This is the second of your vital learner response tasks following the full set of A Level Media mock exams.
Remember, the most important aspect of any mock exam is making mistakes and learning from them. With Paper 2 this is even more significant as it contains the synoptic element in question 4 and extended essays on in-depth topics throughout.
Here, we need to closely analyse out performance in Paper 2 and identify specific ways we will improve for the real exam on Thursday 5 June (PM). Complete the following learner response tasks in a new blogpost on your Media Exam blog called 'Paper 2 mock exam learner response'.
Paper 2 mock exam: learner response
1) Type up your feedback in full (you do not need to write mark/grade if you do not wish to).
2) Did you succeed in meeting or exceeding your target grade for A-Level Media in this paper? If not, how many additional marks do you need to achieve your target grade in Paper 2?
These are the grade boundaries we've used (out of 84):
A* = 71; A = 62, B = 52; C = 43; D = 33; E = 24
Now read through the real AQA mark scheme for Paper 2 and the examiner's report (see your Media teacher's Google Classroom for both of these documents).
3) Write a question-by-question analysis of your performance. For each question, write how many marks you got from your the number available and identify any points that you missed by carefully studying the AQA indicative content in the mark scheme.
Example Q2: 8/25 marks
Additional points: I didn't focus on the question - validity of theory. I should have...
4) Look at question 4 - the synoptic question. How many of the four key concepts did you cover in your answer? Write a new essay plan for this question using the indicative content in the mark scheme and taking care to include at least three of Language - Representations - Audience - Industries. You can use bullet points but make sure you offer enough content to meet the criteria for Level 5 (top level). This will be somewhere between 3-4 well-developed paragraphs planned in some detail.
5) Based on the whole Paper 2 Learner response, plan five topics / concepts / CSPs / theories that you will prioritise in your Easter Media revision timetable.
If you don't finish this in the lesson, complete it for homework - due date on Satchel One
You've now completed your mock exams and so need to be identifying the specific areas to revise and improve on before the final exams in the summer.
The most important aspect of any mock exam is making mistakes and learning from them.
Here, we need to closely analyse our performance across each question in Paper 1 and identify specific ways we will improve for the real exam on Thursday 14 May (PM). Complete the following learner response tasks in a new blogpost on your Media Exam blog called: 'Paper 1 mock exam learner response'.
1) Type up any feedback in full (you do not need to write mark/grade if you do not wish to).
Go to your Media teacher's Google Classroom and find the mark scheme and examiner's report uploaded. This is vital as the paper was an official exam paper and therefore the mark scheme tells us a lot about what AQA are expecting us to produce.
2) Write a question-by-question analysis of your performance. For each question, write how many marks you got from the number available and identify and points that you missed by carefully studying the AQA indicative content in the mark scheme:
Example: Q1: 4/8 marks
Additional points: Using Roland Barthes’ theory of semiotics, the National Trust advert “What will take your breath away?” can be analysed through denotation, connotation and myth. Denotatively, the advert shows images of British landscapes and historic sites. Connotatively, these suggest peace, escape and emotional fulfilment, reinforced by the slogan which implies awe and inspiration. This creates a myth that British nature and heritage are naturally restorative and meaningful, promoting the ideology that visiting National Trust sites is an essential and valuable experience.
3) Look at Question 4 - a 20-mark essay evaluating Judith Butler's gender is a performance theory. Write an essay plan for this question using the indicative content in the mark scheme and with enough content to meet the criteria for Level 4 (top level). This will be somewhere between 3-4 well-developed paragraphs plus an introduction answering the question planned in some detail.
4) Based on the whole of your Paper 1 learner response, plan FIVE topics / concepts / CSPs / theories that you will prioritise in your summer exam Media revision timetable.
Complete this learner response for your homework if you don't finish it in class - due date on Satchel One.
The Print aspect to our coursework brief is as important as
the video work have been focusing on so far.
It is crucial that you research, plan and design print work that could
comfortably hold its own alongside professional examples. You will also need to
include a section regarding your print work in your redrafted
Statement of Intent. A reminder of our coursework brief is here, with the key
tasks as follows:
The band is being featured in a documentary film on a streaming service such as Netflix about the history of pop bands. The film will look at examples of pop artists from the late 20th century (80s or 90s), early 21st century (00s or 10s) and the band you promoted for Task One represents contemporary pop. The documentary’s target audience are people of all ages who are interested in pop music.
Create three print billboard posters to promote this documentary. Each poster should use imagery to reflect one of the eras being focused on in the documentary to attempt to appeal to a broad age range. At least one poster should feature the band being promoted in Task One. The posters should be visually appealing and communicate the name and content of the documentary, its release date and how audiences can watch it.
What do you need to produce?
You should create three different billboard posters – specifically:
engage the audiences as identified in the brief
three original images across the three print adverts
images created and chosen to appeal to the target audience
appropriate layout, design and content choices relating to placement of the adverts
consideration of font, type sizes and colours to create meaning
consideration of the industrial context of production
The three print billboard posters targets all ages who are interested in pop music
Print brief - overall minimum requirements
A clear house style
should be used in the presentation of all pages
A minimum of three original
images should be included in the submission.
Absolutely no use of AI in any way at all is permitted
for the written elements of the print brief.
Work should be presented
on pages that are an appropriate size or in proportion to the size of
paper used by billboard posters
We recommend that all of the above should be A3 landscape page size
Research and planning blog tasks
Create a blogpost called 'Print brief research and planning' and
complete the following tasks to plan and prepare your print work:
Research tasks:
1) Billboard poster research:
Look at the following billboard poster:
Now answer the following questions based on the poster above:
1. What historical moment in pop music does this documentary focus on, and why might that moment be significant for audiences interested in music history?
2. How might the poster imagery communicate the era of the music being explored (e.g., 1980s)?
3. Who would be the target audience for this documentary and why?
4. What visual codes (e.g., typeface, colour, style of photograph) would you expect on the poster to reflect the documentary’s focus on classic pop music history?
5. How could promotional text emphasise both nostalgia and relevance to a modern audience?
This Is Pop on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81050786
(This Is Pop is a documentary series exploring different influences and trends in pop music.)
Watch the following trailer for the documentary series:
Now answer the following questions based on the trailer:
1. What themes and topics does This Is Pop explore based on its episode description (e.g., Auto-Tune, boy bands, festival culture)?
2. How might a billboard poster visually represent multiple facets of pop music history covered in this series?
3. This Is Pop is a series rather than a single documentary film—how might its poster need to differ in design from a single-film poster to communicate that?
4. What aspects of pop culture history might appeal to older audiences versus younger audiences?
5. What visual elements could ensure the poster suggests that this isn’t just entertainment, but a music documentary with depth and exploration?
These two IMDb image links point to stills or frames from the same documentary series (This Is Pop.)
Compare the two different images from this series:
1. What different visual messages do they convey about pop music?
2. How do these images reflect the diversity within pop music culture (different genres, artists, eras)?
3. What emotions or associations do the images try to evoke in the viewer?
4. If you were to extract design cues (pose, colour palette, style) from these stills for your billboard posters, what would you take and why?
5. How do the images relate to your understanding of representation and media language in music documentaries?
2) Billboard Poster Research (Era Focus)
You must research THREE professional billboard or large-format posters, one from each era:
1. 1980s or 1990s pop artist promotion
2. 2000s or 2010s pop artist promotion
3. Contemporary (2018–present) pop artist promotion
These may include:
Tour posters
Album or single promotions
Music documentaries
Streaming platform music content (e.g. Netflix, Apple TV)
Choose artists that are clearly representative of each era.
3) Media Language Analysis
For each billboard poster, analyse how visual design communicates meaning and appeals to its audience.
You should analyse:
Layout & composition
(scale, hierarchy, central image, simplicity for roadside viewing)
Typography
(font style, size, era connotations, readability)
Colour palette
(neon, muted, monochrome, saturation and era signifiers)
Imagery
(pose, gaze, styling, realism vs performance)
How modern design elements attract younger audiences
Link this directly to the documentary’s aim to appeal to “people of all ages interested in pop music.”
6) Streaming services and industry conventions
Research how streaming services (e.g. Netflix) promote music documentaries.
Analyse:
Common visual conventions (minimal text, strong imagery)
Use of logos and release dates
How platforms communicate where and how to watch
How global audiences affect design choices
You may refer to:
Netflix documentary posters
Online promotional materials
Billboard adaptations of streaming campaigns
7) Application to your coursework
This section must directly link your research to your final production.
Answer the following:
How will each era influence the design of your three billboards?
What visual codes will you use to differentiate eras?
How will you maintain brand consistency across all three posters?
How will you promote your band from Task One as contemporary pop?
What design skills do you need to develop before production?
Planning and sketching
1) Plan the content for your first billboard poster:
Title of the documentary film (must be NEW
original documentary film you have invented):
Name of streaming service the documentary will feature on
Original image (the band you promoted for one of your TikTok music videos)
Release date of the documentary
Ways your billboard poster will represent the contemporary pop era
Font style / colour
scheme, additional design aspects:
2) Plan the threeimages you will use for the
billboard posters - use the elements of mise-en-scene (CLAMPS). One image has to be the band you promoted in one of your TikTok music videos required to meet the minimum content in the brief.
3) Research and select the font or typography you
will use for your billboard posters. This is a critical element of your print work - the
brief requires a consistent house style running through all of
your pages.
4) Produce A4 sketches of your billboard poster designs and scan it/upload a picture to your blog.
5) Finally, create the pages in Adobe
Photoshop or InDesign so you have the documents ready to go in terms of adding
your text and images. This will need to include:
A4/A3 landscape
Use this website for specific billboard sizing which you can enter in Adobe Photoshop or InDesign: https://www.template.net/graphic-design/billboard-sizes/
Photoshoot
1) Who do you need to photograph for your billboard posters?
Remember, you need three original images across the whole
print production.
2) What camera shots do you need? Write a shot
list or design a mood board for your photoshoots. Make
sure you plan a variety of camera shots you will look to capture - medium
shots, close-ups etc.
3) Plan the mise-en-scene. What costume, props or make-up will
you require for your photoshoots?
4) Finally, note down the time
and date for your photoshoots. This may be inside or outside school (or a
combination of both). You will have Media lesson time for this after the mock
exams.
Statement of Intent
1) Once you have completed your print research and planning,
go back to your statement of intent and make sure you have
included the print brief in your final draft. Then, submit the final draft
statement of intent to your teacher. The due date for this will be confirmed by
your coursework teacher.
Use your Media coursework lessons to complete these planning
tasks - homework time should be exclusively to revise for mocks.
Due date for research and planning on Google Classroom.
Your January A Level Media mock exams are the real deal - the opportunity to put everything you have learned to the test.
Students typically do better in the summer exams than the last set of mocks - but usually only by around a grade. This means you need to make sure you are fully prepared for these exams with the aim of achieving your target grade or just off it. The following will help you finalise your revision and preparation: Media Paper 1 Section A
Section A will always focus on Media Language and Representations. This means the following CSPs could come up: Advertising & Marketing Score hair cream (1967) & Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty - Advertising index is here Music Video Old Town Road & Ghost Town - Music Video index is here
Section B
Section B will always focus on Media Audiences and Industries. This means the following CSPs could come up:
Newspapers (not in January mock exam - we haven't covered this yet)
The Daily Mail and The Guardian
Unseen question
The first question in Media Paper 1 Section A will always be an unseen media product.
The second question will also relate to the unseen while also bringing in a CSP. This means it is likely the unseen product will link to advertising and marketing or music promotion.
There will be TWO 20-mark essays in Paper 1 – at the end of each section (Q4 and Q7). AQA states for your extended response questions:
“You will be rewarded for your ability to construct and develop a sustained line of reasoning which is coherent, relevant, substantiated and logically structured.” This means you need to write an essay that constructs an argument that answers the question you have been given.
Question 4 will be an evaluation of theory question so you need to know the named theorists on the specification and be able to offer an opinion or evaluation of their key ideas. You can look through this AQA Specimen Paper 1 paper to familiarise yourself with the structure of the paper. Note that several of the CSPs have changed since this specimen paper was produced.
Media Paper 2
The first question in Media Paper 2 will always be a 9-mark question on an unseen media product.
Aside from Q1, Media Paper 2 tests your in-depth topic areas:
Indeed, the majority of Paper 2 will be THREE 25-mark essays on your in-depth topics. AQA states for your extended response questions:
“You will be rewarded for your ability to construct and develop a sustained line of reasoning which is coherent, relevant, substantiated and logically structured.” This means plan and write an essay with a clear and convincing argument!
The structure for the 25-mark questions in Paper 2 is as follows:
Q2: evaluation of theory question - you MUST focus on the theory and simply use CSPs for evidence
Q3: contexts question (e.g. social and cultural contexts)
Q4: synoptic question - more details below
Q4: Synoptic question
The final question in Paper 2 will always be the synoptic question – which requires you to demonstrate knowledge of the whole two-year course of study. AQA states:
“Question 4 is a synoptic question in which you will be rewarded for your ability to draw together different areas of knowledge and understanding from across the full course of study.”
How do we do this? Answer: Key concepts - Language, Representations, Audience, Industries. In your answer make sure that you are addressing 2-3 of the key concepts in responding to the question. This will demonstrate your knowledge of the whole course - but make sure you do stay focused on the question! You can look through this AQA Specimen Paper 2 paper to familiarise yourself with the structure of the paper. Note that several of the CSPs have changed since this specimen paper was produced.
How to revise
Revision is a very personal thing and everyone has different techniques. Here's a video on YouTube with top tips for A* A Level revision:
Personally, I strongly recommend using flash cards (they are often called record cards if you are trying to buy them online or in WHSmiths). The simple act of distilling topics into a few key words or phrases to put on the card will seriously help in remembering the key information in the final exams. I have spare flash cards in DF07 if you'd like some. Try creating three sets of cards:
Use the example question booklets we gave you in class to test yourself against the kind of questions to expect in these exams. You can also find practice questions and exemplar plans and answers that we've used in class in this document here: Exemplar question notes from class.
Revision example and useful resources - thank you Assia!
One of our former Year 13 Media students, Assia, very kindly shared some of her revision resources with us when she left Greenford. These are notes on CSPs which you may find useful but I'd also recommend creating your own similar resources for the CSPs to help you remember the key details. By the way, this is what an A grade student looks like! You'll need your Greenford Google login to access these and note that some of the CSPs have changed this year:
If you want to mix up your Media revision a little then you can always read around the subject or look through our Factsheet archive for topics you're struggling with.
Anything you read in our Media Magazine archive will help to give you a wider perspective on media debates and every issue has several articles which focus on interesting examples, theories and debates that will help you in the Media exams. You'll find our Media Magazine archive here.
Similarly, you have access to our whole Media Factsheet archive if there are any particular topics or theories you want to revise in more detail. Look at these for example:
If you want to test your knowledge of the complete subject content, you can find it on the AQA website here. Look at the menu on the left-hand side - under media language, media representation etc. you'll find everything that could come up in exams:
Remember, you need to revise EVERYTHING you have learned over the last 18 months for A Level Media in preparing for these exams - terminology, theory and CSPs. Good luck!
We have now finished our final in-depth topic - Videogames. Your have done some superb work on women in videogames, Henry Jenkins, fandom and postmodernism. You now need to complete a Videogames blog index to ensure you have completed all the work for our in-depth Videogame CSPs.
This process is clearly excellent revision for the mock exams approaching as there is a lot of theory in there that could be applied across the full range of CSPs in both exam papers.
For your index, the text should link to YOUR corresponding blogpost so you can access your work on each aspect of the case study quickly and easily. This also means you if you have missed anything you can catch up with the work and notes and won't underperform in the mock exams due to gaps in your knowledge.
The final part of our Horizon Forbidden West case study focuses on Audience and Industry. This requires us to research the companies that produced the game and also consider how the videogames audience is changing.
Audience
Target audience
Does Horizon Forbidden West really target a female audience? Or is the console gaming audience still male dominated? Research by YouGov in 2022 suggests that console gamers are still majority male:
YouGov show that the major console audience is still male dominated - 71% male for PS5 and 68% for Xbox. However, the Nintendo Switch demonstrates that the videogame market is changing and perhaps games like Horizon Forbidden West are also pushing that change.
Postmodern pleasures
Horizon Forbidden West is a good example of the blurring of 'high' and 'low' culture that Strinati identifies as a key convention of postmodernism. We can see this in the game where the character Tilda's vault contains real exhibits from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Henry Jenkins suggested videogames as the "art form for the 21st century". Is HFW the evidence of this?
This collaboration is also a good example of Baudrillard's hyperreality - the increasing difficulty in telling what is real in a media-saturated world. The works of art in HFW are real - but the game is entirely constructed. Do audiences now enjoy greater pleasures from 'real' media products?
Industries
Guerrilla Games is the result of a merger of three earlier companies (starting in 1993) which reflects gaming’s origins in small independent companies in contrast to its current status as a global, billion-dollar industry.
The structure of Guerrilla Games and its parent company (Sony) is an example of contemporary media practice in maintaining control of production, distribution and circulation. This is also a case study in vertical integration.
20 years of Guerrilla Games - Killzone and Horizon
Working at Guerrilla Games: behind the scenes
Does this behind the scenes video challenge Hesmondhalgh’s theory regarding the lack of diversity in the cultural industries? It also links to the global nature of the multibillion dollar videogames industry.
Horizon Forbidden West: Audience and Industry blog tasks
Create a blogpost called 'Horizon Forbidden West: Audience and Industry' and work through the following tasks.
2) What are the key features for the game listed on the site?
3) What information does the website offer players about the game world and characters? Give a few examples.
4) What spin-offs and additional content are available as part of the Horizon franchise?
5) Applying Henry Jenkins's work on fandom, what aspects of the website (you may need to scroll down) encourage fan activity and engagement with online Horizon communities?
2) What studios are part of Sony PlayStation Studios?
3) What notable games have they produced?
4) Now research Guerrilla Games. Look at the 'Explore' page in particular. Who owns Guerrilla Games and how does it reflect the modern videogames industry?
5) Choose one of the 'Guerrilla Spotlight' features and write three things you learn about the videogames industry and/or Guerrilla Games from the interview.
1) Which three companies merged to become Guerrilla Games?
2) What other games and franchises were created by Guerrilla Games?
3) How did Guerrilla maximise the Killzone franchise?
4) What did Sony sign with Guerrilla in 2004?
5) How is Horizon Forbidden West described in the article and what is the next stage for the franchise?
Regulation and PEGI
1) What is HFW's PEGI rating and what age rating do you feel would be appropriate? Why?
2) Why is regulating videogames difficult in the digital age?
3) Are attitudes towards media content and regulation changing as a result of the internet? Explain your answer.
A/A* extension tasks
Read this fantastic GQ feature on Horizon Forbidden West - it takes in the history of the franchise, audience pleasures and also gender appeal and videogames. This is the kind of article that will make you an expert on the CSP and help you form opinions on the big media theories and debates. GQ is also another one of our in-depth CSPs too!
Read Factsheet 258 - Exploring the consumption of computer games. Look particularly at the application of media theory on the last two pages. You can find it in our Media Factsheet archive.
Our second videogames CSP is Horizon Forbidden West (2022).
This is another in-depth CSP so will require two detailed blog tasks over the next couple of weeks. We'll start with an introduction alongside language and representation contexts. Horizon Forbidden West: introduction
Released in February 2022 as a sequel to the highly successful Horizon Zero Dawn (2017).
Available on PS4, PS5 and Windows platforms.
Horizon Forbidden West sold over 8 million copies in its first year.
Excellent reviews including 9/10 on IGN.
Developed by studio Guerrilla Games which is based in Amsterdam and owned by Sony.
Background and media language
Genres: Action adventure / Action role playing / Sandbox / Open world
Protagonist/avatar (character player controls): Aloy
Setting: Post-apocalyptic future version of USA following extinction event caused by a robot swarm.
Gameplay: Exploring open world, completing quests using weapons against hostile machine creatures.
Official release trailer:
Official gameplay trailer:
Representation: social and cultural contexts
Horizon Forbidden West has been both praised and criticised for the representations of different groups. Driven by a strong, independent female protagonist in Aloy, the game has been held up as an example of how gender in videogames is changing.
Horizon Forbidden West also has an LGBT storyline which can be seen as further evidence of Gauntlett’s view of the liberalising influence of the mass media, particularly in recent years.
However, the game has also been criticised for its representation of indigenous populations and Asian Americans with the accusation of lazy stereotypical tropes.
Key scene analysis
Watch the key scene where Aloy’s love interest storyline develops and think about how representations of gender and sexuality are constructed:
Edward Said: Orientalism
Edward Said (1935-2003) was a Palestinian-American cultural theorist and academic best known for his 1978 book Orientalism.
In it, he argued that the west – particularly colonising Europe – constructed a meaning of the east that suggested it was exotic, dangerous and uncivilised.
East v West
Edward Said argues that the Europeans divided the world into two parts: the east and the west or the civilized and the uncivilized. This was a totally artificial boundary; and it was laid on the basis of the concept of ‘them and us’ or ‘theirs and ours’.
The Europeans defined themselves as the ‘superior race’ and they justified their colonisation by this concept. Media to this day contains particular tropes associated with these views.
“A plethora of racist tropes emerge within Forbidden West’s world. There’s a stereotypical angry Black woman named Regalla, for example, who leads a rebel army and would rather die than seek peace. There’s also constant belittling between tribes, who call each other “savage” or “uncivilized” — terms loaded with racial undertones. There’s also plenty of Orientalism.”
Horizon Forbidden West: Language and Representation blog tasks
Create a blogpost called 'Horizon Forbidden West: Language and Representation' and work through the following tasks.
Our second CSP gives us the opportunity to explore the representation and role of women in videogames.
Women in videogames: an introduction
The representation of women in videogames has long been considered sexist. Female characters are rarely playable and usually reinforce traditional gender stereotypes. Games that did feature female characters presented them as damsels in distress or sex objects.
Lara Croft of the Tomb Raider series is one of the most iconic characters in videogame history. But while she is a strong, independent playable character, her appearance and costume turned her into a digital sex object. In contrast, the character of Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West could be a sign of progress.
Tropes vs Women in Video Games
Vlogger and gaming expert Anita Sarkeesian has produced two series of YouTube videos documenting the representation of women in videogames.
Vlogging as Feminist Frequency, the series are an important example of digital feminism (and a superb resource for Media students). However, as a result, she has been a target for online abuse and threats – most notably as part of the #gamergate controversy.
Further feminist theory
We have looked at a range of feminist ideas earlier in the course including Laura Mulvey, Judith Butler, Liesbet van Zoonen, the concept of post- or fourth-wave feminism and more. We now need to explore this further with a deeper understanding of bell hooks and van Zoonen.
Notes from the lesson Watch this short extract from Orange is the New Black star Laverne Cox interviewing bell hooks at The New School in New York: bell hooks is a highly influential radical black feminist. She sees feminism as a struggle to end patriarchal oppression - it should be a serious political commitment rather than a fashionable lifestyle choice: “Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation and oppression”. bell hooks also points to the importance of race and class when studying oppression.
Intersectionality
Intersectionality is defined as the common point of two forms of oppression and how they work against a particular group of people. For example, black feminism addresses both gender and race discrimination.
bell hooks suggests that race is so significant that the experiences of gender, class or sexuality-based discrimination cannot be fully understood without also considering race.
This is important when analysing power in society. For example, men generally have more power then women – but white, middle class western women generally have much more power than women from non-white backgrounds.
Liesbet van Zoonen
Liesbet van Zoonen is an influential feminist academic and linked gender roles and the media explicitly in her 1994 book Feminist Media Studies. Some of her key ideas:
Gender is constructed through media language
These constructions reflect cultural and historical contexts
The objectification of the female body is a key construct of western culture (building on Mulvey – male gaze)
If women have to be like men to be treated equally, then equality itself is repressive
Women and videogames: blog tasks Work through the following blog tasks to complete our work on women in videogames and further feminist theory. Part 1: Background reading on Gamergate Read this Guardian article on Gamergate 10 years on. Answer the following questions: 1) What was Gamergate? 2) What is the recent controversy surrounding narrative design studio Sweet Baby Inc? 3) What does the article conclude regarding diversity in videogames?
Part 2: Further Feminist Theory: Media Factsheet
Use our Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) or here using your Greenford Google login. Find Media Factsheet #169 Further Feminist Theory, read the whole of the Factsheet and answer the following questions:
1) What definitions are offered by the factsheet for ‘feminism ‘and ‘patriarchy’?
2) Why did bell hooks publish her 1984 book ‘Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center’?
3) What aspects of feminism and oppression are the focus for a lot of bell hooks’s work?
4) What is intersectionality and what does hooks argue regarding this?
5) What did Liesbet van Zoonen conclude regarding the relationship between gender roles and the mass media?
6) Liesbet van Zoonen sees gender as socially constructed. What does this mean and which other media theorist we have studied does this link to?
7) How do feminists view women’s lifestyle magazines in different ways? Which view do you agree with?
8) In looking at the history of the colours pink and blue, van Zoonen suggests ideas gender ideas can evolve over time. Which other media theorist we have studied argues things evolve over time and do you agree that gender roles are in a process of constant change? Can you suggest examples to support your view?
9) What are the five aspects van Zoonen suggests are significant in determining the influence of the media?
10) What other media theorist can be linked to van Zoonen’s readings of the media?
11) Van Zoonen discusses ‘transmission models of communication’. She suggests women are oppressed by the dominant culture and therefore take in representations that do not reflect their view of the world. What other theory and idea (that we have studied recently) can this be linked to?
12) Finally, van Zoonen has built on the work of bell hooks by exploring power and feminism. She suggests that power is not a binary male/female issue but reflects the “multiplicity of relations of subordination”. How does this link to bell hooks?
A/A* Extension tasks: TED talk
Finally, if you’re interested in some of these ideas, there is plenty more reading and watching you can do. For example, watch this TEDx talk by renowned Nigerian/American novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ‘We should all be feminists’:
How has the videogame landscape changed with regards to the representation of women? What is the impact of the videogames industry being male-dominated?
