75940 - Semiotics and Storytelling

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will be able to anlalyze different kinds of texts (newspaper and magazine articles, advertisements, electoral campaign materials, consumption products, etc.) through semiotic methodology, to recognize the fundamental narratives on which they are based, and to evaluate the capability of each text to persuade the audience and inspire their emotions.

Course contents

The course will review and study in more depth the semiotic method already introduced during the first year course of Semiotics, and will pay particular attention to the theories of enunciation, aspectuality and point of view.

The bases of visual semiotics will also be illustrated and the connection between semiotic analytic method and the marketing concepts, which are currently referred to under the label of storytelling, will be explored.

Every concept will always be applied to concrete examples (verbal, visual, audiovisual), taken from contemporary advertising, and from social and political campaigns.

Readings/Bibliography

Required Readings (I recommend studying them in the order listed below.)

Maria Pia Pozzato, Capire la semiotica, Roma, Carocci, 2013: to be studied in its entirety.

Piero Polidoro, Che cos'è la semiotica visiva, Roma, Carocci, 2008:to be studied in its entirety.

Giovanna Cosenza, "Semiotica e storytelling. Come la semiotica può contribuire al marketing narrativo", E/C. Rivista dell'Associazione Italiana di Studi Semiotici, 34, 2022, 34, pp. 217-229, available for download from HERE.

Giovanna Cosenza, Semiotica e comunicazione politica, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2018: only ch. 1, ch. 4, ch. 5, ch. 6.

 

Note

It is important to study the Professor's lecture notes and PowerPoint presentations on the website virtuale.unibo.it.

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Optional textbooks for students who are not able to attend lessons

Jean-Marie Floch, Semiotica, marketing e comunicazione, Milano, Franco Angeli, 1990.

Jean-Marie Floch, Identità visive, Milano, Franco Angeli, 1995.

Jean-Marie Floch, Bricolage, Roma, Meltemi, 2006.

Maria Pia Pozzato, Leader, oracoli, assassini, Roma, Carocci, 2004.

Maria Pia Pozzato (ed.), Variazioni semiotiche. Analisi, interpretazioni, metodi a confronto, Roma, Carocci, 2007.

Christian Salmon, Storytelling. La fabbrica delle storie, Roma, Fazi, 2008.

Stefano Traini, Semiotica della comunicazione pubblicitaria, Milano, Bompiani, 2008.

Teaching methods

Given the practical and applied nature of the course, regular attendance is strongly recommended.

All lectures will draw on real-world case studies from contemporary mass communication.

In addition, many class sessions will be devoted to exercises designed to best prepare students for the final exam. These exercises include:

1. Case Analyses – Advertising, social campaigns, or political discourse will be analyzed collectively in class under the instructor’s guidance, or assigned as homework to be discussed later in class.

2. Multiple-choice quizzes – We will complete them in class either at the end of each session or at the beginning of the following one. These quizzes will allow you to check, in real time, whether you have understood and learned the concepts covered in class and whether you are able to apply them to real-world cases.

Assessment methods

The exam consists of 41 multiple-choice questions administered in one of the Department of the Arts (DAR) computer labs. You will have 35 minutes to complete the exam. Each correct answer is worth 0.75 points, while incorrect or unanswered questions receive 0 points.

Of the 41 multiple-choice questions, 30 are theoretical and cover the theories, concepts, and analytical methods of Semiotics presented in the required textbooks by Pozzato and Polidoro. The remaining 11 questions focus on real-world case studies drawn from communication campaigns, including commercial, social, and political campaigns.

Generative AI can be a helpful tool to support and improve your individual or group study when you’re preparing for the final exam (as in any learning process). It’s useful if you use it to dive deeper into topics, check data and sources, clarify information, create summaries, or design self-assessment exercises.

During exams in the computer lab, the use of any AI application is not allowed. Breaking this rule counts as a violation of academic integrity and may result in a penalty decided by the professor.

If you are not satisfied with the grade you receive on the written exam, you may request to take an oral exam as well. The oral exam will include questions about the mistakes you made on the written exam, as well as questions covering the entire course content. After the oral exam, your final grade may increase if you demonstrate a stronger understanding of the material than was reflected in your written exam. However, your grade may also remain the same or decrease if your answers are not satisfactory.

 

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders are entitled to special adjustments according to their condition, subject to assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact teachers or Department staff, but make an appointment with the Service. The Service will then determine what adjustments are specifically appropriate, and get in touch with the teacher. For more information, please visit the page:

https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

Teaching tools

During lessons the professor will use the multimedia tools of the University, in order to show some PowerPoint presentations, to analyse images and audiovisual products (videoclips, commercials, electoral spots, etc.), and to browse the Web.

The professor will publish her lecture notes and PowerPoint presentations on Virtuale.

Office hours

See the website of Giovanna Cosenza