recent films are introduced, along with some comments on topics into which they offer insights, such as the history of various Latin American countries, the co-existence of diverse social groups, the marginalization of indigenous peoples, women’s struggles, class division and inequality, environmental issues, and climate change, as well as how life in the region’s many megacities differs from that in rural areas.

Keywords: Language learning, cultural literacy, cinema, and Latin America