3.5 Media representations
Students should have knowledge and understanding of how the media portray events, issues, individuals and social groups.
Students will be required to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how media products reflect the social, cultural, historical and political contexts in which they are produced. Not every question in every exam series will require the analysis of the four contexts but students will need to be familiar with all of them in relation to a range of media products.
In the following table, the column headed Content includes the mandatory material which all students should study. The column headed Guidance Notes includes pointers and suggestions to help schools and colleges interpret and deliver the content where these are appropriate. These Guidance Notes will be supplemented by further support materials (the CSP booklet).
Re-presentation
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Content |
Guidance notes |
|---|---|
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The ways in which the media re-present (rather than simply present) the world, and construct versions of reality. Theoretical perspectives on representation, including processes of selection, construction and mediation. The processes of:
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Realism: reasons why some representations seem more truthful or realistic than others. Critical exploration of views including:
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Theoretical perspectives on gender
|
Content |
Guidance notes |
|---|---|
|
Theoretical perspectives on gender and representation and feminist approaches. |
An exploration of the distinction between essentialist views (that males and females are different categories with essential features, behaviours and attributes that define them) and social constructionalist views that the same features, behaviours and attributes are constructed by society (including the media) and not by nature. |
Choice of media producers
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Content |
Guidance note |
|---|---|
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The choices media producers make about how to represent particular events, social groups and ideas. |
Audience positioning. Selective representation, biased and prejudicial representation. |
Representation of reality
|
Content |
Guidance notes |
|---|---|
|
The ways aspects of reality may be represented differently depending on the purposes of the producers. |
Techniques of persuasive communication. Advertising, marketing, political bias, propaganda. |
Stereotypes
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Content |
Guidance notes |
|---|---|
|
The different functions and uses of stereotypes:
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A range of different stereotypes should be discussed and exemplified in order that students understand the problems with and usefulness of stereotypes. |
Misrepresentation
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Content |
Guidance notes |
|---|---|
|
How and why particular social groups may be under represented or misrepresented. |
Bias and partiality in representation. Relationship between media representations and the dominant value system of society. |
Viewpoints
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Content |
Guidance notes |
|---|---|
|
How representations (including self-representations) convey particular viewpoints, messages, values and beliefs, which may be reinforced across a wide range of media products. |
Role of individuals as producers (as well as consumers) of media messages in which the self is represented. Contrast between dominant representations and contested representations of, for example, groups, issues and places. |
Social, cultural and political significance
|
Content |
Guidance notes |
|---|---|
|
The social, cultural and political significance of particular representations in terms of the themes or issues that they address. |
Agenda setting. News values. |
Reflection of contexts
|
Content |
Guidance notes |
|---|---|
|
How representations reflect the social, historical and cultural contexts in which they were produced. |
Relationship between representation and changing values and beliefs and culture specific values and beliefs. |
Audience interpretation
|
Content |
Guidance notes |
|---|---|
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The factors affecting audience interpretations of representations including their own experiences and beliefs. |
Audience positioning Decoding - the influence of social variables such as age, class, gender, ethnicity on the interpretation of media representations. |
