This document provides guidance for a lesson that teaches students to apply media theory to representations of youth in different media texts. It lists objectives, choices of historical and contemporary media texts to analyze, and questions students should consider about the chosen texts, including the messages communicated, purposes of representations, potential effects, and relevant media theorists to apply. Students are asked to select the texts and develop an argument for an exam applying media theory to representations of youth.

1. Applying Theory to Media Representations of Youth Lesson Objectives: To be able to apply theory to media representations of young people.

2. Choose two or three key words to describe the young people in each of the images.

3. Choice of Texts In the exam you will need to refer to one historical text. Most of your essay must be about contemporary texts. You must also make a prediction about how media representations of youth may change (e.g. Twitter). You must refer to at least 2 types of media (e.g. Film and TV).

4. Texts Historical: ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ Mods and Rockers news story Contemporay: ‘Eden Lake’ ‘Harry Brown’ ‘Fish Tank’ ‘Misfits’ Newspapers (‘Hoodies or Altar Boys’ study) Internet

5. Choose one text and note down the following: What messages about young people are communicated? What are the purposes of the representations? What effects might these representations have? Which theorists could you apply to your chosen text?

6. Which texts are you going to use in the exam? What argument are you going to make about these texts? Which theorists do you think will be most relevant?