Course Description

Media courses provide learners with opportunities to develop both theoretical knowledge of the media and the ability to create media content.

Pupils understand and develop their media literacy skills and appreciate the opportunities and challenges that occur in the media industry. Pupils develop knowledge and understanding of the key aspects of media literacy and the role of media in society, and plan and research when creating media content, as appropriate to purpose, audience and context.

This Course offers pupils opportunities to develop and extend a wide range of skills, including communication, critical literacy, personal, interpersonal and team working, and creative thinking.

The S4 Experience

Pupils will be introduced to the key aspects of media literacy, through discussion of texts from a variety of media and through production tasks which will give them the opportunity to create media content. Understanding the key aspects of media literacy will equip them to create more successful media texts, as well as giving them a platform for attainment in the senior courses.

The Key Aspects of Media course

• Categories – what is the text? What is it for?

• Language – how is the text constructed?

• Representations – how does the text describe people/places/issues?

• Narrative – how is the text organised?

• Audience – who is the text for? How do different audiences respond to it?

• Institutions – who made the text? What constraints did they work within?

• Society – where and when was the text made?

Possible Careers

Studio engineer

TV or film technician

Stage manager

TV or film production assistant

Audio-visual technician

Broadcast engineer

Animator

TV or film director