Edinburgh Napier University

  Interdisciplinary cooperation and study are frequently advocated in reports and articles, not least the 2008 National Curriculum (QCA 2008). But at ground level there are always prejudices and rivalries within the staffrooms of schools and colleges that can inhibit these practices. From the perspective of an Art and Design teacher, who is engaged in contemporary art practice with video and desktop editing, the subject boundaries with Media Studies can look alarmingly close at times. In this paper we would like to identify where there are overlaps and opportunities for crossover to advance the pedagogy of both Media Studies and Art and Design. We will argue that The 14-19 Creative Media Diploma and the British Film Institute (BFI) offer an opportunity and a site to explore boundary crossing.

The Creative and Media Diploma has only recently been introduced to schools and colleges in England and many Art and Design and Media departments have been encouraged to consider adding this option to the curriculum portfolio for their pupils. There has been little research into the 14 to19 diplomas and as their future looks uncertain with the recent change of government, further research on their implementation is prescient.

We would argue that the British Film Institute Mediatheque offers an exciting facility where students can develop and extend their knowledge of moving media, blurring the boundaries between Media studies and Art and Design and so countering the claim that the BFI is the preserve of English or Media studies teachers. Previous articles regarding the BFI (Bazalgette 2001) (Parker 2001) have illustrated the opportunities for greater media literacy and for ‘incorporating aspects of our visual world into the mandatory curriculum’ for elementary and secondary schools. We would like to test this notion and have chosen a Creative and Media Diploma group as a small case study.