KS5 GCE Media Studies

What will I learn?

Studying this subject will mean you study a comprehensive range of media theory and practice. There is a strong focus on new technologies and you will look at the audience as both consumers and producers of media texts. There are opportunities for you to investigate an area of the media that interests you, as well as having the opportunity to carry out practical productions throughout the course. As a candidate you will learn the basics of deconstructing media forms by looking into media representations, institutions, audiences, news values, moral panics, 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. The media platforms studied include broadcasting, digital/web-based media (e-media) and print media. There is also the opportunity to learn how to capture moving images effectively and use up to date editing software to compile it all into an original piece.

How will I be assessed?

Paper 1: Questions will focus on issues and debates in the media. A topic will be released in advance of the exam. Students will be expected to use any relevant elements of the theoretical framework in order to explore the ideas in the paper. Some short answer and long answer questions arguing to a theme.

Paper 2: Questions will focus on the analysis of media products, through the lens of the theoretical framework. Students will be expected to refer to the Close Study Products (CSPs) provided by AQA and other products they have studied. They will also be expected to demonstrate understanding of the contexts in which the products were created.

NEA: Creating a media product: Practical element of the course where students create a media product in line with a brief received from AQA. Students will complete a statement of intent in and create a product in line with their research of the specific form. The NEA assessments surround a coursework module which allows the student to be creative. This can include filming, still camera work, radio presenting and website creation.

What are the costs?

All technology is provided to the students free of charge on a loan basis (i.e. cameras, tripods and stabilizers). Brand new editing software will be available to the students within school at any time during the school day. Revision guides will be suggested closer to the examination date.

What are the entry requirements?

• English GCSE at grade 5 or above.

Future opportunities

The opportunities which are available for those students who study Media can lead to higher education; newspaper design, magazine design, journalism, television production, radio production, marketing, editing, ‘new media’ jobs, e-media, development, teaching and lecturing as well as many other vocations.

Who should I contact for extra information?

Course contact:
ali.smith@biddenham.beds.sch.uk

EXAM BOARD: AQA