5.27.2011

Chief Examiner's advice on Collective Identity


Collective Identity Exam questions

As we saw on Sunday, these are the previous questions set for this topic:

Analyse the ways in which the media represent any one group of people that you have studied.
With reference to any one group of people that you have studied, discuss how their identity has been ‘mediated’.
Analyse the ways in which the media represent groups of people.
“The media do not construct collective identity; they merely reflect it”. Discuss.
“Media representations are complex, not simple and straightforward”. How far do you agree with this statement in relation to any one group of people that you have studied?
What is collective identity and how is it mediated?


So as you will notice, the questions may focus on how representations are constructed (or how the media mediate representation/identity) but you also need to consider how people read or make sense of those representations and how groups of people might construct their own identity (e.g. online through social media). The last two questions above essentially cover the same territory, but ask you to reflect upon it in a slightly different way- a quote in a question usually means here is something you can argue with- and you should. I would argue that the media never simply 'reflect' reality but construct a representation of it, so there would be something to really get your teeth into! And a look at contrasting representations of a particular group would allow you to explore the complexity, as indicated in the last question.

If we look at the bullet points in the Specification, which defines what should be studied, we should be able to relate them to the questions set so far:

• How do the contemporary media represent nations, regions and ethnic / social / collective groups of people in different ways?
• How does contemporary representation compare to previous time periods?
• What are the social implications of different media representations of groups of people?
• To what extent is human identity increasingly ‘mediated’?


The kinds of thing you might use as case studies include:

national cinema,
television representations,
magazines and gender,
representations of youth and youth culture,
representations of different ethnic and cultural groups
sexuality, gender, disability

It is pretty open in terms of what you might have studied, so I would expect answers to draw upon very different case study material.

This part of the exam asks you to do three more specific things, whatever topic you answer on:

1. You MUST refer to at least TWO different media
2. You MUST refer to past, present and future (with the emphasis on the present- contemporary examples from the past five years)
3. refer to critical/theoretical positions

So for 1. you might compare and contrast examples from film and TV or from newspapers and social media.

For 2. the main thing is to ensure you have a majority of material from the past five years. There were a number of answers last year which were dominated by older films, so beware of this!

For 3. you need some critics/writers who have developed ideas about representation and identity. In previous posts on this topic, I referred to several useful theorists in relation to youth as a case study. Have a look at those posts as you should find plenty of use!

You can't cover everything in this exam, as you only have an hour, so you need to be selective and very systematic in your answer. Have case study examples which really illustrate the kinds of points you want to make.

The ultimate best link for this topic is Dave's Collective identity Blog, which is terrific for a case study of Youth.

5.22.2011

Past Questions

The Media and Collective Identity


Analyse the ways in which the media represent any one group of people that you have studied.

With reference to any one group of people that you have studied, discuss how their identity has been ‘mediated’.

Analyse the ways in which the media represent groups of people.

“The media do not construct collective identity; they merely reflect it”. Discuss.

“Media representations are complex, not simple and straightforward”. How far do you agree with this statement in relation to any one group of people that you have studied?

What is collective identity and how is it mediated?

3.02.2011

UK Tribes

This is the website we were using in class.


http://uktribes.com/


Thanks to Emily Garner for finding the password on the internet.


The password is


iblametheparents


If you want to discover which tribe you belong to then visit this site


http://www.findyourtribe.co.uk/


I am a 'trendie' apparently though I disagree completely with the findings. If you too are a trendie then I apologise unreservedly. In the East Midlands Indie Scensters, Townies and Rah's are the most popular tribes.

3.01.2011

Wednesday Period 4 Research task

Research the teen subgroup you have been given. Prepare a PowerPoint which explains the origins, the fashion taste of the group, the musical taste of the group, examples of that group in Film, Television, Music, self made YouTube videos and Newspapers/magazines.

Aspirant Mainstream -

Aspirant Mainstream kids will spend money to get the look, the music and the lifestyle they want – and the effect they are going for is expensive. 

  • Trendies
  • Rahs

Mainstream -

Apart from those born into privilege or other excep- tional circumstances, most youngsters start out as members of this group. Forgetting all of the regular media demonization, the Townie and Chav subsets are among the most visible around Britain and entry requirements are low – if you like chart music, TV and a bit of a drink, you’re in.
  • Ravers
  • Townies
  • Chavs
  • Boy Racers
  • Sports Junkies
  • Street Rats
  • Casuals

Urban -

A relatively small segment but big on influence. The Urban segment follows a typical pattern, with a small subset (the DIY-ers) who create and dictate tastes, and consumers who buy into the tribe 
  • Get Paid Crew
  • Blingers
  • DIYers
  • Trackies

Alternative -

Instead, this segment makes up a significant slice of the youth market, with the internet helping to smash the barriers to the Alternative lifestyle. An enthusiasm for indie fashion and band culture is now almost obliga- tory in the development of middle class teens.
  • Gamers
  • Emos
  • Scene Kids
  • Skaters
  • Metalheads
  • Young Alts

Leading Edge -

However, they drive taste across virtually all other sectors, impacting on the listening habits and fash- ions of everyone from rural teenage Emos to the stars of US hip hop. These tribes stand at the gateway of popular culture, and are the main influence over other Tribes like the Young Alts. However, all of these Leading Edge Tribes are hard to manipulate.
  • Hipsters
  • Geeks
  • Craft Kids
  • Indie Scenesters

Mr Smith Past Questions June 2010

"The media do not construct collective identity they merely reflect it"

Start with quote, paraphrase, critique on identity, representation, media.

Identity is complex. The relationship between collective identity and media representation is not straightforward. In this answer I will discuss this complicated relationship in relation to (CANDIDATE'S FOCUS - ONE GROUP ACROSS MEDIA OR TWO GROUPS OR MORE, OR CONTRASTING EXAMPLES).

For each example / study, quote, paraphrase, critique is now applied to the material researched. One example from more than 5 years ago is included. Textual analysis is ALWAYS connected to theories of representation and / or identity. These theories can be from any time period but the majority of the examples used for discussion must be from within 5 years.

Next, connections are made between the examples / contrasts are discussed.

Finally, a conclusion is offered which goes back to the start - the complicated relationship between identity and media representation. A prediction for what the future will hold is included here.

To secure high marks, all of the above is accompanied by referencing (when an author is mentioned, their name and year of the book / article / web material is given in brackets after the FIRST mention).

2.28.2011

Has E4 cracked the formula for successful Teen TV?

Modern TV for Teens lesson:

Case Studies:
Skins, The Inbetweeners and Misfits

Task 1:

Research:
(a) Factual information for each show- dates, production team, audience figures, reception/awards etc.

(b) What seems to be the winning formula for each show? Use the following links within your research.

http://www.%20has%20e4%20cracked%20the%20formula%20for%20successful%20teen%20tv/?.co.uk/lifestyle/article-23793472-teenage-kicks-how-e4-captured-the-teen-tv-market.do

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/teen-dramas-down-with-the-kids-424525.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/teenage-kicks-its-sex-drugs-and-double-maths-as-skins-returns-1379938.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/nov/14/misfits-asbo-superhero-television



Task 2:

Identify the main areas of concern and the corresponding arguments FOR and AGAINST the US version of ‘Skins’.

Evaluate whether the concerns seem to be audience, age, social/c ultural. Explain your answer in detail.

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/01/21/too-hot-for-america-the-tv-show-skins/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1349022/MTV-executives-order-new-U-S-version-Skins-tone-child-pornography-fears.html


http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/17/shameless-skins-being-human


http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/taco-bell-pulls-ads-mtv-74037  (the comments beneath are the most informative)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/20/business/media/20mtv.html?_r=1


Task 3:

List the stereotypes that seem to exist in programmes for Teens?

What is their function and in your opinion how ‘real’ are these?

2.15.2011

Categories for behaviour


Romantics: Be true to oneself at all costs

Practical people: Be sensible: sometimes you have to go along to get along. Dont make waves. Be a team player.

Cynics: Everybody has a price. Dont be a sucker.

Fatalists: Theres nothing one person can do to change anything, so why try?

Moralists: One has a duty to others; one cant just run off and do as one pleases.

Anthony Giddens - Structuration

Giddens explores the extent to which society is shaped by social structure or individual.  He argues that individual human agency and social structure are in a relationship with each other, and it is the repetition of acts by individuals which reinforces the structure.  There is a social structure which shapes our lives (traditions, institutions, moral codes, established ways of doing things), but it relies on individuals following these structures.  When they act differently the social structure can change.  Structuration is the process in which human agency and social structure are in a constant relationship – the social structure is reproduced by the repetition of acts by individual people (and can therefore change).

Social Order and Social Reproduction – Giddens argues that the ‘rules’ of the social order may only be in our heads but people are often shocked when seemingly minor social expectations are not adhered to.
People’s everyday actions reinforce and reproduce a set of expectations – and it is this set of other people’s expectations which make up the social forces that maintain the social order.

Post-traditional society – Giddens argues that in traditional societies individual actions and identities do not have to be thought about as much as choices are determined by tradition and custom.  In post-traditional times we are less concerned about following tradition.  As a result we have to think more about how to behave in society.  In modern societies (‘societies where modernity is well-developed’) self-identity becomes an issue we are all aware of.  Earlier societies with a social order based firmly in tradition would provide individuals with more clearly defined roles.  In post-traditional society we have to work out our roles for ourselves.

‘What to do?  How to act?  Who to be?  These are focal questions for everyone living in circumstances of late modernity – and ones which, on some level or another, all of us answer’.

The reflexive project of the self – Giddens argues that the self is ‘made’ by the individual, self-identity becomes a reflexive project (something we are actively aware of).  Self-identity is a person’s own reflexive understanding of their biography, but is not an objective description of that person.  The self is not something we are born with, and it is not fixed.  The self is reflexively made – thoughtfully constructed by the individual.  We all choose a lifestyle – consumerism is one of the ways in which project and develop our lifestyle.  Just as the self has become changeable, so too has the body.

2.07.2011

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson was a great believer in self reliance, he believed in individualism and warned against the way in which society sought to socialise its members, stating:
For nonconformity, the world   whips you with its displeasure.

Ephebiphobia

The irrational fear of youth is called ephebiphobia. First coined as the "fear and loathing of teenagers," today the phenomenon is recognized as the "inaccurate, exaggerated and sensational characterization of young people" in a variety of settings around the world.

2.02.2011

Battle Royale - Kinji Fukasaku



The prologue title card reads:
"At the dawn of the millennium, the nation collapsed. At fifteen percent unemployment, ten million were out of work. 800,000 students boycotted school. The adults lost confidence and, fearing the youth, eventually passed the Millennium Educational Reform Act, AKA the BR Act...."
The BR Act simply involves leaving students on an Island... the students must kill each other until only one is left. One class from the country per year is selected to participate in the program. If after three days a winner is not declared, the explosive collars attached to each student's neck will be detonated. The collars also prevent the students entering certain areas of the field of participation, the "danger zones," with the intention of forcing the students to encounter one another.


This short video explains the rules




The film was labeled "crude and tasteless" by members of Japanese parliament and other government officials after the film was screened for them before its general release.[12] The film created a debate over government action on media violence. Many conservative politicians used the film to blame popular culture for a youth crime wave. Ilya Garger of TIME magazine said that Battle Royale received "free publicity" and received "box-office success usually reserved for cartoons and TV-drama spin-offs."
Critics note its relation to the increasingly extreme trend in Asian cinema and its similarity to reality television.[14]
In 2009, Quentin Tarantino listed the film as his favorite film released since 1992. Empire ranked Battle Royale #235 and #82 on their lists of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time" and "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" respectively.[17][18]

Despite rumors to the contrary, the film is not banned in the United States. Rather, there has never been a distribution agreement for the film.[5]
It has been exhibited at film festivals in North America. Nonetheless, bootleg copies of the film imported from China, South Korea, and Hong Kong have widespread availability on the continent, and a Special Edition DVD of the film was carried to a limited extent by retailers such as HMV and Starstruck Entertainment in Canada and Tower Records in the United States; the legal status of this edition is not clear. Also, the film's UK distributor, Tartan Films, released an all-region NTSC DVD version of the film that is available in North America from specialty outlets. One widely available Hong Kong import is a special edition without English subtitles that contains both Battle Royale and its sequel. Both Battle Royale and its sequel are available on NetFlix, a major home-entertainment distributor in the United States.

KIDS - Larry Clark


Kids is a 1995 drama film written by Harmony Korine and directed by Larry Clark. If you think "A Clockwork Orange" is a tad controversial wait till you see "Kids"
We won't be watching this in class because, to quote wikipedia, "of its unexpurgated subject matter centering on relatively young teenagers, Kids has been controversial. The film includes much explicit sexual dialogue and depicts scenes of date rapephysical violencedrug dealingalcohol abuse, theftseduction of barely post-pubescent minors, and (non-explicit) teenage sexual displays, as well as (apparently) adolescent actors/actresses in near but not quite explicit exposure. The original version of the film was rated NC-17 in the US.[3] It was later released without a rating."
Also "The film received mixed reviews, with 55% of critics giving it a positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes.[9] Film critic Janet Maslin of the New York Times called the film a "wake-up call to the modern world" about the nature of present day youth in urban life.[10] Meanwhile, other critics have labeled it exploitative (in the lascivious sense) as borderline "child pornography".[11] Korine attributes the negative reaction to Kids to the expectation on the part of audiences that the film would explicitly make moral judgments on the actions of the characters when Korine gave the film no such moral compass.[12]"
The film itself does end with a fairly clear moral message with many of the characters end up potentially contracting HIV after a series of unprotected sexual encounters (some consensual others not). The film makes Skins look like the Waltons.

1.28.2011

Grange Hill and Controversy

http://www.grangehillfans.co.uk/history/believe.php

Grange Hill, 1978. Phil Redmond



The first episode broadcast on Wednesday 8th February 1978, audience of 9 million at its peak.
Tucker Jenkins, aka Todd Carty, became the first heart-throb who wasn't a pop star.
"He's a nut job","Flippin' Eck Tucker!" were national catchphrases.
Every week BBC received sackloads of letters from youngsters wanting to appear in Grange Hill. It still does!
But parents were positively shocked and the BBC was inundated with complaints. A branch of the Womens' Institute in Somerset called for Grange Hill to be banned. Some of the cast were even withdrawn by their parents.
It wasn't until Series 2, and a change to a twice-weekly format, that Phil Redmond fulfilled his desire to make Grange Hill an issue-led show. This was what the young audience wanted; to the parents Grange Hill was a bad influence. The canteen desktop protest caused particular fury and even led to a debate in Parliament.
Phil Redmond had to "agreed" future series would be toned down - or there would be no further series.
Other issues covered in the series, such as dyslexia, were praised.
As the late 80s moved into the 1990s, society’s views changed but Grange Hill maintained its notoriety, uncovering more taboo subjects.

1970s Additional Notes

1971 Misuse of Drugs Act.
1971: Beginnings of English Punk
Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren open a shop on London's King's Road
Dec 1978: Winter of Discontent
Widespread strikes by the trade unions brought the country to its knees, rubbish went uncollected and event the gravediggers were on strike. The Labour government fell in 1979, ushering in Margaret Thatcher and a long stretch of Tory rule.
1977: Sex Pistols denied number one spot
God Save The Queen by the Sex Pistols is kept off the no. 1 spot in the week before the Silver Jubilee, sparking rumours of a Conservative conspiracy.
1978: Grange Hill
Phil Redmond’s school drama causes controversy for the next 30 years
1979: Life Of Brian causes controversy
The Life Of Brian is Monty Python's take on what it would be like to be an ordinary, every day bloke and find out you were the Messiah.
1979: Viz is born
First 150 issues of Viz go on sale in a Newcastle pub for 20p.

Mods, Beatniks, Rockers 1965 short film

1960s Additional Context Notes

- London at the heart of international style and cultural revolution
- End 1960- end of compulsory national service
- Iconic new superhero arrives: James Bond!
- Fab 4 and the Rolling Stones
- Times changing: angry young man in cinema
- Social comment: ‘Cathy Come Home’ and ‘Alfie’ – sexual revolution
- The Pill and the sexual revolution
- By end 1960s- 95% owed TV set
- BBC2 added 1962
- 1967 Radio 1 launched.
- Emergence of new sub-cultures:
Teddy Boys
Modern Jazz kids
Trad Jazz kids
Beatniks (Mods, Rockers, Bikers, hippies)
Skinheads

1950s Additional Context Notes

- Post –war era
- Booming economy
- Change in social expectations- education, financial freedoms
- New media – TV and AM radio
- First Generation Gap
- New consumers: 1959 Mark Abrams' ‘The Teenage Consume’r outlines the potential of youth as a new consumer group.
- Huge American influence: Rock and Roll idols including Elvis Presley (1957), Bill Hayley, Jerry Lee Lewis and film stars James Dean and Marlon - Brando set fashions: 'What're you rebelling against?' : 'What've you got?‘ (Brando)
- By end 1950s- over ¾ population have access to a TV set
- Originally there was only one channel, the BBC. ITV started broadcasting in 1955
- First reporting of Teddy Boys in the UK media.
- First UK youth TV broadcast, Six-Five Special, on national TV.

1950S - 1960s teen subcltures- Steph/ Mikey, Mark/ Catherine, Tim and Nicky

Collective Identity Intro ppt