Media Studies is a relatively new addition to the curriculum at St Mary’s College So far it has been introduced to the Sixth Form for AS and A2 and we follow the syllabus of the AQA Examining Board. All schemes of work are created with the Syllabus in mind and hit all key Assessment Objectives. We take pride in providing pupils with a stimulating and creative environment and have made great effort to teach in an interactive and dynamic style. We hope to challenge and students and encourage everyone to believe they can exceed expectations.
The aims of this course are wide and far reaching. Although media is essentially a new course its influence on society and its constant visibility warrant its study and importance. The mass media arguably constitute the primary symbolic forms of contemporary western cultures. Today we have to be aware of how information, ideas and entertainment are transmitted to us as an audience and consumers. It is fundamental for us conscious of how the media works for social and cultural cohesion or exclusion. Media is central to any discussion of politics, identity and social rights.
Our aims are to provide students with the analytical tools and framework for reading between the lines of the media and to also supply them with the creative skills to produce media texts of their own.
Reading The Media –The Aim is to introduce condidates to the framework for analysing and understanding media texts: eg: advertising, pop videos, films, documentary, news, magazines etc.
Practical Production – Pupils will work in groups to produce a short film, trailer, advertising campaign, pop video, documentary.
Advertising and Marketing – Focus a contemporary advertising campaign (in the past we have looked at i-Pod and McDonalds), product placement, viral advertising, the marketing mix, charity, celebrity.
Film and Broadcast Fiction – narrative structures of film, soaps, sit-coms and serials.
All topics from AS +
Genre Study – in-depth focus on a genre that has adapted over time, e.g. Horror, Crime, Western, Science Fiction
Representation of a Group or Place – race, class, disability, the South, gender
Independent Study – Pupils analyse a media topic of their own choice, violence in cinema, the portrayal of women, the progression of animation in Japan etc.
Comparative Critical Analysis – analysis, explain and account for the similarities and differences between media texts.
Presently pupils are entitled to 5 lessons a week both at AS and A2.
Future plans for the subject include the possibility of introducing media to the syllabus further down the school, in Key Stage 4 and even Key Stage 3. Media Clubs are also provided and encourage active involvement from pupils particularly in Key Stages 3 and 4. Indeed it is hoped that many pupils start to explore the creative side of filmmaking so much so that it allows us to have our own “Oscar” evening and awards ceremony.
Over the last two years there has been significant investment in resources (such as DV Cameras, tripods, monitors, editing software and interactive boards) and we are looking to expand further in the coming years as the subject grows in numbers and profile.