Why study communication
To better understand the world we live in…
There has never been a time when we have had greater need to study Communication. We are living through the Communication revolution and inhabiting the Global Village. Life in the 21st century, has, at its core, the art and science of communication. Through communication humans explore, learn and discover and peoples, cultures and individuals come to understand each other better.
Because communication is the engine of modern society it is essential that we study it in order to understand—and influence—the world we live in. Communication and Culture is an AS and A2 level subject which investigates how we become the people we are, how we communicate who we are and how we understand who others are.
During the course we study among other things
· Semiotics – signs and their signifieds
· Socialisation; acquisition of personal, social, gender identities.
· Self-concept, self-image and how roles are performed in context.
· Language: Verbal, non verbal and paralanguage.
· Communication: how we use language in different contexts, situations, and places, how we hear language in various contexts,
· Formal / informal; sociolect / dialect / idiolect /RP
· Identity and self-presentation; personae, masks, performance and personal style.
· Personality
AS Outline
At AS, Units 1 and 2 provide an integrated and complementary introduction to the study of communication and culture. Both units deal with the personal level of communication and students’ own experience of cultural products and cultural practices. The interaction between the individual and the wider cultural context is a key area for the Unit 2 work
Unit 1: Understanding Communication and Culture – worth 50% of AS
Unit 2: The Individual and Contemporary Culture: Portfolio. – worth 50% of AS
A2 Outline
At A2, Units 3 & 4 build on the work established in the AS; providing an integrated and extensive programme of study. Texts and contexts are more challenging and there is greater focus on theoretical approaches to contemporary culture. Both Units cover broader issues of cultural reproduction and transmission, with a plethora of critical opinions and perspectives; key concepts switch from identity to power:
Unit 3: Communicating Culture – worth 50% of A2
Unit 4: Communication and Culture in Practice: Portfolio. worth 50% of A2
VISIT the site below for look at specification :
http://store.aqa.org.uk/qual/gce/pdf/AQA-2625-W-SP-10.PDF
Communication is also important to you as an A level student because all current A level specifications include ‘Communication and Quality of Language’ within their assessment objectives. You are expected to organise and present ideas and statements in a clear, logical, concise and appropriate form. When writing continuous prose, the quality of language used is also assessed, that is the clarity of expression, the structure and presentation of ideas and the use of grammar, punctuation and spelling.
