This document outlines key concepts in media studies, including how humans communicate through various senses and cultural practices. It then lists the main forms of media communication such as television, radio, film, literature, and the internet. The document goes on to discuss media language and how meaning is constructed and conveyed through genres, codes, conventions, representation, ideology, and the institutions and audiences of various media texts. It concludes by listing the analytical, production, and evaluative skills taught in media studies.

1. Media Studies Key Concepts

2. How do humans communicate? Voice Vocabulary/accent/tone/pitch/register Five senses Sight/sound/touch/taste/smell Body Gesture/expression/posture/dress/style Culture personal Customs/language/history/folklore/myth

3. Main forms of Media Communication Television Radio Film/cinema Literature/Visual arts/Performing Arts/Fashion Internet Contemporary music Telecommunications

4. Media Language What is this text called and what associations do we have with this title/name? What is this text about? What does this text say? How does it say it? What are its languages and style? How do they create meaning? How are these languages put together or constructed to make this text?

5. Forms and Conventions What category, or genre, of text is it? How can we identify the genre? What can we learn from this text from the opening minutes or front cover? What codes and conventions does it follow or disobey?

6. Audiences and Institutions How was the text produced? By whom was it produced? What else have they made? Who is in it? What else have they produced/appeared in? How does this effect our understanding of this text? When and where was it produced and how did this influence its production? What is it similar to? Why might this be relevant? What was/is its competitive market? For whom was it produced (target audience)? Who actually watches/reads/listens to it? How do we know? How was it financed? How much profit did it make? How do you respond to this text and why?

7. Representation and Ideology Whose interests does the text serve? Who is present in this text? Who is absent? Who or what can it be said to represent? What does this text tell us about who made it and when and where they made it? Has its meaning changed over the years and in what ways? What values are offered, either directly or indirectly, by the text? What conclusions can we draw from it? What issues does it raise? What messages and values are we using in our decision making?

8. Media Studies Skills Analytical skills Analysing audio-visual, print based and ICT based media Production skills Video, print, audio and ICT based production Evaluative skills Written activities accompany media production exercises. This forms an essential part of the assessment of your skills in the production and analysis of media products. The ability to evaluate your own work with objectivity and detailed reference to key concepts and technical terms is a difficult one.