Exam

How do contemporary media represent different collective groups in different ways?

·         Diverse representations including fiction, non-fiction and self-representation: Harry Brown, Fish Tank, The Inbetweeners, Attack the Block, The London Riots news coverage, the internet and self-mediation.

How does contemporary representation compare with that of the past?

·         Examples needed for similarities and difference.

·         Examples from the past – Quadrophenia – the film representations of Mods and Rockers.

·         Have they changes? – Plato quote…

What are the social implications of different media representations of groups of people?

·         Stereotyping - what is the impact?

·         What power does the audience have to ‘resist’?

·         Propaganda, moral panic, youth as an empty categories, cultural hegemony, Stuart Hall and reading the texts and their messages.

·         Statistics on result of these representations on attitudes and beliefs vs. the reality of the issues.

To what extent is human identity increasingly ‘mediated’?

·         Increasing media = increasing mediation?

·         Representation by others/by selves (Facebook/YouTube)

·         Be critical of who is offering the representations and for what purpose.

·         Mediated: How the media shapes your world and the way you live in it.

Guidance

·         Add your own personal opinion

·         What in your opinion is the future of representations and what are you basing this on?

·         Connections must be made between the examples/contrasts are discussed.

·         You must embed the theory into what you are saying

·         Must refer to more than one media: film, TV and newspapers…

Examiners Advice

·         Introduction – start with a quote; paraphrase it and link to issues of identity, representation and the media. State your focus (social group and texts).

·         Historical example

·         Contemporary examples

·         Connect examples together (compare/contrast)

·         Conclusion – return to start. Prediction for the future.

• Mass media contract representations of youth froma  middle class, adult perspective, for the ideological purpose of maintaining hegemony.
• Impact of new media technologies/internet - more potential for self-representation, limited impact compared to mass media.

·         Use referencing – name and year of publication given after first mention e.g. (Giroux, 1997)

·         Quote – paraphrase – critique

·         One text older than 5years

·         Other texts should be from within last 5years

·         Make a prediction for the future

Discuss the contemporary representation of a nation, region or social group in the media, using specific textual examples from at least two media to support your answer.

How far does the representation of a particular social group change over time?

Analyse the the ways in which the media represent one group of people that you have studied.

'The media do not construct collective identity, they just merely reflect it' Discuss.