1. G325 Critical Perspectives
SECTION B INTRODUCTION

2. The Exam
 The Critical Perspectives Exam is on Tuesday 4th June (pm) and is 2 hours long.
 The question paper is split into two parts.
 Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production
 Section B: Contemporary Media Issues
 The way we will be covering this is by splitting the class into project teams that will become experts in one of the themes, the team
will produce an information film on their topic that will act as a revision guide. All teams will also teach their topic to the rest of the
class. This should ensure that in the exam every student has a choice of more than one theme.
 Each theme has 4 prompt questions that give an idea of some of the key debates within that media issue and it is also important
that each project team has examples from at least two different sections of the media to illustrate their key points, i.e. music
industry, press, film, video games, internet.
 You will be assigned to a project team and that project team will create its own blog in order to house all of your research.
 You will work in 6 teams to find information for, research, plan and create an info film.
 The purpose of the info film is to act as a revision guide for yourselves and the rest of the class.
 It must include a guide as to what essential elements need to be included in preparation for the exam, textual examples and make
reference to contemporary media theorists.

3. Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production
 The first section is split into two questions, each worth 25
points.
 It is recommended that you spend 30 minutes on each
question.
 Question 1a is a reflection of your skills development and
allows you to refer to all of your practical work in relation to
one or two of the following production practices: digital
technology, creativity, research & planning, post-
production, using conventions of real media texts.
 Question 1b is a chance to critically analyseone piece of your
own work in relation to key media concepts such as
genre, narrative, audience, representation and media
language.

4. Section B: Contemporary Media Issues
 For question 2 there are 6 themes and on the
question paper there is a choice of two questions for
each theme.
 You only answer ONE question, it is worth 50
marks.
 Section B is your opportunity to engage in some of
the contemporary debates and issues in the media
industry today.

5. Our Approach
 Section B first = 8 weeks
 Section A – Question 1a & 1b next = 9 weeks
including revision of Section B and mocks.
 Section B will be approached using project pairs and
the creation of 4 practical artefactsto address the
four prompt questions that each theme has.
 The practical artefacts will demonstrate your
understanding of the theme and form your revision
for Section B.
 Section A will be a whole class approach.

6. Section B: Themes
 Media & Collective Identity
 Media in the Online Age
 Contemporary Media Regulation
 WeMedia& Democracy
 We are not covering Global Media or Media and
Postmodernism.

7. What candidates need for each theme:
 Ability to create a debate within the theme by
exploring multiple perspectives.
 Knowledge of contemporary examples across a
minimum of two different media areas i.e.
film, music, videogames, press, social
networks, television, internet etc.
 Ability to apply academic theory.
 A past, present, future view on the theme.
 Critical reflection on the theme in relation to their
own life and experiences.

8. Media & Collective Identity Prompt Questions:
1. How do the contemporary media represent
nations, regions and ethnic/social/collective groups of
people in different ways?
2. How does contemporary representation compare to
previous time periods?
3. What are the social implications of different media
representations of groups of people?
4. To what extent is human identity increasingly
mediated?
Examples: Representations of youth in London Riots, on
tv, in film, in the press. Representations of disability in
sport, in the press, in film, on tv.

9. Media in the Online Age Prompt Questions:
1. How have online media developed?
2. What has been the impact of the internet on media
production?
3. How is consumer behaviour and audience
response transformed by online media, in relation
to the past?
4. To what extent has convergence transformed the
media?
Examples: music online (Lady
GaGa, SonyBMG, RoughTrade, Justin Bieber), film online
(YouTube, illegal downloads), online TV (iplayer, 4OD
etc), videogames online etc.

10. Contemporary Media Regulation Prompt
Questions:
1. What is the nature of contemporary media
regulation compared with previous practices?
2. What are the arguments for and against specific
forms of contemporary media regulation?
3. How effective are regulatory practices?
4. What are the wider social issues relating to media
regulation?
Examples: The Press &Leveson Report, Film
Censorship, Social Networking & Libel, regulation
of virtual worlds, videogame regulation.

11. WeMedia& Democracy Prompt Questions:
1. What are 'We media’?
2. Where/how has 'We Media' emerged?
3. In what way are the contemporary media more
democratic than before?
4. In what ways are the contemporary media less
democratic than before?
Examples: Wikileaks, Anonymous, Arab
Spring, London Riots, Crowdsourcing, Twitter
and Operation YewTree.

12. Section B timeline
 W/beg 7th Jan – introduction, decide on project pairs, decide on theme, initial research undertaken
and blogs established.
 W/beg 14th Jan – Case study work
 W/beg 21st Jan – Finalise case studies and introduce theory
 W/beg 28th Jan – Theory & essay structure advice.
 W/beg 4th Feb – Creation of individual Prezi for prompt question one (to be completed out of lessons
as ACJ is on a trip all week). DEADLINE:Prezi on project pair blog by end of week. HOMEWORK –
Write an essay response for practise exam question based on prompt question one.
 HALF TERM ( 11-17th Feb)
 W/beg 18th Feb – Creation of info film using found images in Project Pairs on prompt question two.
DEADLINE: Info film (No more than 5 minutes) on project pair blog by end of week.HOMEWORK
– Write an essay response for practise exam question based on prompt question two.
 W/beg 25th Feb – Creation of Xtranormal film on prompt question three (ideally individually).
DEADLINE: Xtranormal film on project pair blog by end of week.HOMEWORK – Write an essay
response for practise exam question based on prompt question three.
 W/beg 4th March – Creation of final artefact (form is negotiable i.e.
powerpoint, animation, podcast, other) for prompt question four, either individually or in groups.
DEADLINE: Artefact four on project pair blog by end of week.HOMEWORK – Write an essay
response for practise exam question based on prompt question four.
 Move onto Section A.