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This
course will enable you to use your media literacy through
a comprehensive exploration of media products. These will
be studied focussing on the key areas of: Media Languages
and Categories, Media Messages and Values,
and Media Producers and Audiences.
You
will develop the skills necessary to analyse media texts,
understand how and by whom they are produced, explore issues
of media ownership and appreciate how new technologies are
changing the way in which we consume the media.
Awareness
of how the media industry has changed over time is created
through the compulsory study of both new and pre-21st century
media texts. Coursework, constituting 50% of the overall
assessment mark, consists of a media portfolio of three assignments:
two written studies and the production and evaluation of
a print media text.
You
will study a range of Media concepts which will form a theoretical
basis for the study of, television sit-coms, music magazines,
and news broadcasts on television, newspapers, radio and
the Internet/or advertising on television, cinema, print,
radio and the Internet.
Skills
You
will need to:
- Appreciate
the ways in which the producers of Media texts use specific “languages” to
communicate meaning to an audience
- Respond
to Media texts showing an informed understanding of the
messages and values conveyed
- Demonstrate
an understanding that Media texts are products produced
within an industrial context.
Assessment
Terminal
Examination (2 papers) 50% - involving the study of television
situation comedies or music magazines (1x 1.45hrs paper),
and broadcast news or advertising (1x 1.30hrs paper).
Coursework
50% - to include a portfolio of print production and accompanying
written work
You
will be entered at one of two tiers:
- Foundation
Tier (Tier F), targeting G to C
- Higher
Tier (Tier H), targeting D to A*
Why
should I study Media?
" .
. . In the modern world media literacy will become as important
a skill as maths or science. Decoding our media will be as
important to our lives as citizens as understanding great
literature is to our cultural lives" (Tessa Jowell,
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport)
The
media is an integral part of our lives and in order to appreciate
the effect it has on us we need to be media literate. This
GCSE offers you the chance to develop the skills necessary
to analyse media texts, understand how and by whom they are
produced, explore issues of media ownership and to appreciate
how new technologies are changing the way in which we consume
the media. You will also develop an awareness of how the
media industry has changed over time through the study of
both modern and “classic” media texts.
You
will also be able to apply your knowledge of the media to
the production of your own media texts. These will be print
based and assessed as part of your course.
Will I be watching TV and making films?
As
part of your course you will have to read media texts, much
as you would read books, plays and poems in English Literature.
Some media texts are delivered to the audience via broadcast
or digitally recorded mediums. Therefore, yes we will be
viewing media texts on the TV, but viewing is not a passive
activity so don’t expect to kick back with a nice cup
of tea!
You
will not be able to make your own films at this stage but,
if this is what you would like to do, you can continue with
your studies to AS level where the production of a short
video sequence is integral to the course.
How
will GCSE Media Studies benefit me?
It
will:
- give
you an insight into what ‘the media’ is all
about and increase your understanding of media texts
(films, TV programmes, magazines etc)
- help
you to understand how the media works in society to shape
our ideas and beliefs
- give
you the skills to analyse media texts so that you can
recognise their codes and conventions and appreciate
how media producers use those to create meanings or messages
for audiences
- enable
you to develop practical media production techniques
by making your own print media product
- give
you the opportunity to use ICT
- help
you to reflect on how the media has changed over time
and appreciate how new technologies are changing the
ways in which we consume the media.
What
will I study?
- Textual
Analysis techniques – you’ll study either
TV situation comedy or music magazines and learn how
to deconstruct these to understand the meanings within
them
- A
cross media topic – either News or Advertising – you’ll
look at production practices, how audiences are targeted,
how people, products and places are represented in the
news/adverts and the cultural messages conveyed by those
representations – you’ll compare older texts
with more recent ones and think about how things have
changed over time.
What
can I do after GCSE Media Studies?
You
can:
- Study
Media at AS/A Level
- Take
other media related qualifications
- Undertake
qualifications in other subjects
- Start
work at a ‘trainee’ level.
If
you would like any further information please feel free to email
us.
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