A Level Media

Students will be introduced to a wide selection of multi-media texts and study these in depth, looking at the way media is influenced by/influences our culture and how it helps shape the people we are and our concept of the world. It is an A Level with coursework which will challenge students to create their own personalised platforms to express ideas, opinions and ideologies to a prescribed readership.  

The following forms are studied in depth: newspapers, magazines, television, online, social and participatory media. We will develop literacy skills to help students decode and access the world around them whilst at school and also to enable the next steps after Uplands in further education, the workplace, or in an apprenticeship. Students will be given opportunities to practise in group and class discussions and debates as well as in formal presentations to their peers. In debates, we teach how to argue and the importance of appreciating different theological frameworks and evaluate the influence of the media from the 1950’s to the present day. 

Current texts taught through Media Studies are: 

Beyoncé; 

Dizzy Rascal; 

‘Humans’ television series; 

Blogs by Zoella; 

Magazines such as ‘Huck’. 

Students will watch the key texts and be asked to explore these using their own opinions and ideas. In lessons, students can expect to be challenged on why a writer/designer/director made certain choices and explore these opinions as a class.  

This is course that is right up to date and will evolve as each year passes. The course consists of three components: 

Component 1: Media Products, Industries, and Audiences (examination) 35%. 

Component 2: Media Forms and Products in Depth (examination) 35%. 

Component 3: Cross-Media Production (coursework) 30%. 

Five GCSE's grade 5 or above including English and Mathematics as a base requirement

The Media Studies A Level is a must for anyone who is thinking about a career online – either for another company or through a private business. It will teach not just the theory behind multimedia platforms such as television, internet and music videos but also give students a working understanding of how to construct their own media platform. This will be invaluable when thinking about a consumer base for their own website, techniques to use to persuade a readership and how to use context to guide a media creation.