Media Studies AS and A213/11/2008 - Joanne Murphy |
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Description of the subject – Studying this subject will mean you study a comprehensive range of media theory and practice. There is a strong focus on new technologies and you will look at audience as both consumers and producers of media texts. There are opportunities for you to investigate an area of the media that interests you, as well as having the opportunity to carry out practical production at both AS and A2. What you will learn AS Units (2 units) Media Concepts • Media Forms • Media Representations • Media Institutions • Media Audiences Media Platforms • Broadcasting • Digital/web-based media (e-media) Unit 1 requires you to carry out a cross-media study for an unseen examination. The study will then also be used to inform your work on Unit 2. For Unit 2 you will produce two media productions in two of the three different media platforms, with an evaluation of the productions, including a consideration of the use of the third media platform. Both units require you to look at cross-cultural issues where appropriate. A2 Units At A2 you will build on your AS work to look more fully at the contexts of media production and consumption – why as well as how texts are created as they are. As well as building on the concepts studied at AS, you will look at some or all of the following debates and theories as appropriate: Media Debates • Representation • Media effects • Reality TV • News Values • Moral panics • Post 9/11 and the media • Ownership and control • Regulation and censorship • Media technology and the digital revolution – changing technologies in the 21st century Media Theories Media analysis eg: • Semiotics • Structuralism and post-structuralism • Postmodernism and its critiques Politics and the Media eg: • Gender and Ethnicity • Marxism and Hegemony • Liberal Pluralism • Colonialism and Post-colonialism Consumption and Production eg: • Audience theories • Genre theories For Unit 3 you will be required to study two pre-set media topics on at least one of the three media studies platforms. For Unit 4 you will produce a media product linked to their research for an individual critical investigation. In both A2 units you should look at cross-cultural factors and the effects of globalisation on the media where appropriate. Assessment AS examinations Unit 1 – MEST1 Investigating Media 50% of AS, 25% of A Level 2 hour written examination 80 marks Two sections: A – four compulsory short answer questions B – choice of one from two essays Unit 2 – MEST2 Creating Media 50% of AS, 25% of A Level Practical unit, internally assessed and externally moderated 80 marks Externally set production briefs. Two linked production pieces taken from two of the three media platforms studied in Unit 1 plus 1500 word evaluation. A2 examinations Unit 3 – MEST3 Media: Critical Perspectives 25% of A Level 2 hour written examination Two sections: A – three compulsory questions on unseen stimulus pieces B – one essay from a choice of two topics Unit 4 – MEST4 Media: Research and Production 25% of A Level Practical unit, internally assessed and externally moderated 80 marks Two sections: Critical Investigation (48 marks) Linked production piece (32 marks) Entry requirements 5 ‘C’ grades or above Future opportunities Higher education Newspaper design Magazine design Journalism Television production Radio production Marketing Editing ‘New media’ jobs – web, e-media Development Teaching Lecturing |
