Gwybodaeth Modiwlau
Module Identifier
MC30820
Module Title
VISUAL SEMIOTICS
Academic Year
2008/2009
Co-ordinator
Semester
Intended for use in future years
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Other | Lecture workshop 1 x 2 hour per week |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Assigment 2 - 2500 words Resit Information | 50% |
| 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% |
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
Reviewing Semiotics
Reading List
Recommended Text**Bignell, Jonathan (1997) Media Semiotics: An Introduction Manchester: Manchester University Press Primo search **Chandler, Daniel (2002) Semiotics: The Basics London: Routledge Primo search **Cook, Guy (1992) The Discourse of Advertising London: Routledge Primo search **Fairclough, Norman (1995) Media Discourse London: Arnold Primo search **Thwaites, Tony, Lloyd Davis & Warwick Mules (1994) Tools for Cultural Studies: An Introduction South Melbourne: Macmillan Primo search Barthes, Roland (1977) Image-Music-Text London: Fontana Primo search Barthes, Roland (1987[1957]) Mythologies New York: Hill & Wang Primo search Danesi, Marcel (2002) Understanding Media Semiotics London: Arnold Primo search Hodge, Robert & Gunther Kress (1988) Social Semiotics Cambridge: Polity Primo search Jensen, Klaus Bruhn (1995) The Social Semiotics of Mass Communication London: Sage Primo search Kress, Gunther & Theo van Leeuwen (1996) Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design London: Routledge Primo search Langholz Leymore, Varda (1975) Hidden Myth: Structure and Symbolism in Advertising New York: Basic Books Primo search Metz, Christian (1974) Film Language: A Semiotics of the Cinema (trans. Michael Taylor) New York: Oxford University Press Primo search Myers, Greg (1999) Ad Worlds: Brands, Media, Audiences London: Arnold Primo search Williamson, Judith (1978) Decoding Advertisements London: Marion Boyars Primo search **Worth, Sol (1981) 'Studying Visual Communication' [www document] http://www.temple.edu/anthro/worth/svscom.html HERON document Bignell: 'Advertisements' Primo search HERON document Leiss, Kline & Jhally: 'Two Approaches to the Study of Advertisements' Primo search Semiotics for Beginners http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/ Essential Reading
Module website http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Modules/MC30820
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6