New GCEs for 2008

GCE Communication and Culture (2625)

AS outline

At AS, Units 1 and 2 provide an integrated and complementary introduction to the study of communication and culture. Both units deal with the personal level of communication and candidates' own experience of cultural products and cultural practices. The interaction between the individual and the broader cultural environment is a key area of investigation.

The AS specification has 2 units:

Unit 1: Understanding Communication and Culture

Topic list

The nature of culture
Definitions of culture
The meanings and practices of everyday life
High culture and popular culture
The relationship between culture and value
Verbal and non-verbal communication
Identity and self-presentation
Group communication
Reading images and products.

Assessment

Externally Examined

Written Paper:	1 hour 45 minutes
Weighting:	50% of the total AS Level marks
	25% of the total A Level marks

Candidates answer two questions requiring short responses to statements about culture and communication and two questions which invite guided analysis and interpretation of a cultural practice (or practices) and a cultural product (or text).

All questions are compulsory but there is an element of choice within the first two questions.

Unit 2: The Individual and Contemporary Culture: Portfolio

Topic list

A piece of independent work, the focus of which will be prompted each year by AQA with a choice of alternative topics
Communication, culture and the Individual
Cultural contexts and practices.

Assessment

Internally Examined and Externally Moderated

Weighting:	50% of the total AS Level marks
	25% of the total A Level marks

Web-Folio/portfolio of work

Investigation into Communication, Culture and the Individual (500 words).
Exploration of Cultural Products & Practices (1000 words)
Presentation on My Culture comprising both visual and oral components.
Topics set by AQA.