Hegemony: Key Word

Hegemony: this is the political, economic, ideological or cultural power exerted by a dominant group over other groups. This does not relate to brute force, it more accurately suggests how a population allow a dominant group to take control.   

Zeitgeist: Key Word

Zeitgeist: literally means ‘spirit of the times’. Relates to current trends.  

Realism: Key Word

Realism: representation by the media of situations or ideas in a way that seem real. British film is particularly famous for realism in film. The style of filming and acting.  

Verisimilitude: Key Word

Verisimilitude: is the quality of realism in something (such as film, literature, the arts, etc). How authentic it is. 

BUILD A BIG SANDWICH

Below is a visual representation of how your should alternate between example and opinion to optimise your chances of writing a thorough response.

Writing frame for G325 from Julian McDougall

Writing frame for G325 from Julian McDougall

G325 Sample Writing Frame (Collective ID)

Please note this is generic and is not a direct response to a specific exam question, so candidates will need to adapt this.

Start with quote, paraphrase, critique on identity, representation, media.

Identity is complex. The relationship between collective identity and media representation is not straightforward. In this answer I will discuss this complicated relationship in relation to (CANDIDATE'S FOCUS - ONE GROUP ACROSS MEDIA OR TWO GROUPS OR MORE, OR CONTRASTING EXAMPLES).

For each example / study, quote, paraphrase, critique is now applied to the material researched. One example from more than 5 years ago is included. Textual analysis is ALWAYS connected to theories of representation and / or identity. These theories can be from any time period but the majority of the examples used for discussion must be from within 5 years.

Next, connections are made between the examples / contrasts are discussed.

Finally, a conclusion is offered which goes back to the start - the complicated relationship between identity and media representation. A prediction for what the future will hold is included here.

To secure high marks, all of the above is accompanied by referencing (when an author is mentioned, their name and year of the book / article / web material is given in brackets after the FIRST mention).

Useful Reference Material: Youth Groups

Useful Reference Material: Youth Groups

Home Office Report (includes public attitudes to youth)

You can download the report via the link below.

The drivers of perceptions of anti-social behaviour

rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/horr34c.pdf

The link above will take you to a very useful report, which includes public fears about the behaviour of young people.  Remember perception is quite different from what is actually happening. This is very relevant when it comes to discussing how young people are represented. Below is an excerpt from that report. Page 6 of the report.

Quote

Media & Interpretation

First among many factors driving current public interpretations of behaviour are the media. The media encourage people to see things in certain ways. There is a large literature on the effects of media consumption on a range of factors, including feat of criminal defendants, punitive attitudes and perceptions of crime rates. No such studies were found which measured the effects of the media on PASB, or perceptions of disorder or incivility. some of the findings of the effects of the media on crime-related perceptions appear to have likely implications for thinking about PASB, but we do not review this literature in depth here. by way of example, studies have found TV viewing to be 'associated with misperceptions of juvenile (and adult) crime is increasing when, in fact, it is decreasing' (Goldel et al, 2006: 134; Pfeiffer et al, 2005; Perrone and Chesney-Lind, 1998). A range of TV shows has been implicated in these processes of production misperception, including news programmes (Goldel et al, 2006; Dixon, 2008). Which newspaper a reader takes has been found to correlate to fear of crime, although generally the press, and indeed the media across the board, are thought to distort perceptions through a tendency to highlight extreme cases of criminality and incivility, leading viewers/readers/listeners to believe that such unusual cases are closer to the norm than in fact they are (O'Connell, 1999). 

Young people entering prison on remand down by 5%

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=2210

Boy, 15, wins curfew legal battle

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4699095.stm

Anti-yob laws 'breaching rights'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4580305.stm

Yob tag 'risks demonising youth'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4570307.stm

Operation Leopard

The Guardian spends a day with Operation Leopard officers to find out who they are stopping and how well the initative works

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2008/may/30/operation.leopard

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2008/may/30/teen.talk

http://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Archive/Polls/young-people-and-british-identity-summary.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hU&feature=channel
 
The Guardian Newspaper Article "Teenage Kicks"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2011/jan/28/teenage-kicks-relationship-abuse 
l(Lots of comments from the public on this one)

The Guardian Newspaper Article (Child restraint in Jail)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/feb/15/high-court-restraint-child-jail 

The Guardian commercial - Points Of View (This is a good advert demonstrating perceptions)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3h-T3KQNxU


http://www.met.police.uk/campaigns/anti_knife_crime/

http://www.met.police.uk/campaigns/anti_knife_crime/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFVkzYDNJqo

See David Gauntlet’s website below

http://www.theory.org.uk/

Definition of Perception: (source reference The Oxford English Dictionary)
perception(per|cep¦tion)

Pronunciation:/pəˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/ 

noun

[mass noun]

• 1 the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses:the normal limits to human perception
• awareness of something through the senses:the perception of pain
• Psychology & Zoologythe neurophysiological processes, including memory, by which an organism becomes aware of and interprets external stimuli.
• 2 the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted:Hollywood's perception of the tastes of the American public[count noun] :we need to challenge many popular perceptions of old age
• intuitive understanding and insight:‘He wouldn’t have accepted, ' said my mother with unusual perception
  
  

The Mark scheme

Explanation/ analysis/argument (16-20 marks)

Candidates adapt their learning to the specific requirements of the

question in excellent fashion. The answer offers a clear, articulate

balance of media theories, knowledge of texts and industries and

personal engagement with issues and debates.

Use of examples (16-20 marks)

Examples of texts, industries and theories are clearly connected together

in the answer, with a coherent argument developed in response to the

question.

Use of terminology (8-10 marks)

Throughout the answer, material presented is informed by contemporary

media theory and the command of the appropriate theoretical language is

excellent.

Complex issues have been expressed clearly and fluently using a style of

writing appropriate to the complex subject matter. Sentences and

paragraphs, consistently relevant, have been well structured, using

appropriate technical terminology. There may be few, if any, errors of

spelling, punctuation and grammar.