1. FACULTY OF CREATIVE, CULTURAL & ACADEMIC STUDIES AS/A Levels
AS Communication and Culture
Assignment Title: Presentation
Assignment Launch: 12.03.10
Final Deadline: Monday 19th April 2010
Note: there is no official draft deadline for this assignment as majority of
classes will be workshops providing ample opportunity for feedback
Assessors: Simon Gummer
Internally verified by: L Daly I/V’s Signature:
It is my opinion that all students have the opportunity to achieve
all of the assessment criteria as stated on this assignment.
This Assignment is graded alongside the two readings. The total mark of the
presentation is 50% of your portfolio or 25% of your AS level
All work MUST be handed to learners services with a cover sheet by 9 am on
the day of the final deadline.
Task: Create a 6 to 8 minute long, audio visual, digitalised presentation (on
Blogger) that address’s the broad theme:” My culture; who am I in context.
Exploring Personal and Cultural Identity
Both main areas of study must be addressed i.e. – Communication, Culture
and the Individual – Cultural Contexts and Practices
You must apply two of the following Comms and Culture key concepts
explicitly throughout
– Power
– Value
– Identity
– Representation
The purpose of the presentation is to deal with the struggle between ‘who we
want to be and ‘who we’re allowed to be’: the place where the personal
and cultural meet. The presentation will focus on the interrelationships
between the individual and wider cultural influences. It will offer an
exemplification of the ways in which identity is consciously and
unconsciously ‘negotiated’ in the context of social and cultural norms.

2. The focus is on personal and cultural identity and the value given
to cultural activities; their representation by ourselves and others
and their relationship to dominant values and power
in society
This is a synoptic project. That means you are expected to show
knowledge from previous teaching and apply it where relevant. I.e. this
must have Comms and Culture critical theory throughout the piece
If you choose to, you may make your presentation an extension of your 1000
word exploration but it must take us to new places
.
Remember…
– The presentation must include both audio and visual elements
– Choose your key concepts well as they should inform the entire
presentation. Invariably Identity will be relevant to all even if it is not
one of your chosen two
– It must be a completed piece of work, not a draft
– The form and context of the presentation should be suitable for an
audience your peers i.e. Communication and Culture students.
– The presentation should be of a size or length which would engage
the full attention of its audience for approximately 6 – 8 minutes.
– Use a variety of primary and secondary sources from all outlets just
like the Exploration and reference correctly
– You must bring in elements from all parts of the course (where
relevant) to prove that you have learnt!
Audio elements may include any or all of the following:
• Speech
• Music
• Sound effects
Visual elements may include any or all of the following:
• Still images
• Moving images
• Graphics
• Animation
• Written text
– The presentation must be on Blogger, however you can use this
format to its fullest extension. I.e. you may link to other sites, or
academic papers or Youtube etc. As long as you make the
navigation clear and discuss critically the external links somewhere
on your presentation. Use colours and themes to your advantage to
illustrate your story.

3. Formula to start the presentation
– List a variety of your own personas: Who I am as a student? Who I am
as a son/daughter? Etc…
– Apply two of the Comms and Culture key concepts to each persona to
create a title in the form of a double ended statement: Who I am as a
student, Socialisation and Me. How being a teenager ‘trains’ me for
society. The key concepts here could be Identity and Power
– Then follow the show and tell formula as outlines pages 306-307 of the
book. This is important and will help you to think about what will
actually be shown
Sites of Research can include: Questionnaires, interviews,
observation, newspapers, academic articles, song lyrics, print
and TV adverts, internet articles, books, people, places, TV
news reports, and anything that is relevant when exploring “the
meaning of everyday life”
How to do the Research?
The presentation gives you room to be very creative and to discuss any
subject so long as you relate it to your place in society and how easily you fit
into that place. It is the site where personal and cultural meet.
Once you have completed the Who I Am formula and then applied various
areas and titles that link up to the key concepts and then go through the Show
and Tell formula, you are ready to start researching.
Research in the same way you did for the exploration. Go wide on your
secondary sources, looking at all relevant areas. Don’t forget primary
research such as questionnaires, or even site embedded surveys etc.
Distal all the information, keeping what’s relevant.
Think about the presentation in terms of a story, make it easy to follow and
take your audience through, piece by piece using the audio visual elements to
move the narrative along and show you know your stuff!
One good idea if your referencing Comms and Culture theory is to introduce
that theorist and their ideas first and then discuss in relation to your own work.
All sources and quotes used must be referenced correctly at the end of
the report including websites and primary sources. If you are unsure
how to do this – ask!

4. Grading: This assignment is marked using the below grid and the indicators
AO1, AO3 and AO4 each of which we attach to the different parts of your
work. Study this grid and aim for level 4!
Remember this is one part of a three piece portfolio. The presentation makes
up 50% of the portfolio. That’s 25% of the AS level!

5. Finally: Use the course book pages 301 - 308 for more specific info. Also use
the book for general help and revision. Look at all your notes, talk to your
lecturers if you feel you don’t understand what is being asked of you. Use the
marking grid for guidance