Is Twilight's Bella Swan a bad role model?

Feminists and academics are concerned that 'Twilight' heroine Bella Swan, a teenager who falls in love with a vampire, presents them with a poor role model. Does 'Twilight: New Moon' promote unhealthy relationships?

Bella is bad for young girls: The character of Bella sends a "dangerous" and "discouraging" message to young girls everywhere, says Krystal Clark in Screen Crave. The "constant influence of the male figures in her life," especially vampire boyfriend Edward Cullen, leaves her with "no identity of her own." The film's "nonchalant attitude" toward this is harmful, especially to "women in her age group who are starting to date for the first time."

Falling in love is not anti-feminist: These "quote-unquote feminist arguments" against 'Twilight' are getting tiresome, says Catherine Connors at Beliefnet. People say Bella sacrifices herself for Edward, but don't forget she "fights hard" to "carve a space in this world" for their love. And in the end, she "gets what she wants," despite what Edward wants for her. "Why does love necessarily mean sublimation?"

Twilight promotes conservative values:The values of the 'Twilight' world are more “1809 than 2009,” says Hank Sartin in Time Out Chicago. Bella and Edward must remain chaste in case he loses control of his “insatiable bloodlust.” If feminists must get worked up, this “abstinence-only message coded through vampirism” is worrying evidence of a “conservative response to the radical changes in sexual politics of the last decade.”

@ the week.com

Revision: Key terms for the exam

Language

Culture

Personal Identity

Groups

Reading Images and Products

For more information on Reading Images and Products use this link.

Analysis of cultural products using semiotics and process toolkits

Print media; magazine covers; flyers; posters; CD and DVD covers;

Vist Semiotics for Beginners for a more comprehensive guide.

Here are some of the key terms that you should become familiar with to analyse print based media for the AS Communication and Culture exam.

• Anchorage • Barrier • Channel • Connotation • Denotation

• Decode/Encode • Genre • Gatekeeper • Medium • Message

• Mode of address • Noise: barriers to communication • Semiotics

• Sign • Symbol • Text • Redundancy • Polysemic • Signifier/signified

• Preferred/Aberrant/Oppositional/Negotiated/Dominant – Readings

• Open and closed texts: allow a range of readings or limit them

Sample Analysis 1

Sample Analysis 2

Useful terms for print based analysis

Print based analysis

View more presentations from Rob McMinn

PressPausePlay

"The digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and talent in an unprecedented way, with unlimited opportunities. But does democratized culture mean better art or is true talent instead drowned out? This is the question addressed by PressPausePlay, a documentary film containing interviews with some of the world's most influential creators of the digital era".
Go to the website, where you can download the film for free.

With thanks to Sarah Proctor

Piecing together Guernica

Pablo Picasso's monochrome painting of the 1937 bombing of the town of Guernica remains one of his more famous works. The tapestry version sits at the UN, acting as a powerful visual statement against the horrors of war. But there is much meaning beneath this famous work, writes Picasso expert Gijs van Hensbergen.

For a detailed visual analysis of the symbolic meanings present in this famous painting visit BBC News Magazine.

Barcode.tv

Media, Branding

Objects fill our spaces and shape the ergonomics of day-to-day living; we design, manufacture, purchase and use them in response to needs, wants and functions. Far more than tools or decorations, they’re extensions of our relationship to the surrounding world; every object reveals something about the person using it.

With 100 short films by 30 Canadian and European directors, this interactive documentary for the National Film Board of Canada explores society’s relationship with objects and, with new perspectives, shakes up our habitual ways of seeing them. Through the web and iPhones it extends the concept of interactivity by diverting user attention away from screens and back to the real world.

Exploration begins through a simplified nav that gives visitors the fewest choices possible: Search, Scan, Share. By scanning the universal symbols of consumerism (bar codes), the site drives an experience through the objects surrounding each user and brings them to life through documentary content that promotes interaction between online and offline, encouraging people to use objects as gateways to discovery.

Visit the interactive site here.

Mod: Cultural History

The Mods, dressed in dapper attire and riding Vespas, believed they were truly modern—that they alone personified “the future” and “change.” Originally they were mostly working-class youths who wanted out of their social “caste.” They also thought the Rockers—dressed in leather and riding motorcycles—symbolized the past. Rockers embodied the uncouth ignorance and urban grit of working-class life that Mods wanted to escape. However, this story of identity moves well beyond southern British beaches and the stereotypical Mods depicted in Quadrophenia.

The Mod youth culture of the mid-1960s emerged from what British historian Arthur Marwick describes as a “unique era.” The decade’s significance is bound to distinct and rapid cultural transformations. Key changes included more ubiquitous use of technology such as color television and affordable jet travel, new concepts of identity formation via fashion, and, most importantly, the growing cultural influence of young people. More so than youth of previous decades, Mods consciously and deftly galvanized the quickly accelerating communication technologies to transmit their style around the world. Between 1964 and 1967 a transnational flow of youth- oriented television shows, films, print media, and commodities such as records and clothes globally united young people. Mod’s innovative and androgynous fashion sense raised questions about gender aesthetics and sexuality, while the style’s global reach expressed a desire for international openness among youths. Fueled by the marriage of expansive media technologies and utopian, generation-specific impulses, Mod’s international impact on youth during the mid-60s was unprecedented and foreshadowed the international sweep of the late 60s counterculture. While the original wave of Mod peaked for just a few years (early 1964 to mid-1967), its adoption by youth in succeeding generations suggests an enduring cultural journey.

Read more here.

Who on Earth are we?

Who on Earth are we? is a BBC series about culture and how it affects us. It explores some of the major differences between cultures and looks at what happens when people from different cultures meet and communicate. The series is presented by Marc Beeby.

This 12 part series is well worth discovering in audio or written formats. It will provide useful examples for the exam and coursework assignments, it will also deepen your understanding of the key issues and debates.

Access the series below:

Part 1

In this first episode of Who on Earth are we? Marc Beeby introduces the topic of culture and inter-cultural communication. We hear some anecdotes relating to cross-cultural surprises and discover that the more we learn about other cultures, the more we learn about ourselves.

Part 2

What is culture? In this programme Marc Beeby tries to answer this question and discover just why culture is so difficult to define and talk about.

Communication and Culture Modules

AQA Communication and Culture : Modules

COMM1 : Understanding Communication and Culture

COMM2 : The Individual and Contemporary Culture: Portfolio

Simon Armitage: 'poetry is a form of dissent'

Poet and novelist Simon Armitage has been writing about Britain for decades now. In the latest in The Guardians National Conversations series of interviews, Armitage talks to John Harris about the obstinate nature of poetry and the culture of violence in Britain that he believes precipitated the UK riots.

Art for art's sake

Is an unmade bed art? How about a saucy seaside postcard - or even a slogan T-shirt? It's art to the person who thinks it expresses their life, says Katharine Whitehorn.

Here is an excellent article from BBC News online magazine that discusses issues of taste within the High Culture/Popular Culture debate.

Visual Analysis: Meaning In Composition

To reduce the concept to a crude rule of thumb in the composition of a shot in a movie: A person located somewhat to the right of centre will seem ideally placed. A person to the right of that position will seem more positive; to the left, more negative. A centered person will seem objectified, like a mug shot.

Now what do I mean by "positive" or "negative?" I mean that these are tendencies within the composition. They are not absolutes. But in general terms, in a two-shot, the person on the right will "seem" dominant over the person on the left.

In simplistic terms: Right is more positive, left more negative. Movement to the right seems more favorable; to the left, less so. The future seems to live on the right, the past on the left. The top is dominant over the bottom. The foreground is stronger than the background. Symmetrical compositions seem at rest. Diagonals in a composition seem to "move" in the direction of the sharpest angle they form, even though of course they may not move at all. Therefore, a composition could lead us into a background that becomes dominant over a foreground.

Tilt shots of course put everything on a diagonal, implying the world is out of balance. I have the impression that more tilts are down to the right than to the left, perhaps suggesting the characters are sliding perilously into their futures. Left tilts to me suggest helplessness, sadness, resignation. Few tilts feel positive. Movement is dominant over things that are still. A POV above a character's eyeline reduces him; below the eyeline, enhances him. Extreme high angle shots make characters into pawns; low angles make them into gods. Brighter areas tend to be dominant over darker areas, but far from always: Within the context, you can seek the "dominant contrast," which is the area we are drawn toward. Sometimes it will be darker, further back, lower, and so on. It can be as effective to go against intrinsic weightings as to follow them.

Taken from:

How to read a movie

By Roger Ebert

Visual Analysis: The Taxonomy of Film Posters

This blog has distilled movie poster design into 13 categories. Despite the lighthearted approach and overwhelming generalisations of the critique, the visual analysis is spot-on. Composition, colour, perspective and typefaces are all considered.

Overzealous cleaner ruins £690,000 artwork that she thought was dirty

guardian.co.uk, Thursday 3 November 2011

An overzealous cleaner in Germany has ruined a piece of modern art worth £690,000 after mistaking it for an eyesore that needed a good scrub.

The sculpture by the German artist Martin Kippenberger, widely regarded as one of the most talented artists of his generation until his death in 1997, had been on loan to the Ostwall Museum in Dortmund when it fell prey to the cleaner's scouring pad.

The work, called When It Starts Dripping From the Ceiling (Wenn's anfängt durch die Decke zu tropfen), comprised a rubber trough placed underneath a rickety wooden tower made from slats. Inside the trough, Kippenberger had spread a layer of paint representing dried rainwater. He thought it was art: the cleaner saw it as a challenge, and set about making the bucket look like new.

A spokeswoman for the museum told German media that the female cleaner "removed the patina from the four walls of the trough".

"It is now impossible to return it to its original state," she said, adding that it had been on loan to the museum from a private collector and was valued by insurers at €800,000 (£690,000).

She said that cleaning crews had been told to keep 20cm (8in) away from artworks, but it was unclear if the woman – who worked for a company to which cleaning had been outsourced – had received the memo.

If Kippenberger is now turning in his grave, he may find solace in the fact that he is not the only artist to have his works ruined by cleaners. In 1986, a "grease stain" by Joseph Beuys valued at about €400,000 was mopped away at the Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf.

At least the artwork didn't end up in a skip. In 2004, a cleaner at Tate Britain in London threw away part of a work by another German artist, Gustav Metzger, after mistaking it for rubbish. The cleaner failed to realise that a plastic bag containing discarded paper and cardboard was an integral part of Recreation of First Public Demonstration of Auto-Destructive Art, and not just some litter. The bag was later recovered, but it was too damaged to display, so Metzger replaced it with another bag.

Germans are not the only victims. In 2001, Damien Hirst lost a pile of beer bottles, ashtrays and coffee cups, meant to represent the life of an artist, when a caretaker at the Eyestorm Gallery in London cleared it away.

Lauren Laverne: 'I take a no-brow approach to culture'

Indie girl turned cultural bigshot Lauren Laverne talks to John Harris in the latest of his National Conversations series of interviews. In a wide-ranging and candid conversation, they discuss sexism on TV, the break-up of her band Kenickie, nostalgia, and her once calling the Spice Girls 'Tory scum'.

Back in her native north-east, Lauren Laverne's father's an academic and her mother's a Labour councillor. While still in her teens, she moved south to launch her band Kenickie at the tail-end of the Britpop era.

When Kenickie fizzled out, she deftly moved into television presenting, and then writing. She's now got her own radio show on BBC 6Music; she's the face of the BBC's Glastonbury coverage; she's a published novelist; she has a column in Grazia magazine; as well as two small children.

In a wide-ranging and candid conversation, John and Lauren unpick no end of issues: sexism on TV, whether radio is also one big boys' club, what to do when you realise your pop career is over, whether or not you should go public with your politics, and much, much more.

A change of heart

This article from the Sky News website relates the story of Bryon Widner, a former white supremacist from Ohio. Finding himself with a family to support and no chance of ever working with his face covered in racist tattoos, he underwent months of painful surgery to have them removed.

Group Communication: Signifiers

Identifying Group Culture

Although group culture is complex, you can get a general idea of the culture that has developed in your group's interactions by examining some key cultural indicators.

• Vocabulary: words group members use that are unique to the group. By studying the vocabulary people use, it is sometimes possible to determine who is part of the group, who isn't, who is new to the group, and who the "old-timers" are.

• Practices: unique group processes. For example, the group may have written documents that detail meeting procedures, yet meetings may not follow those guidelines. Practices are how group members go about accomplishing their tasks.

• Stories: narratives group members tell about the group. Stories often convey the group's values, priorities, power distribution, and member relationships. Stories often have a moral, although the moral may not be explicitly stated. Stories told to newcomers often let the rookie know how group members are supposed to interact and accomplish their tasks.

• Metaphors: the way group members relate unfamiliar things to things they are all familiar with in order to describe an idea or experience. Metaphors are often implied rather than stated explicitly. For example, group members may say, "We smashed it!." This suggests that the group process is a journey. Some metaphors are more explicit, as when group members refer to the group as "home".

• Rituals: provide structure for group work. Rituals include group customs, daily activities that group members perform regularly, and ceremonies, infrequent activities that mark a particular occasion. For example, groups may have parties for members who leave the group.

• Objects: nonverbal symbols that represent key aspects of the group. Logos or emblems are good examples of objects that reflect the culture of a group.

These cultural indicators alone do not constitute group culture. However, by examining group communication in all these areas, you can get a sense of group values and beliefs.

Britain in a Day

On Saturday November 12th, you can get involved in a project that seeks to represent 'Britain in a Day'. You are asked to take a camera with you, whatever you are up to, and film. To find out more go to the project website.

Youth groups in the UK: 'We're about really doing it'

Where do artists first discover they're artists? In school, almost always – stumbling across the instrument they end up playing like a virtuoso, picking up the paintbrush that will eventually lead them to the Turner prize. But government cuts and curriculum changes have placed a question mark over arts in schools. Creative Partnerships, a scheme that saw musicians, actors and artists visit 2,500 schools every year, has been scrapped. And last December, the coalition announced that schools were to be assessed on subjects collectively known as "the English baccalaureate". This doesn't include music, art or drama.

So, if not in school, where will tomorrow's musicians, actors, dancers, directors and artists learn their craft? Step forward extracurricular arts groups. Three – the National Youth Choir, the National Youth Orchestra, and the National Youth Theatre – have been training young talent for decades. How do they do it? Who attends? And what do they get out of spending their holidays immersed in the arts? The Guardian's Laura Barnett spent a day with each to find out.

Read her observations here.

A worrying gulf

What struck me most about these youth groups? Two things: the enthusiasm of the teachers and the joy of the kids – joy in their subjects, joy in meeting others who feel the same way. It is especially stirring to see this at a time when so much is being said about the disaffection of the "lost generation". And these aren't stage-school brats. While private-school pupils still dominate, all three groups (especially NYT) are making a real effort to attract a wider range. What's also clear is that there is a gulf between arts opportunities at the average state school and those at an independent school like Shrewsbury, with its music wing stuffed with instruments. If that gulf continues to grow, we could see fewer state-school pupils even thinking of applying for groups like these. And that's a sad and worrying thought.

Groups, Leadership and Groupthink

Groups we belong to and why.

Group identity and cohesion; group dynamics.

• Group cohesion: tendency to remain intact

• Groupthink: whereby an individuals performance is inhibited by the priorities of the whole group

• Intergroup communication: communication between groups

• Interpersonal communication: communication within individuals

• Intragroup communication: communication within a group

• Group dynamics: how individuals relate to each other within a group

What is a leader? What makes a good leader? Provide an example of what you consider to be a good/bad leader and support your choices by discussing the qualities you think they possess/lack. Who considers themselves a good leader? What are the advantages/disadvantages of being a leader? Think about the the importance of a leader to a group's success.

What makes an effective group? Focus on the terms cohesion and conformity. What pressures exist?

Ricky Gervais - when is a word offensive?

Ricky Gervais recently made comments on Twitter and used the word 'mong'. When disability campaigner Nicky Clarke questioned his use of the word and it's links to Down's Syndrome, a nasty war of words raged between Gervais's supporters and those sympathetic to Nicky Clarke's views. This blog entry by comedian and writer Robin Ince tries to make sense of the issues.

'Mods' - Youth Culture Project

To confirm your understanding of the key terms for the subject you need to prepare a study of 'mod culture' and present it in a format that you are comfortable in using. It should apply all the terminology you have learnt on the course so far and explore the ways that culture is communicated through group interaction.

In doing this task you should see how identity can be formed through social interaction, cultural objects and a desire for group conformity.

Groups: 10 Rules That Govern Groups

What most groups of people have in common.

Much of our lives are spent in groups with other people: we form groups to socialise, earn money, play sport, make music, even to change the world. But although groups are diverse, many of the psychological processes involved are remarkably similar.

Here are 10 insightful studies that give a flavour of what has been discovered about the dynamics of group psychology.

'Quadrophenia' is a 1979 British film, loosely based around the 1973 rock opera of the same name by The Who. The film stars Phil Daniels as a Mod named Jimmy and makes a good example how 'teens' form groups to define their identity. The film, set in 1965, follows the story of Jimmy Cooper (Phil Daniels), a London Mod. Disillusioned by his parents and a job as a post room boy in an advertising firm, Jimmy finds an outlet for his teenage angst with his Mod friends Dave (Mark Wingett), Chalky (Philip Davis) and Spider (Gary Shail). However, his angst and confusion are compounded by the fact that one of the Mods' rivals, the Rockers, is in fact childhood friend Kevin (Ray Winstone). An assault by aggressive Rockers on Spider leads to a serious unprovoked attack on a Rocker who, unbeknownst to Jimmy and his Mod mates, is Kevin.

Ballet Rocks

Part of the Sky Arts "Ballet Rocks" series, choreographer Jenna Lee creates a dynamic and innovative routine for Bloc Party's 2004 breakthrough song "Banquet".

Blur '13': Songs That Saved My Life

Guardian writers are picking their favourite albums. Here, Miranda Sawyer relates how Blur's '13' helped her through the breakdown of a relationship.

"It pin-points that awful desperation in trying be happy when you're not, that desire to be out of the house and out of your mind when you're all messed up. And it shows that, if you really work, beauty can come out of chaos. It aims high – musically and emotionally – and, for me, it's an inspiration." Miranda Sawyer

Beyoncé v De Keersmaeker: can you copyright a dance move?

Works of art often reference other works of art, so is the Belgian choreographer right to accuse the R&B star of plagiarism in her new music video?

Initially, De Keersmaeker was pretty acid about the whole thing, saying that she'd seen local school kids perform her work better, and expressing amazement at the Beyoncé team's effrontery. "I'm not mad, but this is plagiarism. This is stealing," she told Studio Brussel. And up to a point you have to sympathise with her; the notion of the artist ripped off by the corporate machine is not an edifying one. Petty's attitude is certainly high-handed. "I brought Beyoncé a number of references and we picked some out together. Most were German modern-dance references, believe it or not," she told MTV, possibly under the impression that she was referencing the work of the late Pina Bausch, rather than that of the Belgian (and very much alive) De Keersmaeker.

Read more here.

And she may well be right. Watch Beyoncé's new Countdown video, directed by Adria Petty , and watch Thierry De Mey's 1997 film Rosas Danst Rosas (named after De Keersmaeker's company) and you can see remarkably similar moves in the two works. They're a tiny part of the whole, but they're there.

Media, Culture & 'Dumbing Down' - Morrissey - 'Songs That Saved My Life!'

Cultural icon Morrissey discusses how the media is obsessed with insignificant issues and fails to make valid critical comments on the state of nation, the august riots, contemporary culture and the current music scene in an interview with clashmusic.com. Read it here.

Watch the video below and consider the cultural implications that the song implies:

Contemporary Theory for Culture & Media

Contemporary Issues In Media & Culture

Rolf Harris v the Art Establishment

This article from The Telegraph discusses the popularity of Rolf Harris's painting with the general public and why his work is dismissed by the Art Establishment. To quote Judith Woods in the aritcle "Harris clearly paints whatever takes his fancy, and perhaps it is this absence of a unified focus, this blithe lack of psychological depth, that so irritates the establishment."

Antony Gormley v Jack Vettriano

Antony Gormley and Jack Vettriano are both artists who are hugely popular and commercially successful. But whilst Gormley is a member of the Royal Academy and his work can be seen in high profile galleries and public spaces around the world, you will never see Vettriano's work in Tate Britain or the National Gallery. Why?

'Exit Through the Gift Shop' Reviews

Read these reviews of the Banksy film from The Guardian and Telegraph.

Warhol and Basquiat

Andy Warhol used everyday images of consumer society, such as 'Marilyn' and 'Coke Bottles' (Tate Modern). These appealed (and still do) to lovers of popular culture. Warhol wanted to shun the ideas of elitist high culture, but at the same time he embraced the wealth, fame and recognition that it brought him.
Warhol encouraged a young street artist called Jean-Michel Basquiat. Was he bringing attention to a talented young man who would have no hope of recognition without Warhols' patronage or was he exploiting him for his own gain?

The Birth of Conceptual Art

Picasso attempted to move beyond visually realistic and purely representational art. 'Weeping Woman' 1937 (Tate Modern), was painted at the time of the Spanish Civil War.

Jackson Pollock painted his unconscious, emotional responses. 'Summertime: No.9A' 1948 (Tate Modern) was created by splashing, throwing and dripping paint onto a canvas.

Street Art at The Tate

Here are two articles written at the time of Tate Modern's Street Art exhibition in 2008. Francesca Gavin asks if there is an element of hypocrisy behind our attitudes. Alice Fisher comments on how an anti-establishment movement has taken over The Tate.

More Graffitti Wars

Another Banksy piece in Bristol has been defaced. This article from the Guardian tells the continuing story of 'war' between the followers of Banksy and King Robbo.

The Culture Show

Architecture, art, TV, films, theatre, music and much more are featured on The Culture Show on BBC2. It's back on for the next few weeks, so catch it on iplayer. You can also look at clips from the last few years by visiting the archive (see 'Useful Blogs and Websites')

What Is Culture?

Stuart Hall (cultural theorist) explains culture as a system of representation that constructs "shared conceptual maps" of the world. These maps allow individuals with different experiences and sensibilities to communicate with each other, nevertheless. Culture is often defined in these terms -- as the externalized systems of meaning that are shared within a society and that allow members of that society to communicate. For example, Jay Mechling says, culture is a set of dynamic social contracts that help societies "organize difference." They produce consent but not necessarily consensus.

No more ‘Toddlers and Tiaras’. Please.

Reality TV has always thrived on the exploitation of its subjects, creating artificial conflict between friends, asking individuals to adopt a “villain” persona, re-editing situations so they fit producers’ proposed storylines. However, the reality format is now well into its second decade, and any adult who signs a release form for one of these shows should be aware of what they’re getting into. It’s a trade off, public exposure for cash. It’s a choice adults make.

For a very good example of how the media, parents and appearance has an effect upon self-esteem view this posting on the mediaknowall blog.

Media, gender and identity

To find more information on the effects of role models, identity and gender issues visit theory.org here. The examples and discussion will be very useful to refer to in the exam.

Teenage Kicks: The Search for Sophistication

Watch the BBC4 documentary 'Teenage Kicks: The Search For Sophistication' here on BBCiPlayer for an interesting examination of how we construct our identities, partake in rituals and express aspects of individual personality through the products we consume. Celebrities and others discuss their teenage years and the cultural practices they adopted due to the influence of popular culture and advertised products.

TV review: Fry's Planet Word

Watch Fry's Planet Word (BBC2, Sunday) an examination of language and its evolution which can support your knowledge of NVC and other aspects of Communication & Culture. For instance it's interesting that when Fry is talking to a deaf German woman, he slows down slightly, spells it out, adopts the tiniest hint of an accent in that way we do with people who have a different first language, meeting them halfway. But he's talking to her though an interpreter, who's American! Read a review of this current programme on The Guardian site here or go to BBCiplayer to see last Sundays' show.

Mr Brainwash exhibition

Thierry Guetta, or 'Mr Brainwash' as he is known, featured in Banksy's film 'Exit Through The Gift Shop'. He now has his first British exhibition at the Opera Gallery in New Bond Street, London. This article from The Telegraph charts his rise to fame and questions whether we have been duped.