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Welcome to the Media Studies Department

Our Department Vision

Media Studies at Copthall aims to inspire and empower our students to think critically about the world we live in. Students who get the opportunity to study Media at Copthall get outstanding results because they are given the tools and language to look at the world in a way that they have never done before. Enthusiasm for the subject comes from the contextual relevance of it. We all live in a Media saturated world, therefore, it is empowering to understand how, why and by whom Media texts are constructed.  To further secure their understanding they are also given the opportunity to create their own Media texts which demonstrates and nurtures students' autonomy, agency and creative skills, that they are not given the opportunity to show in other A Level subjects. Because of all of this, not only will many Media students become Media undergraduates with careers in the Media Industry but all students will be equipped with knowledge and skills for life, that will serve them in whatever career they choose.

The Curriculum Leader may be contacted via email enquiries@copthall.barnet.sch.uk

Curriculum

Page Downloads

Media Curriculum Map KS5

Examination Board & Course code:   AQA 7572

Essential student qualifications/Abilities

  • At least one grade 5 in English Language or English Literature.
  • The ability to show commitment to working as part of a group and to meeting deadlines.
  • Students must show dedication to independent study, researching and analysing media texts; and working with practical equipment.

Desirable student qualifications/Abilities

  • Students need to develop their critical thinking and ability to seek out the ‘why’ in meanings created by The Media.

Extra-Curricular

The Media Studies Department has run and offers lots of exciting extra-curricular events. These include cinema trips to watch films you wouldn’t normally watch. Study days at the British Film Institute in London and work-shops with ‘The Social Partners’ an award winning advertising agency. Because the Media is always evolving and shaping the way that we see the world it is important to develop your understanding of it and these extra-curricular activities are an essential part of this. 

Essential Field Trips involving financial commitment

We try to keep most of our trips and study days free for students. There are no compulsory trips that require financial commitment.

Career & Employment

Higher education opportunities

There are a plethora of Media based degrees available at Universities. There are also practical foundation courses and apprenticeships which can open doors in to the competitive Media Industry. Many Y13 students who have studied Media at Copthall have gone on to do Media based degrees which they would never have done if they had not taken it at A Level.

Below are just some of the degrees courses that you can do after taking Media A Level

  • Media and communications
  • New Media
  • PR, Marketing and Advertising
  • Media and Cultural Studies
  • Philosophy with film
  • Mass Communications
  • English Literature with Media Cultures
  • Journalism
  • Social Media
  • Event Management
  • 3D games
  • Film and TV Production
  • Multimedia design
  • Music production
  • Digital Film and TV Technology
  • Radio production
  • Media Practice
  • Film Makeup

Recommended Reading

  • Making is Connecting: The Social Power of Creativity, by David Gauntlett
  • After Empire, by Paul Gilroy
  • Race and Racism in "The Age of Obama“ by Paul Gilroy
  • Gender Trouble by Judith Butler
  • Framing Muslims: Stereotyping and Representation After 9/11 by Amina Yaqin
  • Gender and the Media by Rosalind Gill
  • Encoding and Decoding in the Television Discourse by Stuart Hall
  • Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky
  • The Internet Is Not the Answer by Andrew Keen
  • Elements of Semiology by Roland Barthes
  • Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race: by Reni Eddo-Lodge