A2 Literature

Click HERE to take The Guardian's 'Hedda Gabler' quiz!

AS Literature

Click HERE for a glowing review of a performance of 'Cat on a Hot Roof' which features an all black cast. What are the racial politics of this play? How are the black characters portrayed? How are they treated by other characters?

A2 Comms

Coca Cola and Christmas

How has Coca Cola used Christmas (and even shaped our meanings of Christmas) as a way of constructing the soft drink as a desirable cultural product?

Haddon Sundblom's early pictures of Santa Claus for Coca Cola in the 1930s were inspired by the 19th century poem Twas the Night before Christmas:


Group 1: 1995 advert

Group 2: 1997 advert

Group 3: 1998 advert

Group 4: 2012 advert

AS Literature

Click HERE for Laurence Olivier's production of 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'. In what ways does it differ from the Hollywood version starring Elizabeth Taylor?

A2 Literature

Click HERE for the full BBC version of Ibsen's 'Hedda Gabler' from 1972. Remember that this constitutes a 'reading' of this play, so if you can talk about the screenwriter / director's decision making, this will boost your AO3 mark.

AS Literature

Click HERE to watch the full 'Frankenstein: Birth of a Monster' documentary (we recently watched a short section in class)

AS and A2 Literature

Click HERE for an amazing resource on 'Revolutionary Road', which explains every contextual reference mentioned in the novel. Enjoy!

AS Literature

THIS is a stunning resource on Frankenstein. Each contextual / biographical reference is explored in detail - a perfect accompaniment to your reading!

A2 Comms

Fictions: Click HERE for a podcast on the role of fiction in history and biography.

A2 Literature

Click HERE for a podcast on psychoanalysis and literature to complement our Freudian reading of 'Hedda Gabler' last week.

A2 Comms

Click HERE for a podcast debate on the very word: culture.

AS Literature

To complement our work on 'Frankenstein', click HERE for an interesting discussion about other examples of epistolary literature or HERE for a podcast on the Gothic genre.

A2 Comms

Postcolonialism: Listen to THIS podcast on 'Cultural Imperialism' and / or THIS podcast on multiculturalism to revise your understanding of this unit.

AS Comms

As we launch Coursework B this week, please click on the links below for various sources / ideas that are relevant to many of the suggested topics

FAMILY

1) 'Dinner Makes a Difference' (TED Talk by Laurie David) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzB0BDstCI0

2) 'Outnumbered' First part of first episode http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fBBppLsu2s

3) 'The Seven Lives of the Only Child' http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2006/mar/04/familyandrelationships.family3?INTCMP=SRCH

4) 'Being a Single Parent' http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2006/mar/04/familyandrelationships.family3?INTCMP=SRCH

5) 'Facebook has changed adoption forever' http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jun/19/facebook-adoption-tracing-birth-mother?INTCMP=SRCH

6) 'McDonalds Family' (Family in advertising) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivxP-UujQak

RITES OF PASSAGE

1) 'Inbetweeners' Movie trailer (teenage holidays) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3HzTKbsqsY

2) 'Don't Tell The Bride' (weddings) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P3mIsQw9PY

3) 'Educating Essex' (starting a new school) http://www.channel4.com/programmes/educating-essex/4od

4) 'My Sweet Sixteen' (landmark birthdays) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgc5kQhPza0

… and Charlie Brooker's take on them http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b7mwTK564o

5) 'Music to Grow Up By' (Growing Up and Popular Music) http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/nov/27/music-grow-up-by?INTCMP=SRCH

6) 'Second Life' (Growing Up in a virtual world) http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/15/leaders-second-life-virtual-world?INTCMP=SRCH

Book Review - 'Entertaining Strangers' by Jonathan Taylor

Click HERE for my review of 'Entertaining Strangers' by Jonathan Taylor

Book Review - 'The Quiddity of Will Self'

Click HERE to read my review of 'The Quiddity of Will Self' by Sam Mills

Welcome to English and Comms @ RuTC

Welcome to the English & Comms department and thank you for finding this blog. Lit students, click HERE for book recommendations by the comedian Josie Long (one of which most of you are definitely studying this year) and Comms students should find THIS interesting.

A2 Comms

Some useful sources for your podcasts:

Shaquille THIS is perfect
Shahina try THIS
Bridie HERE'S Charlie Brooker on his first festival experience
Medina click HERE

A2 Literature

A series of relevant articles for our study of Dreams From My Father (Significantly, two of these articles are by bestselling novelists - Zadie Smith and Colm Toibin):

Senator Barrack Obama

Speaking in Tongues

Article by Joe Klein

James Baldwin and Barrack Obama

A2 Comms

Some more research ideas:

Serifat: HERE

Wunmi: HERE

Beth: HERE

Robyn: HERE

Gigi: HERE

Medina HERE

AS Comms and Culture

As you start to decide upon the content and style of your own audio-visual coursework piece, you might like to watch some projects from other Comms students around the country. They are easy to find on YouTube, start with this thoughtful piece on life as a female footballer:

AS Literature

Enrich your knowledge of Mary Shelley's life and the context of Frankenstein by reading extracts from THIS text online.

IB English

As preparation for your upcoming appointments, click on the following links to deepen your understanding of your chosen works...

'Love in the Time of Cholera' HERE

'Madame Bovary' HERE

'Perfume' HERE

A2 Language & Literature

Start your contextual research on our second coursework poet, Sylvia Plath, by watching the documentary below:

A2 Communication & Culture

Robyn and Bridie, the sentiments of your case studies are expressed pretty well in this song:


and similar views are explored in THIS article

Gigi (and possibly Victoria) should look HERE

Medina THIS could help you

Satveer try THIS

Wunmi THIS is from 2003 (possibly the peak of Burberry's popularity as a brand)

Beth have you seen THIS ?