Critical Investigation Task #3

Historical text analysis and research

Research a historical text that you can use to compare with your contemporary one (that is the main focus of your investigation). By 'historical' we mean anything pre-2000 but the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s or even 80s might be more fruitful because they pre-date many of the important changes that have occurred more recently (such as the gains for women as a result of feminism; or greater equality for ethnic minorities now that we are - arguably - a more inclusive and multi-cultural society; or the ground-breaking developments in new media/digital technology). The purpose here is to be able to demonstrate...

• how society and the issue you are investigating has changed over the years and how these changes are reflected in different media texts, or - to put it another way...
• how popular culture reflects the 'spirit of the age' or zeitgeist

Ideally, you will watch at least one film/TV programme/video game/music video from the past, make notes on it and research it in Media/Film Studies textbooks and on the internet. The best option is to watch/play the whole text on DVD/online or otherwise you might be able to see extracts on YouTube. Answer the following questions:

• How is it similar/different to your main text?
• How does this show how the genre/society/issue has changed?

Through this you will become aware of developments in the genre you are researching. This task is designed to make sure you have a range of texts to refer to in your critical investigation essay (you'll need at least five including your main text and the historical text you analyse in this task). Remember: you should be able to link them to the wider contexts that were/are present at the time. It's also worth noting that you will be rewarded for considering your topic across different platforms.

If you can't get hold of an original copy of the text it's not the end of the world - you will be stuck doing secondary research. Just make sure you do plenty of it and find out information from a few different sources.

As ever, list your historical text(s), research, textual analysis and links/bibliography in a detailed blog post (or simply add to your ongoing Notes and Quotes post).

Due: Thursday 5 December

Y13E Cover p5/6, Monday 2/12/12

Please stay in the classroom and get on with your Critical Investigations. Mr Babu will register/supervise you. 

You should have completed Task#1 (detailed analysis of two texts) for homework for today's lesson...

http://mediamacguffin13.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/critical-investigation-task-1.html?m=1

...I'll be checking this tomorrow morning, p1. 

This week you need to complete Task#2 (additional reading/bibliography) which is due in a week, on Monday 9/12 p5...

http://mediamacguffin13.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/critical-investigation-task-2.html?m=1

Y13D Cover p3/4, Monday 2/12/12

Stay in the classroom - Mr Babu will register/monitor you. 

Watch and make notes on 'The Virtual Revolution' Episode 2 (wear headphones when you do this)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFeJaEhUGs8&sns=em

After each ten minute section, type up your detailed notes on your blog, then watch/make notes on the next section. Do not leave it until the end of the entire programme to post up your notes. Please complete this for homework. 

You must also make sure you've done your Marxism/pluralism (audience power) essay. You need to hand in a paper copy and for it to be on your blog for your next Media lesson on Thursday. 

And don't forget this week's two NDM stories also need to be on your blog. 

Critical Investigation: Task #2

Academic research and bibliography

As you know, a detailed bibliography is crucial to reach the top grades in your coursework. Refer to our Essential Reading List which contains titles of 45 of the most important books for the Critical Investigation, most of which are either in the school library or media suite. If you haven't used any of these yet, make sure you take advantage of these excellent resources this week.

Those underlined are the twenty most important but, obviously, not all of the texts on this list will be directly relevant for you...you'll need to spend a fair amount of time searching through them (especially the contents and indexes) to find the key quotes and ideas that will impress the examiners.

You must include references to quite a few of these books if you want an A or B so borrow them from the library, look at them in lesson or even buy them over the next fortnight. If the book belongs to the Media department, you will have to do your research in class or in DF06 during a free period - the books can't leave school unfortunately.

Task #2 is to pull this information together in an updated blog posting of all your notes and quotes so far INCLUDING a complete bibliography of your research so far. Make sure you include the following:

• Author-Year-Title-Place-Publisher info;
• Quotes (+ Page References) from the book that can be linked to your study;
• A short explanation of each one explaining how it is relevant to you/your topic.
• Finally, post up on your blog a Complete Bibliography (so far) to include ALL the books you currently have quotes from. It MUST contain at least TEN different academic books or journals as well as all your online and Media Magazine sources.

Most people find formatting a bibliography very difficult the first time - there are quite specific rules that you need to follow and universities are very fussy about how it is presented. Use this 'Guide to writing bibliographies' to help or try this really useful bibliography formatting and creation tool: 'BibMe'.

Deadline: Friday 6 December (13D); Monday 9 December (13E)

Hegemony in the age of New and Digital Media

Starter

I've got some reading to get you started. Firstly, I noticed a reference to hegemony yesterday in an article that could also be linked to our work on feminism - read this article on the Hunger Games and at least 15 comments below.

You might also want to look at this story on the front page of the Guardian website this morning... can we link this to hegemony?

Main task

Read the Media Magazine article ‘Web 2.0: Participation or Hegemony?’ (use the log-in details here) and complete the following tasks:

1) Research the Ian Tomlinson case. What would the traditional, hegemonic view of the police be in a case like this? How did new and digital media create a different story? What does the police officer's subsequent aquittal suggest about the power of new and digital media?

2) Do you agree that new and digital media challenges the traditional, dominant hegemonic views? Why?

3) What does the author argue regarding whether hegemony is being challenged by Web 2.0? 

4) Use the topic you researched (royal family, NHS, immigration etc.) to provide examples of how new and digital media is used to challenge traditional or hegemonic views.

Complete for homework - due Thursday 5 December.

Critical Investigation: Task #1

Before you know it, you'll be needing to write your Critical Investigation essay - which means we need to step up our preparations to make sure we have everything in place. We have designed a series of tasks to help you do this that you will need to complete over the next month. 

Final Deadline
All the preparatory tasks need to be finished before Christmas: Friday 20 December. You will then have the Christmas holidays to write the first draft of your 2,000 word essay.

TASK #1 TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
TASK #1 DEADLINE: FRIDAY 29 NOVEMBER

Carry out close textual analyses of at least TWO chosen scenes/extracts/clips from your PRIMARY text and post them up on your blog. 

The extracts should be able to exemplify some of the key points you wish to make in your Critical Investigation and link with some of the following key areas raised by your text...

Issues and debates 
Representation and stereotyping; Media effects; Reality TV; News Values; Moral Panics; Post 9/11 and the media; Ownership and control; Regulation and censorship; Media technology and the digital revolution – changing technologies in the 21st century; The effect of globalisation on the media.

Theories
Semiotics; Structuralism and post-structuralism; Postmodernism and its critiques; Gender and ethnicity; Marxism and hegemony; Liberal Pluralism; Colonialism and Post-colonialism; Audience theories; Genre theories.

Make sure it is an extract you haven't analysed before and embed the YouTube link in your posting if you can.

Think of each analysis as like a MEST 3 exam analysis but with one text instead of two - so you need to cover MIGRAIN and SHEP and you are advised to watch the extract several times and to make detailed notes before embarking on the write-up, which should be in essay format (NOT in note form). 

Use our Key Concepts Glossary to help you think about terminology to use. You should be including as many of these keywords and ideas as possible in your analysis (where relevant...this won't always be the case). You should also include ideas from the essential Media Keywords A-Z - another fantastic resource you should be reading religiously.

Good luck!

Critical Investigations - more online resources

We have paid for subscriptions to two online sites that you can log in to and add to your Critical Investigation research. They are as follows:

Media Magazine
The online archive of the magazines we have been looking at. Details:

http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/index.html 

Click on the top left box 'Enter Subscribers Site'. Log in details:

Username: mediamagazine10
Password: ly957mp


Mediaedu
Another online resource that contains a large number of case studies and articles on key media issues.

http://media.edusites.co.uk/

Click on the top right box 'Login'

Username: greenford
P/W: greenfordedu



Jump Cut
Jump Cut is an online contemporary Media journal with an archive dating back 40 years. The current issue is available here and the archive can be found here.

It's definitely worth searching for academic articles on your chosen topic. Note, you don't need a log-in for Jump Cut, the material is available for free online.


If you have any problems logging in to the top two sites, let me know.

Good luck!

Mr Halsey

13E cover work - Mr Halsey

Sorry guys, I'm still on paternity leave but I plan to come back in on Thursday so we can pick everything up then.

For today, I want you to make sure you've finished last Thursday's work on hegemony - collecting articles, headlines, links, blogs, comments and more on one of the issues I suggested. The original blog post is here.

If you're still struggling to get your head around hegemony, this page on the excellent Media Know All site will hopefully help. It covers ideology, dominant readings and the hegemonic view of beauty in the western world - read it today.

On Thursday, we'll discuss some of these issues and also watch a brilliant example of hegemony in action - straight from BBC1.

See you then!

13D cover work - Mr Halsey

Sorry guys, I'm still on paternity leave but I plan to come back in on Thursday so I'll see you then.

For now, continue with your Critical Investigation research. Remember all the different sources you can be using:

• Media Magazines
• Academic books
• Journal articles - use Google Scholar
• Newspaper website articles - look at both sides of the political spectrum (e.g. The Guardian and The Telegraph)
• Primary texts - you can be carrying out close textual analysis of key scenes from your primary text

There is also a huge amount of stuff out there on the web waiting for your discovery. One I found recently is Film Studies For Free - a collection of links to free open source journals and articles on anything to do with the film industry. It looks amazing but I haven't had a chance to look into it in detail yet. Try it today if you can.

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday and helping you get your Notes and Quotes document well over that 2,000 word mark.

Good luck!

13D cover work - Critical Investigations

Year 13 - I'm sorry I won't be in but the good news is I am a father! Baby Samuel was born this morning and we're doing OK.

You need to continue your Critical Investigations and get your Notes and Quotes document up to 2,000 words. The deadline for that is next week.

You should have plenty of research to be working through - and don't forget textual analysis of your chosen media text too.

Good luck - we'll continue our tutorials when I return.

13E cover work - Hegemony

Year 13 - I'm sorry I won't be in but the good news is I am a father! Baby Samuel was born this morning and we're doing OK.

Ideally, I would be there to teach you more on hegemony because it's a difficult theory to understand at first. However, if you complete the following task you will be further on the way to getting to grips with Gramsci's ideas...

Your task is to research one aspect of British society and decide what the dominant or hegemonic view is.

This is the ‘normal’ or accepted view that we see across most of the media coverage.

Your job is to research one topic from the choice below and find out what type of media coverage it gets. Is it positive? Critical? Ridiculed? Respectful? Dismissive? Ignored? Celebrated? You need examples from newspaper websites and blogs  - you may find blogs and comments differ from the dominant viewpoint that is found in major newspapers. 

Choose one of the following:

• The Royal Family
• Education
• The police and security services
• The NHS
• Politicians
• The Armed Forces
• Immigration
• Young people/teenagers

Find articles/websites/blogs and make notes on what angle or perspective the source takes on the issue.

Here's an example for what we're looking for - this is for another British obsession, house prices:

House prices

• The dominant or hegemonic view is that high house prices are good.
• Lots of coverage – with high prices almost always presented as a good thing. Mostly positive stories.
• Stories generally presented from perspective of people who already own homes rather than those hoping to buy them – a classic example of the angle favouring the wealthy or ruling class.
• Very little reference to the fact that house prices and risky mortgages contributed to the major economic crash in 2008.
• Little coverage of the impossibility of buying a house for young people.
• However, columns, blogs and comments present different opinions that contradict the dominant or hegemonic view (often written by younger people) - have a look at this example in the Guardian. 

Good luck - we'll pick this up next week and discuss it further as a class.

Tue 12/11/13: 13E Cover Work p1

Stay in the classroom and carry out Critical Investigation academic research using Google Scholar. Include links, page references and quotes and post up at least TEN different relevant quotes on your blog.

Complete for homework, doing additional research using Google Advanced Search, so that your Notes & Quotes document exceeds 2000 words by Monday 18/11/13.

NDM: UsvsTh3m

1. Take the test...
How much are you hated by the Daily Mail?
...and post a screenshot of your result along with a link to the main site on your blog.

2. Read the article...
Daily Mail quiz powers UsvsTh3m towards 3m users
...and explain: Why this website is a good idea for newspapers in the digital age (one paragraph).

3. Skim through the homepage and suggest three ideas on your blog for UsvsTh3m features.

13E Cultivation theory

Write a 300 word blogpost on the opening of Top Boy using your content analysis.

Refer to Gerbner’s cultivation theory and suggest what meanings, ideas and beliefs viewers might form in the opening 10 minutes.

Good luck!

13D - Notes and Quotes

Apologies - I'm out on an AQA GCSE Media course that I have to attend for this year's exam topic.

In this double lesson you need to continue your notes and quotes document/blog post and make sure you have a minimum of 1,000 words by the end of the lesson. A few of us were behind when we looked before half-term so we now need to make sure we are on top of things.

We can meet on Thursday during the lesson to make sure everything is up to date.

Good luck and keep the research going!

13E Cover Work: 21/10, p5/6

Make sure you register with Mr Babu/the cover teacher and that you stay in the classroom for the whole double period.

1. Ensure you've completed the homework task to produce your first 500 words of Notes/Quotes.

2. Continue with your Critical Investigation research. In particular, make use of the Media Magazines on the bookshelf. Your Notes/Quotes document must be at least 1000 words by p1 tomorrow's lesson (Tue 22/10: I WILL be there and I'll be checking in 1:1 tutorials). Please include a word count and make sure it is posted up on your blog.

13D Cover Work: 21/10, p3/4

Make sure you register with Mr Babu and that you stay in the classroom for the whole double period.

1. Complete the homework task if you haven't already done so.

2. Read this week's new/digital media stories on each other's blogs. Comment on at least THREE in their comments sections, stating your opinion on the topic. Paste the links to your comments in a posting on YOUR blog, entitled: "Comments on NDM blogs".

3. Read the article: Digital subscriptions to the Times and Sunday Times top 150,000 and the comments by readers in the section below it. Summarise the article on your blog and then select the FIVE comments that you agree with most and the FIVE that you disagree with most. Copy/paste them onto your blog saying why you agree/disagree.

4. Homework (for Thursday 24/10). Complete all of the above.

13D HW: Web 2.0 Articles

From MediaMagazine...

(login first: username: mediamagazine10; password: ly957mp)

• In the age of media 2.0 - six questions about media and participation 
• Participation debates - media and democracy 
• Web 2.0 - participation or hegemony? 

Read each article and summarise the key points in your own words on your blog and list the key information as bullet points.

Year 13 - Critical Investigation next steps

You should now have an in-depth, completed Critical Investigation Proposal on your blog. Before half-term, you will have a short tutorial confirming the subject matter, question and linked production is acceptable and focused on a text from the last five years.

The next step is to develop a 'Notes and Quotes' document to contain all your research. This document will eventually be thousands of words and contain all your links, ideas, comments and quotes from everything you read and watch. It is essential that you have a wide collection of research and notes before you write a single word of your actual essay.

Your homework over the next week is to start your Notes and Quotes document and reach at least 500 words. 

You can do this on Word or as a blogpost but you WILL have to publish everything you've got to your blog at least once a week for the next month.

Fortunately, you already have a template for this document from the last section of your Critical Investigation Proposal. Copy everything over under the heading Research Plan and start watching, reading and writing up any thoughts, ideas, quotes or comments you think of while looking at it. Don't forget to include anything you found in the Media Magazine articles too.

You'll need this on your blog by Tuesday 22 October - good luck!

Edward Said - Orientalism

We've had some very good discussions on Edward Said's Orientalism and the different representations of East and West. Your task to finish this topic is to answer two questions on the opening of Yasmin (2004). The clip is available on YouTube:

The questions you need to answer are difficult and there are no right or wrong answers. In fact, you could argue both sides depending on what part of the clip you choose. Please answer the following two questions in mini-essay format:

1. Does the opening of Yasmin offer a positive or negative representation of British Muslims?
2. To what extent does the opening of Yasmin reinforce or challenge Said’s theory of Orientalism – that the west is superior to the exotic or dangerous east?

Due: Monday 14 October

Mr Halsey cover work - Tuesday 1 October

Apologies for not being in today - I've picked up that cold going around and feel rough. I hate missing lessons but there's plenty for you to be getting on with...

13E - Representation
There is work on the blog (scroll down) to write a 300 word blog post on the Daily Mail article we read about the Olympics. Make sure you bring in the theorists Alvarado and Fanon from last lesson.

13D - Critical Investigation proposals
I'm sorry I won't be able to do any tutorials today but send me an email if you've got any questions and I'll get back to you this week. Everything is on the blog to work through and I'll catch up with you on Thursday.

13E: Post-colonialism

As discussed in today's lesson, I'd like you to write a short analysis on your MEST3 exam blog of the representation of race and ethnicity in the two texts we studied today: the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony and the subsequent opinion piece on the Daily Mail website. The links you need:

The Olympic Opening Ceremony on YouTube - from 101.30 (music section based around the surburban-style house).

The Daily Mail article you have a copy of but you may find this Guardian article on it useful.

Bring in the theorists we have learned about today and aim for 300 words.

Year 13 Critical Investigation Proposal

The next step in our Critical Investigations is to develop our presentations into detailed academic proposals. You will be given a one-to-one tutorial to help you find the right angle and issue to concentrate on but for now need to develop a blog post working through the following headings and tasks:

Working title

Include specific texts in the title and either 'how or 'why' or both, e.g.: To what extent and why are video games such as 'Call of Duty' and 'Grand Theft Auto’ becoming more violent?

Angle

E.g.: What impact are these increasingly violent games having on their audience? Is this simply a moral panic of the 21st century or is further regulation required?

Hypothesis

E.g.: Video games are psychologically damaging for young people, and audiences have become increasingly desensitised to screen violence.

Linked production piece

E.g.: Newsnight-style documentary video report looking at the impact of violent videogames on young people.

MIGRAIN

Apply the Key Concepts to your texts/topic by using the questions from the Summer Research Project to help you. (Include at least five bullet point/key concept). Include as many media keywords as you can.

SHEP

Apply the Wider Contexts to your text/topic, including at least three bullet points on each one.

Issues/Debates

Select at least five and say how each relates to your study, using the Media A-Z to help you think about this:

• Representation and stereotyping
• Media effects
• Reality TV
• News Values
• Moral Panics
• Post 9/11 and the media
• Ownership and control
• Regulation and censorship
• Media technology and the digital revolution – changing technologies in the 21st century
• The effect of globalisation on the media

Theories

Select at least five and say how each relates to your study, using keywords/specific theorists' names from the Media A-Z:

• Semiotics
• Structuralism and post-structuralism
• Postmodernism and its critiques
• Gender and ethnicity
• Marxism and hegemony
• Liberal Pluralism
• Colonialism and Post-colonialism
• Audience theories
• Genre theories
• Contemporary Media Landscape

Explain how your study fits into this.

Research plan (media texts, academic texts and websites)

Media texts
What your main focus will be, E.g.:
Call of Duty
Grand Theft Auto

Other media texts
(at least five related examples)

TV documentaries
Research videos online, e.g.:
BBC One - Panorama, Addicted to Games? http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wlmj0

Academic texts/books
(a minimum of five, including author/full title/year, e.g.:)
Barrie Gunter: The effects of video games on children: the myth unmasked (1998)
James Newman: Playing with videogames (2008)
Nancy Signorielli: Violence in the media: a reference handbook (2005)
Peter Vorderer, and Bryant Jennings: Playing video games: motives, responses, and consequences (2006)

Internet Links
1. At least FIVE from Media Guardian or Guardian Culture or another newspaper website.
2. At least FIVE from university websites/academic papers online. Use Google Scholar as a starting point.
3. Any other relevant sites/articles - the more the better.

Use last year's archive of previous top-grade Critical Investigations to help you.

You have two weeks to complete this detailed proposal before you need to start your research in depth. Good luck!

The Rise and Rise of UGC

13D: Read this article...

The Rise and Rise of UGC

Answer the following questions...

1. What is meant by the term ‘citizen journalist’?
2. What was one of the first examples of news being generated by ‘ordinary people’?
3. List some of the formats for participation that are now offered by news organisations.
4. What is one of the main differences between professionally shot footage and that taken first-hand (UGC)?
5. What is a gatekeeper?
6. How has the role of a gatekeeper changed?
7. What is one of the primary concerns held by journalists over the rise of UGC?

13D homework: presentation feedback

Firstly, well done on producing some excellent presentations - the level of focus and long-term thinking in terms of your critical investigations was brilliant to see. There were also some EBIs (there always are!) and hopefully some of you have learned the importance of rehearsal when presenting. Remember: you may well have to do something similar at a job interview in future.

You now need to write up my feedback as a WWW and EBI list. 

Once you've done that, write a detailed evaluation of your presentation. Include the following:

• How your research contributed (or failed to contribute) to the presentation
• The delivery of the presentation
• The topic area chosen
• How you plan to develop the presentation into an extended academic essay

It is very important this is on your blog by Tuesday (24 Sept) - make sure it is done!

Feminism: the end of men?

American author Hanna Rosin caused controversy last year when she published her book 'The End of Men'.

Read an interview with her in the Telegraph first and then...

...a response disagreeing with her in the Guardian. 

What is your opinion? Are women taking over? 

What will the world look like for men and women in 10 years? 50 years? 100 years?

Remember: the most important aspect of A2 Media is developing the confidence in your own opinions and thoughts.

Questions: answer these on your blog (finish for homework - due Tuesday)

1) To what extent do you agree with Rosin's hypothesis that women are taking over modern society? Give examples in your response.

2) Can we find examples in modern media that support Rosin's suggestion that women are taking charge? You may wish to argue the opposite - that men still dominate the media scene.

3) Research Judith Butler's approach to feminism. How might Butler respond to Rosin's writing in The End of Men?

13E Feminism: essential reading

Read the following articles and be prepared to discuss the questions below at the end of the lesson.

Guardian: Twitter boycott

Independent: Our generation needs to reclaim feminism

Telegraph blog: If you upset feminists, prepare for abuse

Guardian: Page 3's days may finally be numbered

1. Was the Twitter boycott an appropriate response to the online threats prominent women were receiving?
2. Should Twitter have done more in response to those threats?
3. Should young women in 2013 take an interest in feminism? Do young women need to 'reclaim' feminism?
4. Why has the internet been effective in feminist campaigns?
5. What is your opinion on page 3 of the Sun still featuring a half-naked young woman in 2013?

Homework: Answer the five questions above in detail on your blog.

Due: next Tuesday.

13D: Weekly NDM Story

13D: Each week (for Monday's double lesson) you must find, read, summarise and comment upon at least one New and Digital Media story (A/B candidates will do more). The best sources to begin with are...

• The Guardian: Digital Media 
• The Guardian: Technology
• The Guardian: Newspapers
• The Guardian: News Corporation

...but don't stick exclusively to these throughout the year. Find your own too.

For each story...

• Provide the title and link;
• Include an image or graphic;
• Summarise the story in your own words;
• Produce a list of bullet points of any key data/statistical information;
• Comment on the story: What's your view? (At least one paragraph).

You'll be presenting these to the class each week and, obviously, building up an archive of up-to-date examples to include in any exam answer.

13D NDM Essay Question #1

• Developments in new/digital media mean that audiences can now have access to a greater variety of views and values. To what extent are audiences empowered by these developments?

Plan/revise your answer for this question (using the PowerPoint from last term, and your own research) for a one hour timed essay on Mon 16/9.

Y12 New/Digital Media Lessons: Revision

13D: Go back through this PowerPoint for HW this week and revise it for your baseline assessment exam essay under timed conditions (1 hour)...

Y12 Introduction to New/Digital Media Lessons

Some key quotes/ideas (Briggs/Burke, Castells, Gutenberg/Internet Revolution, Keen, Pareto's Law...)

Do any of the activities you haven't already done and post them up on your Unit 3 blog.

Summer Research Project

For all Year 12 students (who'll be Year 13 in September '13)...

The following needs to be completed by the first lesson you come back at the start of September...

1. Choose a media text that you are interested in and that is less than five years old.

2. Spend several hours analysing the text – watching, reading, annotating, notetaking, re-watching, discussing with others (and considering the MIGRAIN questions below) etc. 

3. Research your text online.

4. Post up all evidence of research on your Unit 4 blog. You are looking for the following: reviews, newspaper/magazine articles, online comments or blogs linked to your text, useful book titles linked to your text, relevant theory, relevant media issues and debates, information about wider contexts, etc.

5. Don't just cut and paste mindlessly - be selective, try to summarise the information, comment on it and explain why it is useful. Also, make sure that you include specific links to all the sites you find.

6. Feel free to be as creative with your blogs as you can. Include pictures, clips, reflections, links etc.

7. Prepare a 5 minute, 20-slide 'Ignite' presentation on your text to be ready for the first week back. If you're unsure how these work, remind yourself by reading through the lesson slides: Introduction to the Critical Investigation, that has links to good Ignite examples and tips on how to present well.

8. Try to address each of the Key Concepts (MIGRAIN) in your presentation, and answer these questions on your blog...

Media Representations 

Who is being represented? 

• In what way?


• By whom?

Why is the subject being represented in this way? 

• Is the representation fair and accurate?


• What opportunities exist for self-representation by the subject?

Media Languages and Forms 

• What are the denotative and connotative levels of meaning?


• What is the significance of the text’s connotations?


• What are the non-verbal structures of meaning in the text (e.g. gesture, facial expression, positional communication, clothing, props etc)?


• What is the significance of mise-en-scene/sets/settings (CLAMPS)?


• What work is being done by the sound track/commentary/language of the text?


• What are the dominant images and iconography, and what is their relevance to the major themes of the text?


• What sound and visual techniques are used to convey meaning (e.g. camera positioning, editing; the ways that images and sounds are combined to convey meaning)?

Narrative 

• How is the narrative organised and structured?


• How is the audience positioned in relation to the narrative?


• How are characters delineated? What is their narrative function? How are heroes and villains created?


• What techniques of identification and alienation are employed?


• What is the role of such features as sound, music, iconography, genre, mise-en-scene, editing etc within the narrative?


• What are the major themes of the narrative? What values/ideologies does it embody?

Genre 

• To which genre does the text belong?


• What are the major generic conventions within the text?


• What are the major iconographic features of the text?


• What are the major generic themes?


• To what extent are the characters generically determined?


• To what extent are the audience’s generic expectations of the text fulfilled or cheated by the text? Does the text conform to the characteristics of the genre, or does it treat them playfully or ironically?


• Does the text feature a star, a director, a writer etc who is strongly associated with the genre? What meanings and associations do they have?

Media Institutions 

• What is the institutional source of the text?


• In what ways has the text been influenced or shaped by the institution which produced it?


• Is the source a public service or commercial institution? What difference does this make to the text?


• Who owns and controls the institution concerned and does this matter?


• How has the text been distributed?

Media Values and Ideology 

• What are the major values, ideologies and assumptions underpinning the text or naturalised within it?


• What criteria have been used for selecting the content presented?

Media Audiences 

• To whom is the text addressed? What is the target audience? (Demographics, Psychographics)


• What assumptions about the audience’s characteristics are implicit within the text?


• What assumptions about the audience are implicit in the text’s scheduling or positioning?


• In what conditions is the audience likely to receive the text? Does this impact upon the formal characteristics of the text?


• What do you know or can you assume about the likely size and constituency of the audience?


• What are the probable and possible audience readings of the text? 

• What are the audience pleasures, uses or gratifications?  (Refer to theory).

• How do you, as an audience member, read and evaluate the text? To what extent is your reading and evaluation influenced by your age, gender, background etc?

Good luck. There is a lot to do here. Our advice is to work on this throughout the Summer rather than leaving it all to the last minute. It should be an enjoyable process - finding out about something that you're interested in. If you have any problems then please don't hesitate to email me.

And remember, the aim of this is to develop your key research skills that you'll be using when you do your coursework next year...and these are skills that are vital for any subject you do in Year 13 or at university.

Internet Case Study

For 12E, complete the following questions/tasks (about one of the top ten internet sites by traffic generated) on your blogs for Monday 8/7...

• Who owns the site?
• Do they also own any traditional media businesses?
• What other internet sites do they own?
• What is its revenue?
• What is its overall worth?
• Research five key facts about the institution.
• Find three quotes (with references) about the institution.
• Summarise two linked Wikipedia articles (5 bullet points each)
• List the key info provided on the company’s corporate homepage.

You were given one of the top ten sites to research in the lesson, but choose one yourself if you weren't there...

1. Google
2. Facebook
3. Yahoo!
4. YouTube
5. Wikipedia
6. msn
7. Amazon
8. eBay
9. Twitter
10. Bing

12E p3, 2/7/13

Mr Babu will be registering you.

Please do the following in the lesson, on your Unit 4 blog, and complete for homework...

• Brainstorm five possible media texts you could choose as your presentation subject. (The platform can be TV, film, print, online).

• Take your five possible ideas and choose the best three with reasons for their selection. Try to include at least five reasons for each, outlining what you know about the text/topic so far.

• Start researching each of the three shortlisted texts. Include links and five bullet points, summarising them in your own words, from each of the following…

1. Its official webpage;
2. Its Wikipedia page;
3. A YouTube page associated with it.

You will discuss these in a tutorial next week.

Internet Video Task

For 12D, due Mon 1/7/13, p3/4...

Create a ONE MINUTE video that consolidates your learning about the impact of new/digital media so far (you should use Premiere or Movie Maker); post it on YouTube (you may need to set up an account); and embed it into your blog (like the videos below).

Include text (summarising some of the information you’ve learned + some new research); images (moving or still; shot yourself or found online); and an appropriate soundtrack.

Answer the key questions - What is so special about the internet? What is wrong with the internet? How does the internet change audiences? 

Use the original lesson slides to help...

UNIT 3 Internet Lessons 1-3

...and use these past student videos to inspire you...

12E p3 Tue 25/6

Mr Halsey will supervise you while you attempt the following...

Read the full Critical Investigation (yes, all 2000 words) the title of which you discussed in yesterday's lesson.

Identify what you consider to be the best, most meaningful quotes x5 they researched and included from other sources and copy/paste these onto your Unit 4 blog.

List (on your blog) any references to theories/theorists that they make.

Find a reference to each of the Key Concepts...

• Media Langauage
• Institution
• Genre
• Representation
• Audience
• Ideology
• Narrative

...and copy/paste this into your blog. Do more if you have time!

This will help with your homework (due on Monday 1st July) where you summarise your discussion about the essay title/topic on your blog (250 words minimum0.

12D Homework - MEST4 blogpost

Thanks for a great lesson today 12D - I hope it gave you an insight into why we love teaching Year 13 Media and the brilliant debates you can get into. The remarkably easy homework you were set is below, just in case anyone needs a reminder...

Write a 250 word MEST4 coursework blog post summarising what your group discussed in today’s lesson.

Due: Thursday 27 June

On the off-chance you have lost your notes, the questions we looked at were:

Why is the representation of the police on television programmes such as 'Road Wars' and 'Police, Camera, Action!' over-sensationalised?

How do video games such as 'Call of Duty' and 'Grand Theft Auto' push the boundaries of on-screen violence and what is the impact of this on audiences?

Have Hollywood attitudes towards content in 12A films become more liberal or have audiences’ film desires changed?

To what extent does news media create moral panic and represent teenagers in a negative way that the public should fear?

Year 12 feedback: anonymous survey

Just before we get into our Year 13 Media work, we'd like to get your feedback on Year 12 AS Media Studies. We are always looking for ways to improve and we'd like you to give us honest feedback on the course. It's completely anonymous: there is no way to trace who wrote each comment so please be critical and tell us what we can do better!

Click on this link to access the survey.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey.

Now on to Year 13!

Unit 4 Coursework Blogs

For current Y12s...

In the comments section (at the end of this post) submit your new 'Unit 4 Coursework Blog' address with your first name.

This is where you'll include all the planning/research for the Research and Production Unit, worth 50% of the A2...

1. Critical Investigation (48 marks: 60%)
2000 word research essay

2. Linked Production (32 marks: 40%)

Unit 3 Exam Blogs

For current Y12s...

In the comments section (at the end of this post) submit your new 'Unit 3 Exam Blog' address with your first name.

This is where you'll include all the preparation work/research for the two hour 'Critical Perspectives' exam...

Section A (40%) 1 hour

• Unseen stimulus materials (15 mins viewing) 
• Three short answer questions (45 minutes, 32 marks)

Section B (60%) 1 hour
Pre-set topic areas...

• Representations in the Media
• The impact of New/Digital media

One essay question (1 hour, 48 marks)

Best Critical Investigations 2013

Congratulations Y13. The exams are over and, hopefully, you'll be off to university in a few months. 

These essays are fantastic, each containing a wealth of research, insight and fluent analysis. All are worthy Level 4 submissions...

Why is the representation of the police on television programmes such as 'Road Wars' and 'Police, Camera, Action!' over-sensationalised? (Ahmed A)

How do video games such as 'Call of Duty' and 'Grand Theft Auto' push the boundaries of on-screen violence and what is the impact of this on audiences? (Arnie)

To what extent do American film/institutions use the vampire genre (through texts such as ‘Twilight’ and ‘The Vampire Diaries’) to positively influence a teenage female audience? (Niemah)

How are women overtly sexualised in contemporary perfume advertising, paying particular attention to adverts such as Beyoncé’s 'Heat'advert and the YSL advert featuring Kate Moss. (Chandni)

To what extent does news media create moral panic and represent teenagers in a negative way that the public should fear? (Arfa)

Despite the fact that we're supposedly living in a post-feminist society, why are female characters in contemporary US sitcoms such as ‘The Big Bang Theory’ still being negatively represented? (Ria) 

The Only Way is Reality: Is the popularity of ‘Dramality’ television indicative of the ‘dumbing down’ of audiences? (Sarah)

Despite the global success of Jay Sean, why is there still alack of successful British Asian artists? Is this due to post-colonial attitudes or Asian cultural traditions? (Sasha)

Have Hollywood attitudes towards content in 12A films become more liberal or have audiences’ film desires changed? (Ahmed R)

Section A Practice Questions (Print)

1. Section A Practice, Woolwich Murder

Useful background info, related to this... 

• Guardian article: Woolwich killing highlights power of mobile technology as anews source
• BBC report: Woolwich Attack: Social Media Reaction

2. Section A Practice, Thatcher's Death