160153 PS Vertiefende Methodenlehrveranstaltung: Social Semiotics (2024W)

This course provides a practical introduction to social semiotics, a critical approach to the study of multimodal discourse. The term ‘multimodality’ refers to the convergence of various semiotic resources (‘modes’) in human communication, alongside and beyond language: for example, images, sound, gesture, gaze. Stemming from systemic functional linguistics, social semiotics is thus a critical discourse analytical framework that focuses on more than just language and is thereby widely applicable in the study of meaning-making across a variety of genres and media. Based on an understanding of meaning as something social actors make through their choices in concrete settings, social semiotic concepts enable analysts to conduct in-depth situated examinations of everyday meaning-making in a critical vein.

The main aim of the course is that students acquire a solid understanding of social semiotic theory which will enable them to implement social semiotic methods in their own work. The course’s sessions will consist in (i) introducing social semiotic concepts through analytical examples, and (ii) student presentations and discussions based on salient theoretical topics and empirical examples. Students will also conduct hands-on analyses of varied everyday texts and artefacts from various semiotic domains and genres, including still images (e.g. photography, street signs), typography (e.g. fonts, layout), social media technologies, internet memes, video games, webpages, music, and buildings. Besides in-class work, students will also have two analytical assignments, one of which will be on a topic of their choice.

By the end of the course, students should have:
- familiarized themselves with social semiotic theory and its key concepts and goals;
- learned how to apply social semiotic tools to produce their own analyses by making informed methodological decisions;
- developed their critical discourse analytical skills by working both independently and within a team of analysts;
- acquired an understanding of multimodality that they can critically apply in their academic work and everyday life;
- improved their public presentation, academic writing, and argumentation skills.

The course will be held in English, on campus.