Independent Study Tutorials

For 13C students...

Please sign up to one of the slots below by posting a comment at the end of this message. You must sign up before Christmas and then I'll put up a list on here of the finalised timetable. First come-first served. Remember - you must have completed all blog tasks (1-12) to be eligible for a tutorial so these need to be done by the day we return after Christmas (Thursday 05-01-06). Also, when you attend the tutorial you must bring your fully organised research folder with you so get those in order now if you haven't done already.

Finally, the deadline for the completed first draft of the Independent Study is...

• Tuesday 7th February

This means that if you have a tutorial towards the end of study leave you will only have two weeks to get all 3000 words done (with footnotes and a full bibliography for it to be accepted). As during some of this time you will be at Disney my advice would be to get in early for a tutorial.

Available times...

• Monday 09-01: periods 1 (Russell), 2 (Manjoth), 3, 4 (Mariam),5 or 6
  

• Tuesday 10-01: periods 1 (CANCELLED...choose another) or 3
  

• Wednesday 11-01: periods 2 (Charanpal), 3 (Anita), 5, 7 (Shabazz)or 8 (Sofia)
  

• Friday 13-01: periods 2 (CANCELLED...choose another) or 3 (Danny)
  

• Monday 16-01: periods 2 (Aanchal), 3, 4, 5, 6 or 8 (Russell)
  

• Tuesday 17-01: periods 1 or 3

• Wednesday 18-01: periods 1 (CANCELLED...choose another), 2 (Pardeep), 3 (Abisheik), 5 (Bilan) or 8 (Kristina)
  

• Friday 20-01: periods 2 (Harbinder), 3 (Iena) or 4 (Roohdip)
  

Independent Study - TASK 12

For 13C students...

The following comprises TASK TWELVE. It also needs to be completed over Christmas and MUST be done for the day you return on Thursday 5th January, 2006. Failure to do so will mean that you will not receive a one-to-one tutorial about your work in progress...

• Type out the full title of your independent study, highlighting what you consider to be the keywords in a different colour.
  

• Then write out the first paragraph and post it on your blog. This is usually the hardest in any essay (along with the last one!) Obviously, it must be a clear introduction that makes reference to the keywords in the title and outlines the various areas that you will be exploring in the course of the essay. It may introduce a hypothesis (something that you will seek to test/prove during the next 3000 words). For example, you may be arguing that 'Kill Bill' demonstrates a change in the representation of women. It's a bit like the debate in this sense - you are putting forward a proposition and making points that will back it up (although you will also be given credit here for considering both sides of the argument too).

Independent Study - TASK 11

For 13C students...

The following comprises TASK ELEVEN. It also needs to be completed over Christmas and MUST be done for the day you return on Thursday 5th January, 2006. Failure to do so will mean that you will not receive a one-to-one tutorial about your work in progress...

• Produce a detailed essay plan for your independent study, covering everything that you hope to include in your submission. Break your ideas and research down into sections and paragraphs with headings, summaries and a list of references that you hope to include at each step.

• Make sure that you label each point you hope to include by linking it to Key Concepts (MIGRAIN) and Wider Contexts (SHEP). (You could just include the initial letter in brackets). This way you can see whether you have covered everything that you need to in an even way. Also, ensure that you think about where you will include theories/theorists and media keywords. (Keep the 'Essential Word Dictionary' handy).

• This will make writing your essay so much easier. However, it is a big task as it requires you to read through all your research very carefully (including reviewing all the work that you've posted up in your blogs and checking through the comments/suggestions you've received).

• You may want to produce this plan as a straightforward series of bullet points or as a more complex mindmap. If it's the latter you may have to do it by hand and then scan it in before posting it up on your blog. Or you may want to try out a free trial of some mind-mapping software. (You can see an example - but not for an independent study - of how this software can be used below...)
  
  

Independent Study - TASK TEN

For 13C students...

The following comprises TASK TEN. It needs to be completed over Christmas and MUST be done for the day you return on Thursday 5th January, 2006. Failure to do so will mean that you will not receive a one-to-one tutorial about your work in progress...

• Research a historical text that you can use to compare with your contemporary one (that is the main focus of your study). By 'historical' it is meant anything pre-1990 but the 40s, 50s, 60s or even 70s might be more fruitful because they pre-date many of the important changes that have occurred recently (such as the gains for women as a result of feminism). The purpose here is to be able to demonstrate how society has changed over the years and how these changes are reflected in different media texts.

• Ideally, you will watch at least one film/tv programme from the past, make notes on it and research it in Media/Film Studies textbooks and on the internet. (A highly recommended text here is 'The Cinema Book', edited by Pam Cook and Mieke Bernink and available in the school library. If you follow the link here you can read the contents page and index online and this will be useful). Through this you will become aware of developments in the genre you are researching - look for a range of titles (at least five) that you can refer to in your essay - and you should be able to link them to the wider contexts that were present at the time.

• If you can't get hold of the text it's not the end of the world - you are stuck with doing just secondary research instead of this and primary research. Just make sure you do plenty of it.

• List your media texts and research links/bibliography in a blog post entitled 'Historical Texts'.

Debate Evaluation

Well done to both teams...you were fantastic - a real credit to the school with your excellent research and detailed preparation, your extremely well argued points and your courage in standing up in front of so many people and appearing so confident and knowledgeable.

A draw really was the only fair result - take a look at the Macguffin Forum and you'll see that most of the Year 12s agree that it really was too close to call. Sometimes, in a battle between two heavyweights, there can be no overall winner because they are so evenly matched. If one team had either won all three debates (or won two and also had a higher overall points score than their rivals) then we could have declared a victor but it didn't happen.

Look at it this way - you both won!!

And if you can't bear that thought and you feel the need for a different resolution then perhaps we need a rematch to settle the matter?? But maybe this time something different other than a debate. What do people think? Any suggestions?

Anyway, you all need to post up your evaluations of the event on your blogs (call it 'Debate Evaluation'). Please answer the following questions as soon as possible so that the experience hasn't faded from your minds too much when you do it...before Monday 19th December at the latest!!

• What are the main things that you've learnt about Media Studies through taking part? (Try to list at least three new ideas, theories, etc.)

• What other skills have you developed? (e.g. debating skills, team-working, researching, public speaking, etc.)Has it been an effective way to motivate you and to help you learn? Why? Why not?

• Rate your personal performance for...a. research/preparation; b. performance on the day, and explain why.

• What could you personally have done better?

• pecial mention for their contributions?

• How could your team have done better? (Don't blame individuals but think about general points).

• Rate your opposing team's overall performance. What was particularly good about it? In your opinion, who deserves a special mention for their contributions?

• Was it a fair result? Why? Why not?

• Was the whole event like you expected it to be? How was it different?

• Do you feel that you had the right level of support from your teachers in preparing you? What else could we have done for you?

• How could the whole organisation of the debate have been improved? (Over the last few weeks and on the actual day).

• What do you suggest we could do next to test the relative abilities of Year 13 Media Studies students?

• Are you pleased that we had a Media Studies debate? Was it interesting and enjoyable? Why? Why not?

• Would you recommend that we have a debate for Year 12 students next year? Why? Why not?

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Independent Study TASK NINE

For 13C students...

What follows is TASK NINE and the deadline is 13-12-05...

• In your own words, write a summary on your blog of the arguments that Laura Mulvey puts forward in her Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975). As you know, this is one of the key texts in Media Studies when considering the representation of women. You can consult the two handouts that you've been given so far on her ideas or do some additional research on the internet (and don't forget to check the Essential Word Dictionary). Try to include as many of the keywords that we discussed in Friday's lesson...

Freud, psychoanalysis, the unconscious, resistance, repression, scopophilia, voyeurism, castration, sadism/masochism, fetishization/fetish object, objectification, patriarchy, misogyny, identification, narcissism, idealization, anxiety, audience positioning/spectatorship, MALE GAZE, narrative cinema, phallic objects, womb/penis envy.

• Then write about how the theory could be useful for you in your Independent Study. How can you apply it to your text and the representations within it? For most of you this will definitely be the case and even where it is not immediately obvious that you might be able to refer to it, try to be creative because it is a theory that we will revisit several times and you will feel very confident about discussing it eventually (believe me!). Therefore, it makes sense if you can fit it in.

Independent Study TASK EIGHT

For 13C students...

The following comprises TASK EIGHT and is required by 06-12-05...

• Take time to skim read through the AS/A-Level Media Studies Essential Word Dictionary by David Probert (2005) Debbingdon: Philip Allan Updates. Then choose TEN key terms that are especially relevant for your Independent Study. For each one, post up a brief definition on your blog - in your own words, if possible - and then give details about how it can be linked to the work that you are doing.

• Add another FIVE texts to your (book) bibliography on your blog (or create another posting) that you will consult and quote from in your Independent Study, taking you up to a total of THIRTEEN. This will require another visit to the school library where you should ensure that you photocopy some of the relevant pages and highlight the essential details you expect to include. Alternatively, you could be sneaky if you are working on the representation of women and simply refer to David Gauntlett's (2002) Media, Gender and Identity (London: Routledge). Choose the relevant texts/researchers/theorists from the handouts that you've been given and then use the bibliography from his book (that you've also been given) to find the publisher details etc.
  

Make sure you include all the correct information (author, date, place, publisher) in the conventional way as this will be necessary in your essay. (See TASK SIX for how to do this.)

Debating Rules

Basic Rules:

• The first minute of each speaker time is ‘protected’ so they cannot be challenged.

• The second minute is ‘unprotected’ and they may receive a ‘point of information’ from anyone on the opposing team.

• The final minute is also ‘protected’.

• During the ‘unprotected’ minute, any member of the challenging team may stand and offer a ‘point of information’ where they challenge a failure in the speaker’s argument. This must be brief. The speaker, however, may choose whether or not to accept, though they will receive marks for accepting a few.
  

• The Summary Speaker DOES NOT make new points but sums up those of their side and rebut points made by their challengers.

Intro:

• Chair person welcomes all and introduces debate.

• Invites speaker one of the proposition to begin.

• Chair explains that each speaker will have three minutes.

Speaker One of Proposition:

• It is vital that he/she defines the parameters of the debate e.g. “By censorship we mean the banning of…"

• Speaker One makes three points and tells their listeners what those points will be during their opening.

Speaker One of Opposition:

• Introduces their three points but may chose to ‘indulge in some rebuttal’ on points brought up by speaker one of proposition.

Speaker Two of Proposition:

• As above (three points + rebuttal)

Speaker Two of Opposition:

• As above (three points + rebuttal)

Summary Speaker of Proposition:

• The Summary Speaker DOES NOT make new points but sums up those of their side and rebut points made by their challengers.

Summary Speaker of Opposition:

• As above.

Chair opens the debate to the floor.

The Great Debate

For 13C & 13D students...

Latest news...
Both sides have elected captains (Mariam & Sonia, respectively) and have decided upon speakers and researchers for each of their three different debate teams (although these details are top secret!)

Also, Ms Stevens (13C) and Mr Munro (13D) have agreed to act as official trainers. You can call on them for support and advice and they will be offering some additional time in their lessons to get you ready. Bush, as you know, is maintaining strict impartiality, as is Ms Twebti - the judge - who is offering both sides a special preparation session on Tuesday 6th December at 3.25pm in E01. You are all expected to attend this meeting because you will otherwise not know about the correct procedures for formal debating nor will you know about the best strategies for winning.

The event will be captured on digital video - shot by Year 12s - so make sure you look good in every way. Russel has suggested formal attire would be appropriate. What do others think?

The three debates are as follows...

The Representation Debate

Despite some recent changes, women are still inadequately represented in the media because it is awash with negative stereotypes that serve to reinforce patriarchal ideologies.

The Issues Debate

The 'Incitement to Religious Hatred Bill' is an attack on our basic right to freedom of speech and will wrongly censor rational argument in the media about the problems with religion.

The Genre Debate

Hollywood produces repetitive, formulaic and unimaginative genre movies that pander to 'dumbed down' audiences and this means that independent, art-house films are all that is worth watching.

Homework - due on Wednesday 30th November - is to have started researching your topic on the internet and to bring this material to the lesson. You need to get on with this as there will only be two weeks to go before the debate (in front of the Year 12 audience) and you need to get the information together so that you can start practising. Don't forget - you won't know until the day itself whether you are required to debate in favour or against the motion so you have to research both sides of the argument and think about objections to your points and how you will counter them.

Tips are as follows...

The Representation Debate

To start with, use your Independent Study research material for this one - at least half the people in each class are covering this topic in one way or another. You will have lots of case studies to draw from, many concrete examples and theory etc. that you've got from the library.

Then refer to the handouts you've received so far in lessons about the subject - from 'Media Gender & Identity' (Gauntlett), from 'Introducing Media Studies' and from the articles you've been given from 'The Guardian'. These make ideal starting points from which you can go on to explore key ideas and theorists in more depth.

Do more internet research, beginning with the following sites...

David Gauntlett's 'Media, Gender & Identity' Site...really useful articles and links.
MediaKnowall...has a good overview on representation and links to stuff on gender.
The Media & Communications Studies Site...loads of links to some very academic articles.
MediaGuardian and The Guardian websites...do searches on the 'representation of women'.

The Issues Debate

Obviously, you need to find out as much as possible about this new bill - exactly what it will mean, why it is being introduced, etc. Then you need to find opinions for and against the new measure with detailed reasons for each standpoint.

Research recent texts that have been controversial like the musical, 'Jerry Springer - The Opera', (that offended Christians) and the play 'Behzti' (that was stopped by Sikh protesters). Find out about the sacked TV presenter, Robert Kilroy-Silk, and what he wrote.

Also, think carefully about the Muslim angle and how this all links with our post-911 world and increasing levels of Islamophobia in the media. You are likely to want to develop your arguments into a wider discussion about the representation of ethnic minorities in the media and a consideration of post-colonial theory.

Then go on to research censorship - a key media debate - and try to find ways to link its historical development and ideas about it to this current case.

There will be materials in the school library about censorship but a lot of this research will be done on the internet (use the search terms - 'Incitement to Religious Hatred Bill', 'censorship' and 'Islamophobia')...

MediaGuardian and The Guardian websites...are the best places to start , as ever.
In particular, you will find an excellent special report there on 'Race and the Media'.
BBCi has lots of topical info, too.
There is a Sixth Form College website that covers censorship.
The Media & Communications Studies Site has a section on ethnicity.
A media student has set up his own impressive site on censorship.

The Genre Debate

As with the Representation Debate your Independent Studies are the best starting points. You (should) know these texts really well so you can use them as case studies and include specific examples from them to back up your points.

Then you will need to research genre theory. We will be covering this later in the course so you will be able to pick up some handouts on this from school but you will also find a lot about it on the internet...

Film Education has resources on genre and how it operates in the film industry.
Introductory stuff on genre from a sixth form college website.
The Media & Communications Studies Site...lots of links to articles outlining genre theory.
Guardian Unlimited Film is a great starting place to search for topical discussions.

Finally...
Don't forget - all of this research serves a dual purpose in that it is also directly linked to your coursework and your exam modules. If you work hard here in an attempt to win the debate (and avoid looking stupid) then you will have also done invaluable preparation in your quest for excellent A Level results. Good luck!!

Annual Media Debate

For 13C & 13D students...

In yesterday's lesson, some 13C students started claiming that their class was better than 13D. (A bit sad, it's true). It was pointed out that 13D students also got excellent results for AS last year and many of the Media Awards prizes went to the other class too. Yet still they were insistent about their own superiority. (Misplaced arrogance?)

There's only one way to find out, isn't there? (And we don't mean by Charanpal and Imroz having a fight after school.)

We've decided to have a Media Debate which we hope to turn into an annual event (a bit like the Media Awards Evening). The plan is for each side to field three teams of three students each and for there to be three separate debates about three different media topics on the day. The rest of the group members will be involved in researching beforehand and asking questions during the debate.

We have a provisional date for it to take place - Wednesday 14th December, after school in the Sixth Form Block. The audience will include all Year 12 Media Studies students and various members of staff so the pressure is on! Ms Twebti is one of the main organisers and will be available to offer debating advice to the team members. We will start preparing you for the event next week. You need to think about who your team members will be - and you need to elect a captain.

Check out the Macguffin Forum to start debating now!!

Independent Study TASK SEVEN

For 13C students...

The following list of things to do comprises TASK SEVEN and is required by 22-11-05...

• Update bibliography so that it includes five more book resources (to make a total of eight). This, obviously, requires a visit to the library! For each text, make sure you make notes/copy out quotes that might be relevant for your essay or photocopy the page(s). If you choose to do the latter then you need to highlight/annotate the photocopy.

• Make a comment on every 13C blog. Your aim here is to be constructive so say something positive, followed by a suggestion or idea about what could be improved or added. A good example of this being done properly comes from Manjoth. Click on the link and see her previous comments before attempting your own. Remember to use Standard English please (that includes you Russell!) Also, if possible, attach your comment to the most recent blog posting that has been created - this way it is most likely to be noticed - but don't worry about this if you are commenting on something specific and you want to attach it to a particular post elsewhere.
  

• Make a posting on your own blog entitled: 'Comments on 13C Blogs' and provide the name and specific link to that comment. Iena has done this well in the past (click on the link).
  

NB: The other h/w this week for 13C is to read and highlight the 'Representation' handout from 'Introducing Media Studies'. A number of people missed the lesson when this was issued so make sure you pick up a copy before next Tuesday.

Independent Study TASK SIX

For 13C students...

The following list of things to do comprises TASK SIX and is required by 15-11-05...

• Ensure that all TASKS ONE-FIVE are fully complete (especially your responses to Macguffin's comments - you have to add to and improve your work, otherwise there's little point the teacher reading it).
  

• Carry out a close textual analysis of a chosen scene from your main text and post it up on your blog. The scene should be able to exemplify some of the key points you wish to make in your Independent Study and link with some of the key issues and debates that your text raises.

Think of the task as like a Module 6 analysis but with one text instead of two - so you need to cover MIGRAIN and SHEP and you are advised to watch the scene several times and to make detailed notes before embarking on the write-up. Use the Key Concepts Glossary from Year 12 to help you think about terminology to use (in the post below).

• Post up at least three books you have started researching in a posting entitled: 'Bibliography: Books'. Make sure you include all the required information in the correct way...

Author Surname, Author First Name (year of publication): Title. Place of Publication: Publisher.
eg...Craig, Steve (1992) : Men, Masculinity and the Media. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

If you can add more now then please do - you will have to in the future.

• Read through the three photocopied pieces of research you collected from the library. Highlight key points and annotate - bring to the next lesson.

• Post up a new improved essay title. This should be preceeded by a relevant quote from your chosen text.

Key Terminology

For 13C & 13D students...

A useful reminder of some of the keywords covered last year that should be included in your Independent Studies...

Glossary: Key Concepts/Key Terminology

Media Language (M)
what techniques are being used to make meaning in the text?
semiotics: non-verbal codes, denotation/connotation, signs, signification, anchoring
cinematography, camerawork: composition, framing, BCU, CU, MS, LS, pan, tilt, tracking shot, zoom
mise-en-scéne: clothing, props, gestures, facial expressions, sets, setting
lighting: key light, back light, filler light; underlighting, top lighting, back lighting; low-key/high-key lighting
sound: diegetic/non-diegetic; on/off screen, sound bridge; parallel/contrapuntal sound, voiceover narration
editing: continuity editing, jump cut, dissolve, wipe, fade in/out, cross-cutting, paralleling, cutaways,
montage, suturing (shot/reverse shot)

Institution (I)
who produces, distributes, regulates the text?
production: Hollywood/non-Hollywood
promotion: reach, trailers, posters, publicity, marketing
distribution: mainstream, multiplex cinema/independent, alternative, art-house cinema
scheduling: prime-time; the ‘watershed’
broadcasting: public broadcasting (BBC, public service)/commercial television (advertising, profit)
ethics: (non) intervention, manipulation, ‘set-ups’, reconstruction, simulation, exploitation, ‘dumbing down’

Genre (G)
what type of text is it?
hybrid genre, sub-genre
generic conventions/repertoire of elements: iconography, style, setting, narrative, characters, themes
repetition/variation
appropriation: parody, pastiche, formulaic, homage
film genres: film noir, horror, gangster, melodrama, teen movie
documentary elements: ‘fly on the wall’, observational documentary, actuality, ‘vox pops’, formats
documentary genres: institutional, ‘reality TV’, social issue, reportage/investigative, docudrama, docusoap
development of doc: Vertov, Riefenstahl, propaganda, city symphony, cinema vérité, Direct Cinema
broadcast fiction genres: one-off drama, series, serial/mini-series, soap opera, sitcom
broadcast fiction elements: title sequence, theme tune, melodrama, tragedy, comic relief

Representation (R)
who or what is being represented in the text? how?
gender, ethnicity
positive/negative: fair, accurate, reflects society
stereotypes: challenge/reinforce
mediation: constructed, constructedness, mis-representation, selection, compression
realist aesthetic, naturalism

Audience (A)
who consumes the text?
primary/secondary audiences
target audience: age, gender, ethnicity, social background, interests
(genre) expectations: fulfilled/cheated, subverted
narrative pleasures: suspense/dramatic irony, identification/alienation, stars, escapism, entertainment
aesthetic/visual pleasure
sexual/psychological pleasures: sadism, voyeurism
reception: how? when? where? possible audience readings
appeal, popularity

Ideology & Values (I)
what are the belief systems/messages/values underpinning the text?
liberal values: progressive values, anti-racism, multi-culturalism
dominant ideology: traditional values, maintain the status quo
positive values: to educate, to inform, to create sympathy, to encourage social or political change
patriarchy: misogyny, feminism

Narrative (N)
how is the narrative in the text organized and structured?
closed narrative/open narrative
exposition: recapitulation, foreshadowing
closure: denouement, resolution/cliffhanger, resisting closure
linear narrative: chronological
non-linear narrative: flashback
narrative structure: equilibrium-disequilibrium-new equilibrium (Todorov)
narrative roles: protagonist, hero/rescuer, villain, princess/rescued (Propp)
narrative themes: binary oppositions (Levi-Strauss)
enigma codes: question, disruption (Barthes)
strands, multi-stranded narrative

Independent Study - CHECKLIST

For 13C students...

Here are the tasks that should have been done by now:

TASK ONE
(18-10-05)
Set up blog, title, overview, image, five links

TASK TWO
(18-10-05)
Changes, five comments, MIGRAIN posts, links to comments

TASK THREE
(21-10-05)
Wider contexts posts,theory/theorists x3

TASK FOUR
(01-11-05)
Key concepts questions, improvements (respond to comments), ten comments, links to comments

TASK FIVE
(08-11-05)
Self evaluation, course evaluation

'Love + Hate' Questions

For 13C & 13D students...

The following (except the 'Activities' section) need to be completed - on paper - by your first lesson next week (either Tuesday 08-11 or Wednesday 09-11).

Before watching the film –

• Consider films you are familiar with which deal with the representation of young people in Britain who come from the ethnic minorities. What is the historical, social and cultural context to these films? How relevant are they in contributing to our understanding of contemporary British society?

• Think about and list the many adaptations of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Think about the recurring themes and the many ways that this classic story has been adapted.

When watching the film –

• Think about the effectiveness of the use of location and settings in establishing scene. Why is the setting for this film left as an ambiguous town in Northern Britain?

• How are stereotypes used and broken in this film?

• The film-makers wanted to capture the culture of each community but also the segregation of the town as a whole. Consider the ways in which this is represented throughout the film.

• Music performs a symbolic purpose in the text. Identify some scenes to discuss their significance to the film’s overall meanings.

• The film highlights many hypocrisies in all areas of the communities it shows. Provide examples from specific scenes.

After watching the film –

• Love + Hate looks at the representation of women (through its portrayal of one young woman) in the Muslim community in Britain. Consider how the filmmakers convey Naseema’s role through her dress code. What is the significance of dress codes, both to Naseema’s experiences and to the film as a whole? Consider as well the dress codes of both Naseema’s sister and best friend. How does this inform the audience about their characters?

• The Iraq War and Bush’s ‘War on Terror’ is central to the narrative development. Discuss its overall impact on the tensions displayed throughout the film.

• How far does the film explore the tension between the younger and older generation of Muslims, in the light of the wider political and international developments?

• This film was made before the London bombings of 7/7. Discuss how the films characters and themes have either gained or lost relevance since this event.

• Look at the review of the film. Do you agree or disagree with the authors feelings towards the film.

Activities

• Map the narrative development in the film. Does it provide the audience with a satisfactory ending? What ‘resolution’ is there for Naseema? For other characters?

• Find out about the narrative theories of Claude Levi-Strauss. How far is it possible to relate his ideas of ‘binary opposites’ to the issues of representation in the film?

• There have been many films in British cinema over the last two decades which deal with young people and especially women living in their own culture and also in British culture. Research some of these and write a review highlighting the representation of either generational conflict, or the role of women (see Useful films for comparison, below)

• Earlier this month Trevor Phillips, the head of the Commission for Racial Equality claimed that Britain is ‘sleepwalking to segregation’. How does Love + Hate either confirm or disparage this statement.

• Write an article for your school or college bulletin/ magazine. Make the central theme a debate whereby you highlight how the film Love + Hate can assist in counteracting some of the ‘hysteria’ and ‘paranoia’ against the Muslim community. Discuss aspects of race and racism and how the film draws the audience’s attention to these within the contemporary Iraq War/ War on terror context.

Useful films for comparison

My Beautiful Launderette (Dir Stephen Frears/UK 1985)
Bhaji on the Beach (Dir Gurinder Chadha/ UK 1993)
My Son the Fanatic (Dir Udayan Prasad/ UK-France 1997)
East is East (Dir Damien O’Donnell/UK 1999)
Anita and Me (Dir Metin Huseyin/ UK 2002)
Bend it Like Beckham (Dir Gurinder Chadha/ UK-Germany 2002)
Ae Fond Kiss (Dir Ken Loach UK-Belgium 2004)
Bride and Prejudice (Dir Gurinder Chadha/ UK/US 2004)
Romeo and Juliet (Dir Baz Luhrmann/ USA/ 1996)

Love + Hate Trip

To All Year 13 students: URGENT...

Read the letter below, then copy and paste the text into a word document and print off for your parents to sign. Ideally, I would like you to bring in the confirmation slips on Tuesday 1st November. (The first day back after the holiday).

Check out this link to the film - it's going to be very useful for considering the representation of Asians, which is what you study for Module 4. Mariam should be especially pleased because it fits in with her independent study about the representaton of Muslims (see her blog).

Please inform everyone you know on the course about the trip - get on your mobile phones and MSN! It's compulsory and you need to be outside the school gates on Wednesday 2nd November at 8am. (Yes, that early!)

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21st October 2005

Dear Parent/Guardian,

To coincide with ‘The London Film Festival’, The English & Media Studies Department at Greenford High School has been offered free complimentary tickets to a special educational screening of the new British film Love + Hate (certificate 15). We are reserving these tickets for A2 Media Studies students, who will go on to study the film for their forthcoming Module 4 exam on Representation/Genre in June, so it is essential that they attend. After the movie, there will be a special Q&A Session with the director, Dominic Savage.

The event takes place at the Genesis Cinema in Mile End, London E1, on Wednesday 2nd November. The school, because of the educational value of the visit, will pay for the cost of the coach that will take us to and from the venue. Students will be required to meet at the school gates at 8am. We cannot wait for latecomers as we must arrive on time at the cinema. We expect to be back at Greenford High School by the time school usually finishes at 3.25pm.

Students will be expected to make contact with their subject teachers during the week of the trip to inform them about it and to find out what work they will need to do to catch up because of what they will miss.

If you would like your son/daughter to attend, then please fill in the slip below and ask them to return it to Mr. Bush by Wednesday 2nd November. As ever, your support is greatly appreciated.

Yours sincerely,


Mr. A. P. Bush
Head of English & Media Studies

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I would like my son/daughter*___________________________(insert name) to attend the special educational screening of the film Love + Hate and the subsequent Q&A Session on Wednesday 2nd November ’05 at the Genesis Cinema in Mile End, London E1.

Signed__________________________ Phone Number___________________

*Please delete as appropriate