1x group presentation (1000 words), testing application of techniques in semiotic analysis to a marketing, advertising, or branding 'text'. [LO 1, 2, 3, 4]

1x individual written assignment (1000 words), testing use of semiotic and structural concepts in a narrative analysis. [LO 1, 2, 3]

The module will inroduce students to some of the basic concepts and tools of semiotic and structural analysis. It will focus on developing skills of practical analysis through individual and group reading exercises on a range of types of text. The module begins with the reading of signs in everyday social experience, and then moves on to applying semiotic techniques to the analysis of contemporary marketing , branding, and advertising. The focus of the second half of the module will be on concepts and tools in narrative semiotics, with practical analysis of folk-tales, 'literary' fiction and contemporary popular narrative (eg genre fiction, blockbuster movies, gaming). Delivery will be through a combination of introductory lectures and practical group reading workshops within a two-hour teaching block, supported by a module website.

Weekly 2 hour lecture/workshop sessions divided flexiby between introduction of concepts and techniques, group development of reading/analytical skills, planning and development of group presentations, and individual development/peer feedback relating to creative writing assignment.

OHP
VCR
Library
Internet

David Crow, Visible Signs: An Introduction to Semiotics (Ava, 2003)

Daniel Chandler, Semiotics (Routledge, 2001)

Terence Hawkes, Structuralism and Semiotics (Routledge, 2003)