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