Media

The media plays a central role in our world. It affects society at all levels, from economics, politics, community, culture and individual.

In this course you will analyse the media and its role in everyday life. You will develop your analytical and critical skills through looking at various examples of texts from newspapers, TV, film, radio or the internet. And, you will improve your creative and expressive skills when you learn to create your own media content.

The skills you learn in this course are useful in many career areas. This includes writing, the performing arts, journalism and publishing.

The course gives you the opportunity to develop knowledge of the role of media and the key aspects of media literacy: categories, language, representation, narrative, audience, institution and society.

You will:

• analyse and create media content as appropriate to purpose, audience and context

• develop knowledge and understanding of the key aspects of media literacy as appropriate to content

• develop knowledge and understanding of the role of media within society

• develop knowledge and understanding of how to plan and research when creating media content as appropriate to purpose, audience and context

• develop evaluation skills.

Higher Media Studies is a challenging course suitable for those who have achieved success in the subject at Nat 5 level. It may also be chosen by pupils new to Media, provided they satisfy entry requirements and have a genuine interest in film, media issues and current affairs. The course provides a good grounding for further study of film/media in the tertiary sector. Assessment is by way of extended written tasks and essays. Group discussion tasks run throughout the course and the Assignment involves group production of a film trailer.

The course comprises two areas of study.

Analysing Media Content

You will learn how and why media content is constructed in particular ways, the potential use or effect of media content, the relationship between media content and context(s) and the similarities and differences between different pieces of media content. 

Key areas: media content, media contexts, role of media in society, analysis skills.

Creating Media Content

You will learn about creating media content relevant to particular purposes, audiences and contexts. You may make such content as a short film or trailer, a print or moving-image advertising campaign, a poster campaign, or a few pages of a magazine.

Other Info:

Higher candidates new to the subject should not underestimate the challenges of the course. They should be highly self- motivated and willing to invest extra

individual hours in the basics of the subject to which the Higher course cannot allocate time; they should also have a strong record of attainment in English.

The course assessment has two components totalling 108 marks:

• Component 1: question paper – worth 60 marks

• Component 2: assignment – worth 48 marks.

For the assignment component (which has 2 sections - planning, 20 marks and development, 28 marks), you will be asked to generate ideas appropriate to a brief, develop and justify media content choices, create media content and evaluate the strengths and/or weaknesses of the finished content.

Both the assignment component and the question paper will be set and externally marked by Qualifications Scotland.

The grade awarded is based on the total marks achieved across all course assessment components.

The course assessment is graded A-D.

The course assessment has three components totalling 100 marks:

• Component 1: question paper 1 (Analysis of media content) – worth 30 marks

• Component 2: question paper 2 (The role of media) – worth 20 marks

• Component 3: assignment – worth 50 marks (consisting of two sections: Planning and Development, worth 20 marks and 30 marks respectively).

For the assignment component, you will be asked to plan and develop media content in response to a negotiated brief.

Both the question paper and the assignment are set and externally marked by Qualifications Scotland.

The grade awarded is based on the total marks achieved across course assessment.

The course assessment is graded A-D.