Head of School of Arts and Creative Industries

I am Head of School of Arts and Creative Industries, established in 2021 combining three former Schools in Media, Art and Design, and Performing Arts. The School mission is to provide an excellent education and student experience in these three areas, and is driven by the values of creativity, aspiration, collaboration and professionalism.

Having taught in Spain, Germany, the US and the UK, I have a wide experience of different education models, from the rigorous academic system of Spanish HE to the multicultural melting pot of American post-graduate studies. I also have extensive experience in course management and development, and in working with international partnerships. I am a Senior Fellow of the HEA and have been an external examiner at numerous UK institutions.

I was born in Bilbao, Spain, where I attended a German School. I studied pedagogy in Germany before returning to Spain to complete a degree in English and German at the University of Deusto. I also worked briefly for the newly established Basque Television. After graduation I was granted a PhD scholarship to study Comparative Literature at Pennsylvania State University in the USA, where I also worked as a research and teaching assistant. My PhD looked at the use of Hollywood classical film as an intertext in postmodern literature in the work of European and American authors. My research and publications have developed from an earlier focus on contemporary literature to a later focus on film and other media.

I have published on contemporary Spanish cinema, gender and cinema (where I have supervised PhD work), and more recently on national identity in contemporary popular culture. I have given 28 papers at national and international conferences; you can see some of my publications on Academia

I am passionate about cinema and spend much of my free time working to protect and expand film culture. I was a trustee for Cinema for All (previously Federation of Film Societies), and have worked with schools through the Into Film, National Film Schools Week and the Young Programmers projects. Currently I play a leading role for Hitchin Films as a programmer and volunteer coordinator and am a trustee for the Luton Culture Trust.

Contact Details

T: +44 (0)1234 489028
E: carlota.larrea@beds.ac.uk