Q.2 is harder than Q.1 and involves placing your close study within the wider context of the overall topic area, thus considering in what ways what you have looked at typifies the issues around the overall topic. Again it needs planning in order to read as a systematic project rather than a random set of quotes. Answers to Q2 tend to lack reference to material from the research, so you must make sure you back up every point with an example to show where you got it.
How to answer question 2
Where q.1 is about METHODS and paragraphs should be organised by method and research route, q.2 is about FINDINGS and paragraphs should perhaps be organised by concepts so that there is clear distinction between the two.
A structure something like this should work
Section 1: Intro- what are the key issues in relation to your area of study ?
For example you might consider:
World Cinema: funding/distribution (Inst) how they reach audiences and how audiences receive/interpret/watch the films (aud) how they represent the culture (rep) how they are similar to/differ from western films (forms/conv)TV Drama: budgets/scheduling/distribution in other formats e.g. DVD, competition with other genres, extra-textual life e.g. spin-off progs (Inst) issues covered and how they represent social groups (Rep) conventions e.g. genre, innovation or not (F and C) audience pleasures (Aud)
Crime: conventions of the crime genre – on TV, fiction and non-fiction, how crime may be represented (nationalism, gender etc) dominance of particular social groups and particular forms of criminality (Rep) conventions of coverage (F/C) importance of crime to media and in particular to TV schedules, ratings etc (inst), audience reception of crime in media, including popularity (aud)
Children: concerns about what is represented to children/how they are represented (Rep) what kids understand/the impact of media texts upon them/their pleasures (aud) importance of child audiences to media institutions (Inst) the forms and convs of children’s media texts (F/C)
Section 2: How does your specific focus relate to the issues in the topic as a whole ?
Section 3: Break down into many paras/ mini-sections; one on each conceptual area: Institution, Representation, Forms and Conventions, Audience as they relate to your topic.
Maybe more than one paragraph on some areas but throughout referring to method, sources, references, quotes, ideas etc
Section 4: Solid conclusion that draws it all together and summarises what you have learnt. The key is how to cross reference concepts with your research, and tie it all in. In your conclusion think about making points that relate to both the MACRO as well as the MICRO aspects of your study (in other words think about answering the exam question, not just your own question).
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