1. G325: Critical Perspectives in
Media
A2 Media Studies

2. G325: Critical Perspectives in Media
– An Introduction
 The purpose of this unit is to assess your
knowledge and understanding of media
concepts, contexts and critical debates.
 You are to show your understanding of one
contemporary media issue and evaluate your
own practical work in reflective and theoretical
ways.

3. G325: Critical Perspectives in Media
– An Introduction
 You will have a two-hour examination at the end
of this unit.
 You will be required to answer two compulsory
questions, on your own production work, and one
question from a choice of six topic areas.
 The unit will be marked out of a total of 100
marks, with two questions on production work
marked out of 25 each, and the media theory
question marked out of 50.

4. G325: Critical Perspectives in Media
– An Introduction
 There are two sections to this Unit:-
 Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production
(50 marks)
 Section B: Contemporary Media Issues (50
marks)

5. Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of
Production
 You are required to answer two compulsory
questions.
 The first requires you to describe and evaluate
your skills development over the course of your
production work, from Foundation Portfolio to
Advanced Portfolio.
 This means you MUST keep and update your
EXISTING blogs!!
 The second asks you to identify one production
and evaluate it in relation to one theoretical
concept.

6. Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of
Production
 Question 1(a) requires you to describe and
evaluate your skills development over the course
of your production work, from Foundation
Portfolio to Advanced Portfolio.
 The focus of this evaluation must be on skills
development, and the question will require you to
adapt this to one or two specific production
practices

7. Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of
Production
 The list of practices to which questions will relate
is as follows:-
o Digital Technology
o Creativity
o Research & Planning
o Post-Production
o Using Conventions from real media texts
In your exam, questions will be posed using one or two of these
categories!!

8. Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of
Production
 Question 1(b) requires you to select one
production and evaluate it in relation to a media
concept.
 The list of concepts to which questions will relate
is as follows:-
o Genre
o Narrative
o Representation
o Audience
o Media Language
In your exam, questions will be set using one of these concepts only!!

9. Section B: Contemporary Media Issues
 One question is to be answered from a choice of
six topic areas offered by OCR. There will be two
questions from each topic area.
 The topic areas require an understanding of
contemporary media texts, industries, audiences
and debates.

10. Section B: Contemporary Media Issues
 You must choose one of the following topic areas (next
slide), in advance of the exam and, through specific case
studies, texts, debates and research of your choice,
prepare to demonstrate understanding of the
contemporary issue. This understanding must combine
knowledge of at least two media and a range of texts,
industries, audiences and debates.
 The assessment of the responses will be generic, allowing
for the broadest possible range of responses within your
chosen topic area.
 Each topic is accompanied by four prompt questions, and
you must be prepared to write an answer that relates to
one or more of these four prompts.
 There should be emphasis on the historical, the
contemporary and the future in relation to your chosen
topic, with most attention on the present.

11. Section B: Contemporary Media Issues
 You may choose to focus on one of the following
contemporary media issues:-
o Contemporary Media Regulation
o Global Media
o Media & Collective Identity
o Media in the Online Age
o Post-Modern Media
o ‘We Media’ and Democracy

12. Post-modern Media
 What are the different versions of post-
modernism (historical period, style, theoretical
approach)?
 What are the arguments for and against
understanding some forms of media as post-
modern?
 How do post-modern media texts challenge
traditional text-reader relations and the concept of
representation?
 In what ways do media audiences and industries
operate differently in a post-modern world?
 You might explore combinations of:
How post-modern media relate to genre and narrative across two
media, computer/video games and new forms of representation, post-