Course description:

The mass media and media technology significantly influences the way we interpret our world, and plays a key role in our understanding of different groups of people, both present and past. The distinction between reality and the mass media's version of reality can sometimes become blurred and confusing – in an information-saturated society the ability to make clear judgements is important.

GCSE Media Studies offers you the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and engage with media products in an informed and critical way. The key word here is “critical” – if you opt for this course you must be willing to take an active role in forming and recording views and opinions about media producers and their messages. You will complete assignments based on a range of popular media, including TV, Movies, Newspapers, Graphic Novels, Advertising, and the Internet. You will create your own products using some of these media, and will develop skills in website design, photography and digital video production.

Please don't make the mistake of thinking that Media Studies will be about “watching telly” and nothing else. Whilst the study of the moving image is a key element of this course, it is also a busy and demanding subject - you must choose it for the right reasons. A passive, disorganised, or uncommitted approach in class will bring you little or no reward.

The coursework element of this subject is considerable, with a full 50% of your final grade depending upon your ability to complete word processed assignments accurately and promptly throughout Years 10 and 11. Examinations are tiered – the Higher paper offers grades A* - D, and the Foundation paper offers grades C – G. You will have to demonstrate a consistent Grade C standard or higher to be entered for the Higher Paper. To gain the most from Media Studies you must be able to present your findings and views effectively in writing, and to use computers and other equipment in a creative, productive and organised way. A positive performance in Year 9 English and Media Studies will be an advantage to you here.

The course provides a useful supplement to topics covered in GCSE English Language and Drama, and offers a firm foundation for studying a wide range of Media-based courses at 6th Form College and beyond.

Assessment:

Coursework (50% of final grade) – Y10 & 11

Assignment 1 (Y10, 1500 words) : A study of youth movie codes and conventions in the opening scenes of Rebel Without A Cause (1955) & Gregory's Girl (1980).

Assignment 2 (Y10, 1500 words) : Contrast and compare representations of the atom bomb in Japanese and British graphic novels: Barefoot Gen - A Cartoon Tale of Hiroshima (1972) by Keiji Nakazawa & When The Wind Blows (1982) by Raymond Briggs.

Assignment 3 (Y11, Production task + 800 words) : Research, develop, create and evaluate a website that promotes a new band's first single release, using original photography.

Examination (50% of final grade) – end of Y11

Paper 1 : Detailed written analysis of at least 2 TV sitcoms, including questions on a short clip from a TV sitcom. Programmes studied in depth include: I Love Lucy, The Likely Lads, The Liver Birds, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads, and The Royle Family.

Paper 2 : Written test on the cross-media topic of Advertising, including 2 case studies: Lucozade advertising in 3 different media (TV, Print, Internet), and the changing nature of Levi 501 ad campaigns over recent decades.

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