| Module Identifier |
MC30820 |
| Module Title |
MEDIA SEMIOTICS |
| Academic Year |
2004/2005 |
| Co-ordinator |
Dr Daniel G J Chandler |
| Semester |
Semester 2 |
| Course delivery |
Other | 20 hours Lectures/Workshops |
| Assessment |
| Assessment Type | Assessment Length/Details | Proportion |
|---|
| Semester Assessment | Assigment 1 - 2500 words For information on due dates for submission of assessed work, please refer
to the departmental web pages at http://www.aber.ac.uk/tfts/duedates.shtml | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | Assigment 2 - 2500 words | 50% |
|
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
to understand key semiotic concepts
to understand basic principles of semiotic textual analysis
to apply semiotic approaches to the analysis of mass media texts
to asses the usefulness and limitations of such approaches
Brief description
Semiotics has an unenviable reputation for being dense with jargon and difficult to understand. In this module students are offered a practicalintroduction to the application of semiotics to the study of the mass media and are also assisted in interpreting media theorists who have adopted semiotic approaches. They are encouraged to adopt a critical approach to semiotic theories and applications. 'Semiotics for Beginners', which is part of this module, is a very popular hypertext book on the World-Wide Web. We consider in particular the theme of visual representation. For full details see the Module Website at http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Modules/MC30820/.
Content
The lectures are based on the following:
Signifier and Signified
Structural Analysis
Codes
Beyond the Literal
Practical Textual Analysis (1)
Photography and Film
Practical Textual Analysis (2)
Intertextuality and Reflexivity
Representation and the Construction of Reality
Poststructuralist semiotics
Practical Deconstruction
Reviewing Semiotics
Reading Lists
Books
** Recommended Text
**Bignell, Jonathan (1997) Media Semiotics: An Introduction
Manchester: Manchester University Press
**Chandler, Daniel (2002) Semiotics: The Basics
London: Routledge
**Cook, Guy (1992) The Discourse of Advertising
London: Routledge
Danesi, Marcel (2002) Understanding Media Semiotics
London: Arnold
**Fairclough, Norman (1995) Media Discourse
London: Arnold
Hodge, Robert & Gunther Kress (1988) Social Semiotics
Cambridge: Polity
Jensen, Klaus Bruhn (1995) The Social Semiotics of Mass Communication
London: Sage
Kress, Gunther & Theo van Leeuwen (1996) Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design
London: Routledge
Langholz Leymore, Varda (1975) Hidden Myth: Structure and Symbolism in Advertising
New York: Basic Books
Barthes, Roland (1977) Image-Music-Text
London: Fontana
Barthes, Roland (1987[1957]) Mythologies
New York: Hill & Wang
Metz, Christian (1974) Film Language: A Semiotics of the Cinema (trans. Michael Taylor)
New York: Oxford University Press
Myers, Greg (1999) Ad Worlds: Brands, Media, Audiences
London: Arnold
**Thwaites, Tony, Lloyd Davis & Warwick Mules (1994) Tools for Cultural Studies: An Introduction
South Melbourne: Macmillan
Williamson, Judith (1978) Decoding Advertisements
London: Marion Boyars
Web Page/Sites
Semiotics for Beginners http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/
**Worth, Sol (1981) 'Studying Visual Communication' [www document] http://www.temple.edu/anthro/worth/svscom.html
HERON document Bignell: 'Advertisements'
HERON document Leiss, Kline & Jhally: 'Two Approaches to the Study of Advertisements'
** Essential Reading
Module website http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Modules/MC30820
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6