Carry out a textual analysis of ONE media text of your choice. (don’t forget to attached the text which you
will choose)
Note: this is a RESEARCH-BASED piece of assessment – you must demonstrate knowledge and understanding of
reading and of further reading in the relevant academic literature.
This essay tests powers of ANALYSIS. By analysis is meant examining an idea, concept or thing to show what it
consists of and why. Showing the key elements of something by breaking it down into component parts and
explaining why these are the way they are. Analysis involves a logical, organized approach. Analysis is in
distinct contrast to description in which the contents of a media text are merely related or described.
Remember that textual analysis requires you to carry out a close reading. You must focus on how a text
achieves its meaning through devices and strategies. In this way, reading or analysing a text is different
from mere consumption of a text.
To carry out analysis, you need to refer to and implement one or more aspects of THEORY. The theory that has
been discussed on this module and is applicable to reading media texts is
the idea of ‘text’
verbal communication
non-verbal communication
context
narrative
genre (two different types of genre theory)
representation
emotion
as well as relevant theory regarding the creation and understanding of meaning that you will know from this
module:
models and modelling
medium theory
semiotics
pragmatics
ideology
readers
cognition
Your essay does not have to refer to all of these; indeed, it might make your essay unwieldy if it attempts to
do so. However, you are strongly recommended to refer to at least ONE of these. If you do not, it will be
taken as an indication that you have not understood the module aims and you will be likely to fail this
assessment.
Any essay without a bibliography will fail.
DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA – This is not an acceptable academic source and its use will lower your grade
considerably.
ALSO AVOID CHANDLER’S SEMIOTICS FOR BEGINNERS ON THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERYSTWYTH WEBSITE – it’s dated, over-
used, misleading and erroneous.
Examples of media texts might include
a UK soap opera, an exchange on a micro-blogging site (Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, etc.), a Hollywood action
thriller produced since 2002, a radio quiz show, a Wiki, a rap album produced before 1995, an internet message
board, a painting produced during the Dutch Golden Age, a television talent show, a broadsheet newspaper’s
letters page, a biography in book form, a video game, Egyptian hieroglyphs, a corporate website, a comic or
graphic novel, a radio phone-in programme, an advertising hoarding, a page on Facebook, a short story in
print, a corporate website, sports coverage in a tabloid newspaper, a blurb, an eighteenth-century ballad, a
radio phone-in programme, a still photograph, a play currently in the West End, a movie, a comic or graphic
novel, the lyrics to a song, a novel,
or any other similar example you might choose.
As with all pieces of work in higher education, especially in subjects in the humanities, you need to ensure
that you do the following as an absolute minimum:
1. Make sure that you understand the questions/issues before you even sit down to write. Have a written
plan, an outline of what you are going to say along with what examples, quotes and references you will use.
2. Consolidate your understanding by following up (recommended) reading and research based on the
lecture.
3. Read through your work. Re-read. Re-write, based on your reading through. Ask a native English speaker
to read through your work and give you comments. Re-write according to these comments (if you think they are
helpful). Re-read and re-write before submitting.
Since the word limit for this question is so small, point 1 (above) becomes particularly important. You need
to prepare at length in order to produce a polished and concentrated answer.
Remember that careless reading of the question will result in a weak piece of work. Deciding to answer a
question other than that asked will simply result in a Fail grade for the work.
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