Media Studies

Media Studies Overview

Our vision:

At William Edwards, we believe that Media is a contemporary and interactive subject which encourages students to develop their creative, analytical, research, and communication skills. We realise that many students choose GCSE Media Studies for its relevance to their lives and for the opportunities it provides for exploring contemporary issues through the use of different media in creative and practical ways.

During KS3, students explore the media in a broad, variety of ways through our bespoke Creative Curriculum (CC).  Here they are encouraged to think critically about the world they live in and to explore contemporary issues alongside the major technological and cultural shifts during the 20th Century.  Responding to these themes both creatively and critically the students develop a range of skills that support their progress towards GCSE Media Studies.

At GCSE, our students develop a more in depth understanding of the media by learning through the four areas of the theoretical framework: media language, media representation, media industries, media audiences. During the two year course, we focus on media products from all of the following media forms: television, film, radio, newspapers, magazines; advertising and marketing; online, social and participatory media! video games, and music video.  By allowing our students to draw on their existing understanding of the media, combined with an exploration of significant products from different historical periods, we believe they will gain a real awareness of the role of the media in society and culture.

Students will understand how the media shape our perceptions of the world through the representations, viewpoints and messages they offer: the way that it provides us with ways to communicate, with forms of cultural expression and the ability to participate in key aspects of society.

The economic importance of the media is also unquestionable, so we explore how the media industries employ large numbers of people worldwide and operate as commercial industries on a global scale. By understanding the global nature of the contemporary media, coupled with the ongoing technological developments and more opportunities to interact with the media, our students will explore the different pathways available to them after GCSE to encourage careers in this booming industry, or further analytical/practical study in the future.

We see our key objectives as:

• Providing learners the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of key issues and the ability to debate important questions about the media.
• To introduce them to a theoretical framework for analysing the media, which also underpins study of the media at AS and A level
• Allowing learners to draw on their existing understanding of the media combined with other historical periods
• To understand the career pathways available to them in the media industry.

As a department we believe that Media Studies will help students to:

• demonstrate skills of enquiry, critical thinking, decision-making and analysis
• acquire knowledge and understanding of a range of important media issues
• develop appreciation and critical understanding of the media both historically and now
• apply specialist subject-specific terminology to analyse and compare media products
• develop practical skills by providing opportunities for creative media production.

2021-23 Media Studies Key Stage 4 Programme of Study

2021-23 Media Studies Curriculum Journey

Our GCSE Media Studies Exam Board is AQA

Names and email addresses of key post-holders:

Mr N Moore – Department Leader – mooren@wes.swecet.org