Exam dates 2018

EXAM DATES 2018

GCSE English:
Paper 1 - 5 June 2018 am
Paper 2 - 8 June 2018 am

A2 Communication & Culture:
Wed 6 June 2018 am

Wednesday 20 December 2017

A2 Comms - student answer to globalisation homework task

To what extent are you a product of globalisation?

I believe that I am a product of globalisation, I say this whilst typing on my HP laptop made in Taiwan, whilst watching the globalisation video on my Lenovo tablet made in China. Culture has become so fluid that I am unsure of any British made items I actually own, it's so easy to acquire things by the click of the button especially with modern apps like Ebay (mostly ships from China).

Being connected with the rest of the world in a western, industrialised society has never been so easy, having friends all over the globe is becoming easier due to apps like Monkey which lets you video chat with random people all over the world with the chance to add them to Snapchat afterwards. Being someone with family everywhere I see every day how globalisation has changed my life, the fact that I can message my cousins in America or my brothers in Canada, all by the click of a button is amazing.

The world we live in has become so interconnected that you have to start to question if anyone really has any culture or how solid was 'our' culture to begin with if it's been so easy to change. Throughout the world, we have all dissected everyone's culture, adapted and added the thing we like into our own individual culture.

It's hard to argue that I am not a product of globalisation when the broccoli I cooked with earlier was imported from Spain, almost all the food I cook with and eat have been imported from other countries due to the climate in Britain not being able to grow certain fruits and vegetables all year round. So, I have almost been forced into being a product of globalisation due to the country my dad chose to inhabit.

The truth is that us millennials don’t know and we definitely wouldn’t be able to recognise a world without globalisation, when we are on holiday and absolutely drunk we are most likely to stumble into a fast food global giant such as Mcdonalds because we know it and recognise it in a place where everything else seems to be so 'foreign' to us.
So many of the known global giants that I love, and couldn't live without such as my Apple phone, designed by Apple in California but assembled in China are a product of globalisation. If it wasn’t for globalisation this already expensive phone would cost almost double due to the fact that workers in America – a fully developed country, compared to the workers in China - which is still a developing country would demand to be paid more, therefore, increasing the price that we would have to pay as the consumer.


To conclude, I am a product of globalisation like most of my peers and the generation after me who will have no idea what life without imported goods looked like. Globalisation is wonderful to some extent but what price do we really pay to live the life of imported luxury?

by 'Princess Aishat'

Tuesday 5 December 2017

Thursday 30 November 2017

A2 Comms - Do you need to remind yourself about Bernays & the birth of modern advertising?

A2 Comms : Objects Of Desire / The Century of the Self

Recap from the 3 week return from last summer: watch the first half an hour and remind yourself of Bernays' contribution to the modern world of advertising:

Objects of Desire Padlet wall

The Padlet wall for today's Objects of Desire lesson is here: https://padlet.com/clareswhere/1uvg77bvyo4m

Naomi Klein - No Logo


'No Logo'

Thursday 16 November 2017

A2 Comms - example student answer to globalisation homework

To what extent is my cultural identity a product of globalisation?

'Living in the western world, in a capital city, I’m very much included in a multicultural world. As well as that, my grandparents are from a completely different culture and that has influenced my personal identity.
After creating my cultural map, I saw my main interests stem from the western world, like America. This didn’t surprise me as I consciously involve myself in American television programmes, music and art. But I was more surprised at how widely my interests spread across the globe, from Japan to Mexico.
In the past I would have had a stronger British and Bajan identity but because of globalisation those identities are becoming more fluid and are mixing with other cultural practices and ideologies. I think my generation, especially in the western world, are huge products of globalisation. I have grown up in a society where access to the internet and easy global travel is the norm, and I wouldn’t think twice about hopping on a plane to get to Brazil, or looking up a native tribe in Africa to get a wider perspective of the world.
There are many positives and negatives about globalisation. Globalisation allows a sense of recognition and familiarity with other parts of the world. For example, having a well known brand name in a country you don’t know would make me feel more comfortable and subconsciously I would link that brand name to home. Unfortunately, globalisation has meant a loss in traditional and native cultural practices and identity, leading to future generations not knowing or recognising their cultural heritage.
I personally enjoy and embrace the fact that my identity is influenced by so many different cultures, as I feel it gives more depth to my personality, therefore making me more interesting as a human being, and hopefully more understanding of other people and their native culture.'

A2 Comms - Globalisation homework


Globalisation explained:

 


Further watching - Naomi Klein on Globalisation & big brands:


Tuesday 14 November 2017

A2 Comms - #dtmh

You can watch a channel 4 news interview about the latest debate regarding the editing and representation of black hair here.

It's also worth watching this from a few years ago.

Thursday 2 November 2017

A2 Comms - Fanon & Said

A2 Comms - Frantz Fanon & Edward Said

Watch these two videos to consolidate your understanding of Fanon & Said:


Fanon


Said

Wednesday 1 November 2017

A2 Comms - Nivea's 'white is right' advert

This article links really well with the work we are about to do on Post Colonialism - definitely worth a read!

Tuesday 31 October 2017

GCSE English - November resit

Confirmation of times & locations for the November resits:

Wednesday 1st: E20b
Friday 3rd: E25a

Both exams start at 9.30am but you should aim to be at the venue at 9.15am. Make sure you have black pens & a bottle of water!

See below for the revision screencasts...

Paper 1

Paper 1 - written task

Paper 2 - part 1

Paper 2 - part 2

GOOD LUCK!

A2 Comms - Boujee

Following on from our discussion about the word boujeehere's an article from The Guardian that you might be interested in.

Wednesday 18 October 2017

A2 Comms - Introducing Post Colonialism

A2 Comms & Culture: Introducing Post Colonialism

Kenya: A white man's country

A2 Comms: Consolidating Marxism

A2 Comms: Consolidating alienation; hegemony & false consciousness


Alienation



Hegemony



False Consciousness


Tuesday 17 October 2017

GCSE - How to approach Paper 2, part 2

GCSE English - How to approach Paper 2, part 2


This is the second screencast on how to approach Paper 2, focusing on questions 4-7b.

GCSE - how to approach Paper 2, Part 1

GCSE English - How to approach Paper 2, part 1

This screencast refers to the sample paper which features the World War 1 letter and the Jack Monroe extract:

Thursday 5 October 2017

A2 Comms - Cultural capital

Watch the explanation of cultural capital below:


and then apply the idea of cultural capital to this clip from The Wire.





Wednesday 4 October 2017

Thursday 28 September 2017

A2 Comms - Consolidating Marxism

This week's homework: watch the documentary below and pull out the key NEW (to you) ideas made in relation to Marx's ideas:


Wednesday 20 September 2017

A2 Comms - Neoliberalism

This is the homework following our 2nd lesson together (21st September).

As we discussed in class, Capitalism is on a continuum:

The type of Capitalism that dominates much of Western society today is called Neoliberalism.

Watch this video, which introduces Neoliberalism, and write down between 3 and 5 important points made.


Thursday 14 September 2017

A2 Comms - Consolidate & develop your understanding of Capitalism


A2 Comms - Welcome back!

A2 Comms - welcome back!

Welcome back to A2 Comms  - this blog is the place to come for extra help as well as for extension work to push you harder.

There is a course book for A2, which you might want to buy:

AQA Comms & Culture (click here for link to Amazon)

If you are looking for other texts to buy to help support your study in the second year, you might consider the following:

Marx: a very short introduction (Amazon link)
Postcolonialism: a very short introduction (Amazon link)

Advice from previous A2 students: click here

GCSE English - Welcome!

Welcome to GCSE!

Here is a reminder of how you will be assessed this year:



(click on image to make it big enough to see properly!)

There is also a GCSE English Language text book/work book we would recommend you buying, to help support your learning outside of the classroom. It is currently only £3.89 on Amazon - click below to find out more:


Click here


Wednesday 19 April 2017

A2 Comms - timed practice coming up

Thursday 27th April: Section A timed practice
Thursday 4th May: Section B timed practice
Thursday 18th May: Full mock (Section A & B)

Wednesday 5 April 2017

Thursday 23 March 2017

Monday 20 March 2017

Tuesday 7 March 2017

A2 Comms - how to use Audacity

If you are producing an audio track for the practical piece (e.g. a piece of radio or a song), then you will need to use the Audacity software. This tutorial shows you how:


GCSE English: How to approach Paper 1 - part 2

This screencast refers to the Sample Paper 1 which uses the Mary Shelley extract from The Mortal Immortal (the one about the magic potion):

GCSE English: How to approach Paper 1 - Part 1

This screencast refers to the Sample Paper 1 which uses the Mary Shelley extract from The Mortal Immortal (the one about the magic potion):

A2 Comms - great article for Objects of Desire

I recommend you read this article from The Guardian: From 'hands that do dishes' to a bath time Flake: the changing face of brands on TV.