Media Studies A-Level
The unmarked norm
What The unmarked norm means in Media Studies A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definition of The unmarked norm
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain The unmarked norm in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
A white, Western, heterosexual, able-bodied or otherwise dominant position presented as ordinary, while the other group is marked by costume, accent, setting, religion or skin colour.
Topics that use The unmarked norm
- Theories around ethnicity and postcolonial theory (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Audience negotiation and hybridisation
- Belonging and exclusion
- Centre and periphery
- Cultural imperialism
- Dominant culture and marginalisation
- Imagined communities
- Marginalisation
- Media and collective identity
Using The unmarked norm in the exam
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