2. A2 G325: Critical Perspectives in Media
The A2 media course has the same structure as AS course, 50% coursework
(Advanced Portfolio) and 50% examination.
The exam in split into 2 sections:
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production (50 marks)
Section B: Contemporary Media Issues (50 marks)
Section A - requires you to step back from your production work and reflect on
the process of creating it and the final outcome. To be successful at this you must
be able to critically discuss your work while applying relevant media theories to
the work
Section B – Will require you to answer 1 question, from 6 topic areas, you DO
NOT choose the topic as that has already been chosen by Mrs Raji. As it says on
the cover we will be do COLLECTIVE IDENTITY, more specifically the collective
identity of black Britain. This is a far more complex task than you think, as we first
have to define what or who makes up the collective identity of black Britain. In
addition there a four questions set by exam board that you must be able to
answer in order to perform successfully in the exam.
How do the contemporary media represent nations, regions and ethnic/
social/ collective groups of people in different ways?
How does contemporary representation compare to previous time
periods?
What are the social implications of different media representations of
groups of people?
To what extent is human identity increasingly 'mediated'?
In addition to this you must be able to discuss past, contemporary and future
issues to do with the collective group.
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3. In order to prepare for this unit and to show me you are truly ready for A2, I
would like you to complete some tasks.
TASK 1
Log into your Blogger account and create a new blog with the title ‘Collective
Identity’ – make it look good, rest of the tasks to be completed on your new blog,
email the blog address to me.
TASK 2
Sign up to www.prezi.com take a look around make you know how to use it.
Create an interactive brain storm of what you think is meant by the term ‘black
Britain’. Use images, YouTube links, and quotes about what people have written.
This will be shared with the class, use the embed code to post on your blog – so
make it look good!
TASK 3
Find out the definitions of the following terms, include quotes if you can and
make sure you reference who said them and where you got them from:
IDENTITY
COLLECTIVE IDENTITY
MEDIATION – Find out the definition, find a media text to deconstruct and apply
this term to it
REPRESENTATION - Find out the definition, find a media text to deconstruct and
apply this term to it
HEGEMONY - Find out the definition; discuss its relevance within media
COLONIALISM and POST-COLONIALISM
IMPERIAL ‘OTHER’
YOUTH SUBCULTURE - Find out the definition, discuss how the term may be
relevant for collective identity
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4. SYNCRETISM
POST-MODERNISM
URBAN MUSIC
TASK 4
Watch THE WINDRUSH YEARS (1948-1998), parts 1-15 on YouTube, make notes
after each part on what you have learnt and what you got from it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh8SeGmzai4 this link is for part 1.
TASK 5
Listen to this radio extract from 1958
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpRZtX1Ni7Q
Who is being represented?
What is being represented?
How is the representation constructed? (communicated?)
TASK 6
Listen to the Radio 1Xtra programme ‘What is Black British culture?’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/tx/documentaries/black_british.shtml
Write at least 450 - 600 words on what you have learnt from the radio
programme, include what you think is Black British culture.
TASK 7
Look at the images on the front of this document, research each item. Create a
Prezi that shows what you have found out (don’t make this too word heavy, try to
condense the information you have found out). Post the Prezi to your blog, and
answer these questions:
1. What links all the media texts together?
2. How are the media texts representative of the changing landscape of black
Britain? (past, present and future)
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