1. COLLECTIVE
IDENTITY –
ESSAY
PLANNINGLESSON OUTCOMES: YOU WILL HAVE COMPLETED A DETAILED PLAN
FOR AN A GRADE ESSAY.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: TO PLAN AN
ANSWER TO A MEDIA AND COLLECTIVE
IDENTITY EXAM QUESTION.

2. ASSESSMENT
CRITERIA
What do you need to do in the exam to be successful?
Lesson Outcomes: You will have completed a detailed plan for an A grade essay.

3. ASSESSMENT
CRITERIA
What do you need to do in the exam to be successful?
• You must refer to at least two types of media.
• You must include reference to the past and the future.
• Most of the focus of your essay should be on
contemporary texts.
• Use theory throughout.
• Use theory accurately.
• Make links between texts, theorists.
• Coherent argument – different viewpoints.
Lesson Outcomes: You will have completed a detailed plan for an A grade essay.

4. ESSAY QUESTION
Lesson Outcomes: You will have completed a detailed plan for an A grade essay.
Structure:
• Introduction – 5 minutes
• Historical Representation – 10 minutes
• Hoodies or Altar Boys Study – 5-10 minutes
• Hoodie Cinema – 5-10 minutes
• Misfits/Attack the Block/The Selfish Giant – 15
minutes
• Demos Study - 5 minutes
• Conclusion – 5 minutes

5. ESSAY QUESTION
Lesson Outcomes: You will have completed a detailed plan for an A grade essay.
Introduction
Quote – paraphrase – establish focus of the essay.
Henry Giroux argues that in media representations youth becomes an empty
category reflecting the anxieties and concerns of adults. This suggests that
media representations of young people are not necessarily accurate, and may
contribute to the dominance of negative representations.
State Argument
These representations, constructed by adults, usually reinforce hegemonic
values by demonising the delinquent youth. The extent to which the collective
identity of young people is informed by these representations will be explored
in relation to newspapers, films, and television.

6. ESSAY QUESTION
Lesson Outcomes: You will have completed a detailed plan for an A grade essay.
Historical Representation
‘Rebel Without a Cause’ (1955)
Teenage delinquency – JD movies – social concerns
How are teenagers represented? (Hebdige)
How does the film reinforce hegemonic values? (Acland)
Influence on collective identity – iconic representation.
Althusser – media as ideological state apparatus – creating consensus.

7. ESSAY QUESTION
Lesson Outcomes: You will have completed a detailed plan for an A grade essay.
Hoodies or Altar Boys Study (2009)
How were young people represented?
How do the representations reinforce hegemony? (Acland,
Althusser, Cohen).
Influence on collective identity – Gerber, cultivation theory.
Hall – negotiated view, Fiske- audience more powerful than
media text.

8. ESSAY QUESTION
Lesson Outcomes: You will have completed a detailed plan for an A grade essay.
Hoodie Cinema
How were young people represented?
Effects of the representation (Acland)
Issue of social class (Philo)
Influence on collective identity – Althusser/Hall.

9. ESSAY QUESTION
Lesson Outcomes: You will have completed a detailed plan for an A grade essay.
Misfits/Attack the Block/The Selfish Giant
Use of negative stereotypes – but attempts to make them sympathetic – challenge
dominant representations
Do the texts just reaffirm these ideas? (Wearing)
Media influence on collective identity – the texts can be seen as a response to other
negative media representations (directors of Attack the Block and Selfish Giant have
said as much) suggests filmmakers see the media as having a powerful role in shaping
ideas about identity.
Gerbner/Althusser – media is powerful
Hall/Fiske – media not that powerful

10. ESSAY QUESTION
Lesson Outcomes: You will have completed a detailed plan for an A grade essay.
‘Generation Citizen’ Demos Study 2014
Explored how young people are represented in the media and its effects.
Found most newspaper stories about teenagers negative – focused on crime, drinking,
pregnancy.
80% of young people say they are represented negatively, a large proportion said it
affected their willingness to contribute to community and affected ability to get a job.
Suggests the media does have effect on collective identity.
However Demos interviewed teachers – vast majority of teachers felt media
representations of young people were unfairly negative – Hall/Fiske

11. ESSAY QUESTION
Lesson Outcomes: You will have completed a detailed plan for an A grade essay.
Conclusion
Sum up argument – Media representations of young people are
predominantly negative, as they are constructed by adults and usually seek to
reinforce hegemonic values through the demonisation of delinquent youths.
Whilst these representations do have some influence on how young people are
perceived, the individual viewpoints of the audience members are likely to
influence the extent to which they accept the ideological message of the media
text. As Gauntlett argues the media does influence our understanding of
identity but not in a direct or immediate way. It is my view that…
Prediction for the future – Media representations of young people have
largely been negative over time. It seems unlikely…however in the future….
social media does allow young people to construct…challenge…

12. Lesson Outcomes: You will have completed a detailed plan for an A grade essay.
To be able to achieve an A grade you need to have:
• Referred to the past, present, and future.
• Referred to at least two types of media.
• Focused most of your answer on contemporary
representations.
• Made consistent and accurate use of media theory.
• Develop a clear argument including different viewpoints.