One advantage point with Media Studies is that you begin the course with a wealth of knowledge about the media from your experiences of the world around you and from your own choice of entertainment the media products which are all around in everyday life. You will have the opportunity to use your expertise to produce responses that show what you know, understand and can do.

What kinds of things will we study?

You will study a wide range of media texts such as television programmes, magazines, newspapers, popular music, comics and films. You will learn how they convey meaning: how they are made and who made them, you will become confident and skilled in making judgements and reflecting on what your have learned. You will become more analytical of the media rather than a passive consumer.

Do we get to make our own texts?

The course will help you learn by giving you the opportunity to make media texts of your own; you can find out what skills are required to crate productions that inform and entertain the audiences who will consume them.?Whatever area you study, the work you do will assess your ability to do three things:

1. To know about and understand the media texts you have been studying (Knowledge and understanding).
2. To analyse and interpret them that is, think about how they work (Knowledge and interpretation).
3. To make some media text of your own by learning skills in production such as using cameras or software packages, as well as showing off your creative side by designing front cover pages for texts like magazines or film posters (Production skills).

Will we need to know any special vocabulary?

Media Studies has its own technical terms used in the media industry to explain the processed or ideas involved in making a media product. The Key Concepts form the basis of the subject content of your course. These are:

• Media Language: form and conventions
• Audience
• Institutions
• Representation

You will study the Key Concepts in detail the course will allow you to look at how they work across different media text types, such as television and magazines. The Media Studies syllabus requires the following:

Coursework 50% of total marks

• Three coursework assignments of 700 -800 words (with a practical production).
• One practical production and supporting account (making your own music video).

Controlled Test (3 hours)? 50% of total marks. (Candidates receive materials in advance)

There are two tiers of assessment Foundation (G-C) and Higher (D-A*)