General Semiotics

Teacher(s)

Catellani Andrea; Gilson Gaël; Gilson Gaël (compensates Catellani Andrea);

Language

French

Prerequisites

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Content

To study the meaning of the sign, the relationships it induces, the cognitive mechanisms it calls upon and the interpretations of which it is the object and at the same time constitutes, the course considers the vocabulary and concepts of semiotics according to three objectives: a theoretical objective (to understand and articulate the theoretical concepts of semiotics); a methodological objective (to build analytical grids applicable to different sign systems such as a text, an image, an advertisement, a video game, etc.); a practical objective (to apply these grids to describe and interpret a sign system). ); a practical objective (to apply these grids to describe and interpret a sign system).
The following concepts (non-exhaustive list) will be studied, put into perspective and applied: langage / langue / parole (Saussure), signifiant, signifié et référent (Barthes), interprétant et processus sémiotique (Peirce), schéma de la communication (Jakobson), énoncé et énonciation (Benveniste), sèmes et isotopies (Rastier), narrativité du signe (Paolucci), ergodicité (Poulin), balance MES (Wong), encyclopédie (Eco), connotation et dénotation (Barthes), syntagme / paradigme / variation paradigmatique (Jakobson), code et message (Todorov), indice et signal (Priéto), contiguïté et substitution (Jakobson), abduction (Peirce), communication pertinente (Sperber & Wilson), métaphore conceptuelle (Lakoff & Johnson), contenu et relation (Bateson), embrayeurs (Jakobson), direction d’ajustement (Searle), actes de langage (Austin), etc.

Teaching methods

Theoretical presentations, discussions with students (participation encouraged), case studies and large-group analysis exercises, as well as a revision module to prepare for the exam, constitute the main methods of the course. Additional readings will be suggested throughout the course, and review questions will be distributed regularly to help students synthesize the course.

Evaluation methods

January session: the 20-point examination is divided into two parts:

• An MCQ (multiple-choice question) section, worth 15 points, assesses understanding of concepts and the ability to mobilize them to solve problems or describe a semiotic process;
• An open-ended question, for 5 points, assesses the ability to mobilize concepts and methods worked on during the course to interpret a sign or system of signs in a relevant and well-founded way.

September session: same principle. If fewer than 10 students are required to sit the test, the examination may take the form of an oral interview consisting of two open-ended questions (one on the understanding of one or more theoretical concepts, the other on the interpretation of a sign or system of signs using the concepts and methods of the course).

Other information

This course is part of the minor in information and communication. It provides the theoretical basis for the course LCOMU1316 Semiotic Approaches in Communication which focuses on the methodology and analysis tools used in this field.

Online resources

Page on Moodle.

Bibliography

Bien qu’il en actualise les concepts, les méthodes et les exemples, le cours s’appuie sur l’ouvrage suivant : Verhaegen, P. (2010). Signe et communication. De Boeck Supérieur. La lecture est recommandée mais non obligatoire.

Teaching materials

• Documents et slides mis à disposition sur le site du cours

Faculty or entity

ESPO