How to use this book

Throughout this book, you will notice lots of different features that will help your learning. These are explained below.

Learning Intentions

Learning intentions open each unit and section. These help you navigate through the coursebook and indicate important concepts in each section.

Key Concepts

These explain how the coursebook’s themes are integrated with the key concepts in the Cambridge International AS & A Level Media Studies syllabus.

Before You Start

This feature contains questions and activities on subject knowledge you will need before starting this section. It also provides a point of departure for inquiry.

Activity

These practical tasks allow you to understand and apply relevant skills, as well as opportunities to produce your own work either individually, or in pairs or groups.

THINK LIKE A ...

These boxes give you an opportunity to apply your learning to real-life scenarios and consider the skills required in the media industry.

Top Tip

Tips are provided throughout this coursebook to help with your learning. The tips might cover how to avoid common errors or misconceptions, evaluation and analysis, or guidance on how to approach your work.

Vocabulary

Key vocabulary terms are introduced in the text when they are first introduced. An accompanying definition explains the meanings of these words and phrases. You will also find definitions of these words in the Glossary at the back of this book.

Reflection

Reflection questions direct you to look back on an activity and encourage you to think about your learning.

Progress Check

This feature enables you to reflect on your learning and assess whether you have achieved the learning intentions for the unit. If you identify any areas that you are less confident in, try to put together a list of actions for improving these.

Take it further

This feature provides ideas about further reading or activities you can do as extension work, related to the topic.

Who is this book for?

This coursebook is for those that wish to explore how media impacts the many facets of our existence. The included information and activities prompt you to investigate the roles of media in your personal lives as well as your larger communities. You will also learn how to ‘read’ and analyse the media – processes that will aid you as you navigate through our media saturated world.

This coursebook supports the Cambridge International AS & A Level Media Studies syllabus (9607) for examination from 2024. Additionally, this coursebook supports students interested in developing a deep understanding of media’s effects on society.

Why use this book?

A defining feature of this book is the inclusion of activities that prompt you to study the media sphere within your local or national contexts. This book is for all students wishing to explore the media, regardless of where you live. The book begins with activities that encourage you to reflect upon your own relationship with media. As you progress through the units and build your knowledge base about media-related topics, you will be asked to re-evaluate your relationship with media and reflect upon how it evolves over your course of study.

During your reflection processes, you will also be prompted to contemplate how you can use media-related skills in the world beyond academia. The ‘Think like a …’ sections ask you to put yourself in the roles of various media or communications related jobs. These sections are developed to help give you a small taste of the array of opportunities in fields connected to the media industry.

Studying media is about closely analysing choices. When you take a picture of a friend or write an essay for a class, you are making a series of choices during the development of the new content. We tend not to view our processes in this manner because if we did so, everything would most likely take more time to create. However, when embarking upon the in-depth study of media, it is essential to slow down a bit and take time to think about how all aspects of the creation process have meaning. This book strives to help you do just that – slow down and mull over how all the choices matter. You will get much more value out of the media when you learn to truly pay attention and analyse what you consume. Enjoy your media studies and use this book as an invaluable resource, guide and support towards achieving success on your course.

Learning Intentions

In this unit, you will:

• learn basic concepts associated with media studies

• consider how and why you consume media

• reflect upon the role of media in developing your sense of self and the world.