27322 - Analysis of Visual Communication (1)

Academic Year 2018/2019

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Communication Sciences (cod. 8885)

Learning outcomes

This module is designed to introduce students to the principles and methods of visual communication analysis (photos, news, visual brand strategies, visual identities).

Course contents

The aim of this module will be to bring students to a good level of theoretical awareness of deep transformations taking place in visual culture, particularly in the ways of seeing, in the images circulation, in screens spreading, and in social relations mediated by images.

One goal of the module is to equip students to analyse and evaluate the various visual communication forms, and to provide them with an anaytical training.

First part will be devoted to provide an overall look on visual culture, together with basic analytical and methodological semiotic notions.

Second part will have the aim to deepen specific aspects of visual communication, presenting a varied path, where students can express an individual choice, selecting between:

  • contemporary forms of photographic practice
  • referential status of images in the news
  • visual strategies adopted by fashion brands
  • visual identities of contemporary pop icons

 

 

 

 

Readings/Bibliography

First part include the following mandatory readings:

Barbieri, Daniele (2011), Guardare e leggere. La comunicazione visiva, dalla pittura alla tipografia, Roma, Carocci (Chapters 1 and 2)

Mirzoeff, Nicholas (2017), Come vedere il mondo. Un’introduzione alle immagini: dall’autoritratto al selfie, dalle mappe ai film (e altro ancora), Monza, Johan & Levi Editore (Chapters 1 and 2 + Afterword).

Polidoro, Piero (2008), Che cos'è la semiotica visiva, Roma, Carocci (Chapters 5 and 6).

 

Second part provides for a mandatory choice of one between the following paths (they will all however be dealt during the classes):

 

  • Photography:

Fontcuberta, Joan (2018), La furia delle immagini: note sulla postfotografia, Torino, Einaudi.

 

  • News and reality images:

Montani, Pietro (2010), L'immaginazione intermediale: perlustrare, rifigurare, testimoniare il mondo visibile, Roma-Bari, Laterza (Chapters 1 and 2).

Spaziante, Lucio (2017), "Riprese di realtà: indicalità ed efficacia sensibile, tra eyewitness video e news", RIFL/SFL: 230-244.

 

  • Fashion brands:

Marrone, Gianfranco (2007), Il discorso di marca: modelli semiotici per il branding, Roma, GLF editori, Laterza (Chapters 4 and 5).

Spaziante, Lucio (2017), "Textual Innovation of The Audiovisual Language in Fashion Film" in Comunicazioni sociali, n. 1, pp. 27-36.

 

  • Pop icons:

Spaziante, Lucio (2016), Icone pop. Identità e apparenze, tra semiotica e musica, Bruno Mondadori, Milano.

 

 

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Recommended readings

Berger, John (2015), Questione di sguardi: sette inviti al vedere fra storia dell'arte e quotidianità, Milano, Il Saggiatore.

Floch, Jean-Marie (2016) Identità visive, Milano, Franco Angeli.

Gunthert, André (2016), L’immagine condivisa. La fotografia digitale, Roma, Contrasto.

 

Teaching methods

Teachings will take place with three lectures per week, possibly with collective readings and game-based learning platforms.

Students are strongly suggested to attend classes, in order to encourage active participation in the course.


Assessment methods

Students will be tested with an in-class writing unseen examination placed in a computer room, with questions concerning contents of the whole module.

Optionally, there is a chance to integrate the vote of the written test with an interview, eventually completed by a paper.

Teaching tools

Lectures will take advantage of multimedia equipment available in classrooms for listening and viewing useful tools.

Office hours

See the website of Lucio Spaziante

SDGs

Gender equality

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.