This course will provide basic knowledge and skills in Semiotics.

Students will become familiar with the main authors, theories and schools of the discipline. They will acquire a method which helps them to analyze critically the meanings of social practices and of verbovisual and multimedia texts. They will learn to understand how the "texts"  that circulate in cultures become "works" for their audiences and then "images", individual and / or collective. On the production front, students will be able to create texts, speeches and communication practices, with content forms having depth and strength, which are aimed at the purpose, and correlated with congruous, clear and impactful forms of expression.

CLASS CONTENTS LESSON BY LESSON:

Knowledge and understanding - Students are expected to know and understand the main phases of development of the discipline, taking into account the contribution of the founding fathers and of the principal scholars in the field of linguistics and Structuralism. They will gain theoretical knowledge of the theories and methodology of Semiotics, useful to compare the various approaches to the study of meanings. They will also learn to distinguish the difference between "text", "artwork" and "image".

Applying knowledge and understanding - Students will be able to explain and understand, through the analytical method proposed by Semiotics, social practices and texts of different genres and made of different expressive substances. They will be able to produce effective communication, which shows internal consistency and congruence between the forms of content and the forms of expression.

Making judgements - Students will learn to compare the semiotic method with other approaches to the study of communication. They will be encouraged to express critical judgments on communication texts and practices also in order to recognize their types of veridiction.

Communication - Students will acquire solid communication skills to explain the internal articulation of texts and social practices. They will use the technical language of semiotics to clarify questions that seem confusing to an untrained eye.

Learning skills - At the end of the course, students will become familiar with the discipline. They will be able to correctly use concepts and tools for the analysis of texts and social practices, they will assess critically the scientific findings of their work, they will grasp the intentionality that is at play in communication and formulate self-assessment questions.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Students will be required to follow a seminar (2 hours) organised by the CiSS, International Center of Semiotic Sciences Umberto Eco of the University of Urbino.

Teaching

Lectures. Oral and written exercises.

The course includes:

lectures
group work and written work
oral presentations
participatory lectures in which the work presented will be discussed.

Innovative teaching methods

The innovative teaching method will be enriched with individual and group exercises and insights. Some topics of the course will be treated following the practices of the debate, of the flipped lesson and of the visual thinking.

Attendance

A seminar (2 hours) organised by the CiSS, International Center of Semiotic Sciences Umberto Eco of the University of Urbino.

Course books

S. Traini, Le basi della semiotica, Bompiani, Milano 2013.

T. Migliore, La parola trasformatrice, Mimesis, Milano 2023 (chapters covered in class and in the slides).

Gianfranco Marrone, Introduction to the Semiotics of the Text, De Gruyter 2022. 

Slides uploaded in the Moodle platform during the course.

Assessment

Semi-structured written intermediate test (analysis of a text submitted by the professor) aimed at ascertaining the procedural knowledge acquired by the students during the first part of the course. It consists of the analysis of a text carried out by applying the tools of the semiotic method explained up to that point. The test will be graded in thirtieths and will count for 1/3 of the exam grade in the official exams. It is possible to refuse the midterm grade and take the exam in the official sessions.

Final written exam structured (multiple choice questions) and semi-structured (analysis of a text submitted by the professor) aimed at ascertaining the mastery of knowledge relating to the authors and the theories of the discipline, the understanding of concepts and tools of the semiotics method and the procedural knowledge acquired by the students during the course. The examination will provide an assessment of thirty.

Grading:

Excellent grades will be given in presence of: a good critical perspective and in depth knowledge; the ability to link the main subjects addressed during the course; the expert use of appropriate language and terminology.

Good grades will be given in presence of: good mnemonic knowledge of the course content; a relatively good critical perspective and the ability to connect its themes; the use of an appropriate language.

Sufficient grades will be given in presence of: minimal knowledge of the course's themes and the presence of some gaps in understanding; the use of an inappropriate language.

Low grades will be given in presence of: difficulty in understanding the course's topics; notable gaps in knowledge; the use of a clearly inappropriate language.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

This course does not differentiate between “attending” and “non-attending” students with regard to teaching methods, attendance obligations, course books or assessment. Part-time students are invited to write to the professor and to consult the teaching material (handouts, slides, examples of textual analysis, Dictionary of Semiotics) that will be uploaded on Moodle Platform during the course.