Moviemaker Presentation

Good afternoon!

You should be well on the way to completing a first draft of your Exploration. This needs to be handed in on Friday. I need to have paper copies of both pieces but you MUST submit both pieces on Turnitin via Moodle. I can help you do this in the lesson!

Your drafts will be thoroughly marked and will provide data for the Assessment week.

We now need to turn our thoughts to the Moviemaker presentation. You need to work through the planning sheet attached. By the end of the lesson you need to have come up with some ideas about what and how you are going to approach this task. Complete the sheet in as much detail as possible. Save it and you can add to it as you come up with more ideas. This is a 6 - 8 minute presentation and requires a lot of hard work and effort to be successful.

Presentation Planning

Any questions - just ask!

Good Luck

Nina

Exploration Research

Hello!

Thanks to all of you who handed in the Investigation on time. Well done and great start to the coursework. Now for the next bit!

You need to use these next to lessons in the computer rooms to research and plan your exploration. There are some planning sheets attached to help you along and these need to be completed as fully as possible by the end of tomorrow's lesson.

There are some starting points on Colin's Blog: commscolin.blogspot.co.uk

Research Sheet

Key Concepts

And just in case you need prompting, here is the overview of the requirements for the Exploration task: Exploration Powerpoint

You also need to bring a title and an introductory paragraph to Friday's lesson and we will do some peer assessment!

 The deadline for the completed first draft of this piece is Friday 6th December.

Any questions....just ask!

Nina

Investigation and Selfies

Good afternoon!

Your main focus today is to get on with your 500 word investigation. You should be able to more or less finish this in the lesson. Your investigation needs to be posted via Turnitin by Monday 25th November but you can upload it as soon as you have finished it. This is the last lesson you will be working on it. Remember, this first piece is a draft...I am not expecting perfection (at this stage at least!)

Some of you have pretty much finished your investigation so there are a couple of things I would like you to do.

Firstly, just have a look at the animation based on the killing of Sophie Lancaster, murdered for being a Goth. Due to a technology malfunction last lesson, I didn't get chance to show you this and I thought it would help us reflect on society's sometimes very negative attitudes to sub-cultural groups or to those with alternative lifestyles.

http://www.sophielancasterfoundation.com/


Secondly, I thought you could explore the rise of the 'selfie' as it has been in the news recently (the most recent addition to the OED online). Read the following articles, summarise them and comment on what is being communicated through 'selfies.' This could be useful for those thinking about their 'cybernarrative.'


http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/emma-brockes-blog/2013/nov/14/selfie-bieber-facebook-instagram-foolish

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/19/selfie-narcissism-oxford-dictionary-word

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jul/14/how-selfies-became-a-global-phenomenon

Work hard!

Groups

So..... in the first part of the lesson we have been exploring what groups are and why we join them (although often we have no choice!)

You need to have a worked example of a group YOU belong to in order to show that you are beginning to engage with this subject. Follow the link below and there is a table for you to fill in about a group that you are part of. I have done an example for you too.

A Group I Belong To

Extension task: Build up your knowledge of sub-cultural groups through online research.

Can I also direct you to a previous blog on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - read (or reread) the article to extend your understanding of his ideas.

Happy thinking!

Investigation Work

Good Afternoon All

This lesson is all about getting together a very clear plan for your 500 word investigation but first of all you have an admin task.

Admin:

Your work will eventually be submitted through Turnitin on Moodle. To do this you need to be enrolled on the course. Go to AS Communication and Culture in courses. Click on 'Settings' and then enrol on the course: the enrolment key is 'shakespeare' (all lower case).

Coursework:

The structure of your Investigation has to be as follows:

• An opening statement: this introduces the topic and introduces the main focus in terms of key words (eg constructed identity; self-presentation; culture; value; verbal communication; groups etc)
• Three paragraphs: each with a point / a reference to a source / a reference to a theory / a final point to sum up your paragraph
• A conclusion - sum up what you believe and leave the reader with something to think about.

Read through your Coursework booklet for an example of how to work through everything for the Investigation.

Complete the table attached here to help you structure and plan your investigation.

Coursework Plan

When you have come up with a clear plan, make sure you discuss it with me in the lesson or email it to me at the end of the lesson and I can give you feedback. Then all you need to do is write it!

Good Luck!

Group and Family Work

Hello!

Here is the Powerpoint with some initial ideas on groups and family which we used in today's lesson. Have a look through to remind yourselves of what we discussed / have a look to catch up on what you missed.

PPT on Group and Family

Nina

Coursework

Here is the Powerpoint on the coursework you have to do - it is all in your yellow booklet too. There is no excuse for not knowing what to do!!

Coursework PPT

Nina

Information Overload

Hello Communication Students

I have been 'squirrelling' resources away and thought that really I should be sharing them with you! Hope you find them interesting and useful.

Food

As some of you are thinking about food for your personal investigation, I thought this might be interesting:

Food article

The family

We are beginning to discuss the structure and dynamics of groups. Here are some articles on a group that we are all a part in one way or another - a family. These articles link to the discussions we will be having (or have had) on our idea of what a family is; the representation of families on television; and how the 'traditional' family (is there such a thing I hear you cry) is used as political football to support or refute criticisms of a failing society. Let me know what you think.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2007/oct/05/health.socialtrends

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/jul/19/ifs-marriage-little-benefit-child-development

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/may/05/johnarlidge.theobserver

Thinking Allowed      Link to Thinking Allowed Podcasts

Finally, I wanted to give you a couple of links to podcasts from the Radio 4 broadcast Thinking Allowed. These are a series of programmes discussing predominantly sociological issues. I have picked a few that you might find useful. They are quite academic but have a go as I think they will resonate with some of the ideas we have been discussing on the course.

Podcast on Richard Hoggart and Representation of Family

Podcast on Erving Goffman

Nuclear Family

This is just for your own extended work, but it does show that there is good information out there!

Enjoy

Nina

Coursework Investigation

Hello!

Task 1 - 15 minutes MAX

Choose one of the coureswork pieces. Write a sentence to summarise each paragraph. Make a note of all the key terminology and key concepts used. Make a note of theorists referred to - you should be familiar with them!

Task 2 - Choosing an Investigation task

Read the choices for your coursework.

The first coursework essay is a 500-word investigation into one of the following issues.

Education: all I learnt at school.

·        The happiest days of my life?  School and me. 

·        A hidden curriculum? What school taught me to be.

Food : You are what you eat.

·        Eat drink and be merry. What my celebration meals say about me. 

·        Breakfast - the most important meal of the day? What my breakfast says about me. 

Stories of my life.

·        Happily ever after? The first story I remember, and what it means to me.

·        My cyber narrative. Who I am online.

First, decide on which coursework title appeals to you.

Next, take some notes on the kinds of ideas you could include in the essay.

You also need to consider which key concepts and theories are going to be helpful to you in writing your essay.

You need to post this on your blog or email me your ideas or print off your ideas. By the end of the lesson I need to know what you intend to do!

Good luck.

Nina

NVC and Identity

Hello Comms people!

We have been bringing together some of our thoughts on identity, the presentation of the self and communication. Here is the example question for you to work on for homework - we have already come up with some ideas in class:

Which of the following statements about identity and personal communication do you find most convincing? Explain your choice.

• Successful personal communication depends on feedback and self-disclosure.
• We develop our identities in response to the ways in which others communicate with us.
• A person’s real identity is often revealed by unintended non-verbal signs.

This needs to be handed in on Thursday 7th November.

Here is a TED talk (a series of talks on new ideas) on NVC that I thought you might find interesting to further your thoughts on that area of study:

—http://video.ted.com/talk/podcast/2012G/None/AmyCuddy_2012G.mp4

And here are some thoughts on gender and NVC:

http://jezebel.com/gender-and-the-body-language-of-power-1292949003

Next term we will be looking at how to approach coursework. One of the areas you might like to investigate is Food: You are what you eat and I thought this article might be some food for thought. Be ready to feedback some ideas the first week back:

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/oct/15/judge-people-by-food-they-eat

Enjoy your break but keep working hard! As usual, please feel free to leave a comment about any of the articles!

Nina

Representation of Women in the Media

Good Morning!

The first thing you need to do is to complete your movie maker identity work. Please make sure you have engaged with some of the theories about identity and that you refer to them in your piece.

When you have finished that, have a read of the following articles, both of which deal with how young women are represented (or representing themselves) in the media.

One is on the problem with 'Lads' Mags', the extent to which they objectify women and what certain groups would like to change. Do tell me what you think by posting a comment.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/jul/29/romola-garai-tesco-lads-mags

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/oct/13/lads-mags-problem-romola-garai


The other is on the issue of the sexualisation of women in the music industry. This has been in the news a lot recently, following some of Miley Cyrus' performances in her music videos and on stage. Many involved in the music industry have added their voices to the debate. Read the article and let me know what you think

.http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/charlotte-church-slams-music-industry-for-forcing-hypersexualised-and-cartoonish-images-on-young-female-performers-8879992.html

What issues are raised by certain representations of women in the media? To what extent do you think it has an impact on the identity of women (young and old) today and to what extent does it have an impact on how males view female identity? Just some food for thought.

Enjoy.

Nina

Identity Assessment

Good afternoon!

Today I want you to work on a short (1-2 minutes) MovieMaker presentation with a focus on your identity.

For example:

• a piece on starting at St Brendan's and how you have presented yourself
• the different people that make up your identity and the type of influence they have on your identity
• a piece on one of your role models and how they reflect your identity
• a piece on a hobby or interest and how this reflects your identity
• a piece on the clothes you wear; the food you eat etc
• a piece on your idiolect (the language you use)

In all of the above you can consider the key concepts of culture, communication, codes, power, value, representation, context alongside that of identity. Remember they all link together!

It also needs to show that you have engaged with the concept of identity through some of the ideas and theories associated with it - look back through your notes

You could include something about:

• the relationship between identity and culture. To what extent are we in charge of our identity and to what extent are we reliant on others? What cultural codes are associated with parts of your cultural practices that make up part of your identity?
• the idea of self concept; self image; ideal self and self esteem. You could refer to Rogers, Cooley's Looking Glass Theory, Self fulfilling prophecy, Johari Window
• how we protect our self image. You could refer to Johari Window and self maintenance strategies from Gergen and Gergen

This is your chance to show off your knowledge about identity.

Tattoos and Grand Theft Auto

I thought you might find these articles interesting. The article on tattoos explores how they link to someone's identity. Body Tattoos

The second article on tattoos also explores them as a cultural symbol and discusses the merging of popular and high culture through tattooing quotations from classic literature. Text and Tattoos

The article on Grand Theft Auto also considers the relationship between high and popular culture as it explores the rise of the video game and whether it can be classed as more than popular culture. Grand Theft Auto

Would love to hear your thoughts on any of the above!

Nina

MovieMaker

Good Morning Comms and Culture Peeps!

Today we are going to be playing around with MovieMaker in preparation for a small assessment based on identity (more info to follow!) What I want you to do today is to get yourself familiar with the software. So have a read of the tutorial; ask me (I know the basics); ask a friend! 

Aim to create a very short montage (about 1 minute) about your favourite book, animal, sport, song, film etc. You need to import some images and play around with how to transition them, adding text and music if you can. 

Here is an example from me - hope you enjoy it! You'll be singing the song all day!

My Favourite Song

You will work on your assessed task next week. You will need to create a presentation on an aspect of your identity. This could be a presentation on the clothes that you wear; a hobby or a passion of yours; your family; a group that you belong to etc. You could do something in the style of the Orange ad that we looked at last week - you should already have some ideas and text from that. Start thinking about what focus yours will have, so you are prepared for next week. It would be great if you could bring in a reference to a theory or include a couple of quotations about identity and culture. Attempt to link any ideas to the key concepts - we will be revisiting those next lesson. So..gather some thoughts and ideas!

Good luck!

Happiness

We touched very briefly on the happiness levels of whole countries as we discussed the concept of self esteem and how it links to happiness. I though you might be interested in the following clip. What makes society as a whole happy? Do you think we have problems overall in this country with happiness and how does this link to concepts of identity and the self? 

Bhutan and Happiness

Just some food for thought!

Nina

Resources for talking about culture!

Please find attached some of the resources we have used in our discussions about popular and high culture You can refer back to these when asked to write an essay or do some work on this topic. 

Some Thoughts on Culture

PowerPoint on High Culture

PowerPoint on High Culture 2

Useful Theories

Sub-Cultures and Cultural Codes

And finally - here is the essay question. You can always have another go at it as you get more confident with your subject knowledge and essay writing skills!

Essay Question and Planning Advice

This should all help you - but remember IT IS UP TO YOU to engage with the concepts and to provide relevant examples! Making notes during and after the class, drawing on any discussions we have had, will help you to build up a bank of resources and examples to support your writing.

Happy thinking!

Nina

Identity and the Self

Good Morning! 

The aim of today's lesson is for you to start to engage with the concept of identity. You will be asked to think about what identity means to you and what you think your identity is. You will need to take notes which you will be able to use in class next lesson, when we will discuss these initial thoughts in a lot more detail.

• Remind yourself of the the two different views of identity that we considered at the beginning of the course. Summarise the different viewpoints. Which one do you agree with?
• Identity Quotations

• Now I want you to think about who you are. Write the question 'Who am I' and answer it at least twenty times, starting each sentence with I am... eg I am a teacher, I am a mother, I am hardworking. 
• Then highlight those that are social roles (the parts we play)in one colour and those that are personality traits (what we think we are like) in another.

Self concept is the idea we have of ourselves as individuals. Our self image is the image we have of the various aspects of ourselves: our intellectual self, our body self (the image we have of our bodies) and our emotional self.

We often have an image of an ideal self and this is one that we like to try and project.

•  Watch the 30 second clip from a Holiday Inn advert. Write down the differences between the man's actual self and his ideal self. Think about his intellectual, emotional and bodily self.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9PYIwPSaj4&feature=c4-overview&list=UUXfH9xxPB2kpHibmcFGyaAA

• What do you think is the ideal male and / or female according to the media?
• Try to make notes on your ideal self

In expressing our ideals, we often project these on to other people, often public people. These people then become role models.

• Have a look through the pictures below. Who do you think is a positive or negative role model? What makes a positive or negative role model? Who are the role models in your life? To what extent do they represent your ideal self? The articles below might help.
• https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=good+role+models&sa=X&rlz=1C1FGGD_enGB501GB502&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=taFAUuLhBsSRhQeXuoGYBQ&ved=0CEYQsAQ&biw=1256&bih=654&dpr=1

• http://www.ehow.co.uk/info_7923516_good-role-models-children.html

Happy thinking!

Definitions of culture

Hello Culture People!

There are a few things to do today to start bringing together your ideas on high culture, popular culture and definitions of culture in general. Culture is a tricky word to define.

1. Follow the link below and listen to some of the definitions people give. They were all interviewed for The Culture Show, a programme that explores different facets of arts and culture in the 21st Century. It is a great programme to watch and, in itself, attempts to break down some of the barriers between high and popular culture.

www.bbc.co.uk/cultureshow/cultureis

2. Now post a comment on your own blog about what you think culture is.

3. Follow the links below and read the articles. What attitudes are expressed about high and popular cultural forms in the two articles? Post a comment!


http://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/sep/02/classicalmusicandopera

http://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2008/sep/03/laurabarton


4. Don't forget to post an overview of the past few lessons on your own blog. Some good ones already - you are showing real engagement with the subject. 

Well done!

High Culture

Good Morning! 

We have been discussing Matthew Arnold's ( a C19th critic and writer) notion of culture as "the best that is thought and said in the world". In a series of essays entitled 'Culture and Anarchy', Arnold explores the civilising effect of culture on people. He believed that by educating people to have a taste for high culture, then anarchy would be prevented. An appreciation of the arts in particular could prevent social disorder, immorality, violence, selfishness and disobedience.

Find examples of different genres of culture that Arnold would class as high culture eg ballet, opera, classical music, theatre, literature. Which artists, musicians and writers would you consider to be high culture? Create a collage of works of art, snippets from texts, pictures of famous artists and writers on Powerpoint or Word that you can share with the class. Research the idea of a 'western canon' to help you.

Create a list of points in your notes supporting the study of high culture, explaining why it has value (start by referring back to Arnold). 

Finally, post a comment on this blog giving me your opinion of high culture. What are you familiar with? Is there a particular genre of high culture you enjoy? Does it make you a better person? What are the connotations of the different genres of high culture? What are the problems of suggesting a canon of high culture?

Starting to think about 'culture'

Hello Comms Students.

Have a read of the following articles and post a comment to me telling me what you think about them.

The first is about the impact of short hair on women and I would like you to think about what the length of our hair suggests about our identity. Are there cultural and gender 'norms' associated with hair styles and length? Expectations? What possible meanings do we read into shorter hair? Why do you think Emma Watson cut her hair short? What does the article suggest?

http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2013/aug/29/jean-seberg-best-pixie-haircut

We are going to be doing a lot thinking and discussing on the concepts of culture and cultural practices. Read the article below which discusses the changing attitudes to culture and cultural practices. It might be a little tricky, but have a go and let me know what you think. What does the writer think of as art? What do you think of as art? What cultural practices does the writer comment on? Can you think of any cultural practices that have changed over the years? What point is the writer making about 'great art'?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7549863.stm

Once you have set up your own Communication and Culture blogs, ensure you have emailed or given me your address. Then you need to post a blog explaining what you have discussed and learnt over the past week. Refer to as much terminology as you can. I expect you to update your learning blogs each week and will have a read through them. This will be a really good way to organise your thoughts and ideas on the subjects we cover, as well as keeping a record of all the fantastic new terminology you will be learning! Feel free to add any interesting articles you find while surfing the web!

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Have a look at this article from the BBC. We will be exploring Maslow's concept in a few weeks so it might a good idea to be familiar with it! It is quite a clear explanation so have a go!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23902918

Welcome

Welcome to my blog to help you with your study of Communication & Culture! I will use this blog to give you access to interesting texts; websites; clips from YouTube and so on to enhance and support your learning of this amazing subject. Watch this space!