OCR A Level English Language Year 1 - Course Booklet 11: Language & Power 2 (Power behind Discourse)

OCR A Level English Language Year 1 - Course Booklet 11: Language and Power 2 (power behind discourse)

This resource is Number 11 in a series of course booklets for OCR A Level English Language which are designed to be used by students in class.

This booklet focuses again on language and power but this time on the power behind discourse. This booklet contains many demanding concepts, notably the concept of ideology, hegemony and critical discourse analysis. It covers concepts such as Fairclough’s synthetic personalisation and Althusser’s interpellation, and explores message and code in advertising, news and other media texts making it a crucial preparation for the A level exam paper Language in the Media. Aspects of narrative are explored through Propp’s character and Brooker’s plot theories as is Hall’s audience reception theory. The notion of how binary oppositions in media texts are created through ideological language choices link to Saussure and Derrida. Finally, the concepts of linguistic reflectionism and determinism are explored. There is an opportunity for the students to undertake a mini investigation into the representation of their chosen social group in news articles.

Although demanding for first year study (and goes further than is expected of most AS students), it is a great foundation to the revision of such demanding concepts in year 2 when preparing for the language in the media exam paper in the A level.

The booklet contains both subject content and language examples for students to analyse. Exercises can be worked on by students individually or collaboratively and in class or at home. The booklet also contains a link to Quizlet flashcards to help revise these concepts.

If used in order, the Year 1 booklets prepare students for the OCR AS in English Language qualification at the end of the first year of study. If your students are preparing only for the OCR A Level English Language qualification at the end of two years of study, the booklets can theoretically be used in any order, although the Year 2 booklets do contain content that builds on Year 1 (AS) knowledge and skills.

The booklet is accompanied by a series of videos (not professionally made) that can be used by teachers new to teaching the specification to help them prepare for lessons in advance as they contain suggested solutions to exercises. The playlist of these videos is included in the resource bundle.

NB: Specifications do change from time to time so please ensure that specification information, detail and guidance is relevant at the time of teaching.