Media Studies

Sixth Form
Course title: WJEC Eduqas GCE A Level Media Studies, eduqas-a-level-media-studies-spec-from-2017-updated-1.pdf

What are the knowledge and skills that students will gain over Key Stage 5?

As the media play a central role in contemporary culture, society and politics, the study of Eduqas Media Studies offers the opportunity to develop a thorough and in depth understanding of the key issues surrounding the media today. Through a primary focus on set media products, students work from the product outwards in relation to all areas of the theoretical framework to debate key critical questions related to the social, cultural, political and economic role of the media. The study of media products produced by or for a minority group, non-mainstream and non-English language products further develops knowledge and understanding of the media. NEA tasks allow students to develop media production skills in different forms, apply their knowledge and understanding of the theoretical framework to media forms and products, and become creators of meaning themselves.

Students will:
• demonstrate a critical approach to media issues
• demonstrate appreciation and critical understanding of the media and their role both historically and currently in society, culture, politics and the economy
• develop an understanding of the dynamic and changing relationships between media forms, products, industries and audiences
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the global nature of the media
• apply theoretical knowledge and specialist subject specific terminology to analyse and compare media products and the contexts in which they are produced and consumed

Why is it delivered in this way?
As the Year 12 students are studying Media for the first time, the students are first introduced to the key ideas of media language, representation, industry and audience which underpin everything that they will go on to study through the course. The first media products studied after this are adverts, a mixture of print and audio-visual, from time periods ranging from the 1950s to the present day. These allow students to apply their understanding gained from the study of the four key ideas for the first time. With every media product (newspapers, films, television, magazines) that follows, the students develop their knowledge and understanding through applying this to longer, more complex media products. Year 12 ends with a focus on the NEA task, allowing the students to use all of their knowledge and understanding of the media gained through the year to produce their own media product.

In Year 13 students are introduced to a number of media products which are more challenging to study through being ‘new’ media forms (video games and online media) or media forms which have changed significantly due to the ‘digital age’ (radio). These media products allow for development and extension of the key skills that formed the focus of Year 12, through showing new, different and changing aspects of the media.