AS Literature - Beasts of No Nation

Remember that one of the things we are especially focusing on when studying Beasts of No Nations is audience interpretations and context. In this programme, which lasts about 45 minutes, Iweala reads from and answers questions about the book, which could be really useful for you. You could even quote directly from the programme in your coursework essay if you wanted to.

A2 Comms & Culture - Coursework

There are some good resources on this site, which will help you as you think about and plan for your coursework. On the left you will see links to sample essays on celebrity and body modification, and there is also some good advice on how to organise your essay, including referencing. Remember that the plan is to come back after Christmas ready to start researching in earnest!

A2 LITERATURE - work in place of Friday 3rd (& Thursday 2nd)

I was going to set you work in today's lesson in place of tomorrow's as I am out an exam meeting - but the snow got the better of us. In place of this week's lessons, then, could you make sure that you have done the following by the next time I see you:

• I asked you to read Dr Faustus 2.2 for today.
• Could you read 2.3 & then (looking at 2.1 too - we started this in class) track each occasion that Faustus is 'tempted' to turn his back on Satan. What makes him change his mind each time? Why do you think that Marlowe includes such a lengthy cycle of 'temptation' and 'repentance' for Faustus in this Act?
• I also wanted to show you an extract from the Czech version of Faust, and you can watch the clip here:

 What do you find interesting about this interpretation of Faustus? Please bring all your ideas to the next lesson...

AS LITERATURE - hwk/strike

Well, it looks as though the strike is going ahead, which means I won't see you until Monday. Remember that I have asked you to find out as much as you can about the word GRIOT, and then to have a think about Iweala's use of it as a name in Beasts... I'm sure you have plenty to do to make sure your 1st draft is ready for Norman on Friday. And remember that if you haven't done the student survey yet, you need to - click here.

AS & A2 COMMUNICATION & CULTURE: Cultural capital

Cultural capital is an important idea at A2  - but it also fits in with Socialisation, which we cover at AS. The following is the best explanation of it that I have found. It is taken from William Bowles' website (http://www.williambowles.info/mimo/refs/tece1ef.htm):


'Children, are not simply socialised into the "values of society as a whole". Rather, they are socialised into the culture that corresponds to their class and, in Bourdieu's terms, this set of cultural experiences, values beliefs and so forth represents a form of "Cultural Capital". That is, a set of values, beliefs, norms, attitudes, experiences and so forth that equip people for their life in society.

The term cultural capital is used because, like money, our cultural inheritance can be translated into social resources (things like wealth, power and status) and the cultural capital we accumulate from birth can be "spent" in the education system as we try to achieve things that are considered to be culturally important (mainly educational qualifications for the majority of children - but status can also be considered here when we think about the way the rich can educate their children privately at high status schools such as Eton and so forth).
Not all classes start with the same kind or level of cultural capital of course. Children socialised into the dominant culture will have a big advantage over children not socialised into this culture because schools attempt to reproduce a general set of dominant cultural values and ideas.

We can imagine this idea in terms of the education system being a shop where we spend our cultural capital on qualifications:
The Upper class child has a large amount of currency that is recognised by the shopkeeper as valid coinage - they can accordingly buy many things.
The working class child has a devalued currency (in the eyes of the shopkeeper). They can buy things, but not as much or of as high a quality.

Perhaps a better analogy might be if you think about culture in terms of language.
Imagine three people (one French, one German and one English) going into a shop in France (the "dominant culture", in this respect, would be French).

The French person can speak the language.
The German knows some French (enough to get by).
The English person knows no French.

Each of the above has a stock of cultural capital (in this analogy, their knowledge of languages) which they then proceed to spend by trying to buy things:
The French person does this quickly and efficiently - the shopkeeper (i.e. teachers in an educational system) understands this person perfectly.
The German takes longer to express him / herself and may not be able to buy everything they want. The shopkeeper has a problem understanding but with a bit of time and patience business is transacted amicably.
The English person - after much shouting, pointing and general gesticulation - succeeds in buying some basic things (or leaves the shop without being able to buy anything because the shopkeeper could not understand). For the shopkeeper, this customer is difficult to serve because they do not "speak the same language". It's not impossible for the shopkeeper to understand, but it takes a great deal of time, effort, co-operation and patience for this to happen.

In class terms, therefore:
The French person is equivalent to the Upper class child.
The German person is equivalent to the Middle class child.
The English person is equivalent to the Working class child.

In cultural terms, each of the above can speak a language, but some are more successful than others in making themselves understood. In educational terms, the ability to "speak the language" of the educational system, teachers and so forth produces big advantages.

Thus, children who have been socialised into dominant cultural values appear to the teacher to be "more gifted" - just as to a French shopkeeper the French person would appear to be "more gifted" or fluent than the English woman. In this sense, therefore, the education system itself may appear to be "neutral" or "meritocratic".
Everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed, just everyone has an equal opportunity to buy something. However, it is only meritocratic in relation to a pupil's ability to fit-in with the dominant cultural values perpetuated through the school system.'

A2 COMMS & CULTURE - Objects of Desire hwk & extension work

For homework I'd like you to listen to 3 clips from the BBC World Service on how products are sold. The links are here to make it easy for you. One clip is about product, one is about audience and one is about style. If you want to go further, then I recommend listening to the programmes about the psychology of consumerism around the world so that you gain a more global view...

A2 LITERATURE - Playing Wagner

Here an actor explains both the role of Wagner in Dr Faustus, and how he goes about playing him.

AS LITERATURE - Student Survey Autumn 2010

Please let us know how you feel AS Literature is going so far by taking part in our student survey - you can find it by clicking here. It takes less than 10 minutes to do - thanks!

A2 COMMS & CULTURE - The changing design of mobile phones

We've come a long way since this classic phone from 1983:

Can you believe that this is what (a relatively few) people used to carry around with them?! Take a look at how the design of mobile phones has evolved over time by visiting this webpage. What do you notice about the changes which have taken place?

A2 COMMS & CULTURE: Student Survey

What do you think of A2 Comms & Culture so far? Has it been what you were expecting? Please take your opportunity to have a say by taking a quick online survey by clicking here. It will only take 5-10 minutes... Thanks!

AS COMMS & CULTURE: Student Survey

We want to know how you think AS Comms is going so far. Please click here to take part in the Student Survey - it should take no longer than 10 minutes to do it & it's your chance to have your say!

AS LITERATURE - Iweala reads from Chapter 2

If you follow this link, you can hear Iweala read from the beginning of Chapter 2 of Beasts of No Nation...

AS COMMS & CULTURE - The meanings of the hijab

As some of you continue to reflect about the meanings encoded by and associated with different items of clothing, it might be interesting to read this article from the BBC website about the hijab. (I hope the coursework is going well.)

A2 COMMS & CULTURE: Cultural imperialism

Here's another good programme from 'The History of Ideas'  - this time about cultural imperialism. It's definitely worth listening to as we start to wrap up Post Colonialism...

A2 LITERATURE - What does 'hell' mean to you?

As we get going with Dr Faustus, I'd like you to reflect on what your understanding of hell is. Do you believe in it? If you do, what is it like?  It would be interesting to compare your interpretation of hell with the way it has been viewed through the centuries, which you can find out about here ...

A2 COMMS & CULTURE - JAY Z

You might be interested to hear the radio interview that Jay Z gave on Radio 4 today - you can listen to it here. Jay Z is one of the co-producers of Fela! - the musical that I am hoping we will be running a trip to see. Remember that you need to have paid by the end of next Tuesday if you want to come...

A2 COMMS & CULTURE: National identity extension work

We are going to be talking about national identity this week and the extent to which it remains an important component of our own individual sense of self as well as a means of uniting and dividing communities. There are two programmes from Melyvn Bragg's History of Ideas radio show that it would be good to listen to. One explores Multiculturalism and the other asks: What is Englishness? Please give them a go!

A2 LITERATURE - Some hints for the TPT essay!

If you are feeling a bit worried about how to approach the essay on The Pardoner's Tale (due Thurs 4th) then here are some tips:

• Start your essay by clarifying the terms of the question and setting up your argument. The key to a good opening is to find the balance between putting the  significant ideas (moral blindness or ambition) at the centre of your essay whilst including some relevant contextual comment too.
• You are being asked to adopt a position in relation to the statement & question ... to what extent do you agree? It is standard practice to accept that the viewpoint offered has some validity - don't just reject it as worthless. Explore it and see what evidence you can find to support it.
• However, you will hopefully feel that there is more to the text than the statement in the question suggests. Perhaps the viewpoint offered is a bit simplistic or presents only a narrow reading of the text. Now is your opportunity to counterargue  or offer other interpretations. For example, you may feel that the Pardoner's ambition is actually fuelled by greed.
• Having explored the options, end your essay with a considered response to the question & refer explicitly back to it. The more successfully you focus your response on the key question words, the better...

Hope this helps!

AS COMMS & CULTURE - Thinking about the coursework...

Do you change the way you speak to 'match' the people you are speaking to? If you do, why do you think you do it? Is it to create a sense of 'belonging' with others? Do you 'match' your language to others out of a fear of standing out? Or to try and create a relationship with them? Or to gain approval? These are the questions that are addressed in Giles' Communication Accomodation Theory (CAT for short), where he studied the ways that we 'match' our language to that of others (he called this convergence) and the ways that we sometimes deliberately 'distance' our language from others (he called this divergence). If you have chosen to do your 500 word investigation on your use of language, then you may well want to find out more about this - you could start here .

If you've chosen to do your investigation on clothes, then you should check out Gareth's teaching blog - he has posted a link to a recent radio programme on hoodies...

AS LITERATURE - Preparing for 'Beasts of no Nation'

Our next text explores the life of a (fictional) child soldier caught up in civil war in an unnamed African country. To prepare ourselves for this, it would be a good idea to find out more about the use of child soldiers across the world today. An apt place to start is this site on the bbc, which includes accounts by child soldiers about what their lives are like.

This site is also worth visiting.

Someone who has really inspired me is Emmanuel Jal. He is a Sudanese hiphop artist who often uses his past life as a child soldier as his material for his music. Below you can watch Warchild, a largely autobiographical song about life as a child soldier. It's not the greatest video in the world, but listen to the lyrics:

Finally, watch Pray the devil back to hell, a documentary about child soldiers in Liberia, which lasts about 50 minutes. Highly recommended!

A2 LITERATURE- An introduction to Marlowe

We will be starting Dr Faustus next week and to prepare for this, it would be a good idea to do some reading on Christopher Marlowe. This would be a good place to start.


If you haven't bought Dr Faustus (A folio) yet ( & I really hope you have) then this is the recommended version.


And remember that your essay on The Pardoner's Tale is due in next Thursday - if you missed Friday's class then I have put the essay question in the post to you.

A2 COMMS & CULTURE: POSTCOLONIALISM

If you're interested in finding out more about the history of immigration to the UK, you can do so here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/uk/2002/race/short_history_of_immigration.stm#1914

And if you have time over half-term, I recommend that you try and get hold of a copy of East is East(1999) - an excellent film set in 1971, which examines the culture clash within a family living in Salford.


Finally, C4 have now put the 'Sticks and Stones' documentary where Ashley from So Solid investigates the use of the 'n' word on Youtube. You can watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2bAeTpCjNc

A2 LITERATURE: MODERN VERSION OF TPT

AS COMMS & CULTURE: EXTENSION WORK

We have spent some time in class looking at how different items of clothing act as social signifiers - especially focusing on the range of ways that the hoodie has been decoded in society, including how it can be used and decoded as a barrier. (For more on this, read http://spacecollective.org/acervus/4656/Hooded-Culture.) Another case-study you might be interested in researching is the Burberry brand and how its meanings have been socially constructed and changed. Reading this article will get you started:

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Chav+backlash%3B+Burberry+pays+the+price+for+its+tainted+image.-a0127022129

Can you think of any other items of clothing or brands whose connotations have been redefined over time?

AS LITERATURE ~ Secondary reading on BRH

Extension work...
Here are some links to articles about Dennis Potter / BRH:

http://homecinema.thedigitalfix.co.uk/content.php?contentid=58771
(Review of the dvd)


http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2008/jun/05/tvblogbypeterbradshaw

http://www.johannhari.com/2003/11/19/why-have-we-forgotten-dennis-potter-
(Dennis Potter and Christian themes)

http://cinetext.philo.at/magazine/potterland.html
(includes comment on Blue Remembered Hills)

The more you read, the better you'll do ...

AS LITERATURE - Audience readings

We have read enough of Blue Remembered Hills now to realise that it is rich in symbolism. One of the key aspects you will need to demonstrate in your coursework is an understanding of how different audiences might interpret our texts in different ways. With a text like Blue Remembered Hills we might look to a Psychoanalytical approach for another way of interpreting the symbolism that Potter uses. In preparation for our discussion about this in class, I'd like you to do some research on Freud and read up on his theories, in particular his ideas about the id, ego and superego. Can you do this for next Thursday (Oct 7th) - ta.

A2 COMMUNICATION & CULTURE - Extension work

If you want to develop your understanding of Karl Marx and his ideas further, then listen to this radio programme. It lasts about 45 minutes and features a discussion between academics and thinkers, hosted by Melvyn Bragg, about what Marx stood for. You should find it challenging and useful...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003k9jg

A2 LITERATURE - Stephanie recommends...

Stephanie has found this clip on Youtube - it's definitely worth watching & is a very good intro to our tale (though ours has a rather different ending...) -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNEWatD0viw

AS COMMS & CULTURE - The power of the white coat

Today we started to look at clothes as cultural codes. One of the ideas we discussed was that some items of clothing act as powerful signifers with connotations that influence both our perceptions of others and our own behaviour. Callum explained Milgram's experiment to us and you can watch a modern version of the study on Youtube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcvSNg0HZwk

A2 LITERATURE - Chaucer radio programme

A really good resource for A2 Literature is a radio series called In Our Time. Here you can listen to academics discussing key writers and thinkers - a great way to develop & broaden your background knowledge. (Remember that one of the key things you are being assessed on in the exam is your understanding of context.) One of the programmes has been about Chaucer, and you can listen to it here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003hycq

The programme is 60 minutes long. Give it a go - it might not be the kind of thing you normally listen to but it is full of valuable insights which can only help!

AS LITERATURE - Blue Remembered Hills

As we start to read and discuss Blue Remembered Hills, it seems like a good time for you to do some background reading on Dennis Potter. You can read about his life and works here: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/451441/ . You can also view clips from his other famous works on Youtube, including this one from Pennies From Heaven http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k089jzXgmpw . Remember that we said that Blue Remembered Hills is naturalistic in style (the exception being the adult actors playing the children) - if you watch the clip above you will see an example of drama which definitely isn't naturalistic in style.

The title of our drama is taken from a poem by AE Housman called A Shropshire Lad. The part of Housman's poem that our title comes from is:

Into my heart an air that kills
From yon far country blows:
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?

That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.

What is 'yon far country'? What do you think Housman is suggesting in these lines? Based on what we have read and discussed about Scene 1, what is the connection between the lines above and BRH?

A2 COMMS: is Vince Cable the new Karl Marx?

Vince Cable, LibDem MP for Twickenham & Business Secretary in the Coalition Government is compared with Karl Marx in this BBC article - it's worth a read:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11388764

A2 LITERATURE - lesson switch!

For next week only, I am swapping classes with Chris. I'm going to be seeing you on Tuesday at 9.00 & she is going to be taking you on Friday at 11.50. Please spread the word if possible! We will be continuing with The Pardoner's Tale & you'll need to bring your text/printout of The Introduction to The Pardoner's Tale. Again, please make sure it is the original version that you get hold of, rather than a modern translation.

Also, one of my students from last year wants to sell her York Notes from A2 (for each of our set texts). She also has a copy of Othello which is in good condition. She's selling them for £3 each. Let me know if you are interested...

A2 COMMS & CULTURE - capitalism

If you want to refresh your understanding of Capitalism you might be interested in watching this very basic guide to Capitalism courtesy of an American Instructional Film made in 1948:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtOtV-gE3YQ

AS COMMS & CULTURE: Defining culture

In class we watched an extract from Baraka as a stimulus to talking about what culture is. If you're interested, you can watch more of Baraka here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOrJxMMn-rw&feature=related.

And, see how other people define culture here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cultureshow/cultureis/

Finally, one of our AS students from last year is looking to sell his Comms & Culture textbook for £10. Let me know if you are interested in buying it...

AS COMMS & CULTURE: GETTING STARTED

Welcome to the AS Communication and Culture course! This blog is the place to come to check key information, get reminders & find links to other websites which will help extend and broaden your knowledge of the course. So - firstly, the text book for the course, written by the examiners is:

AS COMMUNICATION & CULTURE - THE ESSENTIAL INTRODUCTION (BENNETT & SLATER)
ISBN 978-0415455121

This book is never going to be able to replace the teaching in your classes, but may well prove to be a useful back-up, especially when you are consolidating your knowledge by revising units once we have covered them in class. You can order it at the college bookshop (until October) or you can buy it on Amazon.

EXTENSION WORK:
After your Murder Mystery task, you might want to do some extra reading about the roles we adopt in groups. A good place to start might be to read about Zimbardo's famous prison experiment, which you can find at http://www.prisonexp.org/

A2 Comms - don't miss this!

Over the next few weeks, I recommend you try and see the remastered version of Metropolis (1927) at the cinema. Probably the most famous German film ever, Fritz Lang's creation of a futuristic dystopia is a great critique of industrialisation and capitalism. You can watch the trailer here ...




... and read a review of the film here -http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/sep/09/metropolis-restored-film-review

... and see why this is such an important cultural artifact here -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/8949756.stm


Metropolis is relevant to many central areas in the A2 course, and would make a great case-study for you to use. It's also thought provoking and original - don't worry if you are not a sci-fi person (I'm not), this film is MORE than that! Find out when and where it's on here:
http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/films/metropolis-1927-version-film-listings-15306.html

A2 COMMS & CULTURE: WELCOME BACK

Welcome back to Comms, I hope that you are well rested and that your summer was culturally enriching.

Now ... although I am not a great fan of the AS textbook, I think that the A2 version is much better and is definitely worth buying. It's called A2 Communication and Culture (The Essential Introduction) and is by Peter Bennett and Jerry Slater (ISBN 978-0-415-471602). It will probably be just under £20. It covers all of the theoretical perspectives and key concepts that we deal with at A2 and I recommend that you do invest in a copy.

We are going to start the 2nd year course learning about the -isms (Capitalism, Marxism, Feminism, Post-Modernism, Post Colonialism) which act as the theoretical perspectives through which you will approach the whole course. If you want to get ahead, then why not watch the cartoon version of Animal Farm on Youtube (even better - read it!) which will prepare you for Capitalism and Marxism.

A2 LITERATURE: WELCOME BACK!

Welcome back to A2, I hope you had an excellent summer. First things first: these are the texts you need to buy for my side of the course this year. Firstly, we are starting with The Pardoner's Tale by Chaucer. Make sure that you buy the original text and not a modern 'translation' version. Two good versions you might want to consider are the Cambridge University Press version (ISBN 0 - 521-46818 - 3) and the Cambridge School version (ISBN 978-0-521-66645-9). Our second text is Dr Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. Please make sure that you buy the folio A version rather than folio B. The best version, in my opinion, is the Longman version (ISBN 978-0582817807), which has some good notes in it. Our final text will be Shakespeare's Othello. It's up to you which version you get and you should be able to pick up a second hand copy easily if you want to (my preferred version is the Cambridge version ISBN 0-521-53517-4). These three texts will be our exam texts & now you know which ones we are doing you can start getting organised on your background reading. A good place to start would be to find out as much as you can about what life was like in 14thC England and in 17thC England. You might also want to do some reading on morality plays. I'll post some good links to some good sites another time...

AS LITERATURE: GETTING STARTED

Welcome to the course! There are two texts that you need to buy for my side of the course & it's a good idea to try and get hold of them as soon as possible. The first one is a play called Blue Remembered Hills, by Dennis Potter & the ISBN number is 0 - 573-01699-2. Check the college's bookshop first to see whether they have any copies in - alternatively, it should be easily available via Amazon or you can order it from your local bookshop. The second text you will need is Beasts of No Nation, by Uzodinma Iweala & the ISBN number is 0 - 7195 - 6843 - 9. At the moment, this book is only available via Amazon Marketplace, where you can pick up a new or nearly new copy from just £1. Alternatively, you can pay the college a deposit of £3 and borrow one of our copies. Your deposit will be returned to you once you have returned the book so long as the book is still in good condition (this means you can't make notes in the text). We will be starting our first text in week 2 so make sure that you are getting yourself organised.