The Media Department
Entry requirements: GCSE grade 5 in English Language or English Literature
Our Vision:
Media Studies has never held greater global relevance, making its study both exciting and widely applicable to contemporary culture. The media, as a whole, affects every person in one way or another. Through our study of media, we develop a student’s understanding of how people become informed – or misinformed – by media products, and how the ideologies that govern our lives are created and sustained.
We want our A Level students to understand the influence of the media and how media industries make conscious choices about media language in order to create representations and target specific audiences. We aim to arm our learners with the ability to make informed judgements about these representations and to challenge them by exploring their own view of the truth and how the media chooses to represent it.
Our Aim:
For our Media Studies students:
• To explore and analyse a wide range of media products; ranging from TV, Radio, Magazines, Video Games, Online and Participatory Media, Advertising and Marketing, the Music Industry, Newspaper and Film.
• To become discerning consumers of a range of media products by understanding how representations of gender, age, ethnicity, national and regional identity, and social issues are constructed.
• To have a clear understanding of the media theoretical framework which includes: Media Language, Audience, Representation and Industry.
• To develop their ability to confidently apply media terminology and theories to a range of texts.
• To extend their study of the media beyond the classroom, maintaining a wider interest in current and changing narratives in the media.
• To complete the course as empowered individuals with the ability to apply skills of enquiry, critical thinking, decision-making and analysis, providing transferable skills to support them as global citizens beyond their time at Presdales.
Media Studies
Entry requirements: GCSE grade 5 in English Language or English Literature
Content
Component One: Media Messages
Section A: News and Online Media
Section B: Media Language and Representation
(Magazines/Advertising and Marketing/Music Videos)
Component Two: Evolving Media
Section A: Media Industries and Audiences
(Radio/Video Games/Film Industry)
Section B: Long Form Television Drama
Component Three: Making Media
Students will create a cross-media product in response to an OCR set brief. They will have 30 hours to produce their product.
Assessment
All assessment is completed at the end of the course and is by examination and coursework.
Component One: Media Messages (examination 35%)
Component Two: Evolving Media (examination 35%)
Component Three: Making Media (coursework 30%)
Career Opportunities
Within our varied curriculum, there are frequent cross-curricular references, including English Language, History, Politics, Psychology and Sociology. This broadens the spectrum of opportunities available to our students, as they progress into further education. The study of media is one of the largest growing areas for study at A Level enabling students to develop a wide range of critical, analytical and creative skills, which are useful in many future careers.
