IB English - Measure for Measure study pack

If you follow the following link (and scroll down to the bottom of the page) you will see a link which will take you to the Almeida study pack for M4M. This not only includes a detailed synopsis of the play, but some interesting interviews with those involved with the production about the relevance of the play today... Click here for the materials - scroll down!

A2 COMMS & CULTURE: COURSEWORK

Festival

If you are looking at Notting Hill Carnival, then there are some brilliant podcasts for you to listen to from The Open University. Click here to listen & get ready to make some crucial notes. The podcasts cover the history of carnival as well as its relationship with multiculturalism.

The Open University also has a whole study unit on the Olympics, which explores how the meanings invested in the Olympics has changed over time and includes a section on the 2012 games. Click here to access the study guide.

Celebrity

*Click here to read an interview about how our obsession with celebrity is changing the way we see politics.
*The dangers of reality television are discussed here - click to read it - by Shiv Malik.
*Read about the history of celebrity here.

Consumer

*Here's an interesting article from The Guardian exploring the links between consumerism and last summer's riots - click here to read it.
*And here's another about 'collaborative consumerism' - click here to read it.
*Consumerism has replaced patriotism and religion, argues Madeleine Bunting in this article - click here to read it.

A2 Literature

To what extent can you see influences of the Faustian legend in Kanye West's 'Can't Tell Me Nothing'?

A2 Comms & Culture

Here is a lovely response by Maya to the question I set on cultural hybridity and 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.'

IB English

'Hence shall we see,
If power change purpose, what our seemers be.'

One of the issues raised by Measure for Measure is the idea that power can corrupt even the best of us. Here are two articles it might be interesting to read, one which explores why power corrupts - click here - and one which rejects this idea and provides a counterargument - click here.

A2 LITERATURE - Dr Faustus

Good study notes on Dr Faustus can be found courtesy of The Open University by clicking here. Definitely worth checking out...

A2 Comms & Culture: the role of advertising in constructing objects of desire

Here is the excellent documentary, 'Killing Us Softly', which investigates how advertisers use women when constructing products as desirable. It's divided into two parts, each just over 20 minutes long: