HUMANITIES LAB: THE POLITICS OF MEANING. AN INTRODUCTION TO SEMIOTICS
HUMANITIES LAB: THE POLITICS OF MEANING. AN INTRODUCTION TO SEMIOTICS
Paolo Peverini
Obiettivi formativi
Through key concepts such as sign, symbol, and myth, students are introduced to the field of semiotics with the aim of understanding the strategic role that languages play in shaping social reality. The course seeks to demonstrate the productive relationship between the humanities and the social sciences, also in light of the impact of artificial intelligence on the production of meaning.
Prerequisiti
None
Contenuti Del Corso
The notion of sign. Denotation and connotation
The notion of symbol.
The notion of myth.
The notion of veridiction.
Testi Di Riferimento
Barthes, R. Mythologies (2013). Mythologies (R. Howard, A. Lavers, Trans.). Hill and Wang. (Original work published 1957)
Eco, U. (2013). Inventing the enemy. And other occasional writings. Harpervia
Lorusso, A.M. (2020). Between Truth, Legitimacy, and Legality in the Post-truth Era. Internation Journal for the semiotics of law.
Peverini, P. (2015). Remix practices and activism. A Semiotic Analysis of Creative Dissent. In The Routledge companion to remix studies (pp. 333-345). Routledge.
Slides
Metodologie Didattiche
Frontal lectures
In-class discussions
Group activities
Modalità di verifica dell'apprendimento
Attendant Students
- Final written exam: 1 open-ended + 3 multiple choice questions on the mandatory program
Non Attending
- Final written exam: 2 open-ended + 3 multiple choice questions on the mandatory program
Settimana 1
Course presentation: Overview of topics, learning objectives, teaching and assessment methods.
Humanities for social sciences.
Settimana 2
Introduction to semiotics.
The notion of sign.
Signifier/Meaning.
Denotation/Connotation
Settimana 3
Applying Denotation/Connotation
Lab "Deconstructing the discourse of information"
Settimana 4
The notion of myth. Part 1
Roland Barthes' Mythologies.
Settimana 5
The notion of myth. Part 2
Roland Barthes' Mythologies.
Cases
Settimana 6
The notion of symbol. Between consumption, culture, politics.
Settimana 7
Lab "Deconstructing modern symbols. The case of Bad Bunny political stance and call to action during 2026 Super Bowl"
Settimana 8
The notion of veridiction.
Post truth.
Settimana 9
The impact of artificial intelligence on truth effects.
Cases.
Settimana 10
Lab. "Deconstructing AI mediated political communication"
Settimana 11
Semiotics of virality.
Narratives and counternarratives.
New forms of protest.
Settimana 12
Recap of the course.
Simulation of the exam.