14138 - Semiotics of the Media (1)

Academic Year 2018/2019

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Drama, Art and Music Studies (cod. 0956)

    Also valid for First cycle degree programme (L) in Communication Sciences (cod. 8885)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will: - master the specific terminology of the semiotics of cinema and audiovisual media; - understand the basic principles of the semiological tradition (such as: diegesis, denotation / connotation, signifier-signified, paradigm / syntagma, code, sense and signification, etc.); - can analyze film sequences and audiovisual products, as well as specific genres of different media.

Course contents

This course will introduce the media system as a whole, not analysing the individual media. More specifically, they will be treated the intertextual and intermedia relations in the field of audiovisual production, and the phenomena of convergence and transmedia. Part of the course will in-depth study the television series and genres of contemporary tv.

Readings/Bibliography

- M.P. Pozzato, Capire la semiotica, Roma, Carocci Editore, 2013.

- J. Mittell, Complex Tv, Roma, Minimum Fax, 2017.

- V. Innocenti, G. Pescatore, Le nuove forme della serialità televisiva, Bologna, Archetipo Libri, 2008.

Teaching methods

Lectures with presentations and audio-visual material,

Discussion of materials in classroom.

Assessment methods

The final examination consists of writing an essay on a subject to be agreed, also via e-mail, with Prof. Bisoni, and of an interview. This essay, in the range of 10 to 15 sheets (1 essay = 2000 characters), shall be submitted in paper format 7 days before the exam date. WARNING: essays without bibliography/webography and no notes on the sources consulted will be assessed as negative automatically.

Please comply with the editorial rules indicated at the following link http://corsi.unibo.it/Laurea/DAMS/Documents/norme_redazionali%20per%20prova%20finale.pdf

It will be assessed as excellent the performance of those students that in the essay and during the interview demonstrate to have achieved an organic vision of the course contents, the use of a proper specific language, the originality of the reflection as well as the familiarity with the semiotic tolls.

It will be assessed as discrete the performance of those students showing mostly mechanical or mnemonic knowledge of the subject, not articulated synthesis and analysis capabilities, a correct but not always appropriate language, as well as a scholastic study of the discipline. It will be assessed as barely sufficient the performance of those students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, lack of knowledge of the discipline. It will be assessed as insufficient the performance of those students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, no orientation within the recommended bibliography and inability.

Teaching tools

Power point slides, TV series projection, clips and archive materials by youtube, RAI Teche, etc.

Office hours

See the website of Claudio Bisoni