78904 - SEMIOTICS OF MEMORY (1) (LM)

Anno Accademico 2019/2020

  • Modalità didattica: Convenzionale - Lezioni in presenza
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Laurea Magistrale in Semiotica (cod. 8886)

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

At the end of the course the student will have achieved the necessary tools to critically elaborate the main themes and aspects relating to cultural memory's problems in a semiotic perspective.

Contenuti

Memory studies are a relatively recent academic field, that aims at an interdisciplinary investigation of the collective forms of remembering the past and of the processes of construction, transmission and communication of collective memories in contemporary societies and in contexts characterized by an intrinsic “semiotic complexity”.

At the same time, memory studies are often engaged in an incessant dialogue with other disciplines that have theorized on memory (philosophy, sociology, psychology, semiotics, cognitive sciences, anthropology and so forth).

The course will present and critically discuss the current debate in the field of memory studies, framing the main topics and issues in a semiotic perspective. Moving from a critical discussion of the notion itself of collective memory, the course will pinpoint the diverse “discursive arenas” (media discourse, historical discourse, juridical discourse, political discourse, public discourse…) that shape shared – as well as individual – memories (and, consequently, collective and individual identities).

The course will focus especially on the processes of “spatialization of memory” (that is, the way in which collective memory is “translated” into space, not only in official monuments, memorials and museums but also in cities and public places) and on the notion of heritage (including its political, and often conflictual, nature).

Testi/Bibliografia

Mandatory reading materials

  • Assmann, J. “Communicative and Cultural Memory” in Erll, A.; Nünning, A. (eds.), A companion to cultural memory studies, Berlin, New York: De Gruyter, 2008.
  • Tamm, M., “Semiotic Theory of Cultural Memory: In the Company of Juri Lotman” in The Ashgate Research Companion to Memory Studies, Kattago, S (ed.), 2015, 127-141.
  • Connerton, P., “Seven types of forgetting”, in Memory Studies 2008; 1; 59.
  • Eco, U., “An Ars Oblivionalis? Forget it!”, in PMLA, Vol.103, n.3, 1988, 254-261.
  • Nora, P. “Between Memory and History: Les Lieux de Mémoire”, in Representations, N.26, Special Issue: Memory and Counter-Memory (Spring 1989), pp. 7-24
  • Halbwachs, M, “Space and the Collective Memory”, from Halbwachs, M, The Collective Memory (Chapter 4), 1950
  • Violi, P., Landscape of Memory. Trauma, Space, History, Peter Lang, 2017, Chapter 1 and 2.
  • Macdonald, S., Difficult Heritage. Negoziating the Nazi Past in Nuremberg and Beyond (Introduction, pp- 1-24), London: Routledge, 2009

Other texts will be suggested by the teacher along the course

Metodi didattici

The course is designed to stimulate active participation on the part of students. They will be asked to read and present in class a selection of reading materials. Active participation in collective discussion of these presentations will be considered an essential component of the course evaluation.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

The exam will consist of a paper which will be derived from the in-class presentation at the final mini conference, previously agreed upon with the professor. The paper might be a case study or a theoretical elaboration on some of the principal topics discussed during the class. It should have a length of 3.500 words max. Final papers may be based on collective work in a group, and in this case their total length must be proportional to the number of people participating in the group. Students who will not attend the course will have to present a paper of the same length on a topic previously agreed upon with the professor, and an oral examination on three of the papers from the reading list.

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

The course foresees theoretical lectures and empirical analysis with multimedia support. Moreover, students will be invited to take part in guided visits to a number of places of memory and to discuss their experience of these in the group.

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Francesco Mazzucchelli

SDGs

Parità di genere Ridurre le disuguaglianze Pace, giustizia e istituzioni forti

L'insegnamento contribuisce al perseguimento degli Obiettivi di Sviluppo Sostenibile dell'Agenda 2030 dell'ONU.