Dissertation topics suggested by the teacher.
Both theoretically oriented theses, devoted to the discussion and development of problems in semiotics, themes at the intersection of linguistics and aesthetics or philosophy of language, and research based on the construction and analysis of a corpus (texts, images, films, artworks, interactions, practices, spaces, digital devices, etc.) are welcome. Research projects that combine theoretical elaboration, methodological reflection, and empirical analysis are particularly encouraged.
Research Areas for Theses
The areas listed below are not intended as an exhaustive list of possible thesis topics. Proposals addressing other subjects are also welcome, provided that they articulate a clearly identifiable problem in semiotics, linguistics, or the philosophy of language and fall within the supervisor’s areas of academic expertise.
1. General Semiotics, Linguistics, and Philosophy of Language
Theories of meaning and signification; semantics and pragmatics; interpretive semantics; enunciation theory; modalities and speech acts; textuality and discourse; inference and interpretation; relations between semiotics, linguistics, and the philosophy of language; forms of life and language-games; epistemology of the language sciences.
2. Semiotic Methodology, Corpora, Practices, and Interactions
Corpus construction and analysis; relevance, comparability, and representativeness; qualitative and quantitative methodologies in semiotic research; textual, discourse, and multimodal analysis; semiotics of practices and interactions; observation and documentation of practices; relations between data, models, and interpretation; digital methodologies and computer-assisted analytical tools.
3. Semiotics of the Arts, Images, and Aesthetic Forms
Visual semiotics and theories of the image; painting, photography, film, and audiovisual media; performing arts and music; style and processes of stylisation; creativity; aesthetic experience; relations between artwork, device, and viewer; history and transformation of forms; mediation and enhancement of artistic and cultural heritage.
4. Semiotics of Culture, Mediations, and Institutions
Processes of circulation, translation, and transformation of meaning; mediation and transmediation; cultural memory; forms of life; practices and values; organisations and institutions; museums and other cultural spaces; institutional communication; construction and negotiation of individual and collective identities.
5. Body, Perception, Affectivity, and Subjectivity
Semiotics of the body; theories of perception; ecological and enactive approaches; sensory experience and the construction of experience; passions and affects; memory; ethos, intimacy, and vulnerability; relations between subject, environment, and cultural forms.
6. Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, and Transformations of Semiosis
Semiotics of digital media; interfaces and affordances; generative artificial intelligence; production and interpretation of texts and images; algorithmic creativity; style, stereotypy, and variation; new forms of agency and interaction; transformations of artistic, communicative, and interpretive practices associated with technological developments.
How to Propose a Thesis
Thesis supervision begins with a preliminary meeting, during which the student presents their interests and an initial idea of the object of study or problem they would like to address. Students are not expected to arrive at the first meeting with a fully developed research project: identifying and defining the research problem, corpus, and methodology is itself part of the process of designing the research.
Following this initial discussion, the student may be asked to prepare a brief research proposal (approximately 1–2 pages) specifying the object of study, the main research questions, the prospective corpus, where applicable, and a preliminary selection of bibliographical references. On the basis of this proposal, the thesis topic, an initial bibliography, and a preliminary annotated outline are agreed upon with the supervisor.
For a Bachelor’s thesis, preference is given to a clearly delimited problem that can be addressed through an appropriate bibliography and a sufficiently circumscribed corpus. A Master’s thesis, by contrast, requires broader theoretical problematisation, critical knowledge of the state of the art, justification of the methodological choices made and, in the case of empirical research, a reasoned construction of the corpus and the development of an original analysis.
Research Process, Submission, and Defence
Thesis work proceeds in stages. Students are encouraged to submit the outline, bibliography, analyses, and individual chapters progressively to the supervisor rather than presenting the thesis for the first time only once the entire manuscript has been completed. The initial outline is a working tool and may be revised as the research develops.
Supervision meetings should be prepared either by submitting the materials to be discussed sufficiently in advance or by clearly identifying the questions and problems on which feedback is sought. Students are responsible for the accuracy of their citations, the verification of their sources, the completeness of their bibliography, and the formal and scholarly quality of the final manuscript.
Any use of generative artificial intelligence tools must comply with University regulations and be agreed upon with the supervisor. Such tools cannot replace the reading and verification of sources, bibliographical research, the construction and analysis of the corpus, or the student’s own development of arguments. Uses of AI that have played a significant role in the research process or in the preparation of the manuscript must be declared; this will allow them to be methodologically guided and critically assessed by the supervisor.
A complete version of the thesis must be submitted to the supervisor sufficiently in advance of the relevant administrative deadlines to allow for a comprehensive reading and the incorporation of any necessary revisions. Submission of a complete manuscript shortly before the deadline therefore does not guarantee that the thesis can be completed in time for the intended graduation session.
Following final submission, a concluding meeting may be devoted to preparing for the thesis defence, with particular attention to selecting the most significant findings, structuring the oral presentation, and anticipating possible questions from the examination committee.
